The Entrance Examination for DSSE assesses your English reading and sentence-formation skills, your ability to express your thoughts in writing, and competence in Advanced Level Mathematics. It is mandatory for all applicants to appear for the HU Entrance Examination, except those who qualify for the test exemption based on their high school grades or SAT scores as per the details given in the section of ‘Exemptions from HU Entrance Examinations‘.
The test has the following features:
- It is a computer-based standardized test.
- It is a multiple-choice test (except for the essay section).
- There is no negative marking.
- It adapts to your level of ability*.
*The test uses computer-adaptive testing technology to select test questions that are best suited for each test taker; i.e., the test will give you questions based on how you have performed on the questions up till that time.
Habib University administers the test at its campus in Karachi. In other cities, it is administrated at the identified spaces under the supervision of HU team.
Time required to Complete the Test
The maximum time allowed to take the test is 3.5 hours for all sections.
English component of Entrance Examination for DSSE
Section 1: Accuplacer Reading
The Reading Comprehension section is a multiple-choice assessment. There are approximately 20-25 questions in the Accuplacer Reading portion of the exam. These questions assess your ability to derive meaning from a range of prose texts and to determine the meaning of words and phrases in short and extended contexts. Passages on the test cover a range of content areas (including literature and literary nonfiction, careers/history/social studies, humanities, and science), writing modes (informative/ explanatory, argument, and narrative), and complexities (relatively easy to very challenging).
Four broad knowledge and skill categories are assessed:
- Information and Ideas (reading closely, determining central ideas and themes, summarizing, understanding relationships)
- Rhetoric (analyzing word choice rhetorically, analyzing text structure, analyzing point of view, analyzing purpose, analyzing arguments)
- Synthesis (analyzing multiple texts)
- Vocabulary
Section 2: Accuplacer Writing
The Accuplacer Writing section is a multiple-choice assessment. There are approximately 20-25 questions in the Accuplacer Writing portion of the exam. These questions assess your ability to revise and edit a range of prose texts for effective expression of ideas and for conformity to the conventions of Standard Written English sentence structure, usage, and punctuation. Two broad knowledge and skill categories are assessed:
- Expression of Ideas (development, organization, effective language use)
- Standard English Conventions (sentence structure, usage, and punctuation)
Section 3: Essay Writing
The Essay Writing section will ask you to write a five-paragraph essay (approximately 350–500 words) on the given topic. You will not be allowed to use a dictionary or other outside resources, but you may use plain scratch paper to plan your essay and write your rough draft(s).
You will be provided with an essay prompt. An essay prompt is a short passage adapted from some authentic text. Following the passage is an essay assignment that requires the student to focus on the issue addressed in the passage. Prompts are free of technical or specific literary references and do not require specialized knowledge. They are designed to stimulate critical thinking and are relevant to any number of fields and interests. The essay gives you an opportunity to show how effectively you can develop and express your ideas in writing. You should support your position with appropriate reasoning and examples.
The position you take will not influence your score. Your essay will be given a holistic score that represents how clearly and effectively you expressed your position. The following six characteristics of writing will be considered:
- Purpose and Focus: The extent to which you present information in a unified and coherent manner, clearly addressing the issue.
- Critical Thinking: The extent to which you communicate a point of view and demonstrate reasoned relationships between ideas.
- Organization and Structure: The extent to which you order and connect ideas.
- Development and Support: The extent to which you develop and support ideas.
- Sentence Variety and Style: The extent to which you craft sentences and paragraphs, demonstrating control of vocabulary, voice and structure.
- Mechanical Conventions: The extent to which you express ideas using standard written English.
Mathematics Component of Entrance Examination for DSSE
Advanced Level Mathematics is mandatory for all the applicants of the Dhanani School of Science and Engineering (DSSE) who have studied Mathematics at their High School i.e. during A level, HSSC, High School Diploma or any other equivalent qualification.
Components of Advanced Level Math
It is a multiple-choice assessment. There are approximately 20-25 questions in the Advance Level Math portion of the exam. This section will assess your ability for selected mathematics content. Questions will focus on a range of topics, including a variety of equations and functions, such as linear, quadratic, rational, radical, polynomial, and exponential. Questions will also delve into some geometry and trigonometry concepts. In addition, questions may assess a student’s math ability via computational or fluency skills, conceptual understanding, or the capacity to apply mathematics presented in a context. The following knowledge and skill categories are assessed:
- Linear equations
- Linear applications
- Factoring
- Quadratics
- Functions
- Radical and rational equations
- Polynomial equations
- Exponential and logarithmic equations
- Geometry concepts
- Trigonometry
Guidelines for Test Day
Following are a few guidelines for the test day:
- On the test day, please reach the test venue at least half an hour before the test time so that you can register yourself and get acquainted with the place.
- As soon as you reach the test venue, get to the registration table and complete all formalities.
- Bring your Habib University Admit Card your CNIC/B-Form along with you. Please note: if you are bringing your B-Form, it is mandatory to bring your school ID card.
- Students applying for the Dhanani School of Science and Engineering (DSSE) are required to bring their own calculator for Advanced Level Mathematics.
- Students applying for School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) are NOT allowed to bring calculators.
- Besides the required CNIC/B-Form and Student ID and a calculator (only for DSSE students), if you bring a cell phone, you will be asked to switch it off and hand it over to the registration team before entering the examination room.
Please note: Habib University Management will not be responsible for any loss or damage to the phone or any other personal belongings submitted.
Prep. Day
Habib University organizes Prep-Sessions to facilitate students who are planning to take Habib University entrance examination. We encourage students to attend this session as it conveys important test information and provides guidelines on how to prepare for the HU entrance examination and the interview.
If you are interested to attend one of the prep-sessions, please register yourself at https://habib.edu.pk/admissions/admission-events/
