What International Students Should Know about SAT and ACT
2024-02-18
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1Several top U.S. universities say they will require standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT from applicants again.
2Some of them went "test-optional" during the pandemic.
3The schools include Dartmouth College, Georgetown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
4Dartmouth College, in New Hampshire, said students from other countries will need to submit results from those tests or "an equivalent standardized national exam."
5Allen Koh is the founder of Cardinal Education, a company that helps students with college preparation, including applications.
6He said Dartmouth's announcement "only made official what had been 'de facto' true."
7He noted that between 80 and 90 percent of students admitted to top universities sent test scores, even when they were not required.
8Koh said students who attend international schools that use the "A-level" tests from Great Britain may not need to take the SAT or ACT since those tests are so well known.
9The tests from India may be useful, too.
10However, students coming from other countries should take the ACT or SAT.
11Andrew Taylor is a vice president at the nonprofit organization that runs the ACT.
12He said the tests are important for international students because they permit American schools to compare students, even if they come from different educational systems.
13In an email message to VOA, a representative from the College Board, which runs the SAT, said the test "plays an important role in helping international students be seen by colleges and universities.
14Test scores can confirm a student's grades or even demonstrate their strengths beyond what their high school grades may show."
15So if you are an international student planning to apply to college in the U.S., what should you know about the tests?
16The SAT has two parts - reading and math.
17Students can earn a top score of 800 for each part, making 1600 a perfect score.
18The SAT is an "adaptive" test, which means the questions will change based on a student's answer to the previous question.
19As a result, the SAT takes less time for most students than the ACT.
20The ACT is the same for every student who takes the test on the same day.
21The ACT has four parts - math, science, English and reading.
22The top ACT score is 36.
23Both tests are now available to be taken with a computer at international testing centers.
24For the most part, Koh advises international students to take the ACT "because it is much easier to get a perfect ACT score than a perfect SAT score."
25Based on how the final ACT score is calculated, Koh said, there are more ways to get to the perfect score of 36.
26For English learners, Koh has this advice:
27"So I'd say if your English is really strong, all around, ACT could be great for foreigners, but I think for the average foreigner where English might be a little bit of a liability and math might be a little bit stronger, then the SAT may be a better test."
28Taylor of the ACT added that the ACT has a science section, so for students who may not be strong in science, the SAT could be a better choice.
29Both Koh and Taylor say students should take practice tests from both the ACT and SAT to decide which may be better for them.
30You can find more information online, such as testing dates and locations of test centers at the SAT and ACT websites.
31Koh and Taylor suggest that international students take the tests at least one year before finishing high school.
32If there is room for improvement, Koh said, students can practice and take it again six months later.
33Taylor reminded students that most schools will consider a "super score" which is the best score from each test category.
34"So there is no doubt that students do better if they take more than one test. So if they're in a position to be able to take more than one test, we would always recommend that and give yourself the time to do some additional learning between tests so you know, think about where you struggle, think about where you can be ready, and go from there."
35Arkar Chen of Myanmar took the SAT in 2016, one year after he finished high school.
36He studied for the test but was still surprised at how difficult the reading part was.
37"I'll say that 80 percent of the time, I have no idea what it's asking, but the thing with SAT is that when you practice enough, you kind of see a pattern and you kind of know what answer the test maker are looking for."
38In addition, Chen said students need to solve math problems quickly because each question has a limited time.
39"There's no way you could do well without a lot of practice," he said.
40Chen said the concept of "critical thinking" was the biggest difference between American tests such as the SAT and the tests he saw growing up in Myanmar.
41"The SAT," he said, "tests a lot on your critical thinking skills, so I think that's why it can feel hard."
42Taylor of ACT says the test is part of the "toolbox" for colleges to decide about a student's ability to do well in school.
43"More and more," Taylor said, "higher ed is worried about graduation, not just about admission. ... So we need to give not only the higher education institution as much data as we can about the student. We also need to give the student as much data as we can about themselves."
44Koh observes that standardized tests favor a well-rounded student.
45So students who spend a lot of time studying math and engineering would be smart to spend time on reading and discussing books in English before taking the test.
46The parents of many international students are surprised to learn, as Koh said, "Asian STEM-focused students are penalized the heaviest by American admissions officers, for being very strong in math but weak on reading."
47I'm Gena Bennett. And I'm Dan Friedell.
