CATPrep.com

Question Selection Algorithm Upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Tue, 26 May 2009 04:24:00 +0000

In our continuing efforts to provide the most accurate GRE Test and GMAT Exam Simulators available, we've just released an update to our adaptive test question selection algorithm. The new algorithm includes adjustments based upon analysis of our question pools and an updated assessment of each question's difficulty ranking. We calculate these rankings by compiling statistics from the thousands of simulated sessions we generate for students each year and we use them along with direct feedback we receive from tutors and students worldwide to regularly enhance our question pools and algorithms.

How often is your patent bar material updated?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:32:00 +0000

We get regular queries from candidates for the USPTO Patent Registration Exam asking about the question sets and answers used in our Patent Bar Simulator offerings.

Typically, we do not modify the original exam questions in any way. If subsequent MPEP updates invalidate a question, then we simply flag that question and accept all answers for scoring purposes. The primary intent of our simulator is to enable candidates to practice with a similar interface as the one used during the official USPTO exam and to offer such a practice under timed conditions.

Major platform enhancements for GRE Test and GMAT Exam Simulators

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:23:00 +0000

CATPrep.com is proud to announce several more platform enhancements for our GRE Test and GMAT Exam Simulators. Our underlying software platform has been upgraded to support automatic session saves so that students can continue a simulated session after an interruption and we have also introduced a "practice mode" allowing students to optionally ignore time expiration for a session and complete it without an enforced time-limit.
The upgraded software is available immediately to both our direct customers and those interacting with our third-party whitelabeled offerings.

Major platform enhancements for GRE Test and GMAT Exam Simulators

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:01:00 +0000

CATPrep.com is proud to announce several major platform enhancements for our GRE Test and GMAT Exam Simulators.
Our underlying software platform has been upgraded to support true formula rendering eliminating the need for conventional character-based notation for exponents, fractions, subscripts and other mathematical symbols and formula components.
The upgraded software is available immediately to both our direct customers and those interacting with our third-party rebranded offerings.

Three new GRE tests available!

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:57:00 +0000

CATPrep.com is proud to announce the release of three new GRE tests. With the addition of three additional GRE test question pools, we now offer six complete and comprehensive GRE test simulations.

Major Upgrade to CATPrep's Simulator platform released!

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:11:00 +0000

CATPrep.com is excited to announce the release of a major upgrade to our Computer Adaptive Test Simulator platform. The latest release is now available for both our GRE Test Simulator and GMAT Exam Simulator and includes the following new features:

The Java runtime requirement has been removed. Users are no longer required to install or enable Java in order to use our simulator software.
Completed exam sessions are now automatically saved locally as well as remotely on our servers, dramatically decreasing the possibility of losing saved exam results.
Several updates to our question pools and adjustments to our scoring algorithm.
Improved support for various browsers and operating systems.
Better overall performance and accessibility of the software platform.

This latest release is available immediately from http://www.catprep.com/exams/

Customer Queries: GMAT and GRE Simulator Software

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 04:01:00 +0000

Azli R. wrote:

I have a couple of quick queries regarding your Simulator software:

1. Will I need to download the Java Runtime software every time I want
to take a test?

2. Do I need a different access code everytime I want to take a test? Once I
enter an access code and choose to disconnect from the internet, do
I need to immediately go online again to get the results or can I wait
for a couple of hours / days to go online and get it?

3. Can I take and re-take the tests again or can these tests be taken
only once? If I can re-take, will I come across similar questions?

4. If I start doing a test, what happens if I have to stop mid-way?
Will it continue to score me based on where I stop or can I pause and
continue the test at a later time? If it continue to score me, can I
re-take the test again?

5. Will there be any explanation to the answers or will I simply get
the scores at the end of the online tests?

Azli, thanks for the queries! I've attempted to answer them all by number here:

1. No, the Java installation is a one-time requirement.

2. You need one access code for each simulated exam session and your results will be available indefinitely. You can review them at anytime.

3. If you retake an exam using the same question pool then you will most likely see several repeat questions. Each simulated session will require a new access code.

4. If you stop mid-way, just like during the real exam, you will not receive a score and your progress will not be saved. However, your access code will not be "used" and you will be able to reuse that code.

5. Yes, the scoring and review screens will provide answers as well as explanations.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,
Rick Jones

Customer Queries: Patent Bar Simulator Software

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 14:34:00 +0000

Recently, Bob F. wrote:

Does your course offer background information about the MPEP? Do you provide a MPEP manual? How does your software compare to Patent Bar Prep courses that charge 600.00 to 2500.00 dollars?

Do I need a more extensive course in addition to your services?

