If you are an international student who is not a native English speaker and you would like to strengthen your college application, you’ll want to watch this prepcast for some expert insights.
- 3:02m - 
- 3:18m - SAT Tips for International Students (transcript)
I want to give a little advice to international students who are not native English speakers. Please allow me to give my advice through a story. A Russian student at The Hun School of Princeton recently contacted me and asked if I could help her with the critical reading section of the SAT. I agreed and today I met with her. I started our session by giving her a critical reading test to take. After twenty-five minutes, I stopped her and we graded the test together.
What we quickly realized was that she really struggled with the sentence completion questions. This told me that her English vocabulary was lacking. She did pretty well with the reading comprehension portion of the practice test — probably about as well as the average American student; I was happy about that.
So the issue was how to help her improve her vocabulary. We are only two weeks away from the SAT! I wish I could have met with her for the first time last year or even a few months ago. This would have given us more time to work on building her vocabulary. In two weeks time it very difficult to improve one’s vocabulary to see a dramatic increase in the SAT critical reading score. We went through all the words that she did not know; there were probably about thirty of them. I gave her very brief definitions of those words. I then encouraged her to memorize as many of the words as she could in two weeks before the test. I also instructed her to go through additional practice sections in critical reading and learn every unfamiliar word she had time to learn.
Given the limited time available, we were better off preparing together for the math section, not the critical reading section. Her highest math score to date is a 690; this is a very high score. However, I know that when admission officers at American colleges look at the scores of international students, especially those who are not native English speakers, they are looking for exceptionally high math scores. When faced with low critical reading and writing scores on an international application, most colleges will simply ignore them and consider the applicant’s TOEFL scores. (TOEFL stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language.) They will rely on the TOEFL score to evaluate the applicant’s ability to function academically, and otherwise, in English.
My immediate goal — in the next two weeks — is to help this young Russian girl get her math score into the 700’s, maybe even the 800’s. I want her to have a very strong math score because she has already earned a high TOEFL score. (I will ask her to continue working on her vocabulary in her free time. Doing so will help make college easier when she gets there next year.)
Again, if you are an international student who is not a native English speaker, you need to get the highest SAT math score possible — in the 700s if possible. If you need to neglect the writing and critical reading in order to do that, do it and then rely on your TOEFL score to prove that you can function very well within the English system. Good luck.
Karl Schellscheidt
ePrep, Inc.
http://blog.eprep.com
December 11th, 2006 at 6:38 pm
I recieved a question in the form of a comment from a young Malaysian woman today. (I think her name was Derrien, but I am not sure.) In any case, I accidentally erased her comment before I had a chance to respond to it.
She had a question about how the SAT and/or GRE relate to employment opportunities. My response is as follows. I hope she finds it.
As far as I know, employers — at least employers in America — do not consider the SAT or GRE scores of job applicants. The SAT is one of the tests students take before applying to American colleges and universities. (The ACT is the other common test for college admission.)
The GRE is also known as the Graduate Record Exam. It is the test required by many graduate programs in the United States. (Graduate school typically comes after four years of college.)
I hope my brief explanation is understandable and helps answer your question. Your English is very good, by the way.
Regards,
Karl
December 12th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
hey karl, im not sure if in on the right site or if you can assisst me in this but ill give it a go regardless. my name is luke and i am in australia, i am heading over to the US for a soccer trip and need to have an SAT score as there is a likelyhood of a scholarship. im unsure if i have to sit for an SAT score or if i can transfer my australian equivalent score (OP) into an SAT score? do you know if this is possible or could you point me in the right direction? thanks for your time
luke van der ros
December 12th, 2006 at 11:49 pm
Luke,
I am not familiar with the OP. Therefore, I suggest you contact the coaches of the American colleges that you are interested in attending. (My father happens to be a Division I college soccer coach and I know that he gets letters of inquiry from international student-athletes all the time.) If they are interested enough to offer you a scholarship, they will certainly help you navigate the admissions process.
The SAT will be offered in the United States next on January 27, 2007. I am not sure if that date coincides with the dates of your trip. If it does, you could always register for the test and take it while you are here. The other option is to take it somewhere in Australia. The College Board’s website (www.collegeboard.com) should have information on when and where the test is offered outside of the United States.
Send me an update when you get a chance. By the way, the new US National Team coach, Bob Bradley, was my soccer coach at Princeton University back in the late 1980s.
Regards,
Karl
December 24th, 2006 at 9:39 am
Hey Karl,
My name is Saurabh and i live in India. I am aiming for the best of the colleges in the US for my graduation and will be giving my SAT on jan-27. But is it that some colleges in the US also require SAT-II i.e the subject tests? If so, when is it conducted? when should I give it considering that i’ll begin my graduation in 2008? Thanks alot..
Saurabh
December 24th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
Hi Saurabh,
I am glad to hear that you have such high ambitions and that you are planning ahead.
The following link will get you to the page on the College Board’s website that provides information on when the different SAT subject tests are being offered:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees/calensubj.html
This next link will help you search for the nearest test center:
http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_code/codeSearchSatTest.jsp
You should check with the colleges on your list to see how many subject tests they require and to see whether they require specific subject tests. Once you figure that out, you should take the tests when the subject matter is freshest in you mind. For example, if you are going to take Biology, take it, if possible, soon after completing the year-long course at school.
Good luck on January 27th and good luck with the rest of the process.
Karl
January 11th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Dear Karl,
My name is Khanh and I’m a Vietnamese student. I’m planning to attend an undergraduated program at an American college so I think I need to tackle one or two SATs soon. My problem is that I have sort of so many SAT prep books like KAPLAN’s, BARRON’s and McGrawhill’s, thus I’m not sure which book I should study for the vocabulary. I will be grateful if you can give me some advices.
Best regards,
Khanh Ngo
January 11th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Dear Khanh,
You should really buy The Official SAT Study Guide from the College Board. You can order the book online at www.collegeboard.com.
Once you get the book, you should begin taking critical reading practice tests. As you go through the tests, you should circle all the words you cannot define. As you look up the words in a dictionary, record them along with their definitions on a separate sheet of paper. Take the sheet (or sheets) wherever you go and study the words whenever you have a free moment. Trust me, many of the words that you highlight will appear on multiple tests. Furthermore, most of the words that appear on the tests are ones you will hear in college and life beyond.
