Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice
Publication Date
Fall 2015
Abstract
The Psychometric Entrance Test (PET) in Israel is a standardized test, generally taken as a higher education admission examination. The PET is administered by the Israeli National Institute for Testing and Evaluation and is a very serious consideration for university and college admission. The main debate concerning the administration of the PET exam revolves around the issue of its validity: Does it actually have the capacity to predict an applicant's success in his or her academic studies? Critics of the psychometric entrance test claim that its essence and structure fail to reflect the aptitudes and qualifications required for academic accomplishments, especially in a divergent society. Supporters claim that the psychometric entrance test has negligible flaws in predictive test validity across varying cultural groups and has proven to be an effective sorting and classification tool for academic institutes. The aim of this study was to present lecturers' perceptions and attitudes concerning the Psychometric Entrance Test (PET) in Israel. Findings indicate that most university lecturers find the PET redundant for purposes of academic classification and unreliable for academic prediction, and that the PET causes students to spend money and time preparing for the exam rather than for their future academic studies.
Recommended Citation
Zamir, Sara and Flavian, Heidi
(2015)
"The Psychometric Entrance Test: Lecturers' Perceptions and Attitudes Concerning the Nature of Higher Education Admission Exams in Israel,"
Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice: Vol. 7:
Iss.
1, Article 9.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/jppp/vol7/iss1/9