- Kaplan, which sells test-prep materials, predicts most law schools will continue to require the LSAT
- The ABA is poised to do away with its longstanding testing mandate
Timothy Porter is an Army veteran of 10 years. He achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class within 7 years. After being involved in a bomb explosion, Porter was medically retired and began pursuing his passion: technology. In 2009, after teaching himself how to develop mobile apps, Appddiction Studio was formed. In 2011, Appddiction Studio was nationally recognized by the USA Network Channel. Porter was one of their USA Character Unite Award winners for developing an award-winning anti-bullying App for schools. Appddiction Studio has developed well over 200 commercial mobile apps and has become a leader in Enterprise transformations focusing on Agile and the SAFe Framework.
Porter has multiple degrees in Management Information Systems and holds an MBA. He is an SPC and RTE and has performed roles for Appddiction Studio as Scaled program Consultant, Enterprise Coach & Trainer, Agile Coach, Release Train Engineer to Scrum Master. Appddiction Studio has been performing for programs supporting Gunter AFB as a Prime Contractor in: Agile Coaching, EODIMS JST & EODIMS Backlog Burndown and now as a subcontractor on ACES FoS.
Porter has taught over 50 public/private SAFe classes and has submitted his packet for consideration to become SPCT Gold Partner. He is certified at all levels of SAFe Framework and teaches Leading SAFe, SAFe Scrum Master, Advanced Scrum Master, Lean Portfolio Management, Product Owner/Product Management, SAFe DevOps, SAFe Architect in addition to Agile courses like ICAgile Agile Fundamentals, ICAgile Agile Team Facilitation, ICAgile Agile Programming & ICAgile DevOps Foundations.
Being prepared is the best way to ease the stress of test taking. If you are having difficulty scheduling your Placement Test, please contact the UNG Testing Office.
If you have a red yes in any Placement Test Required row on your Check Application Status page in Banner, read the information below relating to the area in which you have the red yes.
Establishing Connection...
Fewer than half of the students who applied early to college this fall submitted standardized test scores, according to an analysis by the nonprofit that publishes the Common Application.
The data point could mark a watershed moment in admissions, college advisers say, when a pandemic pause in SAT and ACT testing requirements evolved into something more permanent.
Just three years ago, 78 percent of applicants included test scores in their early Common App submissions, a round of admissions that ends Nov. 1.
The share of applicants reporting SAT or ACT scores plunged in 2020, as COVID-19 shuttered testing sites and drove hundreds of colleges to adopt “test-optional” admissions.
Many observers expected the testing requirement to return as restrictions lifted. It hasn’t.
“We’ve actually seen an increase in the share of colleges on the Common App that don’t require a test score,” said Preston Magouirk, senior manager of research and analytics at Common App.
More than 1,800 colleges are “test-optional” this year, including most elite public and private campuses, according to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, or FairTest.
Common App data shows that only 4 percent of colleges require test scores for applications this fall, down from 55 percent in pre-pandemic 2019. The group includes a handful of technical universities and Florida’s state university system.
Any number of schools could revert to requiring test scores. But admissions experts don’t believe they will.
“I think it’s harder to go back,” said Jed Applerouth, founder of Applerouth Tutoring Services in Atlanta. “When you go test-optional, you have the freedom to build the class you want to build.”
The test-optional movement began at Bowdoin College in Maine in 1970 and spread through academia, gaining traction in the 2000s amid concerns about equity.
Not until the coronavirus pandemic, though, did a majority of applicants exercise the option to omit test scores from their Common Application requirements.
College admission panels used to count on SAT and ACT scores as a way to compare students across schools. Sorting applicants by GPA or academic rigor can be tricky: An A in honors geometry may not mean the same thing from one school to another.
The test-optional push follows relentless criticism that college-entrance exams favor the affluent, who can afford pricey test-prep classes, effectively paying for a higher score.
A few colleges have rejected standardized tests altogether. California’s public university system, the nation’s largest, no longer accepts them. Elsewhere, most institutions have embraced the test-optional option.
Experts see little downside. By accepting test scores but not requiring them, a selective college often finds that its SAT and ACT averages go up, because students with lower scores don’t submit them.
