CBEST testing - California Basic Educational Skills Test Updated: 2023

The University of New Haven does not require students interested in most of our academic programs to submit SAT/ACT scores. As a student-first institution that deeply cares for education to be both personal and pragmatic, the University of New Haven strives to empower students to achieve excellence and success. By having a test optional policy, we want students to determine if their SAT/ACT scores are an accurate representation of their academic ability. If they feel that their SAT/ACT scores are not, they will not be penalized during admission review if they do not submit test scores.

Do No Harm Policy

The University of New Haven has a "Do No Harm" policy regarding SAT or ACT scores when reviewing applications. We will only use your submitted SAT or ACT score results if the scores have a positive effect on your admissions decision and/or scholarship. If your SAT or ACT scores would negatively affect your chance of admission and/or scholarship, we will automatically exclude your scores during the review process.

Are there academic programs that require test scores for admission?

Yes. The University of New Haven requires students to submit SAT/ACT scores when applying to the following program:

In addition to the academic programs listed above, are there any groups of applicants that will still be required to submit standardized test scores?

• Home schooled students are still required to submit SAT or ACT scores.
• Students from countries where English is the official language are not required to submit test scores. If English is not the official language, one of the following standardized exams is required: TOEFL, IELTS, SAT or ACT. The University of New Haven School CEEB Code is 003663 and the ACT code is 0576.
• Prospective student-athletes for any of our NCAA Division II athletic teams must send scores to NCAA Eligibility Center Only (except applicants applying for Fall 2024 admission).

How does the test optional policy affect scholarships and financial aid?

Merit scholarships and need-based aid programs are available to all eligible applicants should they meet the appropriate criteria. Merit scholarship awards range from $10,000-$30,000 annually, and 97% of University of New Haven students receive some form of need-based aid.

The potential for increased scholarship opportunities are available to students who submit strong SAT/ACT scores, but all students will be evaluated for scholarships even if they do not submit SAT/ACT scores.

What is the procedure in choosing to submit or not submit my SAT/ACT scores?

When applying using the Common Application or our UNewHaven Application, there is a section that states, "Please indicate if you would like to have your SAT or ACT scores taken into consideration when your application is reviewed for admission and merit-based scholarships," you may select from the following:

• Consider my SAT and/or ACT results.
• Do not consider my SAT and/or ACT results.

After technical glitches forced the cancellation of Chicago Public Schools’ High School Admissions Test last week, the district’s 26,000 eighth graders will finally be able to put the competitive assessment of their reading and math skills behind them starting next week.

In a letter sent to families Wednesday, CPS announced that eighth graders, regardless of whether they were able to complete the initial test last week, will have the option to retake the test during the school day on Tuesday or Wednesday in English. Students taking the test in Spanish, Arabic, Polish, Urdu or simplified Chinese will retake the test during the school day Nov. 1.

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Students take the HSAT to apply to the city’s 14 selective enrollment high schools and to enroll at schools outside their neighborhood boundaries with special “choice” programs — such as STEM programs, fine and performing arts, and dual-language offerings — that their neighborhood schools may not have. In the competitive process to win a coveted selective enrollment seat, students can rank up to six selective enrollment schools and 20 choice schools.

Families have long criticized the high-stakes assessment of students’ reading and math skills, for subjecting adolescents to stress akin to the college admissions process.

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“We recognize that students spend time preparing for this test and it was stressful when the test had to be paused amid the technical issues and we sincerely apologize for the disruption in this test administration,” the district wrote in an emailed statement Wednesday. “Over the past week, we’ve worked closely with the testing vendor, Riverside Assessments, LLC, to review the problems and resolve them. Our vendor has assured us that testing can continue.”

Riverside has since added server capacity, which the CPS Information and Technology Team said was successful in resolving the issues in the testing platform, according to CPS’ High School Admissions Test site.

Next week’s test will feature all new questions and CPS said it “strongly” recommends students take advantage of the opportunity to retest. But, any student who’d like for their initial score to be submitted with their high school application has the option to opt out of retesting. Students who were able to complete the HSAT on the initial testing date will not be able to submit their best scores among two attempts, but must choose whether to replace their initial scores.

The district said it has also reached out to the families of non-CPS students to register for new weekend testing dates by Monday. After the technical issues emerged last week, CPS had postponed the assessments of non-district students. Those tests which will now be held at Lane Tech College Prep High School and Lindblom Math and Science Academy at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Oct. 28 and 29, and at 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. Nov. 5.

