NEWS The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 7 MCAT Continued from page 1 said. "Now we just send electrons over the wires." One benefit for students includes a halving of the amount of time it takes for scores to be reported after the test date: from 60 days down to one month. Anoth- er big change will be a 10-fold increase in the number of opportunities to take the test, which is currently only offered twice a year. Aspiring medical students will be able to take the revamped exam on any of 20 different dates throughout the year. Thomson Prometric, a computer-test- ing company, has been awarded a seven- year, $30 million contract by the AAMC to convert the exam to computer format. Past MCATs have offered students the option to take the test on a computer, and field trials have been held. However, 2007 marks the first time the test will be admin- istered exclusively by computer. One welcome change will be the short- ening of the now-epic test to five hours. "Students expressed concerns about staring at the computer screen for eight hours, so this seems more humane," Julian said, adding that in the event of a change in test difficulty due to the new format, scores will be re-calibrated by the AAMC. "We will re-scale so that the center (of the statistical curve) will be about the same as in other years," Julian said. Test-preparation companies such as Kaplan and The Princeton Review have responded cautiously to the changes. "We recommend students take the pencil-and-paper exam while they are given a choice," said Liz Wands, director of graduate marketing for The Princeton Review. Amjad Mustafa, MCAT program man- ager for Kaplan, affirmed the test prep company's preference for the paper exam for the time being. "You're always going to be safer taking the MCAT that test preps have experience with," said Tiffany Leslie, assistant direc- tor of marketing and outreach for The Princeton Review in Ann Arbor. "The AAMC will still be getting out the kinks (of the computer-based test), while the students will be the guinea pigs," Wands said. "It's a different testing environment. The person on the computer to the left of you might be taking the (Graduate Record Exam), while the person to the right of you might be doing the (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Students need to block out the environment better," Leslie said. Another concern raised by test-prepa- ration companies was a perceived inflex- ibility of the computer format. "It's a passage-based exam," Mustafa said. "Your ability to highlight and take notes will be affected. ... It's causing a bit of anxiety for the students." Other potential problems include dif- ficulty reading and annotating on a com- puter screen, as well as disruptions due to computer malfunctions. According to a recent Kaplan survey, 82 percent of students taking the preparation course said they thought they would per- form worse on a computer-based exam. Mustafa emphasized that students need to develop a new skill set to tackle the new MCAT. Dan Saddawi-Konefka, an MCAT instructor for The Princeton Review, agreed. His personal test-taking system could become obsolete with the new format. "One of the strategies we teach is to map out the passages and write notes in the margin of the tests. Usually when you circle a word, it means something; when you underline, it means something else. You have less flexibility on the computer than on paper," Saddawi-Konefka said. The courses that test preparation com- panies currently offer are only expected to change minimally. "We don't anticipate the way we teach the MCAT to change," Wands said, adding, "We are absolutely ready to prep students the right way when the test changes." The AAMC has been working in con- junction with Thomson Prometric to add computer tools to help students taking the MCAT. Test-takers will be able to highlight passages and cross out wrong answers on the computer screen. The AAMC advises students to take the wor- ries raised by Kaplan and The Princeton Review with a grain of salt. Talking to your university pre-med advisors would be the best source of infor- mation," Julian said. "These commercial test preparation courses make their living off people being scared." CRIME Continued from page 1 reprimand to expulsion from the Uni- versity. Sgt. Angela Abrams of the AAPD said the victims will likely prosecute. The police report also included a statement from an independent witness - an employee at a parking structure on South Forest - who said she saw the men assault the couple. The incident has galvanized mem- bers of the Asian community - some of whom have also faced the humiliation of ethnic intimidation first-hand. Cindy Chuang, LSA senior and presi- dent of the Taiwanese American Student Association, said she was appalled and shocked that a fellow University student could be demeaned in public. But she herself said she has experi- enced racial bias from fellow students, who she said were drunk when the inci- dent occurred. While walking down South Univer- sity Avenue, Chuang said a group of students yelled, "Wow, you speak really good English" and "You talk with a white accent." LSA senior and former Korean Stu- dent Association President Paul Yun said he was disgusted by the incident but not surprised that it happened. Yun said that he has also