An Introduction of All the Standardized Tests You Should Know

 

The sheer amount and variety of standardized test may be daunting, so use this post as a crash course to all that you gotta know!

 

SAT

The SAT is a standardized college entrance exam that is offered several times a year. Most students take the SAT for the first time during the spring of their junior year and a second time during the fall of their senior year.

The Reading Test consists of six reading passages taken from narratives, foundation documents, scientific articles, and social science essays. In total, the students must answer 52 questions based on those passages and complete this first section in 65 minutes.

The Writing & Language Test’s aim is to determine whether you can demonstrate college and career readiness proficiency in revising and editing a range of texts in a variety of content areas. Each passage has 11 questions, for a total of 44 questions that you are expected to complete in 35 minutes.

The Math Test's aim is to determine the students' ability to problem solve, model, use tools, and algebraic structure. The Test is divided into two portions: Calculator and Math Test and No CalculatorThe Calculator and Math Test consists of 20 questions to be done in 25 minutes, and the No Calculator section has 38 questions to be done in 55 minutes.

The Essay's segment of the SAT (optional) is an evidence-based paper, not an opinion piece. You are presented with an excerpt from a source text and are directed to analyze the author’s argument and explain how the author builds that argument to persuade his/her audience. Two judges give a grade in three areas: Evidence-Based Reading with a score range of 1-4; Evidence-Based Analysis with a score range of 1-4; Evidence-Based Writing with a score range of 1-4. Hence, a perfect score would be 24. This section takes 50 minutes and is administered at the very end of the test.

SAT Subject Tests

The SAT Subject Tests offer you an additional opportunity to show colleges what you know about and what you can do. Many colleges use the SAT Subject Tests for admission, for course placement, and to advise students about course selection. Some colleges specify the SAT Subject Tests that they require for admission or placement; others allow applicants to choose which tests to take. The 21 subjects are Literature, US History, World History, Math Level 1, Math Level 2, Biology – Ecological, Biology – Molecular, Chemistry, Physics, French, French with Listening, German, German with Listening, Spanish, Spanish with Listening, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Chinese with Listening, Japanese with Listening, and Korean with Listening.

PSAT

The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a standardized test that provides first-hand practice for the SAT. To enter the competition for scholarships from NMSC, students typically take the PSAT in the 11th grade. NMSC scholarship programs allow you to gain access to college and career planning tools. Check with your high school to see if this test is offered.

To find more information about the SAT, SAT Subject Test, or the PSAT, visit the College Board website: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat

ACT

The ACT is a college entrance exam that most colleges use to make an admissions decision. It is multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper, with its purpose to measure your readiness for college. The five section are English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing (optional). The duration is 2 hours and 55 minutes and an additional 40 minutes with Writing. The maximum score is 36, which is calculated by the average of the four sections. 

AP

The Advanced Placement (AP) gives students the chance to tackle college-level work while you’restill in high school and earn college credit and placement. Taken each May by students all over the world, the AP Exam is the final step you take after a year of hard work in an AP class. Each of the 38 exams has its own unique requirements; however, almost all the exams have several things in common:

Most exams are two to three hours long. Be prepared to tackle a challenging exam with limited breaks. Eat a good breakfast and, if you're taking more than one exam on the same day, pack lunch and snacks to keep you going.

The first part of the exam usually consists of multiple-choice questions. You will choose one of four or five answer choices for each question and use a pencil to bubble in your choice on your AP answer sheet. Your total exam score on the multiple-choice section is based only on the number of questions answered correctly. You won’t receive or lose points for incorrect answers or unanswered questions.

The second part of the exam usually consists of free-response questions that require you to generate your own responses. In most cases, you’ll be writing your response in pen in the free-response exam booklet.

The 38 exams are Research, Seminar, Art History, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Chinese Language and Culture, Computer Science A, Computer Science Principles, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Environmental Science, European History, French Language and Culture, German Language and Culture, Government and Politics (Comparative), Government and Politics (US), Human Geography, Italian Language and Culture, Japanese Language and Culture, Latin, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Music Theory, Physics 1: Algebra-Based, Physics 2: Algebra-Based, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Physics C: Mechanics, Psychology, Spanish Language and Culture, Spanish Literature and Culture, Statistics, Studio Art Drawing, Studio Art 2-D Design, Studio Art 3-D Design, US History, and World History.

To find more information about the AP, visit https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/home

TOEFL

The TOEFL test is the most widely respected English-language test in the world, recognized by more than 10,000 colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries, including Australia, Canada, the U.K. and the United States. Most international students will be required to submit their TOEFL scores to prove English proficiency. The TOEFL evaluates how well you combine your reading, listening, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks. The four sections of the TOEFL iBT Test administrated on a computer are 30 points each; hence, a perfect score would be 120. Each university has a varied minimum requirement.

For more information about TOEFL, visit their official website: https://www.ets.org/toefl