“We appreciate your continued patience, and regret any stress or frustration that these testing challenges have caused for your family,” the district wrote in the letter to families.

A spokesperson said Wednesday that despite the delays, CPS doesn’t expect families will need more time to submit their applications to selective enrollment and specialized high school programs. The Nov. 9 application deadline hasn’t been extended. But CPS is providing students with more time to rank their preferences, giving them until Dec. 1. In the meantime, the district said it will provide testing results in a “timely” manner.

smacaraeg@chicagotribune.com

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) headquartered in Mumbai has changed its admissions procedure. Instead of its own National Entrance Test (NET), popularly known as TISSNET; this renowned institute of social science will now admit students through the Central University Entrance Test – Postgraduate (CUET-PG). The changes will be applicable to the admissions for the 2024-25 academic year.

The decision, however, has met with criticism from aspiring candidates as well as the existing students of TISS, which sees admission applications from all over India. According to students, the two exams are vastly different in their nature and format; making it difficult to adapt to the change at a crucial point when only a few months are left for the test.

Here is all you have to know about the changes in admission procedure at TISS, how it impacts students and reasons for opposition to the changes.

1. What are the changes in TISS admission?

The institute has announced that from the upcoming academic year admission to all its PG courses, except two– MA in Human Resource Management and Labour Relations (HRM) and MA in Organisation Development, Change and Leadership (ODCL), will be through CUET-PG. The score of the Common Admission Test (CAT) will be considered for admission to the other two courses.

Until now all admissions in TISS was through TISSNET, its own entrance examination; which is generally held around January or February.

2. Why have these changes been introduced?

According to a TISS notification dated November 14, the changes are in compliance with the mandate by the Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission (UGC) to conduct the CUET for admission to Post Graduate (PG) programmes in Central, State and other participating universities, institutions, organisations and autonomous colleges.

“The CUET-PG provides a single window opportunity for all post-graduate students seeking admission to any of the Central Universities or other participating organisations, including state universities, deemed-to-be universities and private universities across the country,” it stated. The admission to HRM and ODCL will be held through CAT, while a generally accepted entrance test will be conducted for MBA and other management course admissions.

3. Why are students opposing the changes?

Foremost of the concerns raised by aspiring students is the admission to HRM and ODCL which are flagship courses offered at TISS. “The registration deadline for CAT is already over in September. The test will be held in a few days. It is unfair that TISS has declared this change at this time. A lot of us, depending on the TISSNET, did not apply for CAT. And now we are told that TISSNET is scrapped when there is no time to apply for CAT now,” said an aspirant adding that “we are not opposing the changes, but the time when the announcements are made”.

The students say if the notification was issued well in advance they could have prepared accordingly. “Considering the delay in announcement, the changes should not be applicable for the upcoming academic year,” added the student.

Moreover, aspirants have also pointed out the differences between TISSNET and CUET-PG.

“We all have been preparing for TISSNET, which is more like an aptitude test. The domain-specific assessment for an aspirant is later conducted during the personal interview round, after clearing TISSNET. Candidates from various backgrounds could appear for TISSNET, with this flexibility. As opposed to it, CUET-PG tests candidates on graduate-level domain-specific knowledge and has negative marking. This puts a lot of candidates at a disadvantage when now there is only a few months left for preparation, considering that CUET-PG is likely to be held in March/April this year,” said an aspirant.

Opposition to changes has also come from the existing TISSians. The Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF), TISS, has condemned the move which it believes would destroy the very character of the institute. “TISS is a social sciences university with an interdisciplinary approach that is open to students from all walks of life, unlike numerous other institutes in India. The adoption of CUET will result in a backtracking of the vision with which TISS was established. It is an indication by the administration that moving forward, TISS will only allow those privileged students who can afford lakhs of rupees in coaching fees for CUET to gain admission,” said PSF, in their statement.

4. What does the institute administration say?

The TISS administration has justified its stand and has also announced an alteration to include CUET-PG score for admission to HRM and ODCL. Confident that students will not miss out on any opportunity, Professor Manoj Tiwari, in-charge director of the TISS, told The Indian Express, “It is a very common practice that most students aspiring for PG courses in management do appear for CAT. However, considering the situation, we have decided that admission to HRM and ODCL too will be possibly based on CUET-PG score. There are components in the CUET PG catering to the management courses. With higher weightage to these components, admission to HRM and ODCL can be done based on CUET-PG score.” While the administration has offered an alternative, considering that the deadline for registration of CAT has passed, it believes that the prospective students have adequate time to register and appear for the CUET-PG.

