Tài liệu STAT SPECIAL TERTIARY ADMISSIONS TEST CANDIDATE INFORMATION BOOKLET 2013-2014 ppt

10 minutes 2 hours 70 multiple-choice questions, half Verbal Reasoning, half Quantitative Reasoning Sat by the majority of candidates registering through the Tertiary Admissions Centres

Candidate information booklet 2013–2014

Please read through this booklet carefully before sitting the test.

Further information

Further information about how to register for STAT is available from the following institutions:

New South Wales and the

Australian Capital Territory

40 Park StreetSOUTH MELBOURNE VIC 3205Tel: 1300 364 133

www.vtac.edu.au

Western Australia

STAT OfficerTertiary Institutions Service Centre Inc

100 Royal StreetEAST PERTH WA 6004Tel: (08) 9318 8000www.tisc.edu.au

Overseas

STAT Project Officer

Australian Council for Educational Research

Special Tertiary Admissions Test 1

What is STAT? 1

Skills tested by STAT 2

Test development 3

STAT research 3

Preparing for STAT 4

General 4

Preparing for the multiple-choice versions of STAT 4

Preparing for STAT Written English 5

Test centre procedures 6

STAT results 8

Sample questions 10

Sample prompts: STAT Written English Prompts 1 to 8 40

Correct answers 41

Sample answer sheet 42

STAT Sample Collection of Questions order form 45

STAT is produced by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information provided in this booklet However, ACER reserves the right to alter or amend test details and/or test administration details outlined in this booklet Candidates should read this entire information booklet carefully

Special Tertiary Admissions Test

What is STAT?

The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) is used

by many tertiary institutions in Australia as part of

their admissions procedure for special categories

of applicants to tertiary study Institutions use

candidates’ STAT scores, together with other

information available to them at the time of

selection, to make decisions about offers of

places in tertiary courses

Administration of test sittings

This booklet provides information about the test itself, not administrative details Information on

All enquiries should be directed to an admissions centre, not ACER

STAT is designed to assess a range of competencies considered important for success

in tertiary study The purpose of STAT is to assess your ability to understand and

analyse material you will be given, and to think critically about issues It is not a test of your knowledge of specific academic subjects The Written English test assesses your ability to organise and express your thoughts in a logical and effective way.

10 minutes 2 hours 70 multiple-choice questions,

half Verbal Reasoning, half Quantitative Reasoning

Sat by the majority of candidates registering through the Tertiary Admissions Centres

STAT

Written

English

5 minutes 1 hour 2 written essays,

one Argumentative and one Personal

Used by some, but not all, institutions

If you sit for STAT Written English, you may or may not be required to also sit for STAT Multiple Choice

STAT T

&

STAT F

10 minutes 2 hours 70 multiple-choice questions,

half Verbal Reasoning, half Quantitative Reasoning

Used by a small number of candidates applying directly to individual institutions

* It is your responsibility to ascertain which version(s) of STAT is required by the institution you are applying to.

Skills tested by STAT

STAT F, STAT T and STAT Multiple Choice each

consist of 70 items, which are placed into Units

Units comprise either Verbal or Quantitative

is contained in the Unit So, for example, if the

stimulus material is an historical document, the

candidate’s knowledge of history is NOT being

assessed

Verbal

The Verbal items in STAT focus on interpretation

and understanding of ideas in language

Some items will ask candidates to identify the

main idea in a passage, whilst others will focus

on interpreting specific words and phrases

Some items will ask for a paraphrase of what is

stated and other questions will ask for inferred

suggestions and deduced meanings

Some Units test the comprehension of demanding

and complex language with emphasis on analysing

and understanding the stimulus material Other

Units test the understanding and processing of

ideas presented in more elementary language with

emphasis on manipulating information and solving

problems

The Verbal Units can also be classified on

the extent to which they deal with objective

or subjective material, or conceptual or

argumentative issues The aim of the test will be

to give a balanced representation of a wide range

Items do not require an in-depth knowledge of mathematical formulae or principles Rather, they focus on your ability to interpret and apply information Your ability to use this information for decision making and solving problems will

be assessed

Written English

The purpose of STAT Written English is to assess your ability to communicate effectively in writing Your responses to the essay prompts are written directly on the test paper Working space is provided for you to plan your essays You should write your essays neatly in pen No extra paper

is to be used Only one test booklet is permitted per candidate

Criteria for the assessment of STAT Written English

Thought and content

(the quality of what is said

in the piece of writing)