Do not be overwhelmed. Just learn the words a few at a time. If you keep it up, you will change the course of the rest of your life. For some more inspiration, you may want to watch my four videos on vocabulary building.
Good luck. Send me an update when you find the time.
Regards,
Karl
April 6th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Hello,
I just want to ask you whether it’s possible to go from a 700 to an 800 in math, in just 2 months.
Believe it or not, just TWO months ago, my score was 540, and just wouldn’t budge.
But now, after day long studying everyday, IT’S STUCK AGAIN, at 700.
I truly thought that 700 was a fantasy never to come true, but now it’s reality. But 800 seems impossible, since I always make mistakes. What do you advise I do. I hope you get this.
Although the questions seem so easy to me now and I sail through them, I ALWAYS MAKE MISTAKES, like 3-5.
Also, my vocab is terrible and I suffer alot in the reading section. In writing I want a 550-600, but I truly believe I can do more for the critical reading. What do you recommmend (other than reading, since I only have 1-2 months)
Thank You.
PS: For all those who are made to believe that the math is hard, please rethink things over. The math is super easy, 540 > 700 was the last thing I expected, but was surprised at how easy it was. All it took was reading all the Sat Math Review books I had as if they were novels, and solving all the questions in this one book that contains only questions. Instead of sweating when faced with question, I actually laugh at CollegeBoard for failing to trick me, lol. And did I mention that my studying has earned me a 3-5 minute break during each math section, since I finish early now, not like before where my legs used to shake from the stress.
April 8th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Arad,
I think you should try working through the math tests even faster. I find that most errors come from sloppy thinking or carelessness, two characteristics that are not necessarily tied to speed.
If you can manage to get a look at every problem with between 5 and 10 minutes to go on a given section, you should use the remaining time to quickly double check each problem starting with the first. I think its your best shot at getting the 800 you want.
Thanks for the encouraging words of advice at the end of your comment, by the way. Confidence is half the battle for most kids.
Karl
April 9th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
Hi Karl,
I am a Taiwanese student living in the Netherlands. Although I attend International school, most of the graduates from my school opt for English or Dutch universities, and it happens that my school counselor is only familiar with application to both countries. So, I basically have to find everything for myself and hope for the best. Till now, I have questions regarding international application for US universities, and hope that you are willing to help me.
Currently, I am taking this program called International Baccalaureate. How do American universities (esp the elite ones) value it? compared to the American APs, for example. What worries me is that, since International Baccalaureate is a very rigorous program, with many components (redundant?) like Theory of Knowledge, CAS (Creativity, Action, Service: 150 hours minimum in total), are my time spent on these considered worthwhile? Since my parents are starting to dissuade me from participating one of my 2 most favorite extra curricular activities initiated about 2 or 3 years ago in order to focus more on IB academics. Of course, CAS is considered extra curricular too, but of the IB nature and of all the possible activities my school can offer, I end up having quite a list of activities in which they aren’t really my passion, but for the sake of new experiences and fulfilling IB requirements. Beside IB, I have to use some of my time on practicing SAT (I just know about SAT). As a whole, my time is short, and I start to feel quite overwhelmed. In short, my first question is, how do you think I should allocate portions of my effort on SAT, IB academics, and my favorite extracurricular?
My second question is simple. For the SAT subject tests I should take, I find that some of the materials are not covered by my IB syllabus in the year 2007, or vice versa, in which I learn some that won’t be tested on SAT. So, can I submit my SAT subject tests after the university application deadline? Or, Do I simply have to learn everything in advance?
Currently, MIT is top in my list for an engineering degree with application in social science like economics for example. This is just to inform you what kind/type of universities I wish to apply. Others of similar kind like Stanford is under consideration too.
Please help
thanks
April 10th, 2007 at 8:46 am
Allan,
Thanks for the note. I would like to consult Don and Seamus before responding. Check back in a day or two. In the meantime, keep up the good work. You sound like a very busy person.
Karl
April 10th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Karl (or Mr Schellscheidt)
It will be really helpful if you can consult the experts. The main issue for me here is the allocation of my time for the best opportunity towards American university application. To exemplify this in detail, I have been using most of my time in the last few months learning as much maths as possible on my own both in class and at home, for my own interest on honing my problem solving skill and ultimately, enjoying the beauty of mathematics, and for a major continental maths competition next year. The reason is, I dislike doing many routine practices but focus on genuine problems that not only give insights on problem solving but more understanding on the subject in depth. As a whole, it seems that I deliberately make myself more lopsided as I pursued more on a subject, instead of being academically well round. However, after some contemplations, I realize I should change my gear towards academic wellroundness. Since I am only 1 point short from full mark for my other higher level subjects, and there is no point, in IB program at least, to improve what’s already a full mark on my mathematics, I do think being well lopsided is detrimental on university application, at least for British ones, as the grades in IB higher level subjects and the total IB points we obtain plays a major role there. Moreover, fundamentally, it is the IB philosophy to raise a well-rounded person, so being passionate in a field pretty much works against the IB program. Of course, one can argue that there is this CAS activity in the IB program, but in my school, it turns out to be working in the complete opposite direction, as I said in my previous post.
Btw, above does not mean I am doing extra maths as an extra curricular, since I don’t participate in any maths club as there is none in my school. However, it should apply to the case of my favorite extracurricular activity vs IB academics.
I have said alot because I see contradiction between IB system and American system, one only stresses wellroundness and the latter provides more flexibility.
I am glad that I have discovered this site, and by helping me, you make my day.
Waiting for further response
April 11th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Allan,
I was supposed to meet with Don this morning but he was not feeling well. I will touch base with you after I talk to him. Sit tight for a couple of days. I will not forget about you.
Karl
April 11th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Thanks for your concern, Karl.
I have 1 more small problem regarding my registration of SAT. How do I convert my IB grades (predicted) to American GPA?
Best regards, Allan
April 12th, 2007 at 8:16 am
Just estimate your grades, Allan. Remember, the portion of the SAT registration that you are asking about is optional, not required. When you apply to colleges, they will review the transcript sent from your school, not the information that the College Board collected during the registration process. The information you enter in the “optional” fields of the registration form will merely be used by the College Board for statistical and marketing purposes.
