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Which test would you like to know
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About
the SAT
What is the SAT?
The SAT is a test used by colleges to help determine admissions.
The test itself can be traced back to 1926 when it was first administered
by the U.S. Army as an IQ/placement test to determine the fitness
and potential of army privates. We think this is a good enough
reason to ProTest the SAT as a major factor in evaluating admissions
to college.
The SAT is now written by a private company called the Educational
Testing Service (“ETS”). This firm writes and administers
hundreds of exams around the world for an incredibly diverse list
of clients. The SAT is just another product, another revenue item
for them. It is neither an IQ test nor is it an "objective
measure of your academic potential." It is merely another
sale for a multinational conglomerate. Scary, isn't it?
Although ETS is a not-for-profit organization, it charges fees
for basic test registration and for score and information reporting
services. Did you know that in the fiscal year ending June 30,
1995 ETS' corporate revenue was $380 million! Hmmmmm......
Who takes the SAT?
The SAT can be taken by anyone, no matter what age, grade,
or status. However, it will be of use, primarily, to those who
are planning to apply to college in the near future, so the target
audience for the test is high school juniors and seniors.
Why do I have to take the SAT?
You don't. Here is how you can avoid taking it:
- Apply to colleges that don't require the SAT... Unfortunately
many of the colleges in the U.S., especially those on the east
coast, will require it.
- Take the ACT instead... But the ACT is not as widely accepted
by colleges.
- Don't apply to college... But if you didn't want to go to
college you wouldn't be reading this.
So you’re realizing that you still have to take it? We
thought so. Here's why you're being asked to take it:
Put simply, it’s about money. The SATs are used as a
weeding out process. Colleges get too many applications. The
bigger and/or "better" the college, the bigger this
problem is for them.
Consider the hypothetical plight of "highly competitive"
Brainic U.: they have room for 2,000 freshmen, but they receive
5,000 applications. How do they choose? And more importantly,
how can they say "Oh, I’m sorry…" 3,000 times
as inexpensively as possible? (You think they like spending time
and money on people they are trying to reject?)
This test helps them compare people from very different educational
backgrounds on a "level playing field." A 95 average
at Northern Hopps High and at Henry Edward Dudonk High may or
may not mean the same thing. However, because we’ve all
been somewhat numbed into accepting the "objectivity"
of this test, no one complains about being rejected when their
"boards" aren’t high enough.
At upper-tier universities, computers can be programmed to
make a large percentage of the admissions decisions primarily
on the quantitative aspects of your application. Computers do
things way cheaper and faster than humans do. So "Brainiac
U." can fill most of its incoming freshman seats without
overburdening the admissions office, not to mention the accounting
office.
The good news is that ETS, the people who make these "boards",
is very predictable. They use virtually the same test over and
over again. Why? Because it’s cheaper than reinventing the
wheel every year, and besides, "it ain’t broke, so why fix it?”
Most colleges couldn’t care less what’s
on the test, so long as everybody takes it (the level-playing
field). As a result ETS creates the test as inexpensively as possible,
with, of course, some semblance of quality control. Once you “break
the code” or, as we like to put it, learn to “speak
SAT,” you will become a ProTester and your target score becomes
much more easily attainable.
When can I take the SAT?
The SAT is offered both in the US and in some international
locations. It is administered up to 7 times a year: January, March/April,
May, June, October, November, and December.
SAT myths abound regarding when you can take the exam and how
often you can take it. Here's the skinny:
Anyone can take any SAT that is administered, regardless of
whether your school has chosen to "host" it. Schools
get paid to host the test, so they try to steer you into taking
the test when it is best for them. Ignore them! Take the test
when it is most suitable for you, even if it means that you have
to travel to a different school to do so!
(Remember, you will also be taking and studying for SAT IIs,
regents exams, AP exams, finals, etc. Be sure to plan your test-taking
dates carefully.)
You can take the SAT as often as you'd like, but colleges
will see every SAT score you receive so less is more. Most students
take it in the spring of their junior year and in the fall of
their senior year. These are far enough apart to allow for a
significant score improvement – the only good reason to
repeat the SAT.
What should I take with me to
the test?
Necessary:
- Your admissions ticket (When you register for the SAT, the
ETS will send you an admissions ticket)
- AT LEAST two No.2 (soft lead) pencils with erasers
- An approved calculator (Click here
to read about the types of calculators you can and cannot use)
- Photo ID (Click here to find out
what types of identification are acceptable)
- A watch
Optional:
- Something quiet to snack on during the breaks
- A beverage
- A pencil sharpener
How is the SAT scored?
