The SAT Reasoning Test

When people talk about the SAT*, they usually mean the SAT Reasoning Test* (formerly known as the SAT-I). The SAT is geared toward testing a student's logic and reasoning ability, and over 2 million students take it each year. Colleges and universities consider your SAT scores, along with other factors like high school GPA, extracurricular activities, personal statements, and interviews, when making admissions decisions.

The test takes 3 hours and 45 minutes to complete, and has three sections that test reading, writing, and mathematics. Most questions are multiple-choice. A separate score is reported on a scale of 200-800 for each of these three components.

The SAT is administered by the College Board. It is offered seven times a year, in January, March or April (in alternate years), May, June, October, November, and December. Many students take the test in the spring of their junior year and/or the fall of their senior year of high school. SAT results are accepted by all four-year colleges and universities in the United States.

The letters "SAT" have no official meaning. They originally stood for "Scholastic Aptitude Test," when the test was founded in 1926, but the acronym was abandoned.

Registration deadlines tend to fall about five weeks before each test date, and you can register for the SAT online.

SAT Reasoning Test

The SAT is comprised of 10 total testing sections and each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800.

Section 1	25 minute essay
Sections 2 - 7	25 minute sections
Sections 8 - 9	20 minute sections
Last section	10-minute multiple choice writing section

 

SAT Subject Test

Math Level 1 Tests: Algebra, geometry, basic trigonometry, Algebraic functions, elementary statistics, logic, elementary number theory, and arithmetic and geometric sequences. Math Level 2 Tests: Algebra, three-dimensional and coordinate geometry, Trigonometry, functions, probability, permutations, combinations, logic, proofs, elementary number theory, sequences, and limits.   Biology Tests: Understanding of general biology at the college preparatory level, recall and comprehension of the major concepts of biology, and the ability to apply the principles learned to solve specific problems in biology.   Chemistry Tests: Ability to organize and interpret results obtained by observation and experimentation. The test also assesses aptitude for drawing conclusions and/or making inferences using experimental data, including data presented in graphic and/or tabular form.   Physics Tests: Ability to solve specific problems with the application of physical principles. The test also assesses understanding of simple algebraic, trigonometric, and graphical relationships, the concepts of ratio and proportion, and how to apply these concepts to physics problems.   U.S. History Tests: Familiarity with historical concepts, cause-and-effect relationships, geography, and other data necessary for interpreting and understanding major historical developments in U.S. History.   World History Tests: Understanding of key developments in global history, use of basic historical techniques and terminology, and aptitude for the critical analysis and interpretation of documented events.   English Literature Tests: How well one can read and interpret literature. Questions focus on issues of theme, argument, tone, etc.

 

The ACT

The ACT* is a very widely taken college entrance exam in the United States. It is a curriculum-based test of of the knowledge that you have accumulated in high school. Some U.S. states require that high school students take the ACT before graduating. Colleges and universities consider your ACT scores, along with other factors like high school GPA, extracurricular activities, personal statements, and interviews, when making admissions decisions.

The ACT consists of four subject area tests in English, Math, Reading, and Science, plus an optional Writing test. All 215 questions are multiple-choice, with the exception of the Writing test, which consists of a 30-minute essay response to a single prompt. The ACT takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete, and an additional 30 minutes if you also take the Writing test. (Many colleges, including the University of California, require the ACT Plus Writing test for students who plan to submit their ACT score to satisfy the examination requirement for college admission.) A separate score is reported on a scale of 1-36 for each of the four subject area tests. (Your Writing test subscore will be included in your English score.) Your composite ACT score will be a number from 1-36, an average of your scores on all four tests.

The ACT is administered by ACT, Inc. It is offered each year in February, April, June, September, October, and December. Many students take the test in the spring of their junior year and/or the fall of their senior year of high school. ACT results are accepted by all four-year colleges and universities in the United States.

Registration deadlines tend to fall about five weeks before each test date, and you can register to take the ACT online. 

TOEFL

The TOEFL is an English language proficiency test used worldwide for academics, employment, and visa applications. It is administered by US-based ETS, and is the preferred/required test of most universities in the United States. There are many different types of TOEFL, but the one students intending to apply to college should take is the iBT (internet based test) The test is in English and administered via the Internet. There are four sections (listening, reading, speaking and writing) which take a total of about four and a half hours to complete.

