Dear America, What's the SATs like? What about you, UK?

So yeah...

I'm procrastinating!!!

I'm going to explain to you how school works where I live.

What do you do for your SATs?

Is it anything like Australia's thing-o?

Here in Australia we have different education boards in every state so our SATs are like... the HSC (Higher School Certificate) in New South Wales.

In Victoria it's like VCE or something.

But yeah HSC...

It's basically killing me, haha

You choose the subjects you wanna do (Like chemistry, biology... etc...) at the end of yr 10

So you need to make up 12 units. 10 are compulsory.

Each subject is two units.

Extension subjects for example English and Maths can take up to four units

There's English Standard (which is like... the general study of english)

or English Advanced (You basically have to love english, or are a glutton for punishment to do this. I unfortunately love trying to kill myself)

And also General Maths (study of financial maths and going over junior years of maths in more detail)

and Mathematics 2-unit (More advanced... more painful)

English is unfortunately compulsory. T________________T

I happen to do Chemistry, Biology, Advanced English and Mathematics 2-unit

Oh and Food technology

Which is essentially cooking and the study of the Australian Food industry and foods in general!

So anyway, throughout the school year, you get assessments which are worth certain percentages which equate to 100%

This is your school assessment mark which will be scaled out of 50.

These assessments are like in class tests, essays, practical exams, assignments...

In about term 3, you have TRIALS.

These indicate how you're going and allow your school to see how you're going and estimate how well you'll do in the final HSC exams.

THEY'RE WORTH A BIG CHUNK OF YOUR SCHOOL ASSESSMENT MARK! :/

Then you have your HSC exams which are the other 50 of your school mark, This is to standardise results across the state.

THESE ARE THE REAL DEAL.

Each exam is 3 hours each and the average student will have 6.

All written exams. There are a few multiple choice questions (20marks) with about 25 short and long response questions (about 80 marks)

English counts as two exams because you have to write basically 5 essays, creative writing and short response.

At the end of that all (if you make it! seriously IT'S SO TEDIOUS AND GRUELING)

You get an ATAR.

This number deciphers whether you get into university (college) or not.

At the moment i'm doing the HSC.

IT IS STRESS MANIA.

English is my worst, worst subject. Woooooooo

Actually it's everyone's.

Trials are in two weeks.

I'm a lazy fart.

When I finish my HSC I'm going into hibernation for 5 months, I swear.

Or I'm going over to America. Depends how badly I do!

Ok now someone tell me what SATs are like!

Because I like knowing things!

And also it is ABSOLUTELY POURING DOWN with rain right now!

O Canada. Standardized testing went the way of the dinosaurs.

SAT is a test we take outside of school. You sign up online to take it on a weekend, and then you go there for half a day. We don't have to really take classes for the SAT or anything. It's just something you take the third or fourth year of high school (after you've taken a year or two of algebra).

Basically, first you have twenty minutes to write an essay on a topic they pick, then they have you do either English or math multiple choice (it goes back and forth) until the end. Naturally, there's breaks in between.

Then you pick the college to send the scores to and that's about it.

Setsu-chan said:

SAT is a test we take outside of school. You sign up online to take it on a weekend, and then you go there for half a day. We don't have to really take classes for the SAT or anything. It's just something you take the third or fourth year of high school (after you've taken a year or two of algebra).

Basically, first you have twenty minutes to write an essay on a topic they pick, then they have you do either English or math multiple choice (it goes back and forth) until the end. Naturally, there's breaks in between.

Then you pick the college to send the scores to and that's about it.

Click to expand...

So it's fully external? Are they absolutely required to go to college?...

What about your other subjects?

And WOAH. Multiple choice in maths? That's unheard of!

In the UK, SATS are basically end of year tests. In year 6, (the year you turn 11), we boycotted them so we didn't have to do them. But, they're awful. For the math ones, it's basically a huge ton of questions thrown at you. Same for the science ones. A lot of them you have to explain your answers. In english ones, you have a reading comprehension, a poem and a spelling test, usually. They're not pleasant. I got anxiety because of them in year 5.

 

We don't have school marks or anything like that. We have levels. For example, 2c-2a. C being the lowest of level 2 and a being the highest. It's like that for every level up until GCSE level. For GCSE's, you need to atleast get a C to pass.

 

SATS are usually in the last term of the year (summer term,) and there are practise SATS in February.

 

We get to choose our 'options' in Year 9 (the year you turn 14.) Then you do those in Year 10 and Year 11. You must do English, Maths, Two sciences (e.g. biology, chemistry, physics), RE and Social studies, atleast one PE a fortnight and One Technology (food, textiles, graphics or woodwork). Everything else is optional.

