General Limitations of the Comparative Summary Reports

The following considerations should be kept in mind when interpreting the comparative results:

• This data should be considered comparative rather than normative because the institutions included in the data do not represent proportionally the various types of higher education institutions. The data are drawn entirely from institutions that choose to participate in the ETS Proficiency Profile. Such a self-selected sample may not be representative of all institutions.

• The number of students tested and sampling procedures vary from one institution to another. Therefore, it is impossible to verify that the students tested at each institution are representative of all that institution's students.

• It is helpful when these comparisons involve students at approximately the same point in their educational careers. Students who have not identified their credit status are excluded from these calculations.

• The tables report data for institutions that have tested 30 or more students at the selected class level or number of credit hours attained. Institutions with fewer than 30 test takers at that class level are excluded from these calculations.