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-Ravi Prakash

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a national-level entrance examination that allows candidates to gain admission to some of the country's top management institutes. The test will be held on November 27 this year.

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CAT consists of three sections- verbal and reading comprehension (VARC), data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR), and quantitative aptitude (QA). In order to achieve the best results in the exam, an aspirant must make a detailed preparation strategy focusing on each section specifically. The following are some tips that will boost the preparation of every candidate in the Quantitative Aptitude (QA) and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) sections:

1. Regular question-solving:

All candidates must regularly solve questions in both sections in order to ensure that they are aware of possible question patterns in the exam. On an average, each candidate must solve 20 questions of Quantitative Aptitude (QA) and 5 questions of Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) daily.

2. Master notebook

To Excellerate their speed during the exam, it is vital for all candidates to maintain a master notebook where they can make a note of every difficult question and syllabu they can identify during the last two months of their preparation. By solving these questions, candidates will be able to strengthen their understanding of concepts and solve a minimum of four to five extra questions during the exam.

3. Important courses in the Quantitative Aptitude (QA) section

Keeping in mind that this section is often difficult to solve in the exam, candidates can revise important courses in the section. Some of the most important courses in the section include Arithmetic, Algebra & Geometry. The maximum number of questions in the QA section will appear from the courses mentioned. Therefore, all candidates must practice and revise them regularly, especially in the last few weeks before the exam.

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4. Effective preparation for the quantitative aptitude (QA) section

Candidates must note that it is not possible to predict which questions will appear in the section. Easy or moderate courses must not remain unattempted in the exam. Therefore, they must not skip any syllabu in the QA section and ensure they practice questions and take tests regularly.

5. Important courses in the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) section:

In DILR, courses such as puzzles, Venn diagrams, maxima-minima, quantitative-based DILR, and charts, including area charts, bubble charts, as well as box and whiskers, are of prime importance and must be thoroughly understood and practiced.

6. How to attempt the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) section:

Before attempting any questions, all candidates must take 30 seconds to scan each set. Each candidate must pick two sets to solve based on their experience and familiarity with the questions. If they are unable to solve the first set, they can quickly move on to the second and save time. It is essential to remain composed and not panic during the exam. 

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7. How to attempt the Quantitative Aptitude (QA) section:

To ensure the best possible result from the QA section, candidates can create four slots that target five to six questions each over a period of 10 minutes. Candidates must remain aware and understand that a lengthy question does not necessarily have a lengthy solution. However, time wastage must be avoided by not attempting these questions in the beginning. Easy and short questions must be attempted before lengthy ones.

8. Mock tests: 

Candidates must note that mock tests are extremely essential during preparation. However, they must not attempt mock tests on a daily basis, causing "mock fatigue". One mock test every three days is sufficient to ensure effective preparation for the exam. It is suggested by experts that taking mock tests for two hours and analyzing them for four hours helps Excellerate a candidate’s overall performance in the long run. Candidates must take as many 40-minute-long sectional tests as they can to Excellerate their speed.

(The writer is a CAT Educator at Unacademy)

Scores on the ACT college admissions test by this year's high school graduates hit their lowest point in more than 30 years — the latest evidence of the enormity of learning disruption during the pandemic.

The class of 2022's average ACT composite score was 19.8 out of 36, marking the first time since 1991 that the average score was below 20. What's more, an increasing number of high school students failed to meet any of the subject-area benchmarks set by the ACT — showing a decline in preparedness for college-level coursework.

The test scores, made public in a report Wednesday, show 42% of ACT-tested graduates in the class of 2022 met none of the subject benchmarks in English, reading, science and math, which are indicators of how well students are expected to perform in corresponding college courses.

In comparison, 38% of test takers in 2021 failed to meet any of the benchmarks.

"Academic preparedness is where we are seeing the decline," said Rose Babington, senior director for state partnerships for the ACT. "Every time we see ACT test scores, we are talking about skills and standards, and the prediction of students to be successful and to know the really important information to succeed and persist through their first year of college courses."

ACT scores have declined steadily in exact years. Still, "the magnitude of the declines this year is particularly alarming," ACT CEO Janet Godwin said in a statement. "We see rapidly growing numbers of seniors leaving high school without meeting college-readiness benchmarks in any of the subjects we measure."

The results offer a lens into systemic inequities in education, in place well before the pandemic shuttered schools and colleges temporarily waived testing requirements. For example, students without access to rigorous high school curriculum suffered more setbacks during pandemic disruptions, Babington said. Those students are from rural areas, come from low-income families and are often students of color.

The number of students taking the ACT has declined 30% since 2018, as graduates increasingly forgo college and some universities no longer require admissions tests. But participation plunged 37% among Black students, with 154,000 taking the test this year.

Standardized tests such as the ACT have faced growing concerns that they're unfair to minority and low-income students, as students with access to expensive test prep or advanced courses often perform better.

Babington defended the test as a measure of college readiness. "Now more than ever, the last few years have shown us the importance of having high-quality data to help inform how we support students," Babington said.

Test scores now are optional for first-year student admission at many institutions. Some colleges, such as the University of California system, even opt for a test-blind policy, where scores are not considered even if submitted.

But many students still take the tests, hoping to get an edge in admissions by submitting their scores. Tyrone Jordan, a freshman at test-optional Arizona State University, said he took the ACT and the SAT to get ahead of other students and help him receive scholarships.

