Since the Beginning of 2013 the University of Wollongong (UOW) has hosted a number of Bloomberg Aptitude Tests (BAT) on campus and one at Bloomberg's Sydney Headquarters. UOW students participation rates were initially low, however, now with increasing awareness of the BAT and the Bloomberg brand, the UOW Economics and Finance Society expects the continual growth of participation from students into the future. So far UOW has had 45 students sit the exam, with not only students
from the business faculty, but also students from liberal arts, and
science faculties.
The scores from UOW students so far are extremely encouraging, with
the average score of UOW test takers being 552, which is well above the
global average of 444. Not only was the average above the world,
Asia Pacific, and Australia, but additionally, UOW had 4 Hall of Famers
who achieved within the 99th percentile of test takers (2 in May 2013
and 2 in April 2014). Furthermore, Daniel Thomason achieved one of the highest scores ever recorded in the test with a score of 770.
This
is a reflection of the quality of students at UOW, and particularly,
the calibre of the UOW Economics and Finance Society members whom have
made up a majority of test takers.
The BAT is a two-hour exam that assesses a student’s aptitude to work in financial
services on a global, comparative level, and has been described as the 'GMAT for finance'. Online, employers can search for candidates by skillsets and then request a test taker’s resume from Bloomberg’s database. To date, more than 150,000 students at 3,500-plus universities have taken the BAT. The test measures knowledge in
eight areas: math, analytical reasoning, charts analysis, news analysis,
economics, global markets, analysis of financial statements, and
investment banking.
Overall
Breakdown of the specific sections
