According to Mr. Cordova, what is the most likely reason the portal still shows an incomplete file?
Listen to a Short Exchange · ELPAC Grades 11–12 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A two-turn exchange between two speakers, followed by a question about it.
Listen to the conversation between Renata and Mr. Cordova in the counseling office. Then answer the question.
The Transcript Request
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Renata: Mr. Cordova, I sent my transcript request through the online form on Monday, but the college portal still says my file is incomplete.
Mr. Cordova: The form reaches me, but I only process requests on Wednesdays and Fridays. Yours went out yesterday afternoon.
Renata: So it has been sent. Then why would the portal not show it?
Mr. Cordova: Colleges take about a week to match a transcript to a student file, and they match on your date of birth. If you typed the date differently on your application, the transcript sits in their system unattached to anything.
Renata: I can check that today.
Mr. Cordova: Do that first. If the dates match and the portal still says incomplete next Tuesday, come back and I will call the admissions office myself.
The question
Choose the best answer.
According to Mr. Cordova, what is the most likely reason the portal still shows an incomplete file?
- He has not processed Renata's request yet.
- The transcript may not be matched to her file because of a date of birth mismatch.Correct answer
- The online form never reached the counseling office.
- The college has already rejected her application.
Why “The transcript may not be matched to her file because of a date of birth mismatch.” is correct
This tests listening for the explanation a speaker gives, as distinct from the problem that prompted it. Mr. Cordova rules out the two causes a student would naturally suspect, since he has processed the request and the form did reach him, and then supplies a third: colleges match transcripts to applications using the date of birth, so a mismatch leaves the document sitting unattached. The answer is the reason he offers, not the complaint Renata brings in.
Why the other answers are wrong
- He has not processed Renata's request yet. — He says her request went out yesterday afternoon, so the processing has already happened.
- The online form never reached the counseling office. — He confirms that the online form reaches him; the delay came from his Wednesday and Friday schedule.
- The college has already rejected her application. — Nothing in the conversation concerns an admissions decision. The file is incomplete, not refused.
Practice more of this
More listening practice for Grades 11–12, or see the ELPAC practice test for grades 11–12. For other grades, see free ELPAC practice tests by grade.
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