Jordan, who wants to pursue mechanical engineering, said he thinks his rigorous schedule at Tempe Preparatory Academy prepared him for college, and the standardized tests helped support him and his family financially.

"All the test did for me was supply me extra financial money," Jordan said.

While Jordan was always planning to take the test, many students struggle with access or choose not to take the test since their universities of choice no longer require it. In Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee and Wyoming, everyone is tested.

Admission test results for students seeking places at US universities have hit their lowest level in more than 30 years.

Officials blamed disruption to learning caused by the pandemic for the drop in scores. The class of 2022 scored an average of 19.8 out of 36 in the American College Testing (ACT) exam, the first time since 1991 that the average has dropped below 20.

In 2021 the average was 20.3. The latest results mark a fifth consecutive year of declining scores and show 42 per cent of students who took the ACT failed to meet the minimum levels required in English, maths, reading and science.

The ACT creates benchmark scores to determine a student’s likelihood of success in their first year of university. Janet

The ACT College Admissions Test is an academic marker for high school graduates.

But now — the test’s operators say its scores are hitting a thirty-year low.

“Obviously, the biggest factor is the pandemic,” says Rich Frieder, the Executive Director of LearningRX Twin Cities, a private tutoring company. “Schools did the best they could, but many parents felt like they were homeschooling for that year, year-and-a-half, depending on the school situation they were in.”

ACT, the nonprofit that runs the tests, says the class of 2022 averaged a score of 19.8 out of 36.

It’s the first time average test scores have fallen below twenty since 1991.

Minnesota’s average is a bit higher at 21.  

ACT’s CEO Janet Godwin issued a statement saying: “The magnitude of the declines this year is particularly alarming, as we see rapidly growing numbers of seniors leaving high school without meeting the college-readiness benchmark in any of the subjects we measure.”

The nonprofit says 41% of test takers failed to meet benchmarks in English, reading, science and math.

That’s compared to 38% last year.

Those scores indicate how well students are expected to perform in corresponding college courses.

We asked Frieder if he thinks the numbers will rebound to pre-pandemic levels.

“I mean, hopefully at some point,” he says. “I think the more alarming issue is that it has been dropping for thirty years, with the biggest drop being this past year.”

Experts say the numbers reflect a decline in academic preparedness.

Frieder says his clients tell him they feel like they’ve lost a year of school.

But he believes there’s a connection between technology and cognitive skills like memorization.

“Mainly because technology is a great thing, but we don’t often have to remember something,” Frieder notes. “Who was that actor? Well, let me google it. What’s the capital of this? Well, let me hop online and find out.”

He says his company teaches exercises to strengthen memory and information processing.

Skills he says, are especially needed by students taking tests on deadline.

“Especially those kids who have lower long term memory, who have a lower processing speed, lower working memory,” Frieder explains. “When you look at test taking, those are the critical skills. To be able to retrieve information, to be able to process and think quickly, because the ACT test is a timed test.”

Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Dr. Heather Mueller issued a statement Wednesday, saying “The class of 2022 has been incredibly resilient, experiencing the pandemic during critical school years, and we are pleased Minnesota students continue to score higher than the national average in all ACT categories.”

Nationwide, scores are falling, but so are the numbers of students taking the ACT.

The Associated Press reports that number has declined 30% since 2018, with some graduates choosing to not go to college, and with test scores now optional for first year admission at many institutions.

But many students still take the tests, hoping to get an edge in admissions by submitting their scores.

Frieder says the cognitive skills of memorization, the quick processing of information, and the ability to use that information to problem-solve, are needed even more during the crucial first year of college, where the workload dramatically increases.

“It can be even harder to store and retrieve that information when your brain’s not trained to do that, up to that point,” he says. “It’s not like a magic pill where all of a sudden, the information’s there and can be retrieved at an ACT test. You have to do the work to make it happen.”

The new batch of ACT test scores shows 42% of ACT-tested graduates in the class of 2022 met none of the subject benchmarks in English, reading, science and math.

Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

At the end of the 2020 school year, students in grades three to eight were typically behind 8–12 points in math and 3–6 points in reading, according to Northwest Evaluation Association data released in 2021.

Test scores remain a strong indicator of learning loss, even when considering how the temporary closing of schools affected testing veracity. In order to break down precisely how these declining trends in math and reading have affected various demographics among all students, HeyTutor looked at the drop in test scores in reading and math for fourth and and eighth grade students before and after COVID-19. This article cites long-term trend data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress along with information from other news reports and studies.

Prior to the pandemic, long-term trends showed that math and reading scores for students ages 9 and 13 had fallen or remained the same since 2012, according to the NAEP. Since 1971, the organization, which operates under the auspices of the U.S. Commissioners of Education, has tracked how students ages 9, 13, and 17 are performing in math and reading.

NAEP notes that while average test scores in math and reading in 2012 surpassed those of the 1970s for students ages 9 and 13, average scores among 13-year-old students decreased between 2012 and 2020. Specifically, average math scores for 13-year-old students in the 10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles decreased between 2012 and 2020.

Average math scores for 9-year-old students in the 10th and 25th percentiles also fell during the same time period. Additionally, average reading scores for 13-year-old students were higher in 2012 than they were in 2020, however, variations in average reading scores for 9-year-old students between 2012 and 2020 were negligible.

Continue reading for a closer look at how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education in America.