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F5 NetworksNo result found, try new keyword!METHODOLOGY: The numbers on this page are based on contributions from PACs and individuals giving $200 or more. All donations were made during the 2022 election cycle and were released by the Federal ...
Placement Test Practice
Placement Test Practice
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Being prepared is the best way to ease the stress of test taking. If you are having difficulty scheduling your Placement Test, please contact the UNG Testing Office.
Practice, practice, practice before your scheduled Placement Test.
If you have a physical or learning disability, contact Disability Services promptly to discuss whether or not you are eligible for accommodations at UNG for your Placement Test.
The night before your Placement Test, get a good night’s sleep. This is not an ideal time to stay out late with friends. Take a rain check on that.
Make certain you eat something nutritious before your test. Your brain cannot work on low fuel. Also make certain you are hydrated. Good choices are fruit, yogurt, almonds, or peanut butter crackers and water.
Make certain you have directions to the test site and that you allow sufficient time to get lost at least once, search for a parking space, use the restroom, check in with the testing administrator, and take some calming breaths before the test begins.
The testing environment tends to be a little cool, so please bring a sweater with you, just in case. Scratch paper and pencils are provided by the testing administrator. You will not be permitted to use an outside calculator or your cell phone in the testing center; lockers are provided to secure your personal items.
If you are required to take more than one subject area test, the order in which they are administered is: Writing 1st (if required); Reading 2nd (if required); and Math 3rd (if required). All of this is completed on a computer in one session.
Please read all test directions carefully. We often see students scoring low on the Placement Test simply because they rush through the directions and then don’t fully understand or follow them. The directions for each test are different, so take the time to read through each set of instructions.
The Placement Tests are not timed (with the exception of the WritePlacer). Please do not be concerned if other students are finishing before you. They may not be required to take the same number of tests as you. They also may have a different set of math problems or different reading passages than you. Nobody is your pace car and this isn’t a race to the finish line.
Following University System of Georgia policy, UNG will use your Next Generation Accuplacer scores to determine placement into or out of Learning Support. Students who score below 243 on the Reading test (scored on a 200-300 point scale) and/or below 4 on the WritePlacer (scored on a 0-8 point scale) will have a Learning Support English requirement at UNG. Students who score below 258 on the Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics (QRAS) test (scored on a 200-300 point scale) will have a Learning Support math requirement at UNG. Students scoring between 258 and 265 will have a Learning Support math requirement at UNG if their major requires College Algebra, MATH 1111, either as a core requirement or as a pre-requisite for a core math requirement. Your scores do not determine admissibility but, rather, determine placement. For more information about Learning Support you can read about it on the Learning Support Website.
Upon receiving an Admissions decision on your Check Application Status site, please contact Dede deLaughter (by email or by phone at 706-310-6207)with any questions you may have about your test results and/or any retesting options.
If you do place into Learning Support, please understand that this is not punitive but, rather, in your best interest. UNG strives to support you in achieving your academic goals, and that includes starting you in the appropriate level of instruction that sets you up for academic success.
If you have a red yes in any Placement Test Required row on your Check Application Status page in Banner, read the information below relating to the area in which you have the red yes.
Practice Before Your Test
Since you will be required in your WritePlacer Test to compose an actual timed essay, practice that skill on the free Longsdale Publishing Accuplacer practice site.
Click on the Register NEW Account button. Look on your Check Application Status page for the School Number and School Key. After you register, you will be issued a username and password. SAVE this information for future log-in access!
Schedule Your Accuplacer Test
Look on your Check Application Status page for the link or contact UNG Testing. If you need assistance or wish to opt out of Accuplacer testing, please email learningsupport@ung.edu.
Don’t rush. You will have one hour to write your essay. Your essay will be evaluated on organization, focus, development and support, sentence structure, and mechanical conventions.
Use the provided scratch paper to do your brainstorming.
Using your brainstorming ideas, write your essay.
BEFORE YOU SUBMIT your essay, PROOFREAD!
Proofreading tips:
Make sure your essay actually answers the prompt.
If you used examples, make certain they are clear and concise.
Avoid using impressive-sounding vocabulary unless you are absolutely certain you are using those words correctly.
Re-read every paragraph carefully. You know what you meant to say. Will the reader know what you meant to say?