 

RubyKuchipatchi98 said:

In the UK, SATS are basically end of year tests. In year 6, (the year you turn 11), we boycotted them so we didn't have to do them. But, they're awful. For the math ones, it's basically a huge ton of questions thrown at you. Same for the science ones. A lot of them you have to explain your answers. In english ones, you have a reading comprehension, a poem and a spelling test, usually. They're not pleasant. I got anxiety because of them in year 5.

 

We don't have school marks or anything like that. We have levels. For example, 2c-2a. C being the lowest of level 2 and a being the highest. It's like that for every level up until GCSE level. For GCSE's, you need to atleast get a C to pass.

 

SATS are usually in the last term of the year (summer term,) and there are practise SATS in February.

 

We get to choose our 'options' in Year 9 (the year you turn 14.) Then you do those in Year 10 and Year 11. You must do English, Maths, Two sciences (e.g. biology, chemistry, physics), RE and Social studies, atleast one PE a fortnight and One Technology (food, textiles, graphics or woodwork). Everything else is optional.

 

Click to expand...

We choose options in yr 9 as well. But engligh, maths, science, geography, history, religion, PE, PDHPE are still compulsory.

Options are like technology, IT, commerce, art etc...

LittleChamametchi said:

So it's fully external? Are they absolutely required to go to college?...

What about your other subjects?

And WOAH. Multiple choice in maths? That's unheard of!

Click to expand...

Yep--you basically take it on your own time, during the weekend. And most colleges want either an ACT(kinda like the SAT...never took it so I wouldn't know much about it) or SAT score, or they won't even consider you for admission.

As for other subjects--I don't know about other states, but my state just requires a biology end-of-course test in 10th grade, along with math and reading/writing tests. If you fail it, you just retake it until you pass or just take a lot of classes in math or science. If you don't pass, then you don't graduate high school--these tests are easy though, and most people pass by 10th grade.

All in all, take the SAT to get considered for college, and take the state tests to pass high school(those tests are done in school... at least where I live).

There are tests like AP tests and IB tests(they let you get college credit if you pass their test), that cover topics from social studies and math to English, but those completely optional.

And yeah, it was multiple choice. Only one or two sections--just remembered--where you have to solve it and then bubble your number answer in.

Sounds like we have it easier here compared to you guys.

I've taken both SAT and ACT. Yes, practically every college here in the states require SAT/ACT test scores along with their application and required essays and whatnot. You sign up for a specific test date and pay the required fee for both tests. On test day you show up with a pencil and a calculator. There are four sections for the SAT. There is mathematics, reading comprehension, grammar, and writing. Each section is timed. Every wrong answer deducts points from your score, right answers add points, and blank answers aren't counted against you.

The ACT is very similar but there is a science section and the writing portion is optional. Also, blank answers ARE counted against you so you need to try and finish answering every question by the end of the section. Which means if you aren't finished by the five minute mark, just bubble in random answers and hope for the best.

In Canada, for certain classes, we have to take provincial exams, at least in my province. You have to take the exam for Math 10, Social Studies 11, English 12, and some other stuff. For some classes, it's optional, like Physics 12.

In grade 10, it's worth 20% of your final mark, and in grade 12, 40% of your final mark. If you score pretty high, you get scholarships.

I haven't taken any yet, so I don't know how they are, but I'm taking the Math 10 provincial in two weeks.

I know you didn't ask about NZ, but at my school, we have to take English, Maths, Science, Social Studies, PE, one technology (Woodwork, Metalwork, Materials, ICT) each term, and one option (Maori, Drama, Graphics, Art) each term at Year 9, then at Year 10, we still have to take English, Maths, Science, Social Studies, PE, then we choose two technologies (Woodwork, Metalwork, Textiles, Food, ICT) to do one each half year, and one option (Maori or Drama for full year, or Graphics and Art for half a year each). In Year 11, for all of NZ, not just my school, we start doing subjects for NCEA to earn credits to get us to University after Year 13. In Year 11, English, Maths and Science are compulsory and we're Level 1. In Year 12, English and Maths are compulsory and we're at Level 2. In Year 13, English is compulsory and we're at Level 3. You earn credits by doing standards/tests internally or externally. To move onto the next Level, you need the right amount of credits (e.g 80 at Level 1 to move onto Level 2), including the right amount of literacy and numeracy credits (e.g. 10 of each at Level 1) and you need to pass your External exams with at least Achieved at the end of the year. Depending on what you want to do when you leave school, some Universities say you need certain amounts of credits in certain subjects at Level 3 to get in. I'm currently in Year 11, doing NCEA Level 1.