April 16th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
im a canadian student. how can i present the SATs
April 17th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Andrea,
I am not sure what you mean by “present.” If you mean “take the SAT,” simply go the www.collegeboard.com and register for the test. You should be able to find a test center that is relatively close to where you live.
If you mean “get scores to colleges,” you should also visit www.collegeboard.com. Depending on when you took the test and how many schools you want to send your scores to, there many be a fee involved with the request.
If you had a different question in mind, or need more detailed information, just post another comment and I will respond as soon as I can.
Karl
April 17th, 2007 at 8:50 am
Allan,
I still have not yet connected with Don. I will probably see him on Thursday or Friday of this week. I will post a comment for you then.
Regards,
Karl
April 17th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Hi Karl,
Thanks for the notification. I thought you would also ask Seamus Malin.
I will wait for your response.
thanks
April 20th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
Very interesting site with really helpful tips and advice, Karl. Please allow me to embed some of your videos at www.youtube.com (with transcripts taken from above) in my blog for my students to view. I will recommend your site, but I also want to select things for them.
Thanks
April 21st, 2007 at 7:08 am
No problem, Cuong. Use what you want.
April 23rd, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Allan,
I finally talked to Don. He told me that the IB courses are regarded as more rigorous that American APs. He suggested that you continue working hard on meeting the IB requirements. As far as extracurricular activities go, Don does not think you need more than one. If math is your passion, keep pursuing it in your free time.
Now for my advice: While you may at times feel overwhelmed with work and activities, don’t get down or become frustrated. The teenage years are extremely busy for most people. Trust me, you’re young and your body and mind can take it. Keep pushing yourself. Things will get easier once, you have been accepted to the college of your choice. As far as SAT prep goes, I have an online course that I currently use in my private practice. I have been thinking about making it available to the public in the summer. I will post information on the site when I finally do.
Send me an update when you get a chance. Thank you for your patience.
Regards,
Karl
April 24th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Thanks for your response, Karl.
For SATs, do you think it would be a good idea that I take one before the summer holiday, so I have another chance after that? I would like to do that, but I think I will not have much preparation for that since the test date is in the week of my school IB examination, so I expect to score not quite satisfactorily. Or, should I just wait and prepare more to do the next SAT after the summer holiday? Secondly, since I couldn’t find any info on collegeboard, is it possible to take subject tests (Chemistry, Maths, and Physics) on the same day as the general SAT test’s? Lastly, as I know that probably my biggest weakness is the vocabulary part of the SAT and found this website called quizlet with a package of 5000 SAT oriented words, do you think it’s a good idea that I focus myself practicing those words there? of the 5000, I think I only know about 1000 of them. Do you think this will be efficient? or you think this is futile? I assume you know the website quizlet. I find it’s a very entertaining and efficient way to revise vocabs personally.
best regards.
April 24th, 2007 at 8:58 am
Allan,
I think you should take the SAT before the summer holiday. Sitting for the test will be a good experience that will pay dividends in the fall. The fact that it is in the middle of your IB exams is not problematic. You will already be testing mode; this is a good thing.
You cannot take the SAT subject tests and the general SAT on the same day.
I think using quizlet is a good idea. Every word learned improves your chances of earning a higher SAT score and increases the probability of future success in the business world. Do not approach vocabulary building as an all or nothing proposition. None of your efforts are futile. Trust me; I have been through it all myself.
Talk to you soon.
Karl
April 24th, 2007 at 9:06 am
Thanks for your response,
Last question, how do universities assess my SAT grade if I take it twice? For example, do they average both of them?
April 24th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Colleges generally consider the best scores in the three subject areas, regardless of when you earned those scores. For example:
June scores:
Math 750, CR 650, and Writing 660
October scores:
Math 710, CR 680, and Writing 700
Colleges will consider your final score to be as follows:
Math 750, CR 680, and Writing 700
April 25th, 2007 at 4:56 am
Thanks Karl.
April 27th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Hi Karl,
Since 3 months ago I have registered the question of the day from collegeboard and now I have about 100 of them in my mail box. I am now doing for practice purpose. Correct me if I am wrong, the questions belong to the word-choice sentence completion, sentence improvement, and maths components of the SAT test. What I want to ask is, do you think they are too easy, realistic, or hopefully, too difficult, compared to the real SAT test?
regards,
April 27th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Second question, according to the SAT study guide I am using, we don’t need to answer all questions in order to score high, so my question is, roughly speaking, how much percentage of questions answered with certainty to be correct will seem promising of scoring high on SAT?
regards,
April 28th, 2007 at 10:19 am
Allan,
Assuming you want to score at least 700 in each of the three subject areas, here are my thoughts.
Math: Out of the 54 questions, 48 correct and 6 omits should get you a 700.
Writing: Out of the 49 multiple-choice questions, 44 correct and 5 omits would get you around 700, assuming you can get a 9 on the essay.
Critical Reading: Out of the 67 questions, 58 correct and 9 omits should get you around a 700.
Ultimately, the challenge is developing a sense for knowing when you have the correct answer. In my opinion, developing such a sense is easiest in math.
Regards,
Karl
April 28th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Thanks for your response, Karl, but have you overlooked at question in my post on April 27th, 2007 at 5:50 pm?
regards,
April 28th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
I did overlook the question, Allan. Sorry.
They should be actual SAT level difficulty. That being said, the questions within a given SAT section are generally ordered from easiest to hardest. I imagine the most question-of-the-day questions are considered “medium” difficulty level. I hope this helps.
Karl
April 30th, 2007 at 7:39 am
Thanks Karl for your response.
Btw, may I send you some (about 2 to 4?) of my SAT essays I have written for practice for you to check? I just want to know how good they are in SAT standards via some feedbacks. I was thinking of my English teacher, but he, a British, doesn’t know SAT at all.
You will be kind if you can do me this favor. Thanks in advance
btw, you know my email address.
April 30th, 2007 at 10:46 am
Allan,
I do not have much free time. Send me one essay and I will let you know what I think. You can then use it as a baseline. Simply go to “contact us,” paste it in the field, and send it. I will get it and send comments as soon as I can.