We responded to Bob's queries with the following:

"Our service is intended to emulate the USPTO's computer-delivered Patent Bar exam as closely as possible. We offer a test simulator, but not a course. The need for supplementary material is unique to each student. Most students find that well over half of their actual test questions appear in our material (because we use actual test questions from previous years). If you haven't already seen it, you would probably benefit greatly from this long-running thread on intelproplaw.com

Customer Support: The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" error message when you install a program in Windows XP

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 23:07:00 +0000

A recent customer wrote to support concerning a known potential issue with Microsoft Windows's Windows Installer program. He was encountering the following error message when attempting to install our software:

"The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" error message when you install a program in Windows XP"

Luckily we were able to refer him to a document on Microsoft's Website for resolving this issue. Here are the relevant links:

For windows 2000, please refer to this Microsoft support to fix the problem.
For windows XP, please refer to this Microsoft support to fix the problem.

Customer Query: Why can I not save a partially complete exam?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 02:36:00 +0000

A customer recently inquired why we do not support saving and grading partially complete exam sessions. We responded:

"While we understand that it is difficult to find the time to complete a simulated GMAT or GRE test session in a single sitting, based upon our extensive experience, it would be a disservice to you to grade a partially complete simulated exam.

While practice sessions and drills have their place in GMAT and GRE test preparation, our software is meant to recreate the actual exam experience from beginning to end. Both exams require a significant time investment. In fact, time management throughout an entire GMAT or GRE test session (both maintaining uninterrupted focus and working efficiently) is the major factor in every student's final score. Thus, we want our software to assist students by preparing them for the rigors of comprehensive time management throughout a complete exam session.

Although it can be an inconvenience, we believe you'll thank us for forcing you to find the uninterrupted time to practice with an authentic simulator. Good luck on your upcoming exam and please let us know if we can answer any other questions for you."

Customer Query: Is your Patent Bar Material current?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Fri, 11 May 2007 02:38:00 +0000

"I just received USPTO approval to take the patent bar exam and am looking for a good exam simulator. Do your answers and explanations reflect the changes in revision 4?"

-Nika T.

Hi Nika,
Yes, our answers and explanations are current with MPEP edition 8 revision 4 (the current revision used for the USPTO exam). We even offer some great MPEP study aids for revision 4 including quick search and a downloadable single-file version of the MPEP. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,
Rick Jones

Customer Queries: Do your Patent Bar explanations reference the MPEP?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 02:15:00 +0000

"I am planning to take the Patent Bar this summer and interested in your Patent Bar Simulator. Do the answer explanations provided by your software include references to corresponding content in the MPEP?

Cheers,
Peter B."

Thanks for your interest Peter. Yes, our explanations include the correct answers with references (actual section numbers) to specific MPEP content. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,
Rick Jones

Customer Queries: Can GMAX students buy your other GMAT exams?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 14:55:00 +0000

"I am currently enrolled in a GMAX course and therefore have access to your first three exams. I understand the exams each utilize a different question pool, so I am inquiring about the following:

Is it possible to purchase just the last 2 exams?
If I purchase the first 3 exams over again will the essay questions change?

Cheers,
Ron L."

Thanks for your interest Ron.
Yes, it is quite simple to purchase access to our other 2 GMAT exams. Just select the Double-pack from our registration page. You'll receive two access codes that can be used for any GMAT exam. Be sure to use the 4th and 5th question pools since GMAX students already use the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd during their course.
Each question pool contains multiple essay questions, so it is likely (but there is no guarantee) that your essay questions will change if you retake the first 3 exams. Good luck with your studies!

Cheers,
-Rick Jones

Customer Queries: What are your recommendations for using the five exams you offer?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 02:55:00 +0000

"I'm really interested in your product and have three questions:

1. What is the approximately ratio of above 80 percentile level questions in each of your question pools?

2. I scheduled my GMAT test a month and a half from now. How would you recommend I use your 5 simulated GMAT exams?

3. I'm weak in permutation/combination, statistics, inequalities and sets. What can I purchase to address this weakness?

Regards" -V. Chornyy

Thanks for the interest in our Simulator software V. Chornyy, I'll do my best to answer your queries:

1) There are approximately 150 questions in each question set that are arranged on a Bell Curve to insure that the question selection algorithm has enough questions of each difficulty to accurately isolate your performance level.

2) Our exams are best used when the student treats our simulated exam as if it were the real exam and completes every part under realistic conditions with no breaks or distractions. Our exams are not designed for practicing specific question types or for drills. Instead, they offer students the opportunity to simulate the real exam and practice handling the rigors of the exam experience in combination with the challenges of the questions themselves.

Tutors typically offer one of our exams to a student to find a baseline performance level, then they design a course of study for the student. Some offer a second exam mid-way through the course, but others save the remaining four until the end of the course. Your preference will depend on your current performance level and your goals.