Re-read your entire essay from the bottom to the top, one sentence at a time. This is a good way to catch grammar errors, like sentence fragments, subject-verb agreement errors, punctuation errors, and the like.
Be sure to review the information in the preparation modules before and between practice tests to improve your score!
Practice the Test
Visit the free Longsdale Publishing Accuplacer practice site. Then click on the Register NEW Account button. Look on your Check Application Status page for the School Number and School Key. After you register, you will be issued a username and password. SAVE this information for future log-in access!
Select the Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics (QRAS) test.
Be sure to review the information in the preparation modules before and between practice tests to improve your score!
Schedule Your Accuplacer Test
Look on your Check Application Status page for the link or contact UNG Testing. If you need assistance or wish to opt out of Accuplacer testing, please email learningsupport@ung.edu.
Test Taking Tips
Take your time. Answering the math problems as accurately as possible could save you time and money in the future if you are not required to take an extra math class.
Check your answers. Remember, in a multiple choice test, there are usually at least two wrong answers that are based on the most common miscalculations or process errors.
Calculators and scrap paper. Certain placement test problems will allow you to use the built-in calculator. If not, use the scratch paper that will be provided. (This scratch paper will be collected before you leave the test, so don’t make your to-do list on it.)
Practice the Test
Visit the free Longsdale Publishing Accuplacer practice site. To set up your free account, first obtain the UNG School Number and School Key by emailing learningsupport@ung.edu - preferably from your UNG email account, providing your student ID (900) number. Then click on the Register New Account button. After you register, you will be issued a username and password. Save this information for future log-in access!
Select the appropriate Eligibility Exam: QRAS if you are attempting eligibility to take College Algebra, MATH 1111; Advanced Algebra and Functions if you are eligible to take MATH 1111 and are attempting eligibility to take Pre-calculus, MATH 1113, Brief Calculus, MATH 2040, or Calculus I, MATH 1450.
Be sure to review the information in the preparation modules before and between practice tests to improve your score!
Schedule Your Accuplacer Test
Scheduling information is located on the Math Eligibility Exams page.
Test Taking Tips
Take your time. The test is not timed.
Check your answers. Remember, in a multiple choice test, there are usually at least two wrong answers that are based on the most common miscalculations or process errors.
Calculators and scrap paper: certain placement test problems will allow you to use the built-in calculator. If not, use the scratch paper that will be provided. (This scratch paper will be collected before you leave the test, so don’t make your to-do list on it.)
Establishing Connection...
After A 13% Fall This Year How Does Ciena Compare With F5 Stock?
BRAZIL - 2021/04/15: In this photo illustration, the F5 Networks logo seen displayed on a smartphone ... [+] screen and stock market information. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Given its better prospects, we believe Ciena stock (NYSE: CIEN), a network hardware, software, and services provider, is a better pick than its sector peer, F5 Networks stock (NASDAQ NDAQ : FFIV), an application security and cloud networking company. Investors have assigned a higher valuation multiple of 3.7x revenues for FFIV compared to 1.5x revenues for CIEN due to F5’s superior revenue growth and profitability. The decision to invest often comes down to finding the best stocks within the parameters of certain characteristics that suit an investment style. The size of profits can matter, as larger profits can imply greater market power. In the sections below, we discuss why we believe that CIEN will offer better returns than FFIV in the next three years. We compare a slew of factors, such as historical revenue growth, stock returns, and valuation, in an interactive dashboard analysis of F5 vs. Ciena CIEN : Which Stock Is A Better Bet? Parts of the analysis are summarized below.
FFIV stock has seen little change, moving slightly from levels of $175 in early January 2021 to around $175 now, while CIEN stock has seen a decline of 20% from levels of $55 to around $45 over the same period. In comparison, the S&P500 index saw an increase of about 25% over this roughly three-year period.
Overall, the performance of FFIV stock with respect to the index has been lackluster. Returns for the stock were 39% in 2021, -41% in 2022, and 21% in 2023. Similarly, however, the decrease in CIEN stock has been far from consistent. Returns for the stock were 46% in 2021, -34% in 2022, and -13% in 2023. In comparison, returns for the S&P 500 have been 27% in 2021, -19% in 2022, and 23% in 2023 - indicating that FFIV and CIEN underperformed the S&P in 2022 and 2023.
