Test Preparation for Higher Education SAT – ACT – LNAT – UKCAT – BMAT – ISAT – IMAT

Varun Jain Founder, Brighter Prepwww.brighterprep.com

“Why should I take the Standardized Test”

To get into a college

To complete a high school diploma

It is what they have to do to succeed in life.

Why many students don’t do well in standardized tests

Because they think test scores are important but knowledge is of limited or no use?

They feel that these tests are of little or no value in “real” life is pervasive among students and is highly detrimental.

How to motivate students• Standardized tests actually do help a student in life.• This truth needs to be constantly reiterated and demonstrated in order to justify the tremendous effort that it requires to learn and succeed in these tests.

How Standardized Tests Help students In Life

English: understand people, problem-solve, invent

Math: analyze information, create solutions

Time Management, Discipline

Decision Making Skills

American Standardized Tests

PSAT versus SAT

PSAT SAT2 Critical Reading2 Math1 Grammar

3 Critical Reading3 Math2 Grammar + Essay1 Experimental Section

2 hours and 10 minutes 3 hours and 45 minutes

PLAN versus ACT

PLAN ACTEnglish – 30 minutesMath – 40 minutesReading – 20 minutesScience – 25 minutes

English – 45 minutesMath (+Trig.) – 60 minutesReading – 35 minutesScience – 35 minutesOption Essay – 30 minutes

1 hour and 55 minutes 3 hours and 25 minutes

Should we use PSAT and PLAN results to determine which test a student should take?

The PSAT and particularly the PLAN test are not accurate enough to

adequately determine which test is better for a student.

Differences between SAT and ACT

SAT ACT

• Math section only contains Algebra and Geometry• Explicitly tests vocabulary• Questions are abstract: the questions look and feel different than those from school.• Essay is mandatory• No science section• Timing is not as difficult

• Math section contains Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry• Vocabulary is not tested• Questions are much more straightforward (almost the same as questions students see in school).• Essay is optional• Contains a science section• Time is extremely difficult

Happens on the same day as SAT Subject Tests

Happens on Different Dates from SAT or SAT Subject Tests

When should a student take the SAT and/or ACT?

The best testing schedule is for students to take the January SAT and the December ACT in their junior year. The reason for this is twofold:

- Students need to know an official score before spring of their junior year

- The January test offers the “Question-and-answer” and the December test offers the “Test Information Release”

Current SAT versus New SATCurrent SAT New SAT

3 hours and 45 minutes 3 hours (plus 50 minutes for the Essay [optional])

Critical ReadingWritingMathematicsEssay

Evidence-Based Reading and WritingReading TestWriting and Language Test

MathEssay (optional)

Emphasis on general reasoning skillsEmphasis on vocabulary, often in limited contextsComplex scoring (a point for a correct answer and a deduction for an incorrect answer; blank responses have no impact on scores)

Continued emphasis on reasoning alongside a clearer, stronger focus on the knowledge, skills, and understandings most important for college and career readiness and successGreater emphasis on the meaning of words in extended contexts and on how word choice shapes meaning, tone, and impactRights-only scoring (a point for a correct answer but no deduction for an incorrect answer)

Score Scale ranging from 600 to 2400 Score Scale ranging from 400 to 1600

Medicine Entrance Exams UKCAT – UK BMAT - UK

ISAT - Australia IMAT – Italy

Section Item Standard Time

Verbal Reasoning 44 items 22 minutes

Quantitative Reasoning 36 items 25 minutes

Abstract Reasoning 55 items 14 minutes

Decision Analysis 28 items 32 minutes

Situational Judgement 67 items 27 minutes

Total Time 120 minutes

Scoring – 300 to 900 points for the first 4 sections (Overall 1200 to 3600) Band 1 to Band 4 for Situational Judgement

