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ELAT - English Literature Aptitude Test

Andrew_2006

Does anyone know anything more about this? When it is?

It seems almost like a synoptic paper with 3-6 pieces to compare - I wonder if it can be that difficult?

Feel free to add thoughts below. I presume you can't really prepare for it anyway as well....

Reply 1

Neutral_Tones

31st October 2007! It's a comparison of two pieces of literature I think and more info can be found here: http://www.elat.org.uk/aboutTheTest-candidates.html

Good luck! :smile:

Reply 2

epitome

11

Don't worry about it at all - it's really just a standardization of the tests some colleges set anyway. As *Neutral* said, it's a comparison test (though I think it can be more than just two extracts). Nothing you shouldn't already be equipped to deal with. :smile:

Reply 3

richardseapower

What sort of thing would you do, with the extracts in the sample test?

Reply 4

username115564

16

From what i've seen it looks very language-orientated. It states on the website that credit isn't given for making reference to other authors or texts, so you're pretty much dealing with intrinsic interpretations and comparisons of the extracts they give you.

As this is the first year it's used, will results be treated as seriously as those for the LNAT etc? I asked a tutor at Magdalen on the open day and he said that it was "one of a number of factors" that will help them decide upon a potential offer, but just how much weight it holds I am unsure.

Reply 5

epitome

11

As this is the first year it's used, will results be treated as seriously as those for the LNAT etc? I asked a tutor at Magdalen on the open day and he said that it was "one of a number of factors" that will help them decide upon a potential offer, but just how much weight it holds I am unsure.

No, it won't be as serious as the BMAT/LNAT because it's not as established yet. Give it a couple of years and I imagine it'll gain more importance. It IS just one of a number of factors, though, so please don't worry too much about it at all - as I said above, it's really just a standardisation of the tests many colleges already set. No problem. :smile:

Reply 6

arguendo

14

your college or sixth form is a test centre; just as it's a test centre for january and june exams, it is for several of the aptitude tests -- including, i think, the elat.

Reply 7

Franc Vouloir

11

I'm quite glad that the ELAT is running this year, even if the results won't be taken too seriously. I'd much rather sit a test in the familiar environment of my school than at an Oxford college during the interview process. Additionally, if I don't do particularly well in the test, then I won't have to go through all the rigmarole of the interview process and hence won't 'get my hopes up' as much.

Reply 8

username115564

16

That's the spirit. Even if I don't get an offer, i'm looking forward to the interview process as an experience in itself.

Reply 9

I_am_the_mob

1

Oh my! I'm terrified!
I'm glad there is a test though I guess
Still rather daunting...

Reply 10

richardseapower

I hope it's not too important this year, simply as my school offers no prat crit training, so I've tried to teach myself from a book which may or may not have helped me in practice... it's not that I can't *do* English but obviously I'm worried my skills won't show on an unfamiliar text in a context I'm not used to - how easy did current students find prat crit as a skill to pick up?

Reply 11

Franc Vouloir

11

richardseapower

I hope it's not too important this year, simply as my school offers no prat crit training, so I've tried to teach myself from a book which may or may not have helped me in practice... it's not that I can't *do* English but obviously I'm worried my skills won't show on an unfamiliar text in a context I'm not used to - how easy did current students find prat crit as a skill to pick up?

My school is similar, as, I suppose, are many others, and I expect that Oxford realise this and take it into account. On the website for Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, under the section about submitting written work for English, they say the following:

If you have not done work that fits into one or other of these categories it really does not matter (it is now quite rare for A Level students to do Practical Criticism, for instance).

Reply 12

Rogues

3

I rather hope it IS important this year - simply because I looked at the example paper on the ELAT website and it seems to resemble the AEA in form and question. The AEA has been heralded as a "proper exam" (opposed to A-levels) so if they can see how people think about English, and rank candidates before interview, then a fairer and more accurate amount of decisions relating to applications will be made this year.

ELAT - English Literature Aptitude Test

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