Karl
May 5th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
HEY KARL,
I had my SAT this morning and I did WAY better than I expected. I creamed the math section, and the writing section was all smooth sailing just like when I took that practice section in class, so I expect a similar mark.
After much revision and careful thought, I’ve come to realize that I will get a minimum score of 1900 (And it was my first time!). It turns out that the vocab I studied came in handy and practically came to my rescue. I know I could of done better on the essay, but the writing sections were a sinch. I took your advice on the CR sections and skipped 7 questions (one’s I just couldn’t figure out). There’s a possibility that I made several mistakes, but there’s no way my score will be lower than 610 (which I was aiming at).
The math was quite easy, but I skipped 2 questions that I blanked out on, but I am more than confident that I nailed all the rest.
Since I somehow remember exactly how many questions I skipped and how many I guessed or kinda guessed on, I can confidently estimate my score. I know the rules for scoring , and also for the special writing sections scoring.
So let’s “recapitulate” what I’m trying to say! :
If all goes down the drain and I make all the mistakes I can imagine..
I’ll get a minimum of 1900.
But if my guesses are in my favor, and I get a minute amount of questions incorrect, taking into account the questions I skipped………
I’ll get a 2020-2030.
I don’t want to get my hopes up just yet, lol.
Anyway, do you think that, given my first score, I can go any higher (like WAY higher). Since I doubt this score was a fluke, and I KNOW FOR A FACT that it would of never been possible without your site, I need you to tell me that I CAN, and give me some higher up pointers that you would give to high scorers.
Believe it or not.. my score before discovering your site was 1500 MAX, and I actually thought that I was destined to stay at that. My plan was to take the SAT 5 times and eventually get a 1900 (My ultimate goal)..But guess what! I got it the 1st try.
Now I know that there’s more ground to cover
Thanks again.
May 6th, 2007 at 12:38 am
Arad,
First: I am very happy for you. It’s always nice to see students get rewarded for their efforts.
Second: I appreciate your enthusiasm. Based on your emails, I know that you possess all the qualities that are critical to achieving success in life.
Third: I absolutely think you can do even better. Keep it up and you will score high on the SAT and prepare for college at the same time.
Send me an update when you get a chance.
Karl
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:54 am
i am having problem with the math section .i know i can score a 800 in math but i always end up doing silly mistakes and get score around 700. please tell me how to avoid such mistakes
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:55 am
i am having problem with the math section .i know i can score a 800 in math but i always end up doing silly mistakes and get score around 700. please tell me how to avoid such mistakes thank you
May 23rd, 2007 at 10:51 am
Ratish,
The first thing I want you to do is watch/read all of the blogs in the Math category. I think there is a lot of good advice in them.
I am not sure how old you are, but I thought you should know that the human brain is an organ that generally reaches full maturity at around the age of 18. This means that if you are still younger than 18, your brain may not be finished maturing physically. Thus, the careless mistakes you are currently making, may be somewhat out of your control. You may need to be patient and simply let time take care of things.
In my opinion, there is a big difference between spring juniors and fall seniors. In other words, the six months that separate the spring of junior year and the fall of senior year make a huge difference for most students — at least with regard to their ability to concentrate.
After you have reviewed a good chunk of the math blogs, please do not hesitate ask follow-up questions. Good luck.
Karl
May 24th, 2007 at 3:57 am
thanks for your help ,i went through all the blogs and found them quite useful.thnks
May 24th, 2007 at 4:08 am
i wanted to ask you that are the tests at official study guide of the same difficulty as on the real sat because my friend gave the sat on 5th may and he was scoring more than 2150 in the official guide but he got a score of 1950 on the actual test.now even i am worried that might happen to me .please help!!!
May 24th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Hey Karl!
Guess what..
The range I mentioned earlier could not of been more accurate!
I just got my score. Now I am convinced that I can get 2100, the score that I used to only dream of.
I was mentally depressed due to the fact that I couldn’t get higher than 1550.. And then you came to my rescue. After months of relying on your unique coaching.. I got 1960.
I’m trying not to become complacent because that would be the end of me and the determination I’ve harnessed with the help of your pivotal site.
But the 1 thing that really confuses me is.. I got 680 in writing. I didn’t do very well on the essay(that’s what I think since I didn’t see my essay score.. The teacher wrote our 3 scores on peices of paper with our names on them, but forgot to write our essay scores!). When my teacher told me that my writing score was 680, I turned numb.
The funny thing is that I didn’t even study for the writing. Which brings me to the conclusion that the writing sections truly depend on your ear’s ability to pick up errors.
Although I’m trying to not become complacent, the feeling of killing the competition (atleast in my class) is a darn good one.
I’ve recommended your site to a couple of curious friends. I plan to invite more
Thanks Again.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
Great job, Arad. Congratulations. Keep up the good work.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Ratish,
The tests in the CB book are the same difficulty level. There are two main reasons why most students score a little lower on the real test. (1) The real test takes over 4.5 to administer and most students take practice tests individually, eliminating the fatigue factor. (2) The real test is always a bit more nerve-racking than practice tests, and most people tend to make more careless errors when they are nervous. (Also, keep in mind that most students fail to reach their true potential on the first try.)
If you keep practicing under simulated conditions (and make vocabulary building part of your daily routine), you will be fine in the end. Good luck.
Karl
May 26th, 2007 at 10:37 am
thanks,i will definitely take some tests under simulated conditions
May 27th, 2007 at 5:05 am
Hi Karl,
I’m a Taiwanese kid born in France currently residing in Guangzhou, China. Iive been in an American International school here for 11 years now, being currently a junior. I’m taking the IB program mentioned above but also taking a couple AP exams, since my school offers them. I’m also into a lot of extra-curricular activities, Student Council, sports, musicals, Habitat for Humanities, and such, not for the CAS hours, but because they’re so much fun to do. My SAT scores are alright, I took them once in the beginning of seventh grade and I got 1260. My PSATs broke 200. It all seems nice to this point, but the only problem is… my GPA is really low. It’s in the 3.3 range. That’s not high enough to get into a good school in the states is it? My grades are low because I don’t like to do my homework too much, although project and test grades are okay. I’m just wondering how important my GPA is? Obviously, all colleges say that the GPA is the most important thing. But I was hoping that perhaps with a good IB diploma score, a couple 5s in APs, and decent SAT scores, I’d be able to get into a pretty good university. Is that possible?
thanks,
pascal
May 28th, 2007 at 6:20 am
hi, i am an indian student and want to attend a medical college can u please tell me what kind of scholarships are availible for international students.also i have a greencard but am residing in india.does that make any difference???please help
May 28th, 2007 at 8:02 am
Pascal,
It is definitely possible to get into selective colleges with a 3.3 GPA, an IB diploma, and high AP and above-average SAT scores. The low GPA will hurt you, however.