faced dis- crimination in Ann Arbor. While using a public restroom at Good Time Charley's, Yun said he was referred to as "Bruce Lee" and "Ching Chong." He also said that many of his friends have experienced similar incidents. Yun said that the issue needs to be addressed immediately. He said he expected the United Asian American Organizations - an umbrella group for the Asian student groups on campus - would be the first to respond to the matter. At the very least, Yun said this inci- dent will call attention to a problem on campus and could potentially empower the Asian community to improve the climate for minority students at the Uni- versity. DAVID TUMAN/Daily Former Michigan Student Assembly representative and Chair of the Campus Improvement Commission Stuart Wagner speaks with the assembly on the MSA president's motion to create a liaison to the Ann Arbor City Council. IRAQ Continued from page 1 and just as many felt the money was not being spent wisely. The poll had a 3-percentage-point margin of error. While about 135,000 U.S. troops operate throughout Iraq, the 8,500 British forces are headquartered in the Basra region, in the country's far south. A day after British armored vehicles stormed the jail in Basra to free two commandos, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, a Shiite who serves as Iraq's national security adviser, said the operation was "a violation of Iraqi sovereignty." British forces used armor to bash their way into the jail compound late Monday after a day of turmoil that erupted with the arrest of the two commandos. At first Basra police said the men shot and killed a policeman, but yesterday the al-Jaaf- ari spokesman, Haydar al-Abadi, said the men - who were wearing civilian clothes - were grabbed for behaving suspiciously and collect- ing information. The British said the men had been handed over to a militia. The Basra governor confirmed the claim, say- ing the Britons were in the custody of the al-Mahdi Army, the militia controlled by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. "The two British were being kept in a house controlled by militiamen when the rescue operation took place," said the governor, Mohammed al-Waili. "Police who are members of the militia group took them to a nearby house after jail authorities learned the facility was about to be stormed," he said, demanding that the Britons be handed over to local authorities for trial. He would not say what charges they might face. HILLEL Continued from page 1 to "argue in a fun, friendly, respectful manner and both grow in knowledge and understanding of the texts." The idea for a study center came in part from University students who had studied at yeshivas, or Jewish learning centers in Israel, and wanted to replicate that type of learning environment, Miller said. The remodeling of the space was fund- ed by a donation by the Brodsky family and the new books were purchased with a grant from the Irwin and Bethea Green Foundation. The new center will provide a place for both religious and secular study for Jews and non-Jews alike, Miller added. MISA Continued from page 1 to handle this instead of adding more bureaucracy," Garber said. In response, Levine said he thought the assembly misunderstood the intent of the motion and that more could be accom- plished between MSA and City Council if a particular committee specialized on this goal. "The ERC has done great work, but I personally feel we need to open the field for new students with new ideas and passions while being more inclusive," he said. City Councilman Stephen Rapunda- lo supported Levine in the formation of this committee. "Whether it is a person, persons or a board, there needs to be a better bridge between University students and the City Council," Rapundalo said earlier before tie vote. "Many students are feeling disenfranchised from city affairs. I think we need to bring students into active participation in city affairs. Students are legitimate members of the community as much as anybody else." Levine said that even though the motion lacked support, he will stay committed to improving the commu- nication between MSA and the City Council. He said there will be a collab- orative effort with students at large, the ERC and himself to go about improv- ing relations. He added that several members of MSA already attend City Council meet- ings, but he would like the practice insti- tutionalized so that it will continue after he graduates. the michigan daily Attention: Student Managers Needed BAD CREDIT? NO Credit? No Problem: All the top credit for STUDENTS available here. Get an easy online approval today at: ezstudentcredit.com CAMPUS CLEANERS: PROE Dry Clean- ing & Ldry. Free summer storage. 1305 S. University next to Campus Rental. 662-1906. THESIS EDITING. LANGUAGE, organiza- tion, format. All disciplines. 25 yrs. exp. 996-0566 or writeon@htdconnect.com TOP LINE ENGLISH lessons: first one free. Credentialed teacher: 20 yrs. exp. All levels. Call Ruth Crawford @ 734.997.8890. WISE HEALTHCARE CHOICE. 4 treat- ments and evaluation $75. Chiropractic Dr., 30 yrs. experience. Call 734.994.5966. Assisting The Men's Soccer On Game Days Program Please contact: mgsubram@umich.edu for more information DOG WALKER $10/HR. Mon. and/or Wed. around noon. 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