Reading Passage Question

Recruitment to most courses opens to applicants in October when all the places are available and is closed in April when the course administrator hopes there are no places left. Between these two dates, the number of places steadily decreases. By the end of February it is a fair assumption that the popular courses have only a few places left to fill. The likelihood is that in October places are offered purely on the basis of merit, however, as the course fills, those responsible increasingly turn to the issue of ensuring the correct balance of the class. In deciding to whom to make an offer they will look to ensure, for example, a good balance of backgrounds in the hope of ensuring a well-balanced class that can bring a broad church of experiences to discussions and seminars. On many courses, quotas are set as to the preferred mix of candidates to be offered a place. Schools will want the genders to be equally represented. They will wish the intake to be representative of the ethnicity of the community that they serve. They will seek to recruit a representative sample of students who declare a disability. It is a distinct possibility that the last few places are effectively reserved for applicants who offer a profile that remains under-represented in the class. By this stage the school may not be looking to recruit the best in terms of merit and it is possible that an offer will be made to less well-qualified candidates because they fill the under-represented profile.

“Recruitment to Most Courses Opens to Applicants in October When All” is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates must have a solid grip in English GMAT reading comprehension. There are 3 multiple choice questions in the above GMAT Reading Comprehension passages. GMAT Reading Comprehension Questions are delineated to evaluate candidates’ abilities to analyze and be conceptual for the answers. Candidates can brace up and take preparation by answering GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

Q1. It can be inferred from the passage that:

1. Less-than-popular courses do not have the same opportunity to achieve a preferred mix of students.
2. A candidate with less-than-perfect academic credentials stands a better chance of success if they apply in the latter part of the period of recruitment.
3. A candidate who declares a disability is more likely to be offered a place than an able-bodied applicant with identical qualifications.
4. Academically strong candidates should submit their applications as soon as the recruitment process opens.
5. The last few places of a course are effectively reserved for applicants who conform to under-represented profiles.

Q2. Which of the following statements is the author most likely to disagree with?

1. Most schools set a series of deadlines, and as each is passed, in effect another mini-recruitment campaign begins.
2. The first mini-round is the most straightforward in terms of the candidates being offered places purely on the basis of merit.
3. The second of these mini-recruitment rounds is when the course administrator turns to the issue of balancing applicants with the candidates who have already accepted a place in order to ensure a representative mix of students.
4. Once the second half of the recruitment campaign is reached, schools will have received most serious applications.
5. Towards the end of the recruitment cycle, popular courses will only have a few places left and the administrator is as much concerned with ensuring a representative and well-balanced class as selection on the basis of merit.

Q3. In the context of the passage the term ‘broad church’ refers to:

1. students who are broad-minded
2. a course of study on the subject of a religious sect that favors a liberal interpretation of doctrine
3. a policy that promotes diversity in education
4. a wide set of criteria adopted so as to ensure a fair and equitable recruitment policy
5. a group that encompasses a wide range of views

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