Know Your SAT Subject Tests

There are several factors to consider when planning to take SAT Subject Tests. Not all tests are given on all test dates, and students cannot take Subject Tests on the same day as the SAT. Students can take up to three SAT Subject Tests on a single test date, and can decide which ones to take on the day of the exam. Each Subject Test is 60 minutes long. 

Colleges that honor score choice on the SAT also honor score choice for Subject Tests, which means students can pick and choose which Subject Test scores you submit. Advanced planning is essential for maximizing Subject Test scores since students perform best if they take a test immediately after finishing their class in the subject. In addition, some tests are given only once or twice during the year.

SAT Subject Tests are scored on the same 200-800 scale as the SAT. Percentile scores for Subject Tests can be misleading as they often indicate a skewed testing population. For example, only 27,000 students take the Physics test each year, so it is logical to assume that most are quite good at Physics. The best way for students to decide which Subject Tests to try is to take official diagnostic tests to see exactly what is on the test and gauge their level of preparedness. Below is a list of all subjects currently offered.

Literature                       Biology E/M

French                           Modern Hebrew

U.S. History                   Chemistry

Spanish                         Italian

World History                 Physics

German                         Japanese

Mathematics Level 1 or 2 Chinese

Latin                              Korean

Chinese with Listening     French with Listening

German with Listening     Spanish with Listening

Japanese with Listening   Korean with Listening

Key Academics offers expert tutoring to prepare for the SAT Subject tests, and we are happy to help you create a personalized testing plan that suits your strengths and your schedule. Call us at 610-940-1625 to begin your planning.

What You Need To Know About Changes To The SAT

So far, information on the new SAT has been broad. We expect to receive more specific details on April 16, when the College Board will provide a blueprint for the new test and also release sample questions. In the meantime, here are the primary changes:

Scoring and Format

• The test will revert to the 1600-point standard, primarily comprised of a Math and a newly-combined Reading/Writing section. 
• The SAT will eliminate the ¼-point penalty for wrong answers. 
• The essay will now be optional. 
• The primary test will be about 3 hours; the essay will be 50 minutes. 
• The test will be offered in print and digital forms. 

Math

• Some Math sections will prohibit the use of a calculator to better test students' math literacy and number sense. 
• More math questions will be based on real-world scenarios, applying mathematical logic to situations in the sciences and social sciences. 
• More advanced math concepts will be introduced, likely including algebra II and trigonometry (although these topics have yet to be confirmed). 

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing

• Critical Reading and Writing sections will be combined into one score. 
• Sentence Completion questions will be eliminated, as the test will focus on more "real-world" vocabulary, rather than typical, unfamiliar, "SAT words." Students will be asked to decode the meaning of these words based on the context in which they are presented. 
• Some Reading questions will ask students to cite the passage in support of previous answers. 
• One passage in every new SAT will be what the College Board describes as a "Founding Document" (such as the Declaration of Independence) or related, important historical texts (such as Lincoln's Gettysburg Address or Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech). 

The Essay

• The essay will no longer be free-response only. Rather, students will be required to analyze a given text in terms of the passage's use of evidence, reasoning, and stylistic elements. Students will be expected to refer to the passage to support their claims. 
• The essay score will not factor into students' Reading/Writing scores. Instead, schools will see it as a separate score. 

Khan Academy Partnership 

Khan Academy is non-profit organization that specializes in providing free online educational programs, and Key Academics’ Summit resource has utilized some of Khan's SAT prep curriculum to the betterment of our students in the past. Now the College Board has selected Khan as an official test-prep partner. Khan Academy will offer free SAT study materials, and we are excited about grouping its features with our existing comprehensive suite of SAT diagnostic and study services to help students use these new resources effectively.

We are looking forward to hearing more about the SAT revision and will provide you with the most up-to-date information as it is revealed. We are currently planning major revisions to our flagship SAT prep curricula in advance of the new test. Until then, our current materials will get students ready for test day.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the SAT, ACT, or any of the other standardized tests in which we specialize. We look forward to working with you as we all navigate these changes together.

The Plus in Google Plus? It's Mostly for Google

     Google Plus, the company’s social network, is like a ghost town. Want to see your old roommate’s baby or post your vacation status? Chances are, you’ll use Facebook instead.
     But Google isn’t worried. Google Plus may not be much of a competitor to Facebook as a social network, but it is central to Google’s future — a lens that allows the company to peer more broadly into people’s digital life, and to gather an ever-richer trove of the personal information that advertisers covet. Some analysts even say that Google understands more about people’s social activity than Facebook does.
     The reason is that once you sign up for Plus, it becomes your account
for all Google products, from Gmail to YouTube to maps, so Google sees
who you are and what you do across its services, even if you never once
return to the social network itself.
     Before Google released Plus, the company might not have known that
you were the same person when you searched, watched videos and used
maps. With a single Plus account, the company can build a database of
your affinities.
     Google says Plus has 540 million monthly active users, but almost half
do not visit the social network.
     Click here for the rest of the story: http://nyti.ms/1fnxRYc