Mathematics Proficiency Test (MPT)
Guidelines for the Proficiency Test
All new applicants to the Faculty of Social Sciences (for entry September 2018) who are required to
write the above-mentioned test are hereby informed the test will be held on:
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2018 & THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2018
10 A.M. – NOON & 1 – 3 P.M.
MICRO LAB 5 (ML5) ROY MARSHALL TEACHING COMPLEX
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES, CAVE HILL CAMPUS
CAVE HILL, ST. MICHAEL.
Applicants are required to:
Register for the Mathematics Proficiency Test (MPT). To do so send an email to
[email protected] with “MP Test” in the subject line. Please provide your name and
preferred date and time as outlined above, to which you will receive a return email which will
include your login and temporary password. You will then be able to access sample tests.
All candidates must present a valid picture identification, e.g. National Identification Card,
Passport, Driver’s licence, etc. along with receipt of payment for the Test in order to gain entry.
The BBD $50 fee is payable at the Cashier in the Bursary.
Candidates are required to arrive at Micro Lab 5, UWI Cave Hill Campus, at least half hour
before the test begins.
Please note that cellular phones and/or other electronic devices are not permitted even if they are off
or silenced.
Exemptions from the Test
Students who possess one of the following within the last five (5) years are exempt from
taking the test:
1. Grades 1 to 4 in ALL CAPE Mathematics Unit 1 or 2
2. Grades A, B or C in Cambridge ‘A’ Level Mathematics
3. Grade 1 or 2 in CSEC General Proficiency Mathematics
4. Grades 1 or 2 in CSEC Additional Mathematics
5. Grades 9, 8, 7 or 6 in GSCE Mathematics under the new grading scheme (A or B under the old
grading scheme)
6. Grade B or above in CORE 103 - Practical Mathematics from the Barbados Community College
7. Pass the Faculty of Social Sciences' Mathematics Proficiency Test
8. A passing grade in the Faculty’s Preliminary Mathematics for Social Sciences course.
Those who pass, or are exempted from the test, may proceed to register for the Level I courses:
ECON 1003 - Mathematics for Social Sciences I and ECON 1005 - Introduction to Statistics.
Failure in the Test
Persons who failed or did not take the test without being exempted are required to pass the remedial
course ECON 0101 – Preliminary Mathematics for Social Sciences BEFORE registering for the two
Level I courses mentioned above. ECON 0101 – Preliminary Mathematics for Social Sciences is offered
in both semesters for a fee of BBD $500. Note that this fee is additional to any other tuition fees.
About the test
The test lasts for two hours and candidates are required to answer multiple choice items on any or all of
the following:
Computation
Perform Computation using any of the four basic operations with real numbers
Convert among fractions, percentages and decimals
Express a value to a given number of decimal places
Calculate any fraction or percentage of a given quantity
Express one quantity as a fraction or percentage of another
Compare two quantities using ratios
Divide a quantity in a given ratio
Solve problems using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, rates, and proportions, and arithmetic
mean
Number Theory
Distinguish among sets of numbers (natural, whole, integers, rational, irrational)
Order a set of real numbers
Identify a given set of numbers as a subset of another set
List the set of factors or a set of multiples of a given positive integer
Compute the highest common factor or lowest common multiple of two or more positive integers
Use properties of numbers and operations in computational tasks
Solve problems involving concepts in number theory
Consumer Arithmetic
Calculate discount, sales tax, profit or loss
Express a profit, loss, discount, mark-up and purchase tax as a percentage of some value
Solve problems involving simple interest
Solve problems involving compound interest, appreciation and depreciation
Solve problems involving measures and money (e.g., exchange rate)
Sets
Explain concepts relating to sets
Represent a set in various forms
2
Describe relationships among sets using set notation and symbols
List subsets of a given set
Determine elements in intersections, unions and complements of sets
Construct Venn diagrams to represent relationships among sets
Solve problems involving the use of Venn diagrams
Solve problems in Number Theory and Algebra using concepts in Set Theory
Statistics
Differentiate between types of data (discrete vs continuous, grouped vs ungrouped)
Determine class features for a given set of data (class interval, class boundaries, class limits, class
midpoint, class width)
Construct statistical diagrams (pie charts, bar charts, line graphs, histograms, frequency polygons)
Interpret statistical diagrams
Determine measures of central tendency for raw, ungrouped and grouped data (mean, median, mode)
Determine the most appropriate measure for the average of a set of data
Determine the measures of dispersion for raw, ungrouped and grouped data (range, interquartile
range and semi-interquartile range)
Construct a cumulative frequency table for ungrouped and grouped data
Draw cumulative frequency curve (Ogive)
Use statistical diagrams
Determine the proportion or percentage of the sample above or below a given value from raw data,
table, or frequency curve
Identify the sample space for an experiment
Determine experimental and theoretical probabilities of events
Make inference from statistics
Algebra
Use symbols to represent numbers, operations, variables, and relations
Translate statements expressed algebraically into verbal phrases
Perform the arithmetic operations involving directed numbers
Perform the four basic operations with algebraic expressions
Substitute numbers for algebraic symbols in simple algebraic expressions
Perform binary operations
Apply the distributive law to factorise or expand algebraic expressions
Simplify algebraic functions
Use the laws of indices to manipulate expressions with integral indices
Solve linear equations in one unknown
Solve simultaneous linear equations in two unknowns, algebraically
Solve a simple linear inequality in one unknown
Change the subject of formulae
Factorise algebraic expressions
3
Solve quadratic equations
Solve word problems
Prove two algebraic expressions to be identical
Relations, Functions and Graphs
Explain concepts associated with relations
Represent a relation in various ways
State the characteristics that define a function
Use functional notation
Distinguish between a relation and function
Draw and interpret graphs of linear functions
Determine the intercepts of the graph of linear functions
Determine the gradient of a straight line
Determine the equation of a straight line
Solve graphically a system of two linear equations in two variables
Represent the solution of linear inequalities in one variable using set notation, the number line, graph
Draw a graph to represent a linear inequality in two variables
Derive composite functions
State the relationship between a function and its inverse
Derive the inverse of a function
Determine the roots of a quadratic function using the quadratic formula or the factorisation method
Determine the minimum or maximum value of a function
Determine the domain and range of a function
The University of the West Indies
Cave Hill Campus
July 2018
