A Comparative Approach to Analyzing University Entrance Mathematics Exams

Abstract

The authors analyzed results of entrance exams for University of Banja Luka in the Republic of Srpska, B&H. Twelve exams were administered from 2012 to 2015 and designed to assess the mathematical proficiency of candidates for admission to the
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The authors conducted further examination of the 280 tasks using Bloom’s [5] and MATH [28] taxonomies, and Thompson’s multidimensional
approach [4, 30]. The analysis is aimed at understanding the mathematical proficiencies of the tested candidates, as an almost-representative population of high school graduates in the Republic of Srpska. Currently, no data or means of obtaining data on the mathematical proficiency of high school graduates in the Republic of Srpska exists. Thus, the results are a critical first step towards conducting research that would
provide this information. Such information has implications for secondary and postsecondary
mathematics instruction in the Republic of Srpska.