• what is made of and developed from the task

• the kinds of thought and feelings offered in response to the task

Structure and organisation

(the quality of the structure and organisation developed to say something)

Test development

The items included in STAT are developed by

teams of test writers at ACER All test questions

must pass detailed scrutiny by panels of test

writers, trial testing, analysis and final review

The content, style and duration of the test are

determined to ensure that the test is relevant,

fair, valid and reliable The test may contain a

carefully scrutinised in an ongoing attempt to

minimise gender, ethnic or religious bias, and to

ensure that the test is culturally fair

STAT research

Each year thousands of prospective tertiary students sit one of the STAT tests used by tertiary institutions throughout Australia, for selection into various courses The STAT team occasionally follows up a sample of these students

to see how they progressed in their higher education studies and may contact candidates through the university of enrolment

Additional information which we would find useful for both research and test construction includes candidates’ country of birth, if other than Australia, and number of years in Australia if born overseas Space is provided on the STAT answer sheet for your response to these questions Provision of this information is voluntary, but candidates are given an assurance that any use

of their test records will be treated with utmost confidentiality Candidate names will be separated from data in all cases

Information regarding the way in which personal information (that is, names and attached data) is stored at ACER can be located at www acer edu au/about/acer-privacy-policy

Preparing for STAT

General

A good starting point in preparing for STAT is

to familiarise yourself with the contents of this

booklet Read the preliminary information before

attempting the sample questions

The sample questions included in this booklet and

in the Sample Collection of Questions are indicative

of the kinds of material which will be included in

the test

Some institutions offer STAT workshops, to

assist candidates with their preparation for the

STAT Specific coaching for tests such as STAT is

not particularly effective in improving candidates’

scores This is partly because the tests are

designed to assess reasoning and comprehension

skills which develop over extended periods of

time through a variety of experiences Whilst

ACER does not endorse preparation workshops,

it recognises that some candidates may find them

useful as a means of allaying anxiety about the

test through providing an opportunity to talk with

other candidates about STAT

ACER does not provide past papers to any of

the STAT workshops and candidates should

be advised that the only sources of past STAT

questions are the Sample Collection of Questions

and this Candidate Information Booklet, published

by ACER

The Sample Collection of Questions is available for

purchase from ACER (order form in the back of

this booklet or on-line purchase facility at www

acer edu au/tests/stat) It is also available from

some tertiary admission centres

There are several books on the market which

Preparing for the multiple-choice versions of STAT

Answers to multiple-choice questions are recorded on a special STAT Answer Sheet (see end of this booklet), which is later optically scanned and scored by machine On the Answer Sheet you will find a list of question numbers (Questions 1 to 70) and alongside each question the letters A B C D with a small oval around each letter Mark your answer by completely filling in the oval containing your answer If you choose option A as the answer to Question 14, for example, record your answer like this:

It is important that you record your answers carefully If you decide to change an answer, erase your mark completely and fill in the oval containing your new answer

When answering STAT questions on the Answer Sheet:

• do not make marks outside the designated areas

You may find the STAT questions quite difficult, but remember that they are designed to measure

a wide range of intellectual ability

time when you are unlikely to be distracted The

answer sheet at the back of this booklet can be

used to practise recording your answers Try

to attempt all questions before checking your

answers Other good preparation is to read

widely and think critically about what you read

Test taking strategy

Your responses to the essay prompts are written directly on the test paper Working space

is provided for you to plan your essays It is preferable to write or print your essays neatly

in ink or with a ball point pen Pencils are not acceptable

Good preparation for the STAT Written English test is to attempt the essay prompts in this booklet Set yourself the task of choosing and writing on two of the sample prompts (Note: you don’t have to agree with prompt ) Make some time when you will not be interrupted and give yourself an hour to write your essays under ‘test conditions’ It is often helpful to ask someone else to read your essay and to suggest improvements or alternative approaches

to your selected prompt Alternatively, it can

be useful to put your essay aside for several days before re-reading it to look for ways to make improvements

Candidates are often concerned about the expected length of the STAT Written English essays Within reason, the quality of the writing is much more important than the length Remember, you only have 30 minutes to plan and write each essay, and the examiners do not have unrealistic expectations of what you can produce

in that time The following questions will be considered in assessing the writing of candidates

• What kinds of ideas has the candidate developed in response to the prompt?

