College entrance exams: The SAT Reasoning and SAT subject test

Extra info

**1).Critical Reading. 70 minutes (two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section) **2).Writing 60 minutes (multiple choice questions [35 minutes] and one 25-minute section for a student-written essay) **3).Mathematical Reasoning. 70 minutes (two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section)

The SAT Subjects tests

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scoring

1). Each section is scored from 200 to 800. 2).Final scores are given two ways: scores for each section (200 to 800) and a combined total score, adding your scores from all three sections. 3).The highest possible total combined score is 2,400.

Foreign Language

1). Some Foreign Language Tests are "Reading Only"; they are designed to test your ability to read a given foreign language. 2).The reading section is designed to test your knowledge of vocabulary in context, sentence structure and grammar, and reading comprehension. 3).Other tests also include a Listening section (approximately 20 minutes). 4).These tests are designed to test your ability to understand a given language both as written and as spoken.

Biology

1). The Biology Subject Test is designed to test a student's understanding of general biology at the college preparatory level. 2).You may choose between two areas--ecology or molecular biology. 3).Subject areas tested may include Cellular and Molecular Biology, Ecology, Classical Genetics, Organismal Biology, Evolution, and Diversity. 4).(Note: The test-makers assume that evolution is a part of both Ecology and Molecular Biology. Approximately 10 % of the Biology test includes evolutionary theory.)

The SAT ® Reasoning Test—What is It

1). The SAT Reasoning test is the "standard" SAT test. 2). The Scholastic Assessment Test is overseen by The College Board. 3). The whole test takes three hours and forty-five minutes of actual testing time (not counting breaks). 4).The SAT consists of ten separately timed sections and measures critical reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning skills.

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1)."Short-term programs (about 20 hours) improve scores an average of about 10 points on verbal and about 15 points on math. 2). Longer programs (40 hours or so) improve scores an average of 15 to 20 points on verbal and 20 to 30 points on math . . . Math scores seem to benefit more from coaching than verbal scores do. 3).(There may be several reasons for this: the math sections are more related to course work, some of the question types might be unfamiliar to students, and some students may have stopped their formal study of math and need to review mathematical concepts.)"

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1).First of all, realize that a large percentage of the critical reading section is vocabulary; much of the critical reading section tests your knowledge of words and their definitions. 2).Choose two or three words a day from any "SAT prep" word list and use the new words several times throughout the day. 3).Say these words (either silently or aloud) and review the definitions.

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1).In any reading you do, whether it's for school, for pleasure, or to catch up on the news, look up any words that are unfamiliar to you. 2). Even if a word seems vaguely familiar, look it up and get a better understanding of its meaning. 3).Try rephrasing new theories in your own words and explain them to your parents. (One of the best ways to test yourself to see if you really understand an idea is to try teaching it to someone else!).

How to Prepare for the SAT Subject Tests.

1).It all depends on the subject. 2).Some subjects, like literature and foreign languages, are cumulative; information you learned in the first year will help you in the second year. 3).Some subject tests should be taken as soon as possible after completing your coursework, while the material is still fresh in your mind. These might include History, with specific names, dates, and places to remember, or upper level Science courses, where you have learned a number of different formulas.

Test Prep Courses.

1).Many students consider taking test preparation courses. But the obvious question is, "Will it help improve a student's scores?"

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1).Most colleges require standardized test scores to be submitted along with applications. 2).Because the curriculum used by students varies so much from school to school, the colleges need some sort of standard by which to judge a student's work 3).The main purpose of standardized tests is to compare you to a large sample of other students. 4).This comparison will tell admissions officers how strong certain academic skills are compared to other incoming freshmen.

Preparing for the SAT

1).Students often worry about the critical reading section of the test. 2). They want to know how to prepare. How much should they read? 3).Should they memorize long lists of vocabulary words? 4).What is the best way to prepare for the SAT critical reading section?

Literature

1).The Literature test is designed to measure interpretive skills necessary to read poetry and prose from different periods and cultures. 2). Like all the other subject tests, the literature test is one hour. 3).It includes 60 multiple-choice questions covering primarily English and American literature, chronology from Renaissance through the twentieth century, poetry, prose, and drama.

What's the Difference Between the SAT Reasoning and the SAT Subjects tests?

1).The SAT is the "standard" SAT test. 2). It covers critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills; the SAT Subject tests are a group of twenty different tests which specialize in certain academic subjects, such as US History, Foreign Languages, or Biology. 3).The subject tests last one hour each. 4).Nearly all of them are entirely multiple-choice, ranging from 50 to 95 questions.

The SAT ® —What Does it Test?

1).The SAT measures three important skills that you need in order to be successful in college and life in general--critical reading, mathematics and writing skills. 2).More specifically:The critical reading section includes both short and long reading passages and measures your ability to draw inferences, synthesize information, distinguish between main and supporting ideas, understand vocabulary as it is used in context.

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1).The mathematical reasoning questions measure your ability to solve a variety of math problems involving mathematics topics from up through a third year college preparatory course, such as exponential growth, absolute value, and functional notation. 2).It also places emphasis on such other topics as linear functions, manipulations with exponents, and properties of tangent lines. 3). Important skills such as estimation and number sense are measured through the multiple-choice and student response (grid-in) questions.

Mathematics

1).There are two different math tests, Level I and Level II. 2).The Level I test (the easier of the two) is designed to test a student's understanding of mathematics as it is commonly taught in American high schools in three years of college preparatory level work. 3).Subject areas tested may include Algebra, Geometry (Plane Euclidean, Coordinate, and Three-dimensional), Trigonometry, Functions, and Statistics/Probability. 4).Scientific calculators are required for both levels of the math Subject Test.

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1).There is a huge variety of test prep programs available. 2).They run from 10-20 hours up to 40 hours or more. 3).There is also a wide variety of materials covered. 4).Some are designed to review what you already know; others are designed to fill in the gaps, teaching you what you might have missed. 5).Price is another factor: Some are available for next to nothing; other programs cost almost as much as your first semester's college tuition!

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1).There is also one unscored experimental section which allows the test-makers to try out new types of questions and other new material. 2).This unscored section can appear anywhere in the test. 3). The essay will always be the first section and the 10-minute multiple-choice writing section will always be the final section.

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1).When you take practice tests, for either the SAT or the ACT, correct your work and go over your errors. 2).Determine why you got the question wrong; was it due to vocabulary or logic? 3).Was it because you didn't reason through the steps of the problem correctly?

Test-taking tips and a complete practice test with answers are available in a booklet called Taking the SAT : Reasoning Test. It's available free to students who register for the SAT.

1).You can pick up a copy from a local high school guidance office or by contacting The College Board by e-mail. 2).You can also call (609) 771-7600 to have one mailed to you.