Cataga: UK Admissions Test Preparation

Cataga asserts with confidence that the LNAT will NOT be impervious to preparation. The experience of university aptitude testing in the United States provides extremely strong evidence in favour of the benefits of test preparation.

In the United States , where admissions tests are a crucial part of the university entrance process, it is accepted that test preparation improves students’ scores. However, this was not always the case. The US College Board (1) initially portrayed their Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) as impervious to preparation and made explicit claims that coaching was ineffective; this was before the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched a study into the effectiveness of test preparation. As a result of the initial FTC study, test preparation schools were not cited with fraudulent advertising, but it was the College Board itself who got into trouble for their ‘impervious to coaching’ claims. At the time, the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection said that contrary to the explicit claims of the College Board, coaching can be effective.(2)

US students themselves have found that test preparation works and over the years they have passed on this concept. The current attitude of the College Board towards test preparation is shown by the fact that they are now selling test preparation books and videos teaching test taking strategies. The College board markets these as “test prep from the test makers”. British universities responsible for the LNAT have not provided the same, but Cataga is providing test preparation books and practice tests to help highly motivated students achieve their goals.

Will preparation above reading newspapers improve my LNAT result?

Preparation above reading a quality newspaper can make a big difference to performance on the day.

Cataga does not question the importance of reading; the LNAT will be very hard for students who do not read regularly. There is no substitute for reading quality passages of reasoned argument, however we disagree that the best preparation is ONLY to read a quality newspaper daily.

Cataga aims to provide students with the tools and techniques to tackle the LNAT. Given that Section A (the scored section of the LNAT) will be entirely ‘reading comprehension multiple choice’ questions, the testers are limited in both the type and number of questions they can ask. This format of examination lends itself to some proven analytical techniques and test taking strategies. Familiarisation with the common question types and the best answering method for each, will enhance confidence, speed and performance on the day.

Is it necessary to enroll on a ‘test prep’ course?

No. While it is not necessary to enroll on a test preparation course in order to perform well in the LNAT, we firmly believe that our courses will help improve performance on the LNAT and subsequently increase the chance of admission to the law school of your choice.

Are test preparation books and courses fair?

The question of fairness and equal opportunities in education is an ongoing issue. Cataga hopes to reduce inequality and promote fairness by offering affordable test preparation materials and services to everyone, rather than have quality preparation provided by only a few well-funded public schools.

Clearly one could argue, like private education in general, that this is unfair. Is it fair that some children have access to better education because their parents are able to pay for it; that a child has a better education because s/he lives in a particular school catchment area; even that a child had parents who encouraged reading from an early age? With an inherently unfair world, Cataga would like to promote some fairness by providing affordable test preparation to those who attend schools that do not provide BMAT/LNAT preparation classes for their students.

How do I register for the LNAT?

Registration for the LNAT opens on 1 August 2006. Registration will be via the official LNAT website www.lnat.ac.uk

For applicants in 2006/07, the test must be taken by 15 January 2007, with the exception of applicants to Oxford and Cambridge, who have until 1 November 2006. We recommend all applicants to sit the test as soon as they are ready.

Is the BMAT impervious to preparation?

Cataga asserts with confidence that the BMAT will not be impervious to preparation. The experience of university aptitude testing in the United States provides extremely strong evidence in favour of the benefits of test preparation.

US students themselves have found that test preparation works and over the years they have passed on this concept. The current attitude of the College Board towards test preparation is shown by the fact that they are now selling test preparation books and videos teaching test taking strategies. The College board markets these as “test prep from the test makers”. British universities responsible for the LNAT have not provided the same, but Cataga is providing test preparation books, practice tests and prep courses to help highly motivated students achieve their goals.

Cataga aims to provide students with the logical-thinking tools and techniques for the ‘Aptitude and Skills’ section of the BMAT, together with advice on various strategies and a framework for tackling the ‘Writing Task’ section. Familiarisation with the common question types will enhance confidence, speed and performance on the day.

How do I register for the BMAT?

Registration will be via an assessment centre. For more information please visit the official BMAT website www.bmat.org.uk, keep in mind that there is no affiliation with Cataga.

Who are we?

Cataga is a British company with a mission to provide students and educators with materials and support to help every student perform to their potential in the increasingly competitive process of British university admissions.

We are leaders in the provision of test preparation support for the National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT) and BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) and were the first company to offer preparation services for these tests. Our products and services are the result of a collaborative effort between education experts in the United Kingdom and the United States .

Cataga is a private limited company registered in England and Wales . Company No. 5097667.

Why choose Cataga over another company?

We at Cataga have superior credentials and our mission is to deliver the best BMAT & LNAT preparation courses and books available.

The Cataga Instructor and Test Research Team comprises of academics that have the very skills that the LNAT and BMAT seek to identify. Most of the team has obtained 1st class honours degrees or Distinctions in subjects such as Law, PPE and Medicine and are Oxbridge graduates. Members of our team include those who have obtained perfect scores in aptitude tests such as the American SATs.

Where does the name ‘Cataga’ come from?

Tests that can be prepared for are often criticised as being ‘unfair’. This is because if preparation can make a difference to test results, and if you can buy preparation services, then financial means can in theory effect test performance.

What critics do not mention are the consequences of having a test completely impervious to preparation, this is because the ramifications of such a test are unpleasant.

Consider that a test could be devised that would be truly impervious to preparation and completely indifferent to the invariably unequal life experiences of the test takers. Genetic evaluation would be such a test, whereby intellectual potential would be gauged by examination of DNA for the desirable ‘aptitude’ genes.

Imagine an admissions system that admits according to the DNA characteristics of individuals. This distasteful proposition runs counter to our belief in the ability of an individual to work hard to achieve their goals. Yet this is the ramification of having a test impervious to preparation and indifferent to unequal life experiences.

The name CATAGA is an ironic expression of our company’s belief in the importance of effort in achieving goals. CATAGA is the linear sequencing of the four nucleic acid bases (C) cytosine, (A) adenine, (T) thymine and (G) guanine along the DNA strands that make up the genetic code of all genes.

Footnotes:

(1) The US College Board is a not-for-profit membership association of more than 4,500 US colleges. Through its subsidiary the Educational Testing Service (ETS) it is responsible for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), an exam with similar aims as the LNAT and BMAT.

(2) Levine, Arthur E. Effects of Coaching on Standardized Admission Examinations: Revised Statistical Analyses of Data Gathered by Boston Regional Office of the Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection . Washington , DC : US Government Printing Office, 1979.

Cataga has no affiliation with the trade mark holder of either the LNAT or BMAT test names.

Non-LNAT related partner sites: Land Registry House Prices Reviews website