Admission consultants say test-optional policies free an institution to enroll more economically disadvantaged students, or more affluent “full-pay” students, whose parents cover the full cost of attendance, all without regard to test scores.
“If they want, they can increase diversity,” Applerouth said. “If they want, they can increase full-pay. Why would you supply that up?”
The leaders of FairTest and other equity advocates cheer the test-optional trend.
“Any time spent preparing for the SAT or ACT is time spent not reading a novel, time not spent playing the guitar,” said Harry Feder, executive director of FairTest. “I think it’s a waste of kids’ energy and time.”
For applicants, however, the test-optional era brings a host of new complexities.
Applicants now face more decisions on the pros and cons of submitting scores to individual colleges. The choice can trigger a deep dive into a school’s test-score profile, admission statistics and philosophies on testing.
“It’s a combination of multivariable calculus and reading tea leaves,” said Wendie Lubic, a partner in The College Lady, a Washington, D.C., consultancy.
As a general rule, admission consultants encourage applicants to submit scores that fall near the SAT or ACT average for the target school: the higher, the better.
College leaders promise to supply every student a fair shake, test scores or no.
“When we say we’re test-optional, we really mean we’re test-optional and don’t think twice when a student doesn’t submit test scores as part of their application,” said Jeff Allen, vice president for admission and financial aid at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Macalester officials decided to go test-optional shortly before the pandemic descended. A slim majority of Macalester applicants did not submit scores last fall, a quotient that suggests they accept the school’s pledge not to penalize the score-less.
Yet, admission statistics suggest some other schools prefer applicants who post scores.
Lubic, the consultant, cites Boston College. The school’s overall admission rate is 17 percent. Boston College is test-optional. Its website promises that students who do not submit scores will “receive full consideration” in admissions. But school policy also notes, somewhat ominously, that those who do not send scores “will have one less credential to be considered by the Admission Committee.”
To Lubic, the numbers speak for themselves. For the current academic year, Boston College admitted 25 percent of applicants with test scores and 10 percent of those without.
The University of Virginia provides another case study. In the last round of admissions, students without test scores made up 42 percent of applicants but only 26 percent of admissions.
“Amherst, Barnard, Boston College, Boston University, you can see that they actively prefer scores,” Lubic said. “They have actually told people what the admit rate is for students who submit scores, and what the admit rate is for students who don’t submit scores.” The second number, she said, is invariably lower.
“Right now, we’re in the middle of a swamp,” she said. “Nothing is confirmed.”
Jessica, a mother in Richmond, Va., helped her daughter through the college admissions process last year. The daughter had a 4.8 weighted GPA and a 1390 SAT score. The family chose to submit scores to some schools but not to others, depending on each institution’s SAT average and apparent preference.
The daughter gained admission to several colleges whose admission committees never saw her scores, including the honors program at the University of South Carolina, where she ultimately enrolled. The University of Virginia did see her scores — and put her on its waitlist.
“That was a shocker,” said Jessica, who withheld her last name to discuss what remains a sensitive course in her family.
During the pandemic, when some students lacked access to testing, hundreds of colleges pledged to treat applicants the same with or without test scores.
“That pledge has now expired,” Applerouth said.
In a post-COVID world, he said, test-optional means a college considers an application complete without test scores. It does not necessarily mean the application is on equal footing with the others.
“Academic rigor is optional,” Applerouth said. “Submitting robust AP scores is optional. Being student body president is optional. But optional does not mean without impact.”
The retreat from required testing, especially in California, has lowered the stakes for students who take the tests. More than 1.7 million high school students in the class of 2022 took the SAT, up from 1.5 million in 2021, but down from 2.2 million in 2020, according to test publisher the College Board.
On the future of standardized testing, “I think California will continue to drive a lot of the discussion,” said Jon Boeckenstedt, vice provost for enrollment management at Oregon State University.
California’s university system dropped standardized tests from admissions in 2021, a dramatic step affecting several of the nation’s most prestigious public campuses.
“I know College Board continues to campaign quietly in the state to get the public universities to reinstate the tests,” Boeckenstedt said. “And if they do, that would be a game changer.”