In fact, consistently beating the S&P 500 - in good times and bad - has been difficult over recent years for individual stocks; for heavyweights in the Information Technology sector, including AAPL, MSFT, and NVDA, and even for the megacap stars GOOG, TSLA, and AMZN. In contrast, the Trefis High Quality Portfolio, with a collection of 30 stocks, has outperformed the S&P 500 each year over the same period. Why is that? As a group, HQ Portfolio stocks provided better returns with less risk versus the benchmark index, less of a roller-coaster ride, as evident in HQ Portfolio performance metrics.
Given the current uncertain macroeconomic environment with high oil prices and elevated interest rates, could FFIV and CIEN face a similar situation as they did in 2022 and 2023 and underperform the S&P over the next 12 months - or will they see a strong jump? While we expect both stocks to move higher in the next three years, we think CIEN will fare better.
1. F5’s Revenue Growth Is Better
F5’s revenue growth has been better, with a 6.2% average annual growth rate in the last three years, compared to 0.6% for Ciena.
FFIV revenues rose from $2.4 billion in fiscal 2020 (fiscal ends in September) to $2.8 billion in 2023, led by services and product revenue growth due to increasing demand and entry into new markets.
For Ciena, revenue increased from $3.5 billion in fiscal 2020 (fiscal ends in October) to $4.4 billion in 2023, led by continued growth in Global Services Platform Software and Services, while the Networking Platforms business also saw a rebound in fiscal 2023.
Supply chain issues weighed on the company’s overall performance in the recent past, and it still remains a concern.
Ciena expects its routing and switching business to grow faster in the coming years and drive the overall top-line growth.
If we look at the last twelve-month period revenues, Ciena fares better with sales growth of 14% vs. 5% for F5.
Our F5 Revenue Comparison and Ciena Revenue Comparison dashboards provide more insight into the companies’ sales.
Looking forward, we expect Ciena to see better sales growth than F5. We forecast F5’s top-line to expand at a CAGR of 3.4% to $3.1 billion in three years, while Ciena will likely see its sales rise in a mid-single-digit average annual growth rate to $5.3 billion over this period, based on Trefis Machine Learning analysis.
2. F5 Is More Profitable
F5’s operating margin declined from 23.1% in 2019 to 15.0% in 2022, while Ciena’s operating margin contracted from 14.5% in fiscal 2020 to 8.8% in 2023.
Looking at the last twelve-month period, F5’s operating margin of 14.6% fares better than 8.8% for Ciena.
F5’s margin metric has been weighed down due to a rise in component costs.
Our F5 Operating Income Comparison and Ciena’s Operating Income Comparison dashboards have more details.
Looking at financial risk, F5 fares better. F5 is a debt-free company, while Ciena’s debt as a percentage of equity is around 24%. However, Ciena’s 22% cash as a percentage of assets is higher than 13% for F5, implying that F5 has a better debt position and Ciena has more cash cushion.
3. The Net of It All
We see that F5 has seen better revenue growth and is more profitable.
Now, looking at prospects using P/S as a base, due to high fluctuations in P/E and P/EBIT, we believe Ciena will offer higher returns in the next three years.
Also, if we compare the current valuation multiples to the historical averages, CIEN fares better. F5 stock is trading at 3.7x revenues compared to its last five-year average of 4.3x. In comparison, Ciena stock trades at 1.7x revenues vs. the last five-year average of 2.2x.
Our F5 Valuation Ratios Comparison and Ciena Valuation Ratios Comparison have more details.
The table below summarizes our revenue and return expectations for both companies over the next three years and points to an expected return of -12% for FFIV over this period vs. a 31% expected return for CIEN, based on Trefis Machine Learning analysis – F5 vs. Ciena – which also provides more details on how we arrive at these numbers.
FFIV stock versus CIEN stock
Trefis
While CIEN stock may outperform FFIV, it is helpful to see how F5’s peers fare on metrics that matter. You will find other valuable comparisons for companies across industries at Peer Comparisons.
FFIV Return Compared with Trefis Reinforced Value Portfolio
Trefis
Invest with Trefis Market Beating Portfolios
See all Trefis Price Estimates
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