- College Preparation and Tests
- Posted By:
- S W
- Posted On:
- 18-Mar-2009
-
Getting ready to go to college involves much more than just shopping for school clothes like you did when you were younger. Wouldn't it be nice if that were all you had to worry about? While some students have earning a college degree in their life plan for years, others don’t decide until the last minute. Regardless of which group you fall into, there are preparations that need to be made before you can even think of enrolling. One of the major preparations and requirements that must be taken care of are the different mandatory tests required before entering the college of your choice. Some of the tests that are taken before entering college include the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, LSAT and GED. While some of these tests are only taken if you meet certain requirements or are enrolling in certain schools such as the GMAT, TOEFL, GRE, LSAT and GED, some are required for almost all students planning to attend college.
The two most common pre-college tests are SAT and ACT. The SAT is usually given to students on the coast while the Act is provided to students in the middle of the United States.
The SAT text is made up of two parts: the reasoning test and the subject test. The student is tested on their aptitude in reading, writing and math as part of the SAT reasoning test, which consists of multiple choice questions that must be answered as well ad an essay completed in a specified time. The SAT subject tests, while also multiple choice, are regarding different subjects and are required for admission into many colleges. The entire test takes over 4 hours and tests the student's ability to think through and solve problems.
The ACT test, another 4-hour test, is a multiple-choice test that measures the student's ability to do college level work as well as their academic development compared to others their age. The ACT tests them on English, reading, math and science as well, their ability to plan and write a short essay. The main problem most students experience is that they weren't prepared to take a timed test and didn't know what to expect. By researching the requirements for these pre-college tests, the student has a much better chance of scoring better.