Case studies and testimonials

Read our case studies and testimonials to learn more about our work and what our partners value most about us.

How CPSQ can help students take more ownership of learning

The transition to A-level requires students to take more ownership of their learning and sometimes even academically able students can start to struggle.

Wells Cathedral School, UK, trialled the Cambridge Personal Styles Questionnaire to understand the impact of behaviours and study habits on learner outcomes and to help focus on these in their tutoring programme.

Using CPSQ to guide personal development for postgraduate engineers

Successful engineers require both technical competence and ‘soft’ attributes such as collaboration and communication skills.

The Università Della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, in Italy, has trialled the Cambridge Personal Styles Questionnaire as a way to gain insight into these crucial skills, which can be difficult to assess.

Supporting candidate shortlisting for Leeds University’s Physician Associate Studies MSc

Applicants to the Physician Associate Studies MSc course at the University of Leeds are asked to complete the Cambridge Personal Styles Questionnaire (CPSQ) as part of the admissions process.

The results from the assessment have proved particularly useful in helping filter the growing number of applicants to the MSc course, rising from around 220 in 2019 to currently over 350.

How TSA supports undergraduate admissions at UCL

Since 2008, University College London (UCL) has been using the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) as a key part of its selection process.

UCL's admissions team use TSA scores to identify candidates’ future potential – as well as current ability – and is particularly interested in the Critical Thinking component of the test.

Using CPSQ to support undergraduate self-reflection

Mechanical Engineering undergraduates at Imperial College London are now completing a Cambridge Personal Styles Questionnaire® (CPSQ) alongside their Professional Engineering Skills 1 Module.

Up to 200 first year students take CPSQ in January, after their December progress tests, to encourage them to think about their study approach and how it might affect their academic performance.

How Passmores Academy is using CPSQ-targeted mentoring to boost student performance

Passmores Academy in Harlow, UK has a strong commitment to student support. The school identified three key areas of development that were a barrier to student success at GCSE.

By introducing the Cambridge Personal Styles Questionnaire (CPSQ) for schools, Passmores was able to carry out targeted mentoring to help improve student performance.

Improving trainee teacher retention by analysing personality styles

As part of a five-year research programme, the Suffolk and Norfolk SCITT is currently using the Cambridge Personal Styles Questionnaire® (CPSQ) for teachers (designed and developed by Admissions Testing) as part of its trainee induction process.

This study is thought to be the first in the UK to link personality traits and associated behavioural competencies with teacher retention.

Supporting national education strategy in Uzbekistan

Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing designed an admissions test for four new Presidential Schools in Uzbekistan.

Due to the success of this project, we will provide tests for five additional Presidential Schools in 2020 with up to 140,000 candidates taking tests. In addition we will provide tests for five schools in 2021 and will continue to do the admissions tests in existing schools at grade 5.

Extending the reach of a Spanish medical school

Each year, the Universidad de Navarra, Facultad de Medicina, welcomes 200 students, 20 of whom are international.

The school has been using the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) since 2015, as it was keen to introduce a standardised test suitable for recruiting potential medics from abroad.

Admissions assessments for the University of Cambridge

Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing is working with the University of Cambridge to produce and deliver pre-interview admissions assessments for its applicants. The assessments are required for undergraduate entry to Economics, Engineering, Natural Sciences and Computer Science.

The Department of Medicine has continued to use the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) for its undergraduate applicants, while the Faculty of English adopted the English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT) as part of the application process. The admissions assessments help the University of Cambridge to select students with the best chance of succeeding on the courses.

Question time for prospective Thai medics

CICM at Thammasat University was the first institute in Thailand to use the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT), to identify the right applicants for their international Medical course.

Every year, 200–300 people apply to study at CICM so it needed to find a fair and accurate way to reduce these down to just 100 interviewees. Nine universities across the country now use the test.

Quality not quantity at the University of Malaya

For the University of Malaya’s Faculty of Medicine, recruiting students is a case of attracting quality rather than quantity.

So, the specialist BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) for would-be medics offered by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing has been a perfect fit.

Going the extra mile strengthens the partnership in Kazakhstan

First appointed in 2015 to develop and deliver bespoke admissions tests for the University’s Foundation Year Programme (FYP), Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing has been retained by Nazarbayev.

They feel the team always goes the extra mile, offering ‘services beyond the agreement’. Admissions Testing’s collaborative style of working, along with its fast responses and understanding of the University’s needs have been key.

TSA helps Ashoka University reach students from far and wide

Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing is helping Ashoka University, in New Delhi, India, to measure key skills of applicants for its undergraduate courses. The liberal arts university is now using the computer-based Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA), which was developed by Admissions Testing to test applicants’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Since it began using TSA in August 2018, Ashoka has tested more than 1,800 prospective students for its courses.

Helping mathematics departments figure out who will thrive

Students hoping to study mathematics at the Universities of Durham or Warwick can boost their chances of receiving a lower offer thanks to Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing.

The universities use Admissions Testing’s Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA), which was devised to help applicants show they have the potential to succeed on a demanding undergraduate mathematics course.

IMAT ensures language is no barrier to success

When Italy’s Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) wanted an English-language equivalent to its medical schools admissions test, it turned to Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing.

Together, and in collaboration with prestigious Italian universities, they devised the International Medical Admissions Test (IMAT) – a test consisting of multiple-choice questions that test a candidate’s logic and general knowledge, as well as their ability to apply knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics.

BMAT helps Brighton and Sussex Medical School broaden its outlook

Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) is committed to widening participation on its medical degree courses. It has set itself a challenging target of offering an extra 50 places to disadvantaged students and those from groups not traditionally represented in universities in 2019.

To help towards this goal, BSMS no longer uses personal statements as part of its admissions process, but instead uses Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing’s BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) to differentiate between the large number of applications it receives every year.

BMAT makes admissions easier for Lancaster University

When Lancaster University Medical School received more than 900 applications for 54 undergraduate places, they knew they had to find a better way of differentiating between very similar candidates. So, in 2016, Lancaster decided to introduce Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing’s BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT).

After screening applicants academically, Lancaster ranks them according to their total BMAT score and then decides which of the top 300 students, approximately, should attend for interview. Personal statements are taken into consideration, but a person’s BMAT score is now the primary tool for deciding if they get called for interview.

We use the BMAT as an independent indicator of students’ academic suitability, to differentiate between applicants that look the same on paper. […] The BMAT is a way in which applicants can show that they actually have more of the skills and aptitudes that will help them to succeed at medical school, not just the A Level grades.

Dr Karen Grant,
Director of Admissions and Deputy Director of Medical Studies,
Lancaster Medical School,
Lancaster University, UK

We were looking for a selection tool that tested applicants’ knowledge and their scientific understanding. In particular, we wanted something that showed they are able to construct and clearly demonstrate a good argument. [...] We believe that the BMAT allows students to shine.

Darren Beaney,
Head of Admissions, Recruitment and Widening Participation,
Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), UK

The TSA completely ignores the background that [the student] has come from and simply places everybody on the same footing, by giving a common test to all the people who apply.

Dr Dave Leal,
Philosophy Admissions Co-ordinator,
University of Oxford, UK

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