Chicago Public Schools’ high school admissions test has been rescheduled for late October and early November after technical difficulties with the testing platform forced delays earlier this month.

The test is an opportunity for students to secure a seat in one of the school system’s elite selective enrollment high schools. All CPS eighth graders were set to take the test last week, but most who started couldn’t finish because a testing platform operated by a private vendor crashed.

CPS spokeswoman Samantha Hart said the district has worked with that private vendor, Riverside Assessments LLC, to review the problems and fix them. The company has “assured us that testing can continue,” she said.

“We recognize that students spend time preparing for this test and it was stressful when the test had to be paused amid the technical issues and we sincerely apologize for the disruption in this test administration,” Hart said in a statement.

All CPS eighth graders can take the test Tuesday or Wednesday in English. The test will be available in five other languages Nov. 1. Kids who were able to finish the test last week can choose to opt out of taking it again and keep their score.

Students who don’t attend CPS for eighth grade but are looking to attend a selective enrollment school will have several options to reschedule on Oct. 28, Oct. 29 or Nov. 5. Families will need to reregister for a time by Monday. Those kids’ exams were canceled last weekend because the technical problems had not yet been fixed.

CPS officials said they don’t expect the delayed testing schedule to push back the Nov. 9 high school application deadline.

In the world of college admissions, the AI revolution is here. Its use in college admissions is multifaceted. Chatbots, such as those powered by Element451 and Salesforce CRM , are now a common presence on college websites, providing instant responses to applicant queries and serving as virtual advisors. But AI's influence extends beyond these automated conversationalists. More sophisticated AI applications are beginning to undertake the meticulous task of evaluating transcripts, parsing through Advanced Placement courses, and getting into the bones of students' applications, including extracurricular activities and essays.

Regarding AI’s role in evaluating application materials, Diane Gayeski — a professor of communication at Ithaca College and higher education advisor — says that AI “can look at the number of extracurriculars. It can figure out whether you're a captain of your team or the president of the honor society. The technology can take the rubrics given to an admissions reader and give them to AI.” Gayeski’s perspectives suggest that initial screenings of applicants’ transcripts, essays, extracurricular activities and overall profile information can be scanned and coded by AI rather than human readers.

In addition to evaluating application materials, there are expectations that colleges will use AI to make final admissions decisions, and a relatively small sample suggests that this practice is well underway. A study conducted by intelligent.com shows that of the 223 responding institutions, 87% use AI to make final admissions decisions. The sample included 156 higher education institutions, according to the organization, and of those respondents, 43% “sometimes” use AI to make the final admissions decision, and 44% say that they “always” use AI to make the final admissions decision. The majority of these 156 higher ed institutions (119) are considered “large.”

In evaluating and selecting applicants, the potential for AI to contribute to bias rather than mitigate it is a concern echoed by educational institutions. An Inside Higher Ed report noted the University of Texas at Austin experimented with using AI to support evaluation of its computer science Ph.D. candidates. The school developed an AI admissions screener, only to abandon it upon realizing that it might reinforce existing stereotypes. Georgia Tech also tested out AI in its admissions processes given an increase in applicants. But as of May 2023, such tools had not been implemented, Inside Higher Ed also reported. These examples underscore the need for vigilance and continuous evaluation as AI is integrated into admissions processes.

In using AI to make admissions decisions, colleges may also grapple with the transparency that AI demands. Some experts and analysts have pushed for more admissions transparency. But few data about admissions criteria are known except when institutions provide them through the Common Data Set. The test-optional movement has made college admissions even more opaque, but AI could swing the pendulum back toward clarity—if applied judiciously. At the same time, if AI's criteria and weighting become public, there's a risk that applicants will try to game the system. Yet, this transparency is a double-edged sword; it could also lead to a more equitable admissions landscape, where students from all backgrounds understand what's valued by schools and why.

As students are applying with AI-driven application systems, it is important that they continue to chart their own course rather than change themselves to fit AI-imposed criteria. However, it is important to keep apprised of admissions criteria in order to effectively demonstrate interest, and present their story and experiences to their targeted colleges.