We typically recommend that you complete all the study and drills you intend to perform for GMAT preparation Afterwards schedule time to complete our exam as if it were the real thing. If you score in your desired range on two of our exams, you should feel confident that you have met your goal and sit for the real GMAT asap. If not, then address your weaknesses with more drilling or professional assistance.

In other words, you may only need two or three of our exams. In fact, we originally only sold three for this reason. However, as competition for higher scores grew, many of our customers felt three was insufficient and demanded additional simulations so we released two more exams bringing our total to five we offer today.

3) We have found that the best resource for specific problem-type drilling is the
Official Guide for GMAT Review. We highly recommend it as a core study aid for all our prospective MBA students.

Customer Query: How does your Simulator differ from the real exam?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 22:46:00 +0000

"Are there any differences (besides a home vs classroom environment) between your Simulator and the actual GMAT exam? Also, what other fees (including tax) are incorporated into the final fee for your access codes." - M. Sigel

Thanks for the interest in our Simulator software M. Sigel, I'll answer your queries in order:

From a test taker's point of view, the only significant difference between our Simulator software and the actual GMAT software is that our software will use your currently configured monitor resolution. During the real exam, your testing center's monitors will all be configured to the same low resolution. So, if you use a high resolution to run our Simulator, you may be able to fit more text on your screen during practice, possibly requiring you to scroll less than you will on test day. If your are concerned about this difference, simply call your testing center and inquire about their monitor resolution. Then, set your monitor at home to mirror their resolution settings.
There are no additional fees at checkout for access codes. The price quotes on our website is the final total price.

Customer Query: What does your GRE test simulator include?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 12:47:00 +0000

Our GRE test simulation software includes all parts of the GRE test: AWA, Verbal and Quantitative.
Just like the actual GRE, our AWA section is presented in two parts: one "Analysis of an Issue" question and one "Analysis of an Argument" question. The AWA is followed by complete adaptive quantitative and verbals sections.
Our simulator software also includes:

Our proven and highly accurate Scoring Engine
Fully adaptive question algorithms
Time management utilities and analysis
Support for candidates with disabilities
And much more...

For a full description of these features and more, please refer to our GRE test features listing page.

Hundreds of students have successfully used our accurate GRE test simulators since we first released the software over 18 months ago and our list of satisfied customers continues to grow daily.

Suggestions for improving your GMAT score

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 03:18:00 +0000

Students often ask us what they can do to improve their GMAT scores. Clearly, we are big proponents of studying under realistic conditions and recommend our GMAT Simulator software as an ideal means of reproducing realistic GMAT conditions.

However, before tackling a full simulated exam, most students benefit from a thorough review of the question types that will appear on the GMAT. We highly recommend the Official Guide for GMAT Review as a core study aid for all our prospective MBA students.

What is a Computer Adaptive Test?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 13:14:00 +0000

A Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) is tailored to the individual exam taker based upon his or her performance. Thus, every examinee will receive a completely customized set of questions during a CAT. Each CAT session begins with a question of pre-calculated difficulty and the selection of each subsequent question is based upon the current performance of the examinee; a higher current score results in the selection of a more difficult question and vice versa. In order to accommodate both high and low performers, a CAT must construct each exam session from a pool of questions much larger than the minimal set required by the specific exam's format.

Our exclusive performance dependent question selection algorithm: Unlike other study-aids for computer adaptive tests, Our simulated exam sessions are generated using the same formula you will experience during an actual CAT. Our question pools consist of large sets of pre-ranked questions, enabling our simulators' to provide a truly adaptive test session that mirrors the actual exam's behavior by isolating a test taker's performance level through a gradual adjustment of question difficulty.

Customer Query: Can I save my progress mid-exam?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 13:36:00 +0000

"If I interrupt my session and log out of the system without completing the entire exam, will I loose all my work or will it allow me to continue the exam at a later time from the same point?"
-W. Adjei

Our Response:
"Thanks for your interest in our GMAT exam simulator. Our software simulates your real exam conditions in every possible way. By imposing time constraints and disallowing arbitrary breaks our software maintains a realistic simulated exam experience. Anything less would reduce your simulated session to nothing more than a set of practice questions. Read why practicing under realistic conditions is so important here. While we do support alternative exam configurations through our "Disability Options", we would strongly encourage you to not use that feature of our software unless you have received approval for alternative testing conditions from the Graduate Management Admission Council. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,
Rick Jones
User Support
CATPrep.com

Conversion Optimization

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 04:24:00 +0000

This is a bit off-topic for our blog, but we want to get the word out about a new service over at www.jabuticabas.com. We've been using their conversion optimization service since early this year and the results have been spectacular. Anyone who runs an online marketing or sales campaign should definitely take a look at what they are doing. Our conversion rates have significantly increased with minimal effort.