If you can work to improve your GPA, even if it’s just incrementally, your application will be more attractive to admission officers. Colleges like to see all high grades or upward trends in GPAs. This means that if you start slow, you can still impress admission staffers with improvement over the years.
The bottom line is this: You should keep trying to improve your GPA. Colleges may choose to ignore or discount your final GPA if they see an upward trend. Good luck.
May 28th, 2007 at 8:08 am
Arun,
Your place of residence should not make a difference in the admissions process. As far as scholarships go, I would do some google searches. I would search for scholarships is several places/categories. I would check for opportunities within India and within the United States. I would try to find Indian organizations within the US that may offer scholarships. I would also see what is available at different medical schools. The bottom line is that I would search everywhere. You will be surprised with what you can find by doing google searches. Good luck. Let me know how it goes.
May 28th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Thanks!
May 30th, 2007 at 6:29 am
thanks
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:34 am
hi karl ,
I just gave the sat and i think it went quite good. well i revised all of the math
questions because i had about 6-7 mins spare each time. well i am quite confident that i might get a perfect score on math,but do not want to get my hopes high.thanks for your help
June 2nd, 2007 at 6:01 am
now that i given the sat can you tell me good books for sat 2 in physics,chemistry and biology.thanks
June 4th, 2007 at 1:13 am
hi karl
in india we have cbse board.can u please help me out and tell me how to convert cbse marks into gpa thank you
June 4th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Arun,
I will pass your question along to Don, Seamus or Fred. When I hear back, I will post a new comment. Thanks for being patient.
June 5th, 2007 at 1:05 am
hi karl,
thanks for notification.well i just have one more question:
i just watched ur podcast with Mr Don Betterton in which u talked about preparing the college list and the efc calculator and it asked me about my tax status,but the problem is that i am a international student,so is there any other system for the aid for international students or something???
it will be really helpful if u can contact any expert.thank you
June 8th, 2007 at 11:12 am
Arun,
I will be speaking to Don Betterton this afternoon. I will post a comment responding to your questions tonight.
June 13th, 2007 at 9:59 am
hi karl waiting for response.
June 20th, 2007 at 7:23 am
Arun,
Don and I keep missing each other. Hopefully, I will talk to him today. Thanks for being patient.
June 20th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
hi karl..
I just want to ask u what the point of taking the SAT is?
Why take it when Canada, America, and Mexico are going to be merged together by 2010? Where afterwards free speech and the internet are to be completely removed and replaced with “Internet 2″.
North America is a TIPPY TOE step away from Martial Law.. what’s the point?
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:06 am
hi karl,
i just read that being from regional backgrounds helps in addmission process.do u think that being an indian will be of any benifit or get any consideration??
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Arun,
Thanks for your patience. With regard to financial aid for international students, schools generally fall into three categories:
1. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT and Williams are “open.” This means that when it comes to financial aid awards, they treat international students the same as American students.
2. Most schools have a very limited amount of financial aid for international students.
3. Many schools offer no financial aid to international students.
I hope this helps. Unfortunately, I think you are going to have to do some research on schools other then the ones mentioned in (1) above.
With regard to your second questions, you need to keep in mind that many students from India apply to American universities. Thus, while colleges want diverse student bodies, many are able to choose from an extremely talented pool of Indian applicants. Your job is to stand out in that group. (By the way, two of my best friends and roommates at Princeton were from India.)
Talk to you soon.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:52 pm
thanks for your response .i think u missed my question on June 4th, 2007 at 1:13 am thanks in advance
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Karl
“With regard to your second questions, you need to keep in mind that many students from India apply to American universities. Thus, while colleges want diverse student bodies, many are able to choose from an extremely talented pool of Indian applicants.”
So, American people do not treat each applicant equally? If that’s true, may I ask, since I think there are quite a lot of Chinese applying for US universities, do American universities treat us Taiwanese the same as Chinese? Secondly, are there many Taiwanese applying for undergraduate education? b/c I know quite a lot of Taiwanese students apply for further education in US after university but I am not sure about what Taiwanese high school students would do for their undergraduate education.
Best Regards
June 25th, 2007 at 6:02 am
hi karl,
i have a sort of complex problem .i hope u solve it .as u know i am an indian student and am going to start my senior year.As i have a greencard, i might be completing my school in california,while my parents r here in india.So the question is will i be qualifing for in-state fee in california after attending 1 year of school in california where i would be living with my uncle and aunt.please reply as early as possible as it is quite urgent .thankyou
June 25th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Arun,
Check out this link:
http://www.decolonizing.com/pdfs/AB_540_Qs_As.PDF
It seems that you need to have attended high school in California for three or more years in order to be eligible for in-state tuition. FYI, I did not read the full article or thoroughly investigate the issue. You should definitely do some research of your own.
June 25th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Allan,
Most Americans that I know do treat all people equally. In my message to Arun, I was commenting on the college admissions process, not most people in America.
One of the many tasks of college admission officers is to create and maintain diverse student bodies. I understand why the practice may seem frustrating, but that’s just way it is right now. Last fall, I read an article about an Asian American named Jian Li who sued Princeton University claiming that Asian Americans were unfairly held to a higher standard than other applicants.
http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2006/11/13/news/16544.shtml
While I do not recommend using the legal system to vent your frustration, you may want to read the article in order to gain insights into the process and the issues involved.
June 25th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
hi karl,thanks for ur early response.this article is indeed very helpful.
July 4th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Hi Karl,
Im new in this site and I’m already enjoying it because of the activity students and other people write about the SAT.