The ethical implications of AI in decision-making cannot be ignored. While AI can efficiently sort applications into preliminary categories, the nuanced judgment required for final decisions will be context-specific based on institutional priorities. For more selective programs, where the line between acceptance and rejection is fine, the subjective nature of human evaluation is irreplaceable. It's critical that colleges articulate the role of AI in making admissions decisions, ensuring that it complements rather than replaces human judgment.

This week’s Oxford admission tests weren’t as bad as they were portrayed in your article (Oxford University says it will not base admissions on botched online tests, 20 October). They were worse – the most shambolic experience in the 16 years I’ve been running exams in a secondary school. Worse even than when they tried to switch the biomedical admissions tests to online a few years back.

Colleagues and I were unsettled by a two-hour online training session the week before, with presenters unable to give clear answers to questions, at one point saying: “Well we haven’t seen these tests either,” and devoting time to scenarios about what they expected to go wrong.

We abandoned last week’s maths admission test after the candidate’s computer froze for a second time. There was no phone number for Tata Consultancy Services, which runs the tests. The live chat feature was disabled. When it was finally possible to reach Oxford’s undergraduate admissions department, harassed staff were struggling to cope. I was promised a paper test. The password to obtain it arrived twice, but the real test came only after we’d sent the candidate home. It came again at 15.15, with an invitation for the candidate to complete it.

Shortly after was a notification that the next day’s physics aptitude test (PAT) would now be on paper, and we might like to go in at 6am to obtain it; and that the history admissions test (HAT) would now start at 11am instead of 10am, but there was no decision as to whether it would be online or on paper.

At 9.45am the next day we were informed that the HAT would indeed be online at 11am. But not to worry, since if it didn’t work we would be told a contingency plan at 11.45am. In the end it did work, though students found having to view a source document and the answer booklet side by side on a 14-inch screen, with electronic highlighting, less than ideal.

I received a final email asking me to upload the PAT paper answer booklets (which had to be chopped up and scanned first) about an hour after I’d done so and had received confirmation on screen. Just a final reminder of two days where almost nothing had gone right.

Shame on you, Tata. And shame on you, Oxford. Our students deserve better than this.
Paul McGillivray
St Albans

Oxford University must acknowledge that maths candidates also suffered from the botched online exams last week. The university has come clean about English literature (“No candidate will be deselected, ie not shortlisted, on the basis of their ELAT [English literature admissions test] score”). What about the maths test?

My son is applying to read maths and was kicked off the server 30 minutes into the exam. The questions he needed to answer disappeared. After repeated efforts to get back online and the intervention of the school’s IT department, it became apparent that the problem was Oxford’s server. His connection was later restored, but he attends a comprehensive with limited examination-room space and the maths candidates were joined midway through their test by the ELAT candidates. The English candidates’ servers also crashed and the disruption and mayhem resumed. The fault lies entirely with the university and its provider. These tests should all be discounted. We wait with bated breath for a proposal from Oxford University that will, in their spokesperson’s words “ensure no one is disadvantaged by these events”.
Christopher Bowen
Great Rissington, Gloucestershire

Karachi University has announced entry test-based online admissions for the academic year 2024.

The admissions are for the morning session in BS, B.Ed (H), and B.E., programs as well as in Doctor of Pharmacy (morning and evening program), Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Department of Visual Studies in the morning shift.

In a statement, In-charge KU Directorate of Admissions Dr Saima Akhtar advised students to visit the official web portal (www.uokadmission.edu.pk) to access information regarding admissions — including eligibility requirements, online admission form, prospectus, and admission-related guidelines.

She mentioned that applicants should fill in and submit their admission form along with scanned copies of the required documents through the online admission portal by November 08.

She shared that for the first time, the University of Karachi has launched a four-year BS degree program in Sports Business Management.

She said that admissions in four-year degree programs in BS, B. Ed (H), and B.E., are available in the departments of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Applied Physics, Biotechnology, Business Administration (BBA), B.E. Chemical Engineering, Commerce, Computer Science — (BSCS) and (BSSE) — Split 2 +2 Chinese, Criminology, Education, Environmental Studies.