UKCAT Test Structure

Registration Opens 01 May 2015

Testing Begins 01 July 2015

Registration Closes 22 September 2015

Registration Deadline 05 October 2015

Last Testing Date 06 October 2015

UCAS Medicine Application Deadline 15 October 2015

You can only take it ONCE in one particular admissions cycle

UKCAT Timeline

24 Medical Colleges in the UK ask for UKCAT University of Aberdeen King's College London

University of Central Lancashire University of Manchester

University of Dundee University of Newcastle

Durham University University of Nottingham

University of East Anglia Plymouth University

University of Edinburgh Queen Mary, University of London

University of Exeter Queen's University Belfast

University of Glasgow University of Sheffield

Hull York Medical School University of Southampton

Keele University University of St Andrews

University of Warwick St George's, University of London

Cardiff University University of Leicester

Accepted by Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, Leeds, Brighton and Sussex and NTU Singapore

BMAT Test Structure

Aptitude and Skills

Generic skills in problem-solving, understanding arguments, data analysis and inference.

35 multiple-choice questions

60 minutes

Scientific Knowledge and Applications

The ability to apply scientific knowledge from school science and mathematics

27 multiple-choice questions

30 minutes

Writing Task The ability to select, develop and organise ideas, and to communicate them in writing, concisely and effectively.

One writing task from a choice of four questions

30 minutes

Registration Opens 01 September 2015

Testing Date 4 November 2015

Registration Closes 01 October 2015

Results 25 November 2015

Late Registration Deadline (Late Fee) 15 October 2015

UCAS Medicine Application Deadline 15 October 2015

You can only take it ONCE in one particular admissions cycle

BMAT Timeline

Registration begins in July and test happens in Mid September every year

IMAT

The International Medical Admissions Test (IMAT) is an official part of the selection process for all English-taught degrees in Medicine and Surgery at six Italian universities:

• Bari University• Milan University• Pavia University• Rome ‘La Sapienza’ University• Rome ‘Tor Vergata’ University• Second University of Naples

Section – 1- General Knowledge and Logical Reasoning 27 MCQ

Section 2, 3 and 4 cover Bio, Chemistry, Physics and Math 33 MCQ

Total Time 100 Minutes

Registration opens in March every year and students can take test mostly before August every year.

ISAT is for international students applying to medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and physiotherapy courses at a selection of Australian universities

• Monash University (Melbourne) • University of New South Wales • University of Queensland • University of Sydney • University of Tasmania• University of Western Australia • University of Western Sydney – Medicine

ISAT is a 3-hour computer-based multiple-choice test designed to assess a candidate's intellectual skills and abilities that are the foundation of academic success at tertiary level.

Law Entrance Test LNAT – National Admissions Test for Law

Section A: The first part is a computer-based multiple choice exam. You’ll be asked to read passages of text and answer questions that test your comprehension of them. Your scores from the multiple choice section of the test are checked by computer, and a mark out of 42 is created. This is known as your LNAT score.

Section B: In the second part of the test you will be asked to write one essay from a list of three proposed subjects. This section is not marked by the test centre and does not contribute to your LNAT score, but it is your opportunity to show your ability to construct a compelling argument and reach a conclusion.

LNAT Test Structure

You must take the test in the UCAS year in which you are applying to university. You can only sit the test once in the cycle (September to June).

11 Law Colleges Require LNAT Score

University of Oxford

UCL Faculty of Law

SOAS University of London

King’s College London

Durham University

The University of Nottingham

University of Glasgow

University of Birmingham

University of Bristol

IE University, Spain

NUI Maynooth

Student ProfileStandardized Test

Personal Essays and In-terview

High School Grades

Refernce Letters

Profile - Volunteer work, ECA, Summer School, In-ternship, Achievements

Standardized Test Scores

Personal Es-says and In-

terviews High School

Grades

Individual Pro-file

Reference Let-ters

How can you motivate students

The brain is

a muscle

Foster intellect

ual curiosity

The Brain is like a Muscle

Students think that their intelligence is staticThey often do not know that hard work

creates intelligence

Foster Intellectual Curiosity

Connect what students are learning to real life (and ask them how it connects).

Allow students to express and discuss what interests them.

Students will see that learning matters and that they can apply what they learn

to life.

Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.