Prospective medical and law students might be better off taking
their standardized tests away from the poorly-rated UCLA campus,
according to a nationwide survey on testing facilities.
The survey, conducted by Kaplan Test Prep, places UCLA below par
compared to other test sites across the nation, with crosstown
rival University of Southern California ranked first as the most
favored site in Los Angeles for both tests.
Kaplan conducted the survey in 2002 and found dramatic
variations in test site experiences and the impact they can have on
student performances on the Medical College Admission Test and Law
School Admission Test.
Over 2,140 MCAT and 5,000 LSAT test-takers rated their test
experiences on scales of one to five based on factors such as
proctoring, noise level, and desk space.
Kaplan decided to conduct the survey after receiving negative
comments about test experiences from its former students.
Students who took the online survey complained of problems
ranging from one proctor who used foul language and talked
repeatedly on her cell phone to the whistles and cheers from
outside sports games.
“Some students even wanted to cancel their scores because
the environment had affected them so much,” said Justin
Serrano, executive director of Kaplan Test Prep.
He said while students usually choose test sites for
convenience, they should also consider proctoring and environmental
factors, which can have a significant impact on their
performance.
Serrano hopes the survey will prompt facility managers to make
changes, saying “the validity of standard testing rests on
standard testing sites.”
However, the designation of buildings and rooms for these tests
depends solely on availability, said Albert Aubin, associate
director of counseling and campus relations at the UCLA Career
Center.
While UCLA fared relatively well in other categories, it was
criticized most for desk size. Only 10 percent of LSAT and 18
percent of MCAT test-takers said they had enough desk space to
work.
Many medical and law students testified to this problem.
“The flip-up desk was very small. I had no space to put
both my scantron and booklet,” said Tina Bay, a third-year
law student who took her test at UCLA in 1999.
Bay said the small desk made the test experience
“unnecessarily painful.”
Aubin said though he had not analyzed the survey, he felt
student performances do not appear to be greatly affected by desk
space issues.
“Our students do get into good medical and law
schools,” he said.
He also pointed out that students use the same desks for their
final examinations.
Some test-takers agreed and said they were not affected by their
testing space.
“The desk was small, but it didn’t really bother
me,” said Rick Simon, a first-year law student who took the
test in 2001.
Other cited problems include issues with proctors and noise
disturbance.
“The proctors called time early during the first
section,” said Michael Ho, a fourth-year biochemistry student
who took his first MCAT at UCLA in 2002.
Then, during the physical science section, he heard a sudden
hammering noise from outside.
It went on for about 30 minutes, Ho said. Having lost all
concentration, he said he left several questions blank in that
section.
Frustrated and unsatisfied, Ho retook the test three months
later at the Renaissance Hotel in Agoura Hills and saw a
significant boost in his score in physical science.
But Ho said the higher score came with certain pitfalls.
“It cost me three months of my life having to study for
the test all over again,” he said.
The conditions of UCLA’s testing facilities even prompted
some Bruins to venture into Trojan territory for a better testing
environment, by opting to take the test at USC.
At USC the tests are given in conference rooms, providing
students with more desk space and leg room, said David Pougatsch, a
fourth-year physiological science student who took the
eight-hour-long MCAT in 2002.
Having taken several diagnostic tests at UCLA where he had to
scrunch over his desk, Pougatsch crossed the university out from
his list of prospective sites.
“With a long test like the MCAT, the whole idea is to be
comfortable,” he said.