Section	Timing	Questions	Tasks
Reading	60–80 minutes	36–56 questions	Read 3 or 4 passages from academic texts and answer questions.
Listening	60–90 minutes	34–51 questions	Listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations, then answer questions.
Break	10 minutes	-	-
Speaking	20 minutes	6 tasks	Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks.
Writing	50 minutes	2 tasks	Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing.

The test is held multiple times a month, and registration is encouraged well ahead of time. You can explore more and register online at TOEFL

IELTS

The IELTS exam, administered by the British Council and CES, is an English proficiency test widely accepted worldwide. It is a requirement for students who would like to attend a school in the UK, and is accepted by some other universities elsewhere. Students can register at an IELTS certified center or online at https://ielts.britishcouncil.org/UAE
All IELTS candidates must complete 4 modules:

Section	Timing	Sections/Tasks	Items/Tasks
Listening	30 mins	4 sections	40 items
Reading Academic / Reading General Training	60 mins	3 sections	40 items
Writing Academic / Writing General Training	60 mins	2 tasks	150 & 250 words per task
Speaking	11-14 mins	-	-
Total test time	2 hours 45 mins

The first three modules - Listening, Reading and Writing - must be completed in one day. The Speaking Module may be taken 7 days before or after the other modules.

UKCAT

The UKCAT is the UK’s primary required admissions test for those students interested in studying medicine for university. The test helps universities to make more informed choices from amongst the many highly-qualified applicants to medical and dental programs.  It helps to ensure that candidates selected have the most appropriate mental abilities, attitudes and professional behavior required for new doctors and dentists to be successful in their clinical careers.  It is used in collaboration with other admissions processes such as the UCAS application and academic qualifications.

The UKCAT does not contain any curriculum or science content.  It focuses on exploring the cognitive powers of candidates and other attributes considered to be valuable for health care professionals.  The test is run by the UKCAT Consortium in partnership with Pearson VUE, a global leader in computer-based testing and part of Pearson plc.  It is delivered on computer worldwide through Pearson VUE's high street centres.

The test is comprised of five sections: Four of which are worth 900 points each, and a separately evaluated Situational Judgement portion to help understand real world situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them.

The timings of the two tests are detailed below:

Section	Items	Standard Test Time	Extended Test Time
Verbal Reasoning	44 items	22 minutes	28 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning	36 items	25 minutes	31.5 minutes
Abstract Reasoning	55 items	14 minutes	17.5 minutes
Decision Analysis	28 items	32 minutes	39 minutes
Situational Judgement	67 items	27 minutes	34 minutes
Total Time		120 minutes	150 minutes

 

http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/

 

BMAT

The British Medical Admissions Test (BMAT) is a science-based medical admissions test required by 5 schools in the UK for admission to their 5 year MBBS program. It is a subject-specific admissions test for applicants to medicine, veterinary medicine and similar courses at universities.

The BMAT is a 2-hour, pen-and-paper test divided into three sections. It does not require a lot of extra study as it is a test of skills and knowledge that learners are expected to have already. The BMAT is owned and administered by the Admissions Testing Service.

Questions in Sections 1 and 2 are worth 1 mark each. Total raw marks for each section are converted to the BMAT scale, which runs from 1 (low) to 9 (high). Typical BMAT candidates will score around 5.0, roughly half marks. The best candidates will score around 6.0, and a few exceptional candidates will score higher than 7.0.

Writing Tasks in Section 3 are marked by two examiners. Each examiner gives two scores – one for quality of content (on a scale of 0–5), and one for quality of written English (on the scale A, C, E).

Combining the scores for Section 3: If the two marks for content are the same or no more than one mark apart, the candidate gets the average of the two marks. If the two marks for written English are the same or no more than one mark apart, the scores are combined like this: AA = A, AC = B, CC = C, CE = D and EE = E.

For example, a writing task given a 4C by one examiner and 4A by the other will get a final score of 4B. A writing task given 3C by one examiner and 2C by the other will receive a mark of 2.5C.

If there is a larger discrepancy in the marks, the writing tasks are marked for a third time, and the final mark is checked by the Senior Assessment Manager.

http://www.admissionstestingservice.org/for-test-takers/bmat/how-to-register/