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access course assessment test

first of all Hii im new to this so sorry if this has already been asked

basically i applied for a access course a couple of weeks back and received a letter asking me to arrange a appointment for a assessment test. I was just wondering if the test is 1.difficult 2. what's involved 3.what the pass rate is

im too bad at maths but my English really needs improvement on the letter it said there would be a maths test online and a handwritten English test, does anyone no what these will involve such as will the maths involve algebra averages or any of these sort of thing and what will the english test be like i have tryed the exel level 3 test but they seem too easy so i dont no if im doing the right tests or not http://www.edexcel.com/iwantto/Pages/try-onscreen.aspx i do the E3 Practice Test
is this the right one to be doing i havnt been asked anything about area or anything else that i would think is level 3 maths i will be very grateful for any help thanks
P.S. is there anywhere else that i can do practice test at the level that will be expected at the assessment test

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Reply 1
When i did the maths practice exam i just used the BBC Bitesize revision site. The exam was very easy and me (along with quite a few others i imagine) scored 100%

The English test i took involved reading two passages of text followed by 3 questions. The first question about passage A, the second about passage B and the last question was something about how the two passages compared or differed from each other.

I would recommend the Bitesize site, as what you will be tested on will be no harder than GCSE level work and i dont think they are expecting you to write essays, they just want to see a competent grasp of maths and english.
Reply 2
Just to throw a different opinion into the mix, I applied to a Science Access course.
We had a simple maths and English assessment (writing about your motivations for joining the course) and then a comprehension piece based on an excerpt from an science-based newspaper article. The final question was a short essay q about the activity described in the article asking us to discuss what scientific reaction we thought was taking place and why. They were looking a reply in plain english and seemed to want us to think laterally about why something was happening. It was made clear they weren't looking for us to know the answer already.

I don't think that the q was there to weed people out, but instead to give tutors an idea of what level each applicant was at. I haven't heard of anyone who didn't pass, and certainly everyone who sat the test on the same day as me started last September.
Hi, I've applied to do a access course to health to help me get in uni to do nursing, I was told I would have to sit a initial English test, well I'm a bit worried as I'm 30 and been out of education a long time and my English is rubbish. I just want to know if any body has any idea what it will be about just so I can prepare my self for it. I will have to pass this to get on the course. Any advice or information is welcome.
Reply 4
Hi,
I've recently started the Access course you're talking about, and the English diagnostic test is really nothing to worry about. Although I do know of colleges that do computerized tests, ours were on paper, and were literally a choice of 1 of 4 topics to write a brief passage about (about 150/200 words I think).
Like you, I had been out of the education system for a long time (+20 years on you in fact), and I went into panic mode at the thought of tests before I had even started the course, but there really was no need. As long as you can show that you can read the question and write a half sensible passage, it will be plain sailing.
Its so comforting to read your answers. I too have applied for an access course to midwifery and im panicking. Hope all goes well. I have been out of education for the last 26 years but that will not stop me as I really want an opportunity to do this course to progress into the next level..iv been told to practice functional maths n English pass papers..good luck to everyone in the same position.
I have just sat my online tests today and got a level 1 maths, level 2 English :frown: Is that enough to get me on an access course????
Original post by donmarie2012
I have just sat my online tests today and got a level 1 maths, level 2 English :frown: Is that enough to get me on an access course????


That's what I got and I got an offer. It was explained that level 2 is gcse and it's expected that it would dip lower after a while.


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Original post by linnyloo87
That's what I got and I got an offer. It was explained that level 2 is gcse and it's expected that it would dip lower after a while.


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Ah, thank you. That gives me hope!!!! When you say they expect it to dip lower do you mean that as a mature person they don't expect me to be at a high level of maths (40 in a couple of weeks and done no maths for nearly 24 years!)?
Reply 9
Plz I need help I went to newham college I was test on English and maths,but it didn't when we'll I was rejected because I score 2 on English am very nervous right now.cause I got another interview in another college,plz can anyone help me with any website to on practice.😔😔
Reply 10
Original post by bdhggv
Plz I need help I went to newham college I was test on English and maths,but it didn't when we'll I was rejected because I score 2 on English am very nervous right now.cause I got another interview in another college,plz can anyone help me with any website to on practice.😔😔



BBC bite size is what my college recommend you use for revision.

Perhaps a pre access course may be better?


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what does the humanities social sciences test consist of anybody know?
hi all, could anyone out there help me I've just taken my math and English test for pre access science I was told I have a perfect score for English and a 37 for maths does anyone know what that means have I got in to the course or should I stick to by back up guaranteed place in level 2 science
I have gone to the achievement training in Plymouth. They are so short staffed. I need to complete my maths level 1 and 2. I did these online tests, both 1 and 2 and got 92% for both. I revised and help from a friend was much better than then them. its shocking. made me to feel like an idiot. please do not give up on your maths ieshacampbell believe in yourself xx
I did these tests when I applied for the Access to Health course. The math tests was level 1 and involved basic things like which is the 20p coin. Then been given ingredients to make one cake and having to work out how many would be needed to make five.
The English test was level 2 and it involved written a short essay on why we chose this course and what we hope to achieve from completing the course.

Id look on bite size for the Maths, my tests didn't include algebra, it was very basic and only level 1. For English I would look at your grammar and use of punctuation and capital letters etc.

Good luck on the assessments, hope you do well!

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I'm in the same boat. I have my test in 3 weeks. The college said they will be computer based and they want to check I'm working at level 2 in Maths and English. Does anyone know what these level 2 computer tests will be like please? Thanks!
Reply 16
Hi can u tell me how your assessments went. I have mine soon I am really nervous as I haven't picked up a pen and paper for 5 years
Reply 17
Hi can u tell me how your assessments went. I have mine soon I am really nervous as I haven't picked up a pen and paper for 5 years
I did the computer based assessments back in 2013 and supposing that they are the similar you should be able to complete them easily. It was really very basic stuff, word processing, simple questions and some multi-choice GCSE level questions. Good luck!
For mine, I had to answer some questions related to British Values. It was fairly straight forward, there was basically a newspaper exert on the topic along with some statistics on immigration, and a few questions along the lines of 'From the article state 4 British Values mentioned' and something along the line of is the public perception of immigrants accurate? Are you surprised by that? and why or why not?

I wouldn't worry about it like it's a university entrance exam. They basically want to know if you have functional maths and English skills. And even if you did fall short from my encounters of other students in my own college I don't think they'd rule you out, they'd focus more on how they can fill in any skills and knowledge gaps for you.

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