The SAT Exams Explanined! The SAT Exams Are More Than Just One Type Of Exam

This article will give you a brief introduction to the many SAT exams available.

SAT Reasoning Test:

The SAT Reasoning Test is the standardized college admission test in the United States. A student's SAT scores, combined with their high school grade point average (GPA), are among the main factors considered by almost every college admissions board when choosing which students to accept for any give year.

Consequently, scoring as high as possible on the SAT Reasoning Test is very important to any high school student wanting to get admitted to the college of their choice.

The SAT Reasoning Test evaluates student performance in three areas:

1. Critical reading skills
2. Math problem-solving skills
3. Writing skills

Each section gets a score between 200 and 800. The total SAT score is determined by adding up the scores in all three areas. Together, sat exams determine a student's ability to analyze and solve problems.

SAT Subject Tests:

The SAT Subject Tests (also known by their older names as Achievement Tests or the SAT IIs) refer to a set of twenty different tests on a variety of subjects. Some colleges require only an SAT score to be considered for admission. Other colleges, however, require two or three SAT Subject Tests as well.

For example, engineering schools such as the Michigan Institute for Technology (MIT) may require SAT exams in Mathematics, Chemistry, or Physics.

To determine if you need to take the SAT Subject Tests (and which ones), check the admission requirements of the college you are applying to.

The SAT Subject Tests are one-hour, multiple choice standardized SAT exams, and are scored between 200 and 800 points. They are offered in the following subjects:

• Literature
• US History
• World History
• Mathematics (Level 1 & Level 2)
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Foreign Languages:
  • Chinese
  • Korean
  • Japanese
  • Spanish
  • German
  • French
  • Italian
  • Hebrew
  • Latin

PSAT/NMSQT:

The PSAT part stands for Preliminary SAT. The NMSQT part stand for National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. This is essentially two tests in one, and it serves two purposes.

The purpose of the PSAT is to prepare for the SAT. By taking the PSAT, you can receive feedback on what areas you are strong in, as well as in what areas you are weak on need to focus your SAT practice and studying on. You can also become familiar with the kind of questions you'll see on the SAT, and how your performance compares to others taking the test for college admission.

Finally, but taking the PSAT, you'll also be entered in the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) where you can compete for college scholarships.

AP:

Advanced Placement (AP) is not just exams, but entire college-level courses available for you to take while still in high school. The AP program offers 37 courses and exams in 22 subject areas.

There are many advantages to taking AP sat exams classes. To begin with, you can head into college with some college credits already under your belt. It gives you a taste of college-level work, which tends to be more rigorous and demand greater discipline. This gives you an edge over other college students, many of who are caught off guard by college-level classes during their freshmen year.

One or more AP classes also make for a very strong high school transcript, demonstrating to college admission boards that you possess the maturity and discipline to handle college-level work, and are committed to academic excellence.

If you are interesting in taking AP classes, talk to your high school's AP teacher or AP coordinator. They can point you in the right direction for signing up for AP classes.

CLEP:

While Advanced Placement (AP) offers entire classes for college credit, the College-Level Examination Program, or CLEP, offers college credit just by taking a test. Essentially, CLEP exams allow you to gain up to 12 college credits for what you already know. There are 34 different examinations to choose from. If you pass the test with qualifying scores, you can get college credit for that course without ever having to take it!

There are many advantages to taking CLEP tests. First of all, they are cheaper. At $70 per test, they are a fraction of the cost of taking the college class. Second, it allows you to skip introductory college courses and move on to the more advanced classes.

For example, instead of having to take American History yet again, if you pass the CLEP exam for it, you can skip that class in college (while still getting credit for it), and take classes in your major instead. Finally, CLEP exams can help you graduate on time. If you are a few classes short, see if you can get credit for them through CLEP exams instead.

A word of caution: make sure your college accepts CLEP credits before taking the tests. If you fail to do this, you risk wasting time, effort, and money when you college refuses to accept your CLEP scores.

So remember, there is more to the SAT exams than most people think. Make sure you are taking the SAT exams that meet your specific academic needs. Regardless of which SAT exams you’re taking, you must remember that proper sat test preparation is critical.