Harvard Ranks Low As Testing Facility

Though students flock to Ivy League universities for a first-rate education, they may want to consider looking elsewhere when it comes to standardized testing, according to a study released last week by Kaplan Test Prep.

The survey of more than 7,000 students reveals dramatic variations in testing environments at LSAT and MCAT testing locations across the country, and suggests that where students take the tests may impact performance.

“Despite the Ivy League schools’ excellent and well-deserved reputation overall, many of them were ranked quite low by our students,” said Justin Serrano, executive director of Kaplan Test Prep.

Serrano said the study—based on a four-question e-mail survey sent to all students who took the August 2002 LSAT and October 2002 MCAT examinations—should help students and administrators alike.

“We hope the ratings will make facility managers more accountable for their sites, especially since many of the test day problems that students reported can be easily addressed and corrected,” he said.

Improper lighting, extreme room temperatures, loud noises—including marching bands and ringing cell phones—timing errors and a lack of sufficient desk space were common complaints cited by test-takers.

Other criticisms, however, were more personal.

One proctor at the October 2002 MCAT examination at CUNY Brooklyn College allegedly talked repeatedly and told participants that she hated lawyers. The college ranked 253 out of 261 testing sites.

Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Mich. and La Salle University in Philadelphia, Penn. were the highest ranking test sites on the LSAT and MCAT exams, respectively.

Test sites at Ivy League schools were not among the highest ranked in either category.

Harvard Law School (HLS), which came in at 48, was one of only two Ivy League schools ranked in the top 100 MCAT examination sites.

Some Harvard students, however, argued that test sites had no bearing on their scores. “I already knew where the university was...so I didn’t have to walk for a long distance to do the exam,” said Jacqueline M. Ramos, a third-year student at HLS who took the LSAT at the University of Texas at El Paso in October 1999.

“Other than that, I do not think that my LSAT score was affected by where I did the exam,” she said.

And according to Ruobing Wang ’03, who has already been admitted into medical schools at Stanford and New York University, knowledge of the material is far more important than the testing environment.

“I took the MCAT three times in three different places, and I don’t think any of the locations had an impact on what kind of scores I got there,” she said.

Kaplan will release more study results next week based on the student feedback regarding December examinations, Serrano said, and the company will continue to conduct such studies in the future.

“Most people choose their test location based only on convenience; however, this study shows just how drastically sites can vary,” Serrano said. “Before students sign up, they should carefully research their options to find the best location available.”