Anyway, are you really sure about the way colleges determine your scores by combining the different subjects (math,CR, Writing).
You said that no matter when you took it they will take the best score of each section.
I was told that this had changed, and that the combined scores was the old way to do that. In the contrary, they review the best time instead of a COMBINED score of each
July 5th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Thanks for the note, Diego.
While some colleges may have different policies, most selective colleges will look at, and add up, your best scores, regardless of when you earned them. That being said, you should not be afraid to ask colleges about their policies when you do your college research.
July 6th, 2007 at 5:22 am
Thank you very much Karl,
I did ask the colleges I was researching and that´s why I found out that slight difference. Anyways, it´s good to know that some selective colleges still add up your best scores.
July 7th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Hi
i am a student from india. i have given the sat i twice. the first time i got 1910 and the second, most recently, got a 2090 ( 700 CR, 690 MAT, 700 WRI).
have quite a lot of extra curricular background as well as wins at national and international level competitions.
and just like most of us, i aim for the best 10.
wat chances do i have and how do i go on from here?
thanks
July 9th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Vansh,
Sounds like you are very busy and very talented. Many colleges in America would be happy to have a student like you. Just keep studying hard and participating in extra-curricular activities. Remember to research colleges thoroughly. Your goal should be to find a college that is a good fit for you.
July 11th, 2007 at 2:41 am
thank you Karl.
can you also tell me with my kinda scores and co curriculars, what are my chances of the top 20 ?
and aid?
July 14th, 2007 at 3:29 am
hi karl,
im a student pursuing my bachelors in dental surgery from india.
currently in my final year (4th)…
i am planning on joining D.O. (osteopathy) in USA after completion of my bachelors degree.
i wanted to know what are the eligibility criterion needed to give the MCAT in India. Here, we studied physics, chemistry & biology in class 11 & 12 (high school) unlike in USA where u go through 4 years of B Sc. in biological sciences (premed)…how then will my gpa in these subjects be calculated. am i at an advantage having studied subjects like anatomy, microbiology, pathology, medicine, surgery etc during my dental study in india?? can i possibly be exempted from the MCAT? will my high school gpa be looked at or how i’ve performed during my bachelors of dental surgery…?
pls help me out here, cuz if i have to join the 2008 session, i need to start the factfinding & appear for all neccessary exams….
July 16th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
Saurabh,
I am by no means an expert on the MCAT. Below is a link to the official website of the Association of American Medical Colleges:
http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/
The homepage has links to pages that surely contain all of the information you’ll need. Bangalore, Mumbai, and Gurgaon seem to be the three test centers in India. I hope you live relatively close to one of them.
While I do not believe the MCAT itself has entry requirements, the medical colleges that you apply to may. While it sounds like you have taken a lot of relevant classes, you will have to research the requirements of medical colleges on an individual basis. You should be able to do so online by visiting the sites of the schools you are interested in attending.
Good luck.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:08 am
dear karl
as i had asked you earlier , a query which you missed replying to,
with scores of 2090 and awards at national and international level,
1. do i give sat i again?
2. or do i concentrate on my application?
3. what are the chances for top 20 and aid?
thank you
July 17th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Vansh,
The answer to each of your questions, unfortunately, is “it depends.”
More specifically, it depends on whether you excell at an extracurricular activity to the point where you are likely to be recruited by a top-tier university. If you are recruited to play tennis, for example, you are likely to be admitted with your current SAT scores. (I think your current scores are terrific, by the way.)
If you do not excell in an extracurricular activity, it is likely that you will be applying as what is commonly know as an “Academic A.” Academic As are students who excell and distinguish themselves academically. Such students, who get accepted to top-tier universities based solely on their academic credentials, are an incredibly talented and driven group. They are really among the brightest and most accomplished people their age.
If you are hoping to be admitted to a top-tier school as an Academic A, you should probably attempt to increase your SAT score.
As far as aid goes, it depends on whether or not you are in international student. Let me know when you get a chance.
July 18th, 2007 at 7:53 am
hmmm
ok, so the thing is , my extracurricular strengths( i.e., the ones which i m not just “good” at , but the ones for which i have intl recognition) include mathematics( olympiads, projects, quizzes), computers and technology ( olympiads, competitions, projects), and science( olympiads, papers) , leadership and management( seminars, elocution, debates, event management and organization).
Now i have quite a lotta national and intl awards and recognition in the above fields . However i am clueless abt the fact that do these qualify only as Academic A?
July 18th, 2007 at 9:49 am
Vansh,
It seems that your extracurricular activities are all academic in nature. That is certainly very good. In your application, you will come across as someone who is deeply committed to academic pursuits. Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, I still think you should work to bring you SAT scores in line with the best of the best. If you push yourself, you can definitely do it. Most young people are capable of a lot more than they think. Good luck and I hope to hear from you again soon.
July 28th, 2007 at 2:18 am
Hi Karl
I’m Rahul,student from india.I’ve taken the sample test and i got:
SAT I
Math : 790/800
Critical Reading:600/800
Verbal:500/800
SAT II
Maths Level 1 :800/800
Maths Level 2:800/800
Physics:800/800
My CBSE Board %age (HS %age) is 94% (Rank 1)
What Should I Do For My Weak Vocabulary?
I’m Giving Sat On Oct. 6 And have Two Months,Can I Improve So That I Can Get Over 2200?
Are Hit parade Words By Princeton Review Worth Learning?
With Approx. These Scores Any Chances @ Princeton/Yale/Caltech/MIT?
July 30th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Hello!!!!!
Im Awais Shah from pakistan.Mr Karl can you kindly advice me the criteria of scholarship in Yale University.I want to appear in SAT exam in January 2008.I want to know what minimum score at SAT 1 can earn me a 100% scholarship in Yale University.It will be my first attemp this January so I want to give my best shot.Im determined to study in US on 100%scholarship and have started to plan my studies accordingly.Looking forward to your reply.