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
This year, the Common Law Admission Test 2022 (CLAT) is scheduled to take place on December 18 and aspirants have few days left to appear for the entrance exam.
CLAT is an aptitude-based test which measures a student’s interest in law, rather than their legal knowledge. Law degree has gained huge popularity in latest years and this is mostly due to the fact that the course is open to various academic fields, including engineering and business. Furthermore, it offers tremendous potential for job advancement and social recognition.
With this aim in mind, the CLAT consortium developed a new pattern starting in 2020, in which they also intend to thoroughly assess the student’s reading and comprehension abilities, as they believe that these abilities are crucial for law degree aspirants. As a result, the strategy that worked well for the previous CLAT pattern could not work as well for CLAT 2022.
Here are the main pointers that aspirants need to take care of during their last leg of the preparations
CLAT has 5 sections —English language, current affairs, including general knowledge, legal reasoning, logical reasoning and quantitative techniques. All these sections require a distinct approach. However, reading and comprehension skills remain same in all the five sections.
Topics to focus on for UG test of CLAT
Quantitative techniques: Numerical information, ratio, basic algebra, menstruation, statistical estimation, graphs, and proportion
Logical reasoning: Argument- premise and conclusion, inference, relationships and analogies, contradictions and equivalence
English: Passages, reading, comprehension, inference, and conclusion, summary, vocabulary
Legal Reasoning: Rules and passages of law, application of the rules and passages
Current Affairs: Arts and culture, international affairs, contemporary events of national and international significance, historical events of significance.
Topics to focus on for PG test of CLAT
Intellectual Property Rights: Nature, Definition and Scope of IPR, Trademarks Act 1999, Copyright Act 1957, Patents Act 1970, , IPR in International Perspective
Torts: Nuisance, defamation, classification of torts, trespass, liability for misstatements
Criminal Law: Elements of crime, exceptions, attempt to commit offences, group liability, abetment, criminal conspiracy, offences against body
International Law: Overview of international law, international law of sea, origin and development of international law and bodies, air, land
Any law student seeking to become a lawyer should keep these tips in mind
1. Effective time management – Time utilisation during preparations is a must as one needs to work on the weaker areas and overcome the shortfalls. Further, attempting several mock tests also ensures how much time to supply to each question based on the difficulty levels, which will help in the real exam.
2. Thorough revision – Aspirants must have already completed their syllabus for CLAT by now, but to keep things on tips, it is equally important to revise regularly. Students should adhere to a strict revision time table, while attempting mock tests side by side.
3. Aim for quality, not quantity– Practice is must to ace through any competitive exam. Aspirants should practice as many test series as possible which will help in identifying the stronger areas and accuracy of the results. Do not always go for 100 per cent attempt; even 90 per cent accuracy can help score good.
4. Mock tests and analysis – Mock test series provided by several experts consist of diligently made mock exams for CLAT, that helps provide a real time experience. It is very important to work constantly on improving vocabulary and learning current affairs. This will help you enhance your score. However, candidates should remember that they can always modify this strategy based on their performance in the mock tests. The ideal way to practice questions and assess your preparation is through the help of mock tests. Prepare for all these sections and attempt as many mocks as possible. One should analyse their mocks post their attempt.
(The writer is the director of Pratham Test Prep)
(Reuters) - A new survey suggests that a significant number of law schools will continue to use the Law School Admission Test even if the American Bar Association, which accredits them, no longer requires it.
Half of the 82 law school admissions offices surveyed by test prep company Kaplan Inc this fall said they are either “very likely” or “somewhat” likely to continue requiring a standardized admissions test even if the ABA drops its testing mandate, according to the survey released Tuesday. Kaplan provides LSAT prep courses and has a financial interest in schools continuing to require the test.
The ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar is slated to vote on eliminating the admission test requirement Friday.
Four schools told Kaplan they are “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to stop requiring applicants to take an admissions test if the mandate is dropped, while 37 said they did not know what they would do.
The respondent pool included 12 of the top 25 law schools as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, according to Kaplan, which did not identify respondents' answers by school name.