One thing that most people overlook is the actual scoring of
this test.
To understand the scoring of the SAT, you need to understand
the difference between raw and scaled scores:
Raw scores are the number of points you get for math
or verbal, after you tally 1 point for each correct answer and
deduct 1/4 point for each incorrect answer. The total raw score
is then converted to a 200-800 scale, using a curve based on
all the scores for that particular test. This converted score
is the scaled score.
For the math section of the exam the raw score ranges from
0-60 (that is, there are 60 questions on the math section of the
test), which converts to the commonly known scores of 200-800
respectively. A math score ranking around the 50th percentile
(500 scaled score) would require approximately 28 raw points.
For the verbal section of the exam, the raw score ranges from
0-78 which also converts to a 200- 800 scaled score. The 50th
percentile score of 500 could be achieved by acquiring approximately
35 raw points.
More than half of the country usually scores somewhere between
950 and 1050. Generally, less than 15% scores a 1200 or above.
What does that mean? It means that if you get a 1200 or better,
you’re in pretty rare company and you’re going to have
a lot of options in your choice of potential colleges.
Which scores will prospective colleges consider?
There are three primary ways that colleges consider multiple
scores:
Say we have a friend, Vince, who took the SAT three times,
and got these scores:
|
Date |
Math |
Verbal |
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May '99 |
570 |
550 |
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Oct '99 |
620 |
530 |
|
Dec '99 |
520 |
600 |
- Some colleges will consider
your highest overall score on one test.
For
our friend Vince this would mean they would count his Oct. '99
test score, an 1150.
- Others will consider your
highest score in each section.
A school using this method would look at Vince's Oct. '99 math
score and his Dec. '99 verbal, a combined score of 1220.
- Still others will consider
the average of all your scores.
For Vince that would mean they would say his score is about a
570 in math and a 560 in verbal, a combined score of 1130.
Although some colleges, in some cases will only choose to evaluate
the highest math and highest verbal score, that is not the rule.
THERE ARE NO RULES! Each school that you apply to will see ALL
of your scores and utilize them as it sees fit.
For test dates, deadlines, and registration, visit the College Board website.
The ProTesters' tutoring and courses
prepare you to master the SAT.
Please contact
us for more information or to sign up. |
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About
the SAT II
SAT II tests are one-hour tests on specific subjects. On testing days, you
can choose which subjects you wish to take, and you pay the same price
whether you take one, two, or three tests (the maximum for one day).
SAT II subjects generally fall into the following categories:
- English
- Mathematics
- History
- Science
- Foreign Languages
Colleges often require that applicants take SAT II Subject Tests --
Some colleges need to see as many as three.
Many colleges specifically require the Writing and Math
(either Level IC or Level IIC) tests.
The full list of the 22 SAT II Subject Tests includes:
- Writing (includes a 20-minute essay)
- Literature
- U.S. History
- World History
- Math Level IC
- Math Level IIC (IIC is harder than IC and covers a wider range of material)
- Biology E/M (you choose between an emphasis on Ecology or Molecular Biology)
- Chemistry
- Physics
- French Reading
- French Reading with Listening
- German Reading
- German Reading with Listening
- Spanish Reading
- Spanish Reading with Listening
- Modern Hebrew Reading
- Italian Reading
- Japanese Reading with Listening
- Korean Reading with Listening
- Chiense Reading with Listening
- Latin Reading with Listening
- English Language Proficiency Test (for non-native English speakers)
Note that some of the language tests can be taken either with or
without a listening component, while others are only given one way
or the other.
The Protesters currently provides tutoring for
the following SAT II Subject Tests:
- Writing
- Literature
- U.S. History
- World History
- Math Level IC
- Math Level IIC
- Physics
- Spanish Reading
- Spanish Reading with Listening
For test dates, deadlines, and registration, visit the College Board website.
The ProTesters' tutoring and courses
prepare you to master the SAT II Subject Tests.
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About
the LSAT
What is the LSAT?
