Required Exams

THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT

THE REQUIRED EXAMINATIONS

PREPARING FOR THE EXAMS.

Most standardized tests take the form of multiple-choice questions. For each question, you must choose one of four or five possible answers. You should take a number of practice tests before taking the official one. When you take a practice test, you must observe the time limitation as if it were a real test situation.

There are many ways to prepare:

Read a practice test book, purchase test preparation software, or take a class from a test preparation company (if there is any in your area). You can purchase the practice books and software from major bookstores or from the organizing test service. You will find all the information about registering for the exam in the exam bulletin for each particular test. It contains a list of testing centers throughout the world; each center has a code number that you will have to write on the registration.

Speed and accuracy are two essential elements in taking the aptitude tests. It is important to use the allotted time wisely. You can effectively pace yourself if you are familiar with the test format.

THE SAT 1 EXAM:

SAT 1 is made up of two parts; mathematics and verbal. There are three scored mathematics sections on the SAT: one 30-minute section with 25 regular mathematics questions; one 30-minute section with 15 QCs and 10 Grid-ins and one 15-minute section with 10 regular mathematics questions.

There also may be an experimental Mathematics section. This section will not earn you points, but there is no way to identify it. Your best bet is to regard all sections as if they count toward your score. Review The SAT bulletin for a better understanding of the SAT 1 format.

Mathematics questions start off easy and gradually increase in difficulty. Be aware of the difficulty level as you go through a question set. Easy questions require different strategies than hard questions. The harder the question, the more traps you will encounter.

To maximize your score, you need to learn to use your time efficiently. You will save time by ignoring the instructions on test day. Know the instructions. Don't lose time on test day reading the instructions for the first time.

With just a little prior experience, you will know what to do with each question type. Skip the instructions and proceed directly to the first question.

You will also need to work systematically: Think about the question before you look for the answer.

Wrong answers count against you on SAT I. Nevertheless, you should guess and this is how -- Educated Guesswork. Educated guessing lies in eliminating wrong answer choices. Every wrong answer choice you can eliminate gets you closer to beating the odds and guessing the right answer. The more wrong answers you eliminate, the more the odds shift in your favor.

Guess intelligently on questions you are not so sure of. First, eliminate those answer choices that are wrong, with two or three answer choices left, you have a better chance of getting the right answer. When you skip a question, make a note in your test booklet to come back to it later, if you have time.

Always pace yourself, do not go too fast that you make many mistakes and do not be too slow either. If you encounter difficult questions, don't spend too much time on them, skip them and move on, go back to them later.

You do not have to answer all the questions to get a very good score. Check you answer sheet. Don't mark answers in the wrong place.

What Verbal background must you have:

The reading and vocabulary level is at a 10th to 12th grade level. A good approach is to revise past exam questions.

What Mathematics background must you have:

The SAT includes questions from elementary algebra and plane geometry and general mathematics knowledge. The best approach is to practice on past exam questions to familiarize yourself with the exam format.

TOEFL: Some students think it's a mistake to guess. Nothing could be further from the truth. You are not penalized for guessing.

You have nothing to lose by answering every question, even if you haven't read the question. Chances are that you may guess right, if you guessed wrong, nothing happens. So whenever you don't have time to do a question, fill in an answer and move on.

Do not rush, you do not need to answer every question to get a really good score. Just because you are not supposed to rush doesn't give you reason to spend too much time on one question. Pace yourself. You will do well if you practice for the text.

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