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:06 am
Dear Karl,
I’m vietnamese student.In my plan,i want to get a scholarship for college or university.So i should be take a SAT test.Can you tell me the require score to get scholarship in college?Beside it i need to improve my listening,reading,writing skill.Because i came US 7 months ago but i didn’t get some big changes in them.Can you give me the best way or some advice to improve them?The important thing is vocabulary,it was lacking.I need some help about vocabulary.How can to improve my vocabulary?I’m looking for your reply to me .Thanks for your helps…
Best regards,
Kyo Dang
August 11th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Rahul,
Your scores are awesome. You should definitely continue learning as many words as you can before the October exam. The hit parade list sounds like a great idea if you think you need the structure.
If you have strong extracurricular activities (whether academic or non-academic), I think you have a solid chance of getting into at least one of the schools you mentioned in your comment. Good luck. Let me know how things go on the real test.
Sorry for the delay in responding, by the way. I have been on a much-needed family vacation away from the internet.
August 11th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Awais Shah,
You sound like a very ambitious and well organized student. This is very nice to see.
Each american university has different scholarship policies and opportunities. Unfortunately, you have to research each on individually.
Below is a link to Yale’s financial aid page:
http://www.yale.edu/admit/freshmen/financial_aid/index.html
In addition to researching financial aid opportunities, you may want to search the site for scholarship opportunites.
I hope this helps. Sent me an update when you get a chance.
August 11th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Kyo Dang,
The SAT score you need to qualify for merit-based scholarships depends on the schools to which you are applying. Different school have different requirements. Unfortunately, you are going to have to research schools one-by-one. (Thank goodness for the internet.)
At the end of August, ePrep will be launching the first video based SAT study program. The program includes a vocabulary builder called WordSmith that is sure to help a lot of students like you build a strong working vocabulary.
That being said, I still firmly believe that preparing for the SAT does not require a lot of money. You may want to watch my video on how to prepare for the SAT on a $25 budget. A link to the video is below:
http://www.eprep.com/2006/10/07/prep-for-the-sat-test-on-a-25-budget/
Good luck, Kyo Dang. I hope to hear from you again soon.
August 13th, 2007 at 11:10 am
Hey Karl,
I am a student athlete from Europe. Being a National Champion track athlete, and having tremendous amount of rewards in different sorts of leadership activities.
What should I score on the SAT, to win admission to an Ivy school, considering my extracurricular successes? I will take the SAT I in October, November, and SAT II’s in December. I am using the techniques you advised us in your videos. There is nothing I want more, than an Ivy school.
How much advantage does it mean over other applicants if I am in connect with a coach from an Ivy? He said, he needs me, but I have to prove academically as well.
How much the school officials, who make the decisions consider that we are not native English speakers, so we can’t have that strong vocabulary? Or they do not care at all?
Thanks: Viktor
August 17th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Viktor,
Sorry for the delay. If you are being recruited by Ivy League coaches, your chances of being admitted are much better than students in the general applicant pool. Depending on how aggressively you are being recruited, exceeding 1200 in math and critical reading combined will suffice at one or more of the Ivies. (I am assuming that your grades in school are exceptional.) Clearly, the higher you score, the better your chances will be.
Admission officers will consider that you are not a native English speaker, but you need to convince them, through the TOEFL or otherwise, that you are smart and that you will be able to do the work at their school. A high math score will be seen as evidence of your intelligence. A solid application with well-written essay will show that you can communicate well in English.
Good luck. Please do not hesitate to ask follow-up questions. Also, please send me an update when the time is right.
September 3rd, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Karl,
i have a 16year old son in the west african country of ghana. i will like him to study and pass the SAT. how do i help him prepare in terms of books to study and how to study and things like that. also do forein students get scholarships to American universities
September 3rd, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Dear Karl,
I’m working hard to prepare myself for the SAT and the only problem is my vocabulary.English is not my native language and sometimes I find myself unfamiliar with some words.
I’m using “Cracking the SAT 2007″ by Princeton Review and “The Official SAT Guide” by CollegeBoard.A friend of mine suggested me a good strategy book named “SAT 2400″ by Barron’s.
What do you think about my current preparation books and is there any way to improve my vocabulary by using this literature?
Sincerely yours,
A Rejzi
September 3rd, 2007 at 11:32 pm
kkoffi,
By the end of this week, ePrep will have launched its own comprehensive online SAT prep product. We will be offering a free sample, so that you and others can make informed purchase decisions. Please check back on Wednesday or Thursday.
International students are eligible for both athletic and academic scholarships at most American colleges and universities. Financial aid, on the other hand, is quite limited for international students.
I wish your son the best of luck. Please do not hesitate to send additional questions.
September 3rd, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Rejzi,
As I told kkoffi, ePrep is launching its own comprehensive online SAT prep product this week. It has a really cool vocabulary builder called ePrep WordSmith. It was designed by David Dean who graduated from Princeton University in 2003.
That being said, you do not need to spend a lot of money to improve your vocabulary. You just have to keep reading — looking up and memorizing unfamiliar words every chance you get.
I do not know much about Barron’s vocabulary building program, but I have reviewed the company’s practice tests. Since you asked, I feel like I have to be honest and tell you that I think the qualtity of the company’s practice tests is seriously lacking. If you are on a tight budget, you are best off sticking with the College Board’s book.
I hope my advice helps.
September 5th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
Hi Karl!
I am a Mexican student who just entered the IB course. I am having Maths in HL, English and Literature too. My question is, all this work is worht it? I am willing to study in Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Mit or a recognized University such as those. What scores in my IB exams do I have to achieve? Thank You.
September 6th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Diana,
The schools you mentioned are among the best in the world. I am happy that you are setting high goals for yourself. In order to gain admission at such elite universities, you will most likely have to earn the highest grades in your IB courses.
In addition to working hard in school, you should continue to read, write, and speak as much English as possible over the next few years. Good luck.
September 8th, 2007 at 5:22 am
hi karl!
i am a nepalese student currently preparing for sat. i have exam on oct6. cud please suggest me way to ger gr8 scores. i also needed information on converting my CBSE percentage into GPA so that i can apply to some universities in USA. i am looking forward to get into elite universities in USA. i am getting over 700 in maths section and in reading section i am struggling abit. i have good command over writing section. cud u please suggest me in this regard? please suggest me.
thanking you in anticipation.
