Grim results in student tests give pause to educationalists

The National Institute of Education Testing Service (NIETS) is probing the causes of the outcome, urging those wishing to look at their answer sheets and require test results to file a request from August 24-30.

The GAT/Professional Aptitude Test (PAT) exams were held in July, and 10-20 per cent of some 360,000 student applicants failed to show up to take them.

NIETS chief Uthumporn Chamaraman said in a statement about GAT/PAT result published yesterday on www.niets.or.th that both rounds of GAT/PAThad yielded rather low scores in general.

In the July round, GAT saw the highest at 287.5 and the lowest at 0, whilst the March round saw the highest at 290 and the lowest at 0.

The July PAT average highest-lowest scores were: PAT 1 (maths) 300-0 (compared to March's 300-0), PAT 2 (science) 235-0 (254.5-0), and PAT 3 (engineering) 260-5 (240-5). The PAT 4 (architecture) were 189-3 (225-0), PAT 5 (education) at 219-0 (222-38) and PAT 6 (art) at 168-0 (165-18). The PAT 7 (foreign languages) saw highest-lowest scores as follows: French 261-3 (compared to March's 270-30), German 273-36 (288-39), Japanese 294-0 (294-0), Chinese 264-3 (291-27), Arabic 296.25-48.75 (277-41), and Pali 186-51 (279-45).

Uthumporn said that GAT, testing analytical thinking and English, had seen 1,247 examinees scoring fully in the first round but 8,000 obtaining 0 in both sections in the second round, out of 295,141 students taking the July GAT.

This puzzled the NIETS because the scores should improve the more times the student takes the tests, she said, so the agency would analyse what had caused such low scores.

Meanwhile, Chulalongkorn University lecturer Sompong Jitradap commented that 8,000 students getting 0 on the recent GAT was no surprise because the students might not yet be familiar with the test, which emphasised analytical skills and English, when most Thai educational programmes focused on rote learning.

The English test paper was also so difficult that even some lecturers or native speakers could not answer some of the questions, he said.

He urged English and other subjects be taught in such a way that students would be able to grasp the gist and analyse the test questions.