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The SAT
The meaning
behind the name "SAT" is complicated. According
to the Kaplan website: "Originally, SAT stood for Scholastic
Aptitude Test. When
the test changed a few years ago, the official name was changed
to Scholastic Assessment Test. In 1997, the test makers
announced that SAT no longer stands for anything, officially."
The SAT
is intended to forecast a student’s ability to perform
in his or her freshman (first) year at college. The test consists
of two portions, one measuring students mathematical skills
and the other their verbal skills. The
College Board administers this test in the United States.
As the College
Board’s website says, the test "does not pretend
to measure all factors related to freshman success,
but its scores have a statistically significant relationship
to that success." There is some controversy in the United
States as to the value of the SAT, but it continues to weigh
heavily in any college’s evaluation process.
For more
information about the SAT, visit the SAT
Program (part of the College Board website), which also
has sample test questions, or write to:
College
SAT Program
PO Box 6200
Princeton, NJ 08541-6200
The ACT
ACT is
an acronym for "American College Test". The ACT
is a test to determine a high school graduate’s preparation
for college-level work. It covers four areas: English, mathematics,
reading, and science reasoning. The ACT is a test based on
courses you have studied; it is not an IQ (intelligence) test.
Most U.S. colleges and universities accept ACT results.
For more
information about taking the ACT, visit the ACT
website. For a registration packet for students outside
the U.S., email, call, or write, asking for the information
package called: "Outside the 50 United States."
Email:
osus@act.org
Telephone:
319-337-1448
ACT
Universal Testing
P.O. Box 4028
Iowa City, IA 52243-4028
U.S.A.
The GRE
If you
are applying for graduate school (advanced study after receiving
the equivalent of a four-year college degree), you may need
to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Many U.S. schools
place the same importance upon the GRE for acceptance into
graduate study that they place upon the SAT or ACT for undergraduate
studies.
The GRE
General Test measures verbal, quantitative, and analytical
skills acquired over time and that are not related to any
specific field of study. GRE Subject Tests measure knowledge
of particular subjects, such as Biology, English, Literature
in English, or Mathematics. You may have to take both depending
on the program you are applying for. Scores from these tests
help predict an individual’s success in studies on the
graduate level.
Visit
the GRE website
for all the information you should need, including sample
questions.
Additional Information & Links
More information
about all three tests is available at Kaplan
Test Prep.
  
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