If you are or have been a high school student, you know first-hand the stress of going through the application process. Each college and university have standards of what a freshman applicant must be like. For instance, the student must have at least "x" points of their GPA, take "x" many classes, take "x" amount of tests, do insane amounts of extracurricular, etc. There are three tests in particular that stress out most students.
SAT I: Reasoning.
SAT II: Subject Tests.
ACT
What are these tests? Do they really tell colleges how well we can do? What if we're not good test takers? These tests are supposed to analyze how well you will do in college based upon your score. The SAT I is the most trickiest of all. They do not include answers that are clear and try to trick you. I don't know much about the ACT so I can't really say, but supposedly, it is: science, english, and math. The SAT II's are basically curriculum based.
I'm in a pickle. (Figuratively speaking, that is.) The first time I took the SAT I: Reasoning test, I got about a 1600 out of a perfect score of 2400. I'm VERY unsatisfied with this score. I will be taking it again in June 2006. Does anyone know of any sources that was/are helpful for the SAT I? Also, I am planning to take my SAT II's next October and perhaps if I can't do very well on the SAT II or SAT I, my last date will be November. Do you think that's a wise plan? I'm planning to take math IIC and perhaps U.S. History or Chemistry. I already took Japanese with listening and got a 710, but I want to take something other than language.
If you can give me any advice, please help! Thanks in advance. Or if you'd like to put some input or your thoughts about the SAT, ACT, or the SAT II, please feel free!
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Thanks Chucklehead0620! Yeah, learn more! If only learning was like an addictive candy of some sort then I'd be hooked!
I took the ACTs only because I had to to get into an American college. The truth is all of these tests are a bit pointless. Smart people get terrible scores and stupid people who happen to test well get great scores. There are lots of ways to learn how to test, which means that people don't necessarily know about the subjects they're being tested on, they just know how to take standardized tests.
In my opinion, the ACT is the best option out of the three. I don't think they try to trick you ask often and if you make a mistake you don't get marks knocked off! Plus, if you take the ACT, you dont need to take the SAT or the SAT II (make sure to double check with the unis you're interested in as their requirements may differ)
To study for SATs or ACTs, there are plenty of courses you can take. I think the Princeton Review offers an expensive course with tutors, etc. Cheaper options include going to google and typing in "SAT/ACT online prep". You could get books on amazon to help you study ("10 Real SATs"). I think the best thing you can do is get your hands on some old exam papers and do them. Get acquainted with the kinds of questions they ask. Try doing some in the time they set you (45 mins for english, etc). Make sure you know the instructions to each section before you go into the exam so you don't have to waste time reading.