SAT, AP, ACT

SAT

What is the SAT?

The SAT is designed to measure a secondary school student's reasoning skills. It is a requirement for applicants to some, but not all, U.S. universities as well as some international universities. The SAT is made up of multiple-choice questions that measure mathematical and verbal reasoning abilities, as well as an essay section evaluating critical writing skills.

What is the SAT subject Test?

The SAT Subject tests are designed to measure a secondary school student's knowledge of specific academic areas. It is a requirement for applicants to some, but not all, U.S. and international universities. The SAT is made up of multiple-choice questions that measure mathematical and verbal reasoning abilities, as well as a writing section.

SAT Subjects

Overview of SAT testing

The SAT is a standard college entrance exam that measures skills in math, reading, and writing. The first section is always a written essay, which takes 25 minutes, and the last section is always a multiple-choice writing section, which takes 10 minutes. The other parts of the test— six 25-minute sections and two 20-minute sections — can appear in any order. One of the 25-minute sections (you won't know which) will not count toward your score; it is used to try out questions for future SAT testing. Total test time is 3 hours and 45 minutes.

The SAT Critical Reading sections present you with reading comprehension questions about full-length and paragraph-length passages. They also include sentence completions.

The SAT Writing sections include multiple-choice questions on grammar, usage, word choice, and organization. The essay section asks you to respond to a prompt by developing a point of view supported by clear, well-organized ideas based on your experience and observations.

SAT scores

Each section (Critical Reading, Writing, and Math) is scored on a scale of 200 to 800. Essays, a sub-section of Writing, are graded on a scale of 2 to 12. Overall SAT scores can range from 600 to 2400.

SAT help: Test structure

Critical Reading

Question Type

Number of Questions

Sentence Completions

19

Passage-Based Reading

48

Two 25-minute sections; one 20-minute section Total: 70 minutes

Writing

Question Type

Number of Questions

Identifying Sentence Errors

18

Improving Sentences

25

Improving Paragraphs

6

Essay Writing

1 essay

Two 25-minute sections; one 10-minute section Total: 60 minutes

What are the SAT Subject Tests?

SAT Subject Tests are the only national admission tests that measure students' knowledge and skills in particular subject areas, and their ability to apply that knowledge. They are closely linked to the high school curriculum and have a proven track record of providing colleges with a highly reliable, objective assessment of student readiness for college-level work. The SAT Subject Tests give students an additional opportunity to distinguish themselves and showcase their skills in a particular subject area.

Subject tests include:

Mathematics

The Math skills required for the SAT are of a basic standard that should be within the reach of a tenth grade student. You don't need to learn up lots of new formulae but you will need to sharpen up your thinking skills.

Questions are of two main types:

The three Math sections are organized as follows:

You will see that there are a total of 54 scored math questions on one test. [Remember that each actual SAT test contains one experimental section of 25 minutes; this section could be math, writing or critical reading. Experimental sections will not be scored... they are used for research purposes. Thus, the Math part consists of the following:

Math

Question Type

Number of Questions

First multiple-choice

20

Grid-Ins & Multiple Choice

18 (10 grid-in and 8 multiple choice)

Final multiple choice section

16

Two 25-minute sections; one 20-minute section Total: 70 minutes

Math questions on the SAT will be of different difficulty levels. Each section will start out easy, move to medium level and end with hard questions. In any of the question types you may be tested on basic arithmetic, algebra, geometry and a few miscellaneous topics (mainly data interpretation and applied math).

Advanced Placement (AP)

Are you ready for a unique learning experience that will help you succeed in college? Through AP's college-level courses and exams, you can earn college credit and advanced placement, stand out in the admission process, and learn from some of the most skilled, dedicated, and inspiring teachers in the world.

If you're planning to go to college and your high school offers AP classes, you should take advantage of the opportunity. The successful completion of Advanced Placement classes has benefits during both the college application process and undergraduate life. Below are six of the biggest perks to taking AP classes.

AP Subjects

Economics

The AP Program offers two separate exams in economics: one in microeconomics and one in macroeconomics. Each exam is intended for qualified students who wish to complete studies in secondary school equivalent to a one-semester college introductory course. Each exam presumes at least one semester of college-level preparation. Students may take one or both exams in a given year. A separate score is reported for each.

The purpose of the AP course in microeconomics is to give students a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual decision makers, both consumers and producers, within the economic system. It places primary emphasis on the nature and functions of product markets and includes the study of factor markets and of the role of government in promoting greater efficiency and equity in the economy. The following is a brief discussion of these topics and some aspects of them that a teacher may choose to explore.

The purpose of the AP course in macroeconomics is to give students a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to an economic system as a whole. The course places particular emphasis on the study of national income and price-level determination, and also develops students’ familiarity with economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth, and international economics. There is no single approach that an AP Macroeconomics course is expected to follow. Whatever the approach, however, AP teachers are advised to take into account certain topics generally covered in college courses. The following is a brief discussion of these topics and some aspects of them that a teacher may choose to explore.

Mathematics

AP courses in calculus consist of a full high school academic year of work and are comparable to calculus courses in colleges and universities. It is expected that students who take an AP course in calculus will seek college credit, college placement, or both from institutions of higher learning. The AP Program includes specifications for two calculus courses and the exam for each course. The two courses and the two corresponding exams are designated as Calculus AB and Calculus BC.

Calculus AB can be offered as an AP course by any school that can organize a curriculum for students with mathematical ability. Calculus AB is designed to be taught over a full high school academic year. It is possible to spend some time on elementary functions and still teach the Calculus AB curriculum within a year. Calculus BC is a full-year course in the calculus of functions of a single variable. It includes all topics taught in Calculus AB plus additional topics, but both courses are intended to be challenging and demanding; they require a similar depth of understanding of common topics.

Computer Science

The AP Computer Science A course can be offered by any secondary school that has faculty who possess the necessary expertise and have access to appropriate computing facilities. The course represents college-level achievement for which most colleges and universities can be expected to grant advanced placement and credit. Placement and credit are granted by institutions in accordance with their own policies, not by the College Board or the AP Program.

The AP Computer Science A course is an introductory course in computer science. Because the design and implementation of computer programs to solve problems involve skills that are fundamental to the study of computer science, a large part of the course is built around the development of computer programs that correctly solve a given problem. These programs should be understandable, adaptable, and, when appropriate, reusable. At the same time, the design and implementation of computer programs is used as a context for introducing other important aspects of computer science, including the development and analysis of algorithms, the development and use of fundamental data structures, the study of standard algorithms and typical applications, and the use of logic and formal methods. In addition, the responsible use of these systems is an integral part of the course.

ACT

The ACT® test is a popular college entrance exam accepted and valued by all universities and colleges in the United States. The ACT is based on what students learn in high school and provides personalized information about their strengths for education and career planning. Thus it provide colleges with one common criterion that can be used to compare all applicants. Its duration is Three (3) hours with the option for a student to write an essay for forty (40) extra minutes. It includes different sections such as English, Math, Reading, Science, and writing. Our team of tutors have provided quality tutoring and classes for the ACT tests for over 20 years in an inspiring and affordable way. Our tutors are caring, committed, captivating instructors who work with students to identify an individualistic plan of study and thus follow a path to success. For more information do not hesitate to contact us.