1Several top U.S. universities say they will require standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT from applicants again. Some of them went "test-optional" during the pandemic. 2The schools include Dartmouth College, Georgetown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 3Dartmouth College, in New Hampshire, said students from other countries will need to submit results from those tests or "an equivalent standardized national exam." 4Allen Koh is the founder of Cardinal Education, a company that helps students with college preparation, including applications. He said Dartmouth's announcement "only made official what had been 'de facto' true." 5He noted that between 80 and 90 percent of students admitted to top universities sent test scores, even when they were not required. 6Koh said students who attend international schools that use the "A-level" tests from Great Britain may not need to take the SAT or ACT since those tests are so well known. The tests from India may be useful, too. However, students coming from other countries should take the ACT or SAT. 7Andrew Taylor is a vice president at the nonprofit organization that runs the ACT. He said the tests are important for international students because they permit American schools to compare students, even if they come from different educational systems. 8In an email message to VOA, a representative from the College Board, which runs the SAT, said the test "plays an important role in helping international students be seen by colleges and universities. Test scores can confirm a student's grades or even demonstrate their strengths beyond what their high school grades may show." 9So if you are an international student planning to apply to college in the U.S., what should you know about the tests? 10SAT or ACT? 11The SAT has two parts - reading and math. Students can earn a top score of 800 for each part, making 1600 a perfect score. 12The SAT is an "adaptive" test, which means the questions will change based on a student's answer to the previous question. As a result, the SAT takes less time for most students than the ACT. 13The ACT is the same for every student who takes the test on the same day. The ACT has four parts - math, science, English and reading. The top ACT score is 36. 14Both tests are now available to be taken with a computer at international testing centers. 15For the most part, Koh advises international students to take the ACT "because it is much easier to get a perfect ACT score than a perfect SAT score." Based on how the final ACT score is calculated, Koh said, there are more ways to get to the perfect score of 36. 16For English learners, Koh has this advice: 17"So I'd say if your English is really strong, all around, ACT could be great for foreigners, but I think for the average foreigner where English might be a little bit of a liability and math might be a little bit stronger, then the SAT may be a better test." 18Taylor of the ACT added that the ACT has a science section, so for students who may not be strong in science, the SAT could be a better choice. 19Both Koh and Taylor say students should take practice tests from both the ACT and SAT to decide which may be better for them. 20You can find more information online, such as testing dates and locations of test centers at the SAT and ACT websites. 21When to take the test? 22Koh and Taylor suggest that international students take the tests at least one year before finishing high school. If there is room for improvement, Koh said, students can practice and take it again six months later. 23Taylor reminded students that most schools will consider a "super score" which is the best score from each test category. 24"So there is no doubt that students do better if they take more than one test. So if they're in a position to be able to take more than one test, we would always recommend that and give yourself the time to do some additional learning between tests so you know, think about where you struggle, think about where you can be ready, and go from there." 25Arkar Chen of Myanmar took the SAT in 2016, one year after he finished high school. He studied for the test but was still surprised at how difficult the reading part was. 26"I'll say that 80 percent of the time, I have no idea what it's asking, but the thing with SAT is that when you practice enough, you kind of see a pattern and you kind of know what answer the test maker are looking for." 27In addition, Chen said students need to solve math problems quickly because each question has a limited time. "There's no way you could do well without a lot of practice," he said. 28Chen said the concept of "critical thinking" was the biggest difference between American tests such as the SAT and the tests he saw growing up in Myanmar. "The SAT," he said, "tests a lot on your critical thinking skills, so I think that's why it can feel hard." 29Test is part of the "toolbox" 30Taylor of ACT says the test is part of the "toolbox" for colleges to decide about a student's ability to do well in school. 31"More and more," Taylor said, "higher ed is worried about graduation, not just about admission. ... So we need to give not only the higher education institution as much data as we can about the student. We also need to give the student as much data as we can about themselves." 32Koh observes that standardized tests favor a well-rounded student. So students who spend a lot of time studying math and engineering would be smart to spend time on reading and discussing books in English before taking the test. 33The parents of many international students are surprised to learn, as Koh said, "Asian STEM-focused students are penalized the heaviest by American admissions officers, for being very strong in math but weak on reading." 34I'm Gena Bennett. And I'm Dan Friedell. 35Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. 36_____________________________________________ 37Words in This Story 38standardized test -n. tests taken by large numbers of students that are meant to measure their general knowledge and compare it to other students 39applicant -n. a person who is submitting applications for entry into a school or college 40equivalent -adj. something that is different in small details but is more or less equal to something else 41de facto -adj. something that is understood to be true but not written 42grade -n. the score or letter given to show a student's ability in a subject or study area 43demonstrate -v. to show 44score -n. a number or result of a game or test 45liability -n. something that is lower quality or not as good as something else 46recommend -v. to tell someone about something or give advice 47pattern -n. the regular and repeated way in which something happens or is done 48graduation -n. the event that ends someone's time in a university study program 49institution -n. an organization such as a school, university or health center that has been in place for a long time 50stem-focused -adj. students who center their education on science, technology, engineering and math 51penalize -v. to be punished in some way or disadvantaged 52We want to hear from you. Are you an international student who has taken the SAT or ACT? What advice would you give someone about the tests?