The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) is a group of four scholastic aptitude tests used for admission into undergraduate programs at Australian universities, for students without a recent Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).[citation needed] Some universities require STAT testing for admission to particular programs or courses.[citation needed] The Australian Council for Educational Research designs the examinations.[citation needed] The central tertiary admissions centre in each Australian state and territory and the University of Tasmania administer the STAT examinations.[citation needed]
The STAT assesses core competencies in critical thinking and reasoning, rather than knowledge.[citation needed] Four types of STAT are in use:
- STAT Multiple Choice: The standard test used by tertiary admissions centres. This two-hour examination has 70 questions, half of which test verbal (humanities and social science) competencies and half test quantitative (mathematical and scientific) competencies.[citation needed]
- STAT F: Some universities use this test to determine eligibility for specific courses. This examination is also two hours with 70 questions, half verbal and half quantitative.[citation needed]
- STAT Written English: Some tertiary admissions centres and universities use this one-hour test of the candidate's competence in written English, in addition to either the STAT Multiple Choice or the STAT F. Some universities require this examination for applicants from other countries.[citation needed]
- STAT UCL: This involves 40 critical reasoning and 40 quantitative reasoning multiple choice questions to be completed in 130 minutes. It is taken specifically by applicants to study Computer Science at University College London, a university in the UK.
STAT results are expressed as a numerical score from 100 to 200, 200 being a perfect score.[citation needed] The score indicates the candidate's potential academic capacity in relation to past or potential candidates, as the questions are relative across years and test forms.[citation needed] STAT scores are then translated into ENTER scores for university admission through calculation of the percentile rank of the candidate in relation to the test-taking population for the previous six years.[citation needed]
See also
edit- Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (also created by ACER)
- ACT Scaling Test (also created by ACER)
- SAT (College admission test used in the United States)
- College admission in Australia
- Education in Australia
External links
edit- ACER's STAT page
- NSW University Admissions Centre, which also processes tertiary admissions in NSW and the ACT
- Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre
- SA Tertiary Admissions Centre, which also covers entrance to NT universities
- University of Tasmania application information
- Victorian Tertiary Admission Centre
- WA Tertiary Institutions Service Centre