“Irrespective of how this vote goes on Friday, it doesn’t necessarily mean that anything in admissions is actually going to change,” said Jeff Thomas, Kaplan’s executive director of legal programs.
Medical schools aren't required by their accreditor to use the Medical College Admission Test, Thomas noted, yet nearly all do.
The Law School Admission Council, which makes the LSAT, has long argued that its test plays a consumer protection function by signaling to prospective lawyers whether they are likely to be able to handle the rigors of law school.
Proponents of eliminating the admission test requirement say law schools should have more flexibility in how they admit students.
Race has also emerged as a focus in the debate, with some calling the LSAT a barrier to entry that favors whites, and others arguing that the standardized test helps level the playing field for minority applicants.
Read more:
ABA moves closer to ending LSAT requirement for law schools
Proposal to axe LSAT requirement spurs debate over test’s effects on diversity
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
SSC CGL 2022 test Quantitative Aptitude Preparation Strategy & Important Topics: Know how to prepare for the SSC CGL Quantitative Aptitude section. Get details related to the important courses that are going to be asked in the SSC CGL 2022 examination and preparation tips.
SSC CGL 2022 test Quantitative Aptitude Preparation Strategy & Important Topics
SSC CGL 2022 test Quantitative Aptitude Preparation Strategy & Important Topics: The Staff Selection Commission is going to conduct the SSC CGL 2022 examination soon. The commission has released the test schedule, as per which, the SSC CGL 2022 test for tier 1 is going to be conducted from December 01 to 13, 2022.
Check SSC CGL 2022-23 Revised Syllabus & New test Pattern
Quantitative Aptitude is the most critical section in the SSC CGL examination. Hence, the candidates are advised to pay heed to its preparations. The questions asked in these subjects are usually tricky hence one has to be very attentive while preparing. Candidates should try to adhere to the official syllabus that has been released by the commission for the Quantitative Aptitude section. Additionally, they should also stick to extensive practice using mock tests, previous year papers, short quizzes, etc.
Check SSC CGL 2022 test Preparation Tips & Strategy
Check SSC CGL Recruitment Eligibility Criteria 2022-23 in Detail
Check SSC CGL 2022-23 Salary after 7th Pay Commission
|
Sections |
Module |
Subject |
Maximum Questions |
Maximum Marks |
Duration |
|
Section I |
Module-I |
Mathematical Abilities |
30 |
90 |
1 hour |
|
Module-II |
Reasoning and General Intelligence |
30 |
90 |
||
|
Section II |
Module-I |
English Language and Comprehension |
45 |
135 |
1 hour |
|
Module-II |
General Awareness |
25 |
75 |
||
|
Section III |
Module-I |
Computer Knowledge Test |
20 |
60 |
15 minutes |
|
Module-II |
Data Entry Speed Test |
One Data Entry Task |
15 minutes |
||
The commission has notified the complete SSC CGL syllabus for the Quantitative Aptitude subject. Those who are willing to qualify for the examination are advised to adhere to the chapters that are listed in the table below.
|
Subject |
SSC CGL Syllabus |
|
Quantitative Aptitude |
Quadrilaterals Regular Polygons Right Prism Right Circular Cone Right Circular Cylinder Sphere Heights and Distances Histogram Frequency polygon Bar diagram & Pie chart Time and distance Time & Work Percentage Ratio & Proportion Square roots Averages Interest Basic algebraic identities of School Algebra & Elementary surds Graphs of Linear Equations Triangle and its various kinds of centers Hemispheres Rectangular Parallelepiped Regular Right Pyramid with triangular or square base Trigonometric ratio Degree and Radian Measures Standard Identities Complementary angles Congruence and similarity of triangles Circle and its chords, tangents, angles subtended by chords of a circle, common tangents to two or more circles Triangle Computation of whole numbers Decimals Fractions Relationships between numbers Profit and Loss Discount Partnership Business Mixture and Allegation |
SSC CGL examination is held every year. The questions are asked from the courses that have been already mentioned in the syllabus. Hence, going through the analysis of the last three years regarding the courses asked from the Quantitative Aptitude section. Go through the table below to know about the courses asked n the section below.