September 8th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Desh,
Sounds like you have been working very hard. Your math score is awesome. You may want to try the free trial of “ePrep for the SAT,” ePrep’s new online SAT course. I think it can help you raise all of your scores, math included. If you are on a tight budget, I think you should watch as many of our free videos as possible. I am sure they will help.
I am not sure how to convert CBSE percentages into GPA. In fact, I do not even know what CBSE stands for. Let me know when you get a chance. I will then ask Don Betterton or Seamus Malin for an explanation. They are two of ePrep’s College Planning Guest Experts, Don used to work at Princeton University and Seamus at Harvard University.
Hope to hear from you soon.
September 9th, 2007 at 6:07 am
dear karl,
thanx alot for the quick response. i appreciate ur suggestion of giving a free trial of “eprep for the sat”. on the contrary, i have been toiling to improve my verbal part. about CBSE, it stands for central board of secondary education. it is somewhat like a board that controls education examinations for 10th grade and 12th grade(equivalent to A-levels). i need the percentage of 12th grade to be converted. since i am in nepal, it is really hard to get suggestions on indian system of education.
getting idea about this fron DOn or Seamus might be a great idea.
will hope for ur reply at the earliest.
September 9th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Desh,
I will try to contact Seamus tomorrow. I will let you know what he says. FYI, “ePrep for the SAT” covers all three subject areas: Critical Reading, Writing, and Math. If you want to improve your Critical Reading Score, you should definitely check out the free sample of the ePrep Wordsmith vocabulary builder.
Talk to you soon.
September 20th, 2007 at 5:44 am
Hey Karl, this is me, Viktor from Hungary again.
I’ve been studying for the upcoming SAT, using the Princeton Review book, and the Official College Board one too. I have recognized something that I would like to ask you? Why is the tests in the Princeton Review 5 times harder than the ones in the official collegeboad edition? For instance we have 25 minutes for one CR part, which includes sentence completion and and reading as well. There’s never more than 120 lines can be found in the official book, compared with sometimes 200 lines in the Princeton Review one. The math is definetily easiser in the Collegeboard one.
Are the editions published by the collegeboard closer to the exam’s difficulty level? I hope so.
Thanks: Viktor (who plans to go to an Ivy)
September 20th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Viktor,
The College Board tests are definitely closer to what you will
get on test day. I have been disappointed with the content
of certain test prep companies for years. That’s one of the
reasons I decided to get into the business myself — after
16 years of tutoring, I think I can do a much better job.
Thanks for the update. I hope you stay in touch.
October 3rd, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Early Action
Karl, track and field coach from Yale university is really enthusiastic about recruiting me, and he suggests me to use their “early action”. According to this, my application papers must be ready in two weeks. Can you tell me why is this early actions for? Is it more advantegous for me, if the coach said that I should definetaly use it? (he said that if I score 1800-1900, I am fine (that’s what I have actually scored on my practise tests under timed condition, with a 9 essay)
The other thing: I have to write a normal essay either by October 15, or December 31. What do you think I should write about? I want something that’s related to history or politics, because I have wide knowledge about those subjects. Can you recommend me a topic, with which the admission officers know more about me, and is not too commonplace?
Finally: what do you suggest to international students on the CR section? Should we skip, or read the passage. (CR drastically decreases my score, sentence complations are about OK, but Passage-based readingis what I just have difficulty to handle. Even if I understand the text in context, the answer choices are too tempting, so I can hardly cross out more than 1.) Or some other strategy? Vocabulry is still not too strong, but I have built it, so it’s fine now, short passages are fine, but the long ones hurt a lot…
By the way your PSAT course is just wonderful.
October 3rd, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Viktor,
If the Yale coach wants you to apply early action, do it. He would not ask you to do so unless he thought it would increase your chances of being admitted. I am very happy for you.
Did they give you an essay topic or leave it completely open-ended. Let me know and I will give you some advice. (I will also make myself available to proofread your essay when you finish it.)
I learned English as a second language and the CR hurt me too. I know how you feel. I would simple read the passages and try my best. Yale will take into consideration that English is not your first language.
Thanks for the compliment on ePrep’s PSAT course. By the way, I think the CR sections in the PSAT course are mildly harder than the ones on the real tests.
I hope to hear from you again soon.
October 4th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Thanks for the fast reply. And also, I can not be grateful anough for offering me to proofread my essay, you really help me a lot with it. I think I have to be independent enough to figure out a topic, which I will definetaly send to you. (can you give me an e-mail address, because I don’t want to publicize my essay here)
Also, I have developed a revolutionary new technique to crack the CR section. I highly recommend you to try this with international or slow reader students.
I realized that I have no big trouble with the short passages, only with the long ones. Then I can divide the long passage into short ones. I mean I read the first 10-15 lines of a long passage, and then I answer to the questions which are referred to that part, using fresh knowledge. Then I move on to the next 10-15 lines, and find those questions. This prevents the tempting answer choices to confuse me, because I can cross out the answers that are completely alien to that particular 10-15 lines. After this, I have enough knowledge to answer to questions that have no line reference.
Using this technique, my score on my latest SAT CR section was 650. I never did better than 550 before, so it definetaly works for me.
By the way, the early action deadline of Yale is 1st of November, so I have roughly 3 weeks to work on my application..
I will keep you updated. Thanks: Viktor
October 4th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Viktor,
I like your CR approach a lot. I will definitely suggest it to some of my students. Good luck on Saturday.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Hi Karl,
You have a great, popular site and I enjoy reading your blogs and tips very much. I am an Canadian-born Chinese but have moved to Hong Kong since I was 1. I go to international school and I am definitely more proficient in English than my Chinese. Would I be considered a native speaker and be exempted from taking TOEFL for my university applications?
Thanks a lot!
October 10th, 2007 at 7:23 am
Christy,
Thank you for your kind words about the site. Please note that no student is “required” to take the TOEFL. The TOEFL is a good option, however, for students who underperform in the English/reading/writing sections of the SAT and ACT. The TOEFL offers international students the opportunity to demonstrate their English fluency.
The bottom line is this: If you are happy with your English/reading/writing SAT/ACT scores, do not bother taking the TOEFL. If, however, you feel like language issues cause you to underperform on the SAT/ACT, take the TOEFL in order to demonstrate the level of your English fluency.
October 10th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Hi Karl,
