Aptitude Tests, from Life in the USA: The Complete Guide for Immigrants and Americans

Life in the USA is a complete guide to American life for immigrants and Americans. All materials on this site Copyright © Elliot Essman 2007. All rights reserved.    Home    Back    Next

Life in the USA
Education in America
Applying to College

Aptitude Tests
The other numerical factor is the student's performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The SAT is given by Educational Testing Service (ETS), a private company, and nearly all students applying to college take it. The SAT tests general aptitude for college work. Many students also take related "achievement" tests which test specialized knowledge in certain major academic subjects such as math, foreign languages, and history. A score of 800 on the SAT is perfect, 700 is exceptional, 600 very good, 500 average, etc.

Test Preparation Courses. Because entrance into the best American colleges and graduate schools is so competitive, specialized courses exist to prepare students to perform well on the SAT test. These courses are particularly useful for foreign students. The ETS claims that students cannot really study for the SAT since it is an aptitude test. This is simply not true; students can improve their scores dramatically by learning how to take the test.


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