Admissions are also available in Food Science and Technology, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, International Relations, Mass Communication, Public Administration, Petroleum Technology, Special Education, Sports Business Management and B. Ed (H) Teacher Education, and Visual Studies, and Doctor of Physical Therapy (five-year program) and Doctor of Pharmacy (five-year program) in morning and evening shifts.

She mentioned that students applying to four and five-year bachelor programs in the Department of Visual Studies must have at least 50 marks in their Higher Secondary School Certificate or equivalent examinations, and in case they have completed their diplomas, they should have at least 60 marks to appear in the aptitude test of the department.

The test will be held on November 19, and the admission list will be uploaded by December 12.

Meanwhile, she said that candidates appearing in the Doctor of Pharmacy entry test should have at least 60% marks in the pre-medical intermediate examination or equivalent exams.

Dr Akhtar added that students, who are planning to apply for self-finance or reserved seats, must appear and clear the entrance test else they will not be considered for admission.

According to her, the entry test for the BS first year will be held on November 26, and the admission list will be announced by December 03.

She said that the KU would conduct the entry test through its own assessment and testing service, i.e. the Karachi University Assessment and Testing Service.

She shared that the admissions in the open merit BS programs will be offered from December 17.

Oxford University says it will not use results from its botched online admissions tests to award places on next year’s English courses, after students and schools across the UK described multiple crashes, freezes and other frustrations using the new system.

Sixth formers applying to Oxford said the online tests being used for the first time were plagued with difficulties, displaying incorrect questions and repeatedly crashing or failing to record answers, raising concerns it would damage their chances of admission as undergraduates.

School leaders said the university had offered inadequate training on the new system, while a telephone helpline for test centres was overwhelmed with calls, with schools reporting waiting times of an hour or more.

Students taking the English literature admissions test (Elat) appear to have been particularly hard hit. Schools that contacted the Guardian said they were forced to give up and use printed test papers instead.

One parent said: “The test officer at my daughter’s school was in disbelief yesterday at how bad it was. He said he had never seen anything like it.”

After the scale of the problems became clear, Oxford said: “This year, Elat scores will not be used in any formal shortlisting calculation. No candidate will be deselected [that is, not shortlisted] on the basis of their Elat score.”

Bill Watkin, the chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association, said: “The Oxford University admissions tests were beset by technical problems, largely a malfunctioning platform and inadequate support communications, and too many students were unable to take the test in a calm, orderly environment.

“The big concern is that the technology meltdown will have affected the performance of some candidates and not others, and that the unlucky ones will miss out on their university dream.”

A spokesperson for Oxford said: “We understand the difficulty and disappointment some UK students have experienced because of technical problems with online admissions tests run by a new provider, and we are very grateful to the students and their teachers for their patience and feedback.

“Tests are only one part of the admissions process and we will use a range of information, including candidates’ individual circumstances, to help us assess their potential and ensure no one is disadvantaged by these events.

“We will be having further talks with the provider to understand better why these problems occurred with their systems and obtain assurances that there will be no repeat.”

One school in the south of England, which did not want to be identified, said the problems affected its students taking English, maths and geography admissions tests.

“The difficulties that students faced included problems with the initial logon, being locked out midway through, errors in questions and extra time not being correctly added,” the school told parents, adding that “the difficulties are entirely the fault and responsibility of Oxford”.

This year Oxford opted to use an online platform for most of its admissions tests for propective undergraduates, developed by Tata Consulting Services (TCS). TCS has been contacted for a response.

The examination officer for one school said: “From the outset, the entire organisation of the Oxford online admissions tests was a disaster. Communication was poor, with email the only form of contact and taking over a week, as standard, to receive a reply. There was no test system put in place for a trial run.”

Severe problems were also reported with the mathematical admissions test, which was supposed to be a hybrid of online and written answers.

“My son took the test today and he said the online system crashed about 10 times. As a result some students completed the test on paper. It sounded like a complete mess,” said one parent. “My worry is that some schools may have been badly affected, while others might have avoided the problems. But Oxford will treat all the tests the same.”

Oxford’s mathematics department said it was “disappointed” to hear of the disruption, and that it “does not want candidates’ applications to be disadvantaged by adverse circumstances during the test.”

This week the AQA test board announced that it planned to use online assessments for a number of GCSE subjects from 2026 onwards.

Watkin said: “At a time when the possibility of increasing the use of online testing is being explored and promoted, this week’s experience has been a salutary reminder that we are not nearly there yet.”