How SATS WorkTests are a fact of life throughout our school careers, but one of the most i
How SATS Work
Tests are a fact of life throughout our school careers, but one of the most important, and, to some, the scariest, of them all is the SAT—that three-hour exam that's supposed to measure a high school student's chance of academic success in the first year of college. Some colleges consider SAT scores major factors in their admission process, while others view high school academic performance, along with recommendations and extracurricular activities, equally, or even more importantly. No matter where you're headed, if you're a high school student, the SAT is important to you because most colleges require students to report either SAT or ACT Assessment scores.
What Is the SAT?
First of all, SAT no longer stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test (学术性倾向测验), the original name of the test when it was introduced in 1941. Although you may still see that name occasionally, the College Board, the not-for-profit educational association that sponsors the SATS, decided to let the acronym stand on its own as a way of addressing controversy about the meaning of the word "aptitude". The College Board also rejected the alternative "Scholastic Assessment Test". (English teachers probably pointed out that this name was redundant, since assessment means test. )
The SAT I measures verbal and math reasoning abilities that you've developed throughout your school years. The multiple-choice test, developed by the not-for-profit Educational Testing Service, is intended to let students demonstrate their verbal and math abilities without regard to the kind of schooling they've had. According to the College Board, the test looks for a student's ability to understand and analyze written material, to draw inferences, to differentiate shades of meaning, to draw conclusions and solve math problems—all skills that are necessary for success in college and the work world.
The American College Testing (ACT) Assessment, which was introduced in 1959, is an alternative to the SAT that virtually all colleges and universities now accept. Developers of the test tout it for its curriculum-based questions, saying that their test is more directly related to what is actually taught in high school.
What's the SAT II?
The newer SAT II: Subject Tests, formerly the College Board Achievement Tests, are intended to measure a student's knowledge of a particular subject, such as English (writing or literature), history and social sciences, mathematics (various levels), sciences, and languages (Chinese, French, German, modern Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Spanish, English). Some colleges require one or more SAT II tests, but even if they aren't required, SAT II tests scores can help you present a more personalized portfolio that illustrates how well you would fit at a particular school. Most colleges use SAT II scores not for admission purposes but for program placement and counseling. SAT II tests are given on a slightly different schedule from the SAT I. Generally, SAT II tests arc one hour long and consist of multiple choice questions. There are exceptions. For example, the Writing Test has 40 minutes of multiple-choice questions and a 20-minute writing sample.
To decide which subject test should be taken, first,, make a list of all the colleges you're considering. Then review their catalogs or websites to find out if they require Subject Test scores for admission and, if so, which ones. Use your list of colleges and their admission requirements to help plan your high school course schedule. For example, a college to which you plan to apply may require a language Subject Test score or might exempt you from a first-year course requirement if you do well on a language Subject Test.
In addition, the College Board website can be searched for information about Subject Test requirements at specific colleges.
When Is the SAT Taken?
General
A.measure whether a student's ability can be successful in the first year of college
B.evaluate high schools' education quality throughout the country
C.help improve the education in college throughout the country
D.measure high school students' chance of a fruitful life