Home Forums College SAT stupid question?

Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #21824
    proctorsm
    Participant

    This may sound like an ignorent question, but I have to ask.
    What is the differance between SAT I and SAT II? I’m in the Marine Corps and getting out in a little over a year to go to college. I bombed high school, but I have grown and realized I want to go to college and am ready for it. So with shy hopes, I’m taking the SATs in about a month, but I don’t know which one to take, SAT 1 or 2? Whats the differance?
    Respectfully…

    #27254
    y82benji
    Participant

    If you haven’t been in high school for the past couple of years it kinda makes sense to not really know what the difference is. The SAT I is your classic SATs. It’s the SATs you hear about in movies, etc. The SAT II’s are actually a range of subject tests designed like the SAT I’s but with different topics.

    SAT I: For many years this was the three hour test just about every high school student took. It’s math (algebra and geometry) and verbal (reading, analogies, vocab). Each of the two sections (math and verbal) has so many questions and depending on how students have done in recent years, your score is put on a scale of 200-800. So a perfect score (which can include one or two wrong answers) is an 800 in math and an 800 in verbal for a total of 1600. This is the one that most colleges use. Average score is like 1000 (500 each section) but the 50-75 most competitive schools admit students with an average of like 1250-1450. There are hundreds of colleges that admit students with averages of 950-1150.

    In coming years, the SAT I is going to change. The verbal section will no longer have analogies and a writing section (independent from verbal and math) will be added. Thus instead of 1600 maximum, the max score will be 2400 (800 + 800 + 800).

    SAT II: These are the “subject tests.” You select which subjects you would like to take. These include things like Math IIC which includes trigonometry, Writing which tests grammar, Spanish, French, U.S. History, Chemistry, etc. Some schools require that you take one, two, or three of these tests as well. They are scored as if they were one SAT section — scored on a range of 200-800. Competitive scores on these tests are similar to competitive scores on the SAT I. Usually, though, it is the competitive schools that require the SAT IIs, so a lot of SAT II scores are pretty good.

    ACT: This is a test that is accepted in place of the SAT by some (but definitely not all or even probably most) colleges. It is scored out of 36.

    There’s a lot more to know about registering, preparing for, and taking the SATs, and you can find out a lot by going to http://www.collegeboard.com which is the website of the company that runs the SATs. You should also ask your commanding officer if he/she can direct you to someone in the Marine Corps or associated with the Marine Corps that can help better inform you about the whole college application process. Your commanding officer and military guidance counselors will probably be a valuable resource (especially for letters of recommendation) to you in applying. Best of luck!

Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.