• To what extent and how well has the candidate explored the ideas and issues in the prompt?

• Has the candidate developed a structured and organised piece of writing?

• Has the candidate written clearly and fluently?

• Is the language used by the candidate precise

Test centre procedures

Admission

You will receive notification of your STAT testing

session from the centre with which you have

registered You must present that notification when

you arrive at the test centre It has your STAT

2 your date of birth

3 a recent photograph (embedded in the card

i e not laminated)

4 your signature

A student or workplace identification card is only

acceptable if it meets all four criteria listed above

If you do not possess any of the above forms of

photo-bearing identification, you must obtain a

statutory declaration, accompanied by a photo

which has been signed on the back by the

witness to the statutory declaration This witness

or childhood photograph in a passport is not acceptable

The name on your identification document must match the name used on your registration; for example, candidates of Asian origin who use anglicized given names, or candidates who change their name when marrying

Checklist for the Test Day

Check (3) that you have these items to take to the test:

Test Day

If you are unwell or if conditions in the test

room impact on your ability to perform in the

test, please bring this to the attention of the

supervisor as soon as possible

Unethical behaviour and penalties

STAT is a high stakes test; that is, the results of

the test have the potential to make a major impact

on the future study plans of the candidate For this

reason, security procedures have been established

and will be strictly enforced at all times

It is the responsibility of candidates to ensure they

understand that the following are considered to be

breaches of test rules:

thereof, an answer sheet, or any notes, from

the testing room

The penalty for any of the above breaches will be

the cancellation of the candidate’s test and a ban

from sitting STAT in the current STAT year

The test Supervisor will report breaches of

the test rules to the Admissions Centre STAT

Coordinator Candidates have the right of appeal

against the imposed penalty within 10 calendar

days of the despatch of the penalty notification

STAT results

Following the test, an official Statement of Results

will be posted to candidates by the admissions

centre through which the candidate sat STAT

ACER does not issue STAT results directly to

candidates

STAT scores

STAT results are reported as scaled scores with

a mean score of 150 Scores generally range from

100 – 200; but some cases may exceed this range

Scaled scores, rather than percentages, are used

because there is no pass or fail mark on STAT

Reporting the score as a percentage might lead

some individuals to assume that a result of 49%

or less indicates a fail This is not true The STAT

score scale reflects the differing abilities of the

candidates and the different degrees of difficulty of

the test items

STAT multiple-choice test forms are equated so

that scores are directly comparable across forms

and years For example, a score of 160 in the

verbal component of a STAT paper in 2013 will

represent the same level of performance as a

score of 160 in the verbal component of the 2012

test paper

In 2010, the calculation methodology of the STAT

scores changed from previous years The four

different STAT scales (Verbal, Quantitative, Total

and Written English) each have a mean score of

150 and a standard deviation of 15 Thus, from

2010, STAT scores have different meanings

from previous years If a candidate has pre-2010

results, and institutions accept these results,

Tertiary Admissions Centres and institutions

will use comparison tables to transfer old STAT

scores to the new scales

STAT Written English results are also reported as scaled scores with a mean score of 150, generally within the range of 100 – 200

Although STAT scores are an objective measure

of a candidate’s academic capacity, other factors play a key role in the final determination of academic success Such factors include the candidate’s motivation, application, determination and perseverance

Percentile rankings

To help give meaning to the scaled scores, percentile ranks are provided The percentile rank is the percentage of candidates receiving scores below a certain STAT score For example,

a candidate with a Total STAT score of 160 will have a percentile rank of 75 3 Therefore, this candidate will have achieved a higher score than 75 3% of the test-taking population in the reference year

Appeals

ACER will not enter into appeals against STAT results once they have been released Candidates are advised that STAT results are released only after careful calculation and extensive checking Errors in scoring are highly unlikely

Requests for re-marking will not be considered Nor is it possible to give special consideration for impaired performance on the day of the test caused by illness or other unexpected personal situations (Applicants are encouraged to contact the relevant tertiary admissions centre prior to the test to arrange an alternative sitting time )Please note that candidates will not be provided with any additional information regarding scores

The following pages contain sample questions for the

multiple-choice versions of STAT and for

STAT Written English

Sample questions

UNIT 1Questions 1 – 5

This unit is based on the diagram on the opposite page.

