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I was born and raised in Germany where I attended an ordinary high school. Eventually I decided I wanted to attend university in the US but had no help navigati

by verst 3y ago

I was born and raised in Germany where I attended an ordinary high school. Eventually I decided I wanted to attend university in the US but had no help navigating the process and requirements. Needless to say, I realized I had to take the SAT last minute and had never seen a practice test, or taken this kind of test in English before. All my instructions had been in German, and the German school system does not usually perform multiple choice tests - everything is about showing your thought process and your steps. Needless to say, I received an abysmal score. For me this test truly only tests how good you are at that test. I applied as an international student to a top tier liberal arts college equivalent to Dartmouth. I was able to make my case and was accepted there. My academic performance in both my first year and the rest of the four years was stellar. Perhaps the SAT can be predictive of performance for those who grew up in the system that prepares you for the SAT (or ACT). For anyone else, this is however meaningless.

gnicholas 3y ago
> For me this test truly only tests how good you are at that test. International students are a completely different story. As you say, your entire educational experience had been in another language. This is not the case for students in the US. All students here have taken many multiple choice tests in English by the time they get to the SAT. For example, there are state- and federal-mandated tests that students must take. > Perhaps the SAT can be predictive of performance for those who grew up in the system that prepares you for the SAT (or ACT). For anyone else, this is however meaningless. It is perhaps close to meaningless for an international student, but for a student who went to school in the US, it is not meaningless at all.
hirvi74 3y ago
> everything is about showing your thought process and your steps You probably did well at a US college because you came from a system that actually provided you with critical thinking and reasoning skills. Instead of a system, like the US, which is rife with route memorization and multiple choice tests. I would imagine the opposite experience would be much more difficult (assuming what I remember from studying German is actually correct).

by verst 3y ago

gnicholas 3y ago

> For me this test truly only tests how good you are at that test. International students are a completely different story. As you say, your entire educational experience had been in another language. This is not the case for students in the US. All students here have taken many multiple choice tests in English by the time they get to the SAT. For example, there are state- and federal-mandated tests that students must take. > Perhaps the SAT can be predictive of performance for those who grew up in the system that prepares you for the SAT (or ACT). For anyone else, this is however meaningless. It is perhaps close to meaningless for an international student, but for a student who went to school in the US, it is not meaningless at all.

hirvi74 3y ago

> everything is about showing your thought process and your steps You probably did well at a US college because you came from a system that actually provided you with critical thinking and reasoning skills. Instead of a system, like the US, which is rife with route memorization and multiple choice tests. I would imagine the opposite experience would be much more difficult (assuming what I remember from studying German is actually correct).