Customer Query: Can I give away my access codes?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 16:39:00 +0000

"I used a number of other patent exam simulators for most of my review process, and only purchased a 2-pack of your access codes at the very end of my preparation process. I only used one, but it was great, and much, much superior than the ********* products. Honestly, it made a great deal of difference on the actual exam due to the similarity of MPEP searching...Thanks!

Anyway, I passed the USPTO registration exam, and would like to recommend your software to a friend. Since I have one unused access code, can I simply let them use it? Thanks again!"
-B. Golding

Our Response:
"Congratulations on your success with the USPTO registration exam and thanks so much for the kind words. We are pleased that our product assisted in your preparation. You are absolutely free to distribute any access codes you have purchased from us in any way you choose."

Kind Regards,
-Rick Jones, CATPrep

Customer Query: Which USPTO Registration Exams (Patent Bar) are available with your simulator?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 19:25:00 +0000

Kelly W. wrote:
"Which USPTO examinations does your software currently cover? You state that it covers 9 exams from 1999-2003 and that you will continue to add new ones as they become available. Since new exams have already been released since 2003, have you added these exams yet? Also, is the simulation identical to the setup that is used to take the examination?

Our Response:
Thanks for the query Kelly. Unfortunately, the USPTO currently restricts access to all of their computer-delivered exam material and until they officially release questions used after 2003, we will be unable to incorporate them into a commercial product like our Patent Bar Simulator. You can download and run our Patent Bar Simulator without charge, so feel free to compare it to the walkthrough of the computer delivered format made available by the USPTO. Our simulator's user interface (buttons and navigation) was designed to emulate the USPTO's software as closely as possible. Please read our MPEP download page for information regarding the MPEP available during the actual exam.

Kind Regards,
-Rick Jones

Customer Query: Java Plug-in detected JRE Collision

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 04:03:00 +0000

Some customers have encountered the message "Java Plug-in detected JRE Collision" while attempting to launch our simulator software. Unfortunately, this is a symptom of a particularly nasty error that occurs within Microsoft Windows under certain relatively rare circumstances. This error is not caused by our software, but is instead a Java Plug-in configuration issue. To correct the error, you will need to manually edit your Windows registry [UPDATE: Running a registry cleaner like the free EZCleaner may resolve this issue without the need to manually edit the registry yourself.] Here are the steps involved:

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, follow this link to view an article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

1) Determine the full path to the latest JRE version installed on your computer under C:\Program Files\Java. For example, if JRE version 1.5.0_05 is the latest version installed on your computer, then the full path to that JRE will be C:\Program Files\Java\jre_1.5.0_05

2) Open "regedit" by clicking Start->Run then typing "regedit" in the Open: field and clicking "OK".

3) Within regedit, open "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Javasoft\Java Plug-in" Now, insure that there is a key here with the same name as the name of the latest JRE version installed on your computer. For example, if JRE version 1.5.0_05 is the latest version installed on your computer, then there should be a key under "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Javasoft\Java Plug-in" named "jre_1.5.0_05" If there is not one, then create one by right-clicking "Java Plug-in" and choosing New->Key then type the name of the appropriate JRE.

4) Under the key for the latest version of JRE installed on your computer, there should be a String named "JavaHome" If there is not one, then create it by right-clicking and choosing New->String Value and type "JavaHome". The value of "JavaHome" should be the full path that you determined in step (1) above. If the value is different, then change it by right-clicking "JavaHome" and choosing "Modify".

After you've completed all the steps above, close regedit and restart your computer. Now, the Java Plug-in should be properly configured within your web browser and the "Java Plug-in detected JRE Collision" issue should be resolved. As always, please feel free to contact us if you encounter any issues while attempting to use our simulator software.

Customer Query: What is the Demo Exam for the GMAT?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:53:00 +0000

"What is the demo exam for the GMAT? What is the length of the test & the difference between this & the other 5 exams that you have?" - V. Agarwal

The demo GMAT exam we offer is a scaled-down version of our GMAT simulator that produces about 2/3 of a full GMAT exam. It showcases many of the features of our full simulator and comes complete with an independent question pool of realistic GMAT questions, answers, and explanations. You are given a link for downloading the demo when you signup for our GMAT newsletter.
In contrast, our other 5 exams are complete GMAT sessions generated from large question pools in a computer-adaptive manner and offer a realistic simulation of the actual GMAT exam complete with an accurate score assessment. You can read more about our comprehensive GMAT simulation software here.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Legal Career Forums

noreply@blogger.com (T. Galt) — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 21:17:00 +0000

Upstart Raising is pleased to announce the release of our Legal Career Forums as a new permanent feature on our website. We've created the new user forums in an effort to facilitate conversation and dissimenate information related to Foreign Lawyers (those with J.D.'s obtained outside the US) and the issues they face throughout their US-based careers.

Please feel free to visit the forums and participate in the on-going conversations!