1 The El Niño phenomenon is first indicated by variations in

A water currents.

B storm clouds.

C jet streams.

D winds.

2 The cross-section diagrams to the right of the main map draw attention to the effects of

A cold water in creating rough seas and rain-bearing storm clouds.

B unnatural increases in water volume on overall sea levels.

C global warming on the average temperature of the ocean.

D warm water fluctuations on weather and the food chain.

3 In an El Niño year, absence of warm water is likely to cause Indonesia to experience

A storms.

B reduced rainfall.

C cold wind blasts.

D stronger jet streams.

4 One effect of El Niño in 1982 was to destroy the anchovy fishing industry in Peru According to the information given in the diagrams and text, the most likely reason for this was that

A stronger trade winds off the coast of Peru made fishing hazardous.

B the fish were driven away by cold water welling up from below.

C jet streams redirected to the south caused havoc.

D the fish were deprived of food.

5 In an El Niño year floods are caused in desert regions of South America because

A the southerly jet stream from Indonesia has caused more wetness and cold.

B deep cold water has risen abnormally to flood proportions.

C large areas of warm water have settled along the coast.

D overall sea levels have dropped due to trade winds.

UNIT 2Questions 6 – 8

The rate at which freshwater animals absorb dissolved oxygen (O2) from the surrounding water is affected by the water current

Data on the effect of the speed of the current on the rate of oxygen absorption of some groups of freshwater animals at a temperature of 18 °C are shown in the figure The data for individuals of each group of animals have been averaged and plotted in the figure as points which have been linked together Different groups of the same species are numbered (e.g Baetis 1, Baetis 2, and Baetis 3)

Rhithrogena Rhyacophila 1

Baetis 1 Rhyacophila 2 Baetis 2 Baetis 3

Ephemerella 1 Ecdyonurus Ephemerella 2

6 At a current speed of between 2 and 3 centimetres per second, the group of animals with the highest rate of oxygen consumption was

7 Which one of the following groups of animals had a rate of oxygen consumption which was least

affected by increasing the speed of the current?

8 According to the figure, groups of animals of the same species showed differences in their rates

of oxygen consumption with increasing current speed

The differences were most marked in

UNIT 3Question 9

9 Which two of statements (i) – (iv) below are most similar to each other in the attitude to equality

presented?

(i) Although men possess unequal powers, they nonetheless deserve equal rights

(ii) Men are made by nature unequal It is vain, therefore, to treat them as if they were equal

(iii) Kneeling ne’er spoil’d silk stocking; quit thy state;

All equal are within the church’s gate

(iv) The wealth of a nation consists more than anything else in the number of superior men it

harbours

B sometimes differ by 0.5 mm and sometimes by 0.25 mm

C sometimes differ by 0.75 mm and sometimes by 0.5 mm

D sometimes differ by 0.75 mm and sometimes by 0.25 mm

11 Which of the following best represents the relationship between the diameter and the size of knitting

A size = diameter – 8

B size = 8 – diameter

C size = (½ × diameter) – 4

D size = 16 – (2 × diameter)

UNIT 5Questions 12 – 14

The following passage is adapted from a book on the nature of play.