|
Quantitative Aptitude Topics |
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
|
S.I./C.I |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Coordinate Geometry |
– |
– |
– |
|
Mensuration |
3 |
3 |
2-3 |
|
Ratio |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Algebra |
3 |
3 |
2-3 |
|
DI |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
Number System |
2 |
2 |
– |
|
Trigonometry |
3 |
3 |
2-3 |
|
Time & Work |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Percentage |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Profit & Loss |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Geometry |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Simplification |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Average |
1 |
1 |
1-2 |
|
Time, Speed & Distance |
1 |
1 |
1 |
The SSC CGL 2022 examination is going to be conducted soon. Talking about the subjects, questions from the Quantitative Aptitude are asked in the preliminary and main sections. As per that, there shall be 25 questions from the prelims section and 30 questions in the mains.
Hence, keeping this in mind, they are advised to adhere to the SSC CGL Quantitative Aptitude preparation tips as mentioned in the section below.
Questions from Mensuration, DI, Algebra, Trigonometry, Ratio & proportion, and Probability are asked repeatedly in the SSC CGL Quantitative Aptitude section.
As per the marking scheme, 2 marks shall be awarded for the correct answer and a negative marking of 0.50 marks is applicable for the wrong answer marked in the SSC CGL examination 2022.
One can resort to calculation tricks used in Vedic Maths to solve difficult questions easily. Regular practicing and solving questions is also helpful in increasing speed for the SSC CGL Quantitative Aptitude.
Learn more about our test-optional policy:
Can I switch my testing plan after submitting my Common Application?
Students who submit standardized test results to Boston College and indicate on their applications that they wish to have scores considered, will be unable to switch their application to test-optional at a later point in time. Once scores become part of a student's file, they cannot be removed.
Students who apply as test-optional candidates and later wish to have the Admission Committee consider their standardized test results may request to do so in writing at bcapplicant@bc.edu. For full consideration, students should contact us directly as close to our deadlines as possible.
How do I know if I should submit my scores?
Like any other portion of an application, strong performance can Strengthen a student's candidacy and weak performance can hinder it. We provide mid-50% ranges for enrolled students to provide you with context as you assess whether or not to submit your scores.
Does this policy apply to international students?
Yes. International students will still be required to demonstrate English language proficiency via TOEFL, IELTS, or Duoligo English Test results. This English language proficiency requirement may be waived for students who speak English as their native language, have attended a US high school for at least three years in a non-ESOL curriculum, or submit standardized test results including scores of 650 or greater on the SAT EBRW or 29 or greater on the ACT English section. Learn more here.
Does this policy apply to home-schooled students?
Yes. That said, because the Admission Committee has little context in which to evaluate home-schooled students’ academic results, standardized test results are extremely helpful to the Admission Committee. Home-schooled applicants are strongly encouraged to submit credentials that allow us to put their applications in context with others in our pool. Other quantitative measures that students may also consider submitting include AP test scores and/or college coursework. Official college transcripts should be submitted for all college courses completed.
Does this policy apply to athletic recruits?
Yes. NCAA has removed the test score requirement for athletic eligibility in the 2022-23 admission cycle. The NCAA has not yet determined an eligibility policy for the 2023-24 admission cycle or beyond. Recruited athletes are responsible for ensuring their NCAA eligibility.
Admission tests are returning to Presidency University after three years.
The university will admit students next year to the undergraduate and postgraduate levels based on their scores in the entrance tests, said an official of the university.
Since 2020, Presidency has been admitting students entirely on the basis of marks in board exams, said the official.
The institution, which has traditionally screened students through admission tests, discontinued the practice because of the pandemic.
The West Bengal JEE board, engaged by Presidency since 2015 to conduct the admission tests, could not hold the exams in 2020 and 2021 because of a surge in Covid cases.
This year, though the cases declined sharply, the test could not be held amid allegations that Presidency did not do enough to resume the traditional screening.
Before 2015, Presidency conducted the tests on its own.
“It has been decided following a discussion with Presidency that next year the board will hold the exams for screening students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels,” said JEE board chairman Malayendu Saha.