A simple truth. The LSAT is given to keep you outof law
school. Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist (we are, after
all, called The ProTesters!) but this nefarious roadblock is not here
to help you get into law school. This is the worst of the graduate
school entrance exams. There is little, if any, "law" on it. The MCAT
has science for science majors. The GMAT has math for business
majors. Even the GRE has general verbal, reasoning and math questions
for liberal arts majors now hoping to specialize in something. What
exactly is on the LSAT that has anything to do with what you have
taken in school, or are about to take in law school?next to
nothing. Instead, this test is designed to weed people out, pure and
simple.
The LSAT is a very effective scapegoat for admissions departments
that are besieged with more applications than they can possibly be
expected to carefully consider. Law schools can reject the majority of
their applicants quickly, definitively and cheaply with the aid of
this test, but only if the distribution of scores cooperates with this
agenda (it does). It is scored on a pre-determined curve that
guarantees that only a select few will "qualify" for the elite law
schools (or, more accurately, only a small, fixed percentage will be
allowedto achieve scores above a particular threshold. Law
schools need this data to "justify" the decisions they make. In fact,
this score, coupled with (but largely overshadowing) your GPA, will
enable admissions offices to render a large portion of their decisions
with the use of a mathematical formula resulting from the combination
of these two numbers. They don't incur the added time/expense/effort
of reading applications unless/until they haveto (to meet
various "targets," to allow for "legacies," etc.).
That is the cold, hard, economic truth. The LSAT, once again, is
not given to get you into law school. It is given to keep you
out. The test is not fair, it is not objective and it has
little, if anything to do with law school. The good news: it is
remarkably consistent and thus, predictable, in its make-up.
The LSAT is scored on scale of 61 points, from 120 to 180, in one
point increments. There are 101 scored questions on the exam (plus an
experimental section and a writing sample that are both
un-scored. In theory, each question is worth ~.6 points (61
points over 101 questions). However, at different points along the
curve, you may find that an additional question in either direction
will not alter your score. More importantly, the percentile ranking
that each score corresponds to (which is actually the more relevant
factor in determining which schools will accept you), alters
drastically in different score ranges. Thus, a five point increase
from 135 to 140 means little (you will have few, if any acceptances),
whereas an increase from 152 to 157 (still a five point increase)
will significantlyincrease the number of applicants you
surpass, and therefore, the number of schools you will likely get
into. (Along those lines, an increase from 172 to 177 really means
very little as well, unless, perhaps, you have your heart set on one
specificschool. A person with a 172 will definitely be accepted
into a number of outstanding law schools. If you don't get into a
particular school with a 172, there's probably something
elsewrong with your application.)
The average score is approximately 151, with fewer than 20% of the
applicants scoring 160 or above. (Fewer than 3% will get above 170,
or, for that matter, below 130.) Like the SAT, each individual test
administration has its own unique curve, but the percentage of scores
above a few key intermittent thresholds (170, 160, 150, etc.), remains
remarkably consistent.
| Initial LSAT score |
Approximate percentile ranking |
With 20% score improvement |
New percentile ranking |
| 130 |
3 |
140 |
15 |
| 140 |
15 |
148 |
40 |
| 150 |
45 |
156 |
70 |
| 160 |
85 |
164 |
92 |
| 170 |
98 |
172 |
99 |
Setting a Realistic Score Improvement Goal
The first task at hand is to determine your target score. Take a
practice LSAT. We recommend that you purchase the series of books put
out by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), named "10 Actual,
Official LSAT PrepTests," (herein referred to as "10 Real"), "10 More,
Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests," ("10 More"), and "The Next 10
Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests" ("Next 10"). These books are
available in most bookstores, online, etc., and they contain
previously administered actual LSATs (minus the experimental
section). Buy at least one of these books (our homework questions will
oftimes include additional assignments from "10 More") and take a
timedexam. See what your score is (the answers and
scoring key are at the back of each exam). See what the average score
was for "first-year's" (new applicants, not transfer students) at the
schools you are considering applying to (from their websites,
literature, etc.). This will give you a sense of what you're up
against.
Next, make a reasonable assessment of your situation. Do you have
three weeks to raise your score 18 points (highlyunlikely), or
six months to increase by 4 points (very attainable)? Notice the
breakdown of your performance by subject. Which area do you seem to
need the most help in (for most people, it is the "Games"
section). Plan your preparation according to your individual needs,
with the understanding that those needs may change as your preparation
progresses. You must learn to "build" your score based on the
strengths and weaknesses that your exam scores suggest about
you. *Leaving out a game or a passage from time to time may be the
best way to improve your efficiency, and thus, your overall
score. (More on this later.)
(*Note, there is no "guessing penalty," (additional points are
notsubtracted for wrong answers, like on the SAT) so you should
never leave a question blank -- even if you haven't read it.)
Beware the companies that tout their average score improvements. An
eight point average score improvement, while seemingly impressive, is
not so hard to achieve if you start out with students scoring in the
130s. A more relevant question would be the averagepercentage
of improvement, which will balance out for all starting scores. (Thus,
raising a 140 to a 148 is roughly equivalent to raising a 165 to a
168. In each case, the score was increased by 20% of the
remainingpoints.) Our average improvement has been
approximately 20%.
There are three scored question categories, commonly known as:
- Reading Comprehension (1 section of ~24-28 questions)
- Logic Games (1 section of ~24 questions)
and
- Arguments (2 sections of ~ 23-26 questions each)
There is also an un-scored section 35 minutes in
length, and a 30 minute writing sample at the very end of the
exam.
There will be a total of 101 scored question, spread over four
sections, each of 35 minutes length. The un-scored
"experimental" section will be a repeat of one of these four sections
in format, which may occur at any time during the exam. Several
different experimental sections will be given during any given test
administration. Where you happen to sit will determine which subject,
and during which section of the exam, your experimental section will
be. It will be used (allegedly) to pre-test questions for future
exams. More importantly for you, it will be 35 extra minutes of
anguish that will serve to wear you down and lower your performance on
the relevant sections. Remember, the test-writers aren't rooting for
you. They are paid to keep your score down.
The test questions/answers/passages are extremely precise in their
wording, and it is this fastidious usage of language that waylays many
individuals. Most people are somewhat ambiguous in their daily
communications. They commonly misuse, misunderstand &/or misrepresent
instructions and information. People don't always mean (or even fully
understand) exactly what they say, nor do they always say exactly
what they mean. The LSAT will exploit those ambiguities
mercilessly. For example:
Every athlete in our school is also in the music program. There are
145 people in the music program in our school. The number of athletes
in our school is, therefore:
A) definitely fewer than 145
B) no more than 145
C) exactly 145
D) definitely more than 145
E) it can be any or all of the above
If you are even remotely unsure of the correct answer, you
are a potential victim of LSAT-speak. (Does that mean that if you are
not at all uncertain, that you are "immune?"?no, it does not.) Don't
worry. This simply means that you are in need of assistance, which is
you have this book in the first place. (The correct answer, by the
way, is B.)
The good news is that such flaws, inaccuracies and gaps in logic
are correctable, and, they are frequently the basis for determining
the credited responses to LSAT questions. In other words, once you
speak LSAT, you are on your way to an excellent score.
You must learn to think like an LSAT-writer. You must learn to
"speak LSAT" (a distant cousin to English, or rather, American). The
Skinny will help you. We are fluent in LSAT.
For test dates, deadlines, and registration, visit the Law School Admissions Council's official LSAT website.
The ProTesters' tutoring and courses
prepare you to master the LSAT.
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Please contact
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About
the PSAT
The Preliminary SAT®/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a co-sponsored program by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).
PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT I: Reasoning Test and SAT II: Writing Test. It also gives you a chance to qualify for National Merit Scholarship Corporation's (NMSC) scholarship programs.
The PSAT/NMSQT measures:
- verbal reasoning skills
- critical reading skills
- math problem-solving skills
- writing skills
You have developed these skills over many years, both in and out of school. This test doesn't require you to recall specific facts from your classes.
The most common reasons for taking the PSAT/NMSQT are:
- to receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. You can then focus your preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice.
- to see how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others applying to college.
- to enter the competition for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
- to help prepare for SAT Program tests. You can become familiar with the kinds of questions and the exact directions you will see on the SAT I: Reasoning Test and the multiple-choice section of the SAT II: Writing Test.
- to receive information from colleges when you check "yes" to Student Search Service.
You should definitely take the PSAT/NMSQT in your junior year. Many students benefit from also taking it earlier, typically in their sophomore year. If you take it earlier, recognize that the PSAT/NMSQT is a junior-level test, so don't get discouraged if your score is low. Your score will usually increase as your years of study increase.
For test dates, deadlines, and registration, visit the College Board website.
The ProTesters' tutoring and courses
prepare you to master the PSAT.