The player who trespasses against the rules or ignores them is a ‘sport’ The

spoil-sport is not the same as the false player, the cheat; for the latter pretends to be playing

the game and, on the face of it, still acknowledges the magic circle It is curious to note

how much more lenient society is to the cheat than to the spoil-sport This is because the

spoil-sport shatters the play-world itself By withdrawing from the game he reveals the

relativity and fragility of the play-world in which he had temporarily shut himself with

others He robs play of its illusion – a pregnant word which in Latin means literally

‘in-play’ Therefore he must be cast out, for he threatens the existence of the play-

community

In the world of high seriousness, too, the cheat and the hypocrite have always had an

easier time of it than the spoil-sports, here called apostates,1 heretics, innovators,

prophets, conscientious objectors, etc It sometimes happens, however, that the

spoil-sports in their turn make a new community with rules of its own The outlaw, the

revolutionary, the member of a secret society, indeed heretics of all kinds, are of a

highly associative if not sociable disposition, and a certain element of play is prominent

in all their doings

5 10

15

1 An apostate is someone who abandons his/her religion, vows, principles, cause, etc

12 The phrase ‘magic circle’ (line 3) most likely refers to

A the real world

B a particular kind of game

C the special status of the play-world

D the privileged few who determine the rules of a game

13 According to the passage, the ‘play-world’

A cannot coexist with the real world

B cannot be distinguished from the real world

C is impervious to the will or behaviour of the participants

D is completely dependent on the compliance of the participants

14 The writer suggests that, in the world of high seriousness, spoil-sports

A aim to avoid all contact with society

B are usually better off than in the play-world

C do not appreciate or understand the nature of play

D will engage with others but only on their own terms

UNIT 6Questions 15 – 18

The Burger Index (BI) uses the cost of a burger in different countries as a way of determining whether official

exchange rates are appropriate (with respect to the US$)

• BI = Cost of a burger in a particular country in the local currencyCost of a burger in the USA in US$

Comparing actual exchange rates with the BI indicates whether a currency is undervalued or overvalued

• % over/undervaluation against US$ = (BI – Exchange Rate)Exchange Rate × 100

For example, if a burger costs €2.50 (2.50 Euros) in Europe and $2.50 in the USA, then the BI is 2.502.50, or 1.00

The % the Euro is over/undervalued = 1.00 – 0.800.80 × 100 = 25%

Thus, according to the BI, the Euro is overvalued against the US$ by 25%

The table shows the typical cost of a standard burger in a number of countries

in the local currency of the country and typical exchange rates of those countries

against the US$ in a particular time period

South Korea 3000 Won 1000 Won

• Answer the questions for the typical costs and exchange rates given for the time period

• Assume there is no charge in converting money from one currency to another

15 How many Mexican Pesos would be required to buy a burger in South Korea?

16 According to the BI, a currency is generally correctly valued with respect to the US$ when the BI

C The £ is correctly valued

D There is insufficient information to determine if the value is appropriate

18 According to the BI, the currency of which of the following countries is most undervalued against the

Experimental evidence indicates that the minimum drop height required to fracture a mussel shell depends

on its size, and also on the nature of the surface onto which it is dropped Moreover, the speed on impact with the ground can be related to the mussel’s drop height and its shell length

The graphs in Figures 1 to 4 show t h e relationships between the size, impact speed, and drop height

of mussels The figures are based on the results of extensive mussel dropping experiments that attempted to simulate real conditions

Assume that all mussels referred to in the following questions are described by these relationships

12 10 8 6 4 2 0

impact speed (metres per

3.0 2.8 2.6 2.4 2.2 2.0 1.8

shell length (millimetres)

wet beach sand

rock

Figure 4

19 An 80 gram mussel has a shell area closest to

20 Which one of the following is the smallest drop height required to fracture three mussels with

lengths 75 millimetres, 85 millimetres, and 100 millimetres, when all three are dropped onto wet

beach sand?

21 Two mussels are dropped from a height of 2.5 metres onto wet beach sand Mussel X has a mass

of 30 grams and mussel Y has a mass of 60 grams

According to the available evidence,

A only mussel X will fracture

B only mussel Y will fracture

C both mussels will fracture

D neither mussel will fracture

22 For a group of mussels, all of which have a shell length of 80 millimetres, the difference between

the drop heights required to fracture the mussels when they drop onto rock and wet beach sand

is closest to

23 Which of the following is closest to the lowest impact speed required to fracture a 30 gram mussel

by impact with wet beach sand?

UNIT 8

Questions 24 and 25

24 The cartoon is a comment on

A corporate loyalty

B the value of teamwork

C the social implications of a casualised workforce

D the social implications of a decentralised workforce

25 The cartoon suggests that current work practices are

A quaint

B congenial

C unsatisfying

D unproductive