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SAT & ACT
SAT & ACT
To take the SAT or the ACT...that is the Question! Admissions tests for applications to the USA
To take the SAT or the ACT...that is the Question! Admissions tests for applications to the USA
Colleges will accept either the SAT or ACT. So which should you take?
To help you make a more informed choice, here are some major differences:
ACT questions tend to be more straightforward.
ACT questions are often easier to understand on a first read. On the SAT, you may need to spend time figuring out what you're being asked before you can start solving the problem.
The SAT has a stronger emphasis on vocabulary.
If you have a vast array of vocabulary and love adding to it, the SAT might be your thing! However, if you do struggle...perhaps the ACT should be considered.
The ACT has a Science section, while the SAT does not.
The Science section, contrary to what many believe, is meant to test your reading and reasoning skills, based upon a given set of facts as opposed to knowing all your scientific organisms/ terms etc.
The ACT tests more advanced math concepts.
ACT requires you to know a little trigonometry, in addition to the algebra and geometry you'll find on the SAT. However, this does not mean that the the ACT Math section is harder as the questions tend to be more straightforward than those on the SAT.
The ACT Writing Test is not required.
The 25-minute SAT essay is required and is reflected in your total Writing score. The 30-minute ACT Writing Test is optional. If you choose to take it, it is not included in your composite score—schools will see it listed separately.
The SAT is broken up into more sections.
On the ACT, each content area (English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning) is covered as a whole, with the optional Writing Test at the end. On the SAT, the content areas (Critical Reading, Math, and Writing) are broken up into ten sections, with the required essay at the beginning. You do a little math, a little writing, a little critical reading, a little more math, etc. Would you find it a distraction going back and forth to the same subject or will it help that you only need to concentrate for short periods of time on that subject?
The ACT emphasis is primarily on the total score.
SAT scores for each section are important and considered by College Admissions Officers. For the ACT, however, the composite score is the most relevant. So how could this affect you? If you're weak in one content area but strong in others, your ACT score may appear to be more solid.
The ACT
The ACT
The ACT Test is a curriculum-based achievement test that is fully aligned to the ACT College Readiness Standards. This means that the subjects covered in the ACT Test represent the foundational knowledge educators have determined is necessary for university studies. The best way to prepare for the ACT is to take rigorous courses in high school and study hard.
The specific subjects covered in the ACT Test are:
English — The English Test is a 75-question, 45-minute test, covering both usage/mechanics (punctuation, grammar and usage, and sentence structure) and rhetorical skills (strategy, organization, and style). Spelling, vocabulary, and rote recall rules of grammar are not tested.
Mathematics — The Mathematics Test is a 60-question, 60-minute test covering prealgebra, elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, coordinate geometry, plane geometry, and trigonometry. Calculators are permitted. Calculator guidelines are provided in http://www.actstudent.org under the heading "Find out if your calculator is allowed."
Reading — The Reading Test is a 40-question, 35-minute test that measures reading comprehension as a product of referring and reasoning skills, and requires the students to derive meaning from text. You’re asked to read four passages and answer questions that show your understanding of what is directly stated and what is implied.
Science — The Science Test is a 40-question, 35-minute test that measures interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required in the natural sciences. Four content areas are covered: biology, Earth/space sciences, chemistry, and physics.
Writing — The optional Writing Test is a 30-minute essay test that measures your writing skills. The test consists of one writing prompt that describes an issue and two points of view on that issue. Students are asked to write about their position on the issue. Scores are not affected by the point of view taken on the issue.
For more information on the ACT Test, including practice questions and a sample test, please visit www.actstudent.org/testprep/.
The ACT Admissions Test
The ACT Admissions Test
Please click here for the ACT Admissions test kit for students and useful materials. For information about ACT, please visit global.act.org.
The SAT
The SAT
Getting in practice for the test..
Official SAT Practice materials can be found at KhanAcademy.org - Make sure you access the thousands of official sample questions, personalized testing tutorials, and full-length SAT practice tests for both the OLD and the NEW SAT tests.
Sitting the SAT test
Enrollment for an SAT test is open approximately two months before the test date.
Island School students have 50 places allocated at each test sitting at the West Island School venue. To ensure that you get a spot there, you must enter the following information when enrolling for the SAT:
- School code: IS-670122
- Test Centre Number : 62228
NOTE: West Island School is not a test centre for the ACTs
Don't want to sit the SAT or the ACT? Look At Test Optional Universities...
Don't want to sit the SAT or the ACT? Look At Test Optional Universities...
More than 800 four-year colleges and universities do not use the SAT or ACT to admit substantial numbers of bachelor-degree applicants.
The Fair Test Site lists a number of institutions that are "test optional," and "test flexible". A number of well-known and selective colleges and universities are now on this list, such as George Washington University, Bates, Bowdoin, George Mason, Mount Holyoke and NYU. In fact, entire university systems have gone test optional, such as the California State University and University of Texas systems.
You can also find out whether a college is test optional by looking up its College Profile with College Match. Each Profile provides detailed information about admission requirements, including whether test scores are required.
IELTS & TOEFL
IELTS & TOEFL
IELTS
IELTS
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL).
Over 1 000 000 candidates sit the test every year all over the world. It has also become very popular in the USA with over 1,700 US universities and professional bodies accept IELTS scores as proof of English language skills. You can find lots of information on www.ielts.org
A website for IELTS practice and sample answers can be found here.
The Test Format:
There are four sub-tests, or modules, to the IELTS test: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. Students must sit all four sub-tests.
IELTS Listening test lasts for about 30 minutes. It consists of four sections, played on cassette tape, in order of increasing difficulty. Each section might be a dialogue or a monologue. The test is played once only, and the questions for each section must be answered while listening, although time is given for students to check their answers.
IELTS Reading test lasts for 60 minutes. The test consist of three sections and the sections are in order of increasing difficulty.
IELTS Writing test also lasts for 60 minutes. Students must perform two writing tasks, which require different styles of writing. There is no choice of question topics. The first is a response to a graph, diagram or data of 140 words usually summarizing the main features. Part two is a formal essay on a topic and must be at least 240 words.
IELTS Speaking test consists of a one-to-one interview with a specially trained examiner. The interview is recorded and has three separate parts:
An introduction and interview, an individual long turn where the candidate speaks for one or two minutes on a particular topic, and a two-way discussion thematically linked to the individual long turn. This interview will last for approximately 11-14 minutes. Interviews are mostly done in Wanchai or TST on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings directly after the other modules.
TOEFL
TOEFL
The TOEFL test is accepted across the US, Canada and in Australia. It is not accepted for the UK where you will usually be asked for an IELTS score. The TOEFL site has webinars and a lot of materials to help you with your testing.
Do I need to sit a TOEFL or an IELTS?
Do I need to sit a TOEFL or an IELTS?
This will depend on each university's requirements. It will pay to also check with them when they visit or by an email as in many cases Island School students can be exempted this requirement because they have studied in an English Medium of Instruction school for a certain length of time and because of the courses (IGCSEs, IB English) they have taken. It pays to check!
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