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About
the GMAT
As business school applications have skyrocketed in the past ten
years, the competition for excellence on the GMAT has grown fierce.
The ProTesters' GMAT course is a step-by-step examination of this
all-important test.
Let us take you through all aspects of
the GMAT's unusual "data
sufficiency" questions--which are on no other standardized test--as well
as the LSAT-style reasoning questions and the large number of
standard SAT-style questions,
which will exercise the standardized test-taking muscles that
have been laying dormant inside you since high school.
For test dates, deadlines, and registration, visit the The Graduate Management Admissions Council's official LSAT website and their one-stop-shop website, Mba.com.
The ProTesters' tutoring and courses
prepare you to master the GMAT.
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About
the SSAT
The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) is
used primarily for admission to boarding schools
and military schools in the U.S., Canada, and
around the world. Some private secondary schools
also accept this test. The SSAT consists of two
parts: a brief essay and a multiple-choice aptitude
test. The test measures a student's ability to
solve mathematics problems, to use language, and
to comprehend what they read.
The test is administered
on two levels:
- Lower - for students currently in grades 5-7
- Upper - for students currently in grades 8-11
The SSAT is administered once a month from November through April and once in June. It can be taken at various locations throughout the country.
For more information on the SSAT and to register online, please visit
http://www.ssat.org.
The ProTesters' tutoring and courses
prepare you to master the SSAT.
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About
the ISEE
The Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) is used
for admission to private middle schools and high schools. It
consists of three parts: standardized verbal and quantitative
reasoning, reading comprehension and math achievement, and an
essay section.
The test is administered on three levels:
- Lower - for students in the 4th and 5th grades applying to the 5th and 6th grades
- Middle - for students in 6th and 7th grades applying to the 7th and 8th grades
- Upper - for students in 8th grade and above applying to the 9th grade and above
For more information on the ISEE, please visit
http://www.erbtest.org
and review their publication,
"What to Expect on the ISEE."
The ProTesters' tutoring and courses
prepare you to master the ISEE.
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About
the SHSAT
The New York City Specialized High Schools Admissions Test
(SHSAT) is used for admission to Stuyvesant High School, Bronx
High School of Science, Brooklyn Technical High School, High
School for Math, Science, and Engineering at City College (City
MSE), High School of American Studies at Lehman College, and
Queens High School for the Sciences at York College.
This test
is for 8th and 9th graders and covers verbal skills (scrambled
paragraphs, logical reasoning, and reading comprehension), and
mathematical problem-solving (arithmetic, algebra, probability
and statistics, and geometry).
As of Fall 2002, the test dates
have changed from December to October and November. The exam will
be given 3 times per year. 8th grade students are tested the
last week-end in October (one administration Saturday, one Sunday,
and 9th grade students are tested the first weekend in November
(one administration Saturday, one Sunday). Additionally there
is a make-up test day scheduled in January for those students
who have a documented reason (i.e., illness) for missing the
test in October, or moved to the one of the five boroughs after
the registration deadline. Contact your child's guidance counselor
for registration information.
Please note that the only way to register for this test is through your child's guidance counselor.
Students must live in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, or Staten Island to take this test.
View the guide to New York City's Specialized
High Schools and the SHSAT
The ProTesters' tutoring and courses
prepare you to master the SHSAT.
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About
the TACHS
The Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools (TACHS) serves as one
of the criteria for admission to a Catholic High School located in the
metropolitan areas of New York and New Jersey. This cooperative venture
is comprised of the Archdioceses of New York and Newark the Dioceses
of Brooklyn/Queens, Paterson, and Metuchen.
The Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools is an assessment strategy
designed to enable the student's high school admissions program of
choice to measure the growth and achievement of the student, to date,
and develop an accurate understanding of the student's growth over time.
The purpose of the examination is to provide objective information
about eighth grade students applying to the Catholic High School
admissions program of their choice. The examination measures academic
achievement in reading, language, and mathematics and contains additional
material to assess academic aptitude and memory. Please note that Catholic
High Schools also utilize effort and performance ratings from grades 6,
7, and 8, as well as previous standardized test results.
Eighth grade students seeking admission to a Catholic High
School must submit an application to take this examination.
View the TACHS
home page for more information.
The ProTesters' tutoring and courses
prepare you to master the TACHS.
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[ SAT,
PSAT and SAT II are registered trademarks of the College Entrance
Examination Board, which was not involved in the production of,
and does not endorse, this product. ]
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