21-plus test - Hogeschool Utrecht
At HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, all new people over 21 take an intake test from NOA. That is easily more than 600 students per year. "The big advantage is that the test is digital and is administered throughout the University of Applied Sciences."
The 21+ test is for anyone who does not have a suitable prior education, or cannot provide a diploma. Utrecht University of Applied Sciences has been using NOA's tests for two years now. "Before that, only professional knowledge was looked at and each program had its own 21-plus admission test. Now we look at many more aspects than professional knowledge and test Hogeschool-wide," says Agna Overbeek, Intermediair Bureau Registrations.
"Of course professional knowledge is important, but we now know that many more factors play an important role. IQ, motivation and perseverance are also good indicators of whether a student can handle the training." NOA's 21+ test is a abilities test that tests cognitive abilities, using six subtests: word relationships, word analogies, numeracy skills, number sequences, exclusion, and components. "This offers us a broader view of the students. Because someone who may not have the right prior knowledge, but is intelligent and, above all, has the right commitment, also has a good chance of completing the training. Missing prior knowledge can often be brushed up. Of course, there are also exceptions to this, especially in science courses. That is why we use subject-specific deficiency tests for mathematics, economics and English where necessary."
"We see that the 21+ test is a good indicator of whether students are coping. The dropout rate among the over-21s is no greater than among the regular intake of students." Agna Overbeek also sees the fact that the NOA test is suitable for both people without a migration background and with a migration background as an advantage. As well as the digital aspect. "The advantage for the student of this digital test is that they get the results immediately. The big advantage for the University of Applied Sciences is that we can have all future students take the same test at five times a year. That is very practical and effective for us."
