17th February 2016 1:00
By Blue Tutors
The University of Cambridge has announced plans to introduce new admissions tests for all applicants. The tests will be rolled out in 2017, and be tailored for each subject, with some students taking them before interviews and others during. The university has expressed concerns over the government’s qualification reforms, and has said that their new tests are designed to maintain fairness during qualification reforms. The university has written to schools and colleges to explain their concerns and the introduction of the test.
The University of Cambridge has been critical of the government’s qualification reforms, particularly regarding the plans to separate AS levels to form a standalone qualification. This means that many students will be applying having taken the new GCSE and with no other results for the university to go on in their admissions process. The university has said that AS levels are the best predictor of how well a student will perform, with the exception of maths. Cambridge admissions previous contacted schools and colleges in the UK to urge them to continue offering AS levels, but many schools have decided to drop them and focus on A levels.
This is a factor in the University’s decision to introduce their own exam, which is designed to test whether students have the potential to do well on their chosen course. The tests were developed after school consultation and are said to be a means to maintain fairness, and simplify the university’s current use of assessments at interview. The university maintains that no preparation is required other than general revision of students’ A level topics. After consultation with schools, Cambridge has decided to schedule pre interview tests to coincide with Oxford’s to make it easier for schools to administer. Where tests are taken at interview, they will usually be held on the same day as the interviews at the university.