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Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing

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Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing (formerly the Admissions Testing Service) supports educational institutions, professional organisations, governments and employers in the selection and recruitment of applicants, by providing admissions tests for medicine and healthcare, assessments in thinking skills and behavioural styles, and subject-specific admissions tests.[1]

It is part of Cambridge Assessment, a not-for-profit department of the University of Cambridge, England.

History

The Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) was introduced in 2001 for entry to a range of undergraduate courses at the University of Cambridge.[2]

In 2004, a dedicated unit was formally set up within Cambridge Assessment, with responsibility for developing and administering admissions tests. The Thinking Skills Admissions Testing (TSAT) unit was responsible for administering the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) and the first BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT), which had been introduced in 2003.

In 2004, interest in fair admissions to higher education was fuelled by the Schwartz Report. This led to a collaboration between TSAT and the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the development of uniTEST. uniTEST explored whether a single test could be used for admission to a broad range of courses and higher education institutions. uniTEST was introduced by some Australian universities, but there was relatively little demand in the UK.

Other projects followed, including work with the Faculty of English at the University of Oxford to develop an admissions test for undergraduate courses in English. Following a successful trial in autumn 2006, the English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT) was introduced in the 2007–08 admissions cycle.

In recent years there has been more work with the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge to administer their own admissions tests/pre-interview assessments. This has included:

  • From 2011 onwards, administering the University of Oxford tests – starting with the History Aptitude Test (HAT) and the Physics Aptitude Test (PAT)[3]
  • From 2016 onwards, assisting with the development and delivery of the University of Cambridge pre-interview assessments.[4]

After becoming the Admissions Testing Service in 2011, the name changed to Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing in January 2017, making clear it is part of Cambridge Assessment, a not-for-profit department of the University of Cambridge.

Admissions tests for medicine and healthcare

BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)

BMAT is used by universities in the UK and overseas for entry to Medicine, Biomedical Science and Dentistry courses. For the majority of universities which use BMAT, the test is taken in November for admission the following October.[5]

International Medical Admissions Test (IMAT)

IMAT is used by a number of Italian universities for entry to English language-taught Medicine, Surgery and related degree courses. The test was developed in conjunction with the Italian Ministry of Education. It is currently taken in April for admission in October.

Subject-specific admissions tests

English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT)

ELAT is used for entry to English Literature courses at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. It is taken in November for admission the following October.[6]

Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP)

STEP is used for entry to Mathematics courses at the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick. It is used by the University of Cambridge as the basis for conditional offers, and is taken in June for admission in October. Other UK universities may take STEP results into account when making offers for their Mathematics courses.[7]

Test of Mathematics for University Admission

The Test of Mathematics for University Admission is a 2-hour 30-minute test of mathematical thinking and reasoning. Durham University and Lancaster University encourage applicants to their Mathematics courses to take the test.

Other admissions tests delivered on behalf of universities

The University of Cambridge

Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing delivers pre-interview assessments for the following University of Cambridge courses:

  • Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic (ASNCAA)
  • Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMESAA)
  • Economics (ECAA)
  • Engineering (ENGAA)
  • Geography (GAA)
  • History (HAA)
  • Human, Social, and Political Sciences (HSPSAA)
  • Natural Sciences (NSAA)
  • Psychological and Behavioural Sciences (PBSAA).

The University of Oxford

Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing administers the following admissions tests for the University of Oxford:

  • Classics Admissions Test (CAT)
  • History Aptitude Test (HAT)
  • Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) (Imperial College London also uses MAT for its undergraduate degree courses in Mathematics)
  • Modern Languages Admissions Tests (MLAT)
  • Oriental Languages Aptitude Test (OLAT)
  • Philosophy Test
  • Physics Aptitude Test (PAT).[8]

Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA)

TSA is used for entry to a wide range of undergraduate university courses, including: European Social and Political Studies (ESPS), Economics, Geography, Human Sciences, Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) and Psychology. It assesses whether applicants have the critical thinking and problem-solving skills which universities consider to be essential for success in higher education. It is used by the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and University College London (UCL) in the UK.

Behavioural styles assessment

Cambridge Personal Styles Questionnaire (CPSQ)

CPSQ is designed to capture information on personal and behavioural styles, such as thinking and learning, motivation, self-management, resilience and interpersonal values and attitudes. The assessment was developed over four years of research and trialling with general and vocational higher education (including medicine, nursing and healthcare institutions).[9]

Research

Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing conducts ongoing validation studies, reviewing how well its tests can be shown to accurately reflect a candidate’s true level of ability and ensure fairness to all candidates. The key aim of the research activity is to gather evidence to demonstrate that the admissions tests make a useful and fair contribution to the admissions process.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Information for educational institutions" (PDF). Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  2. ^ "About TSA Cambridge". Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  3. ^ "In partnership with Cambridge Assessment" (PDF). University of Oxford. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  4. ^ "Working with the University of Cambridge on pre-interview assessments". Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  5. ^ "About BMAT". Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  6. ^ "About ELAT". Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  7. ^ "About STEP". Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  8. ^ "Information for test-takers". Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  9. ^ "Behavioural styles assessment (CPSQ)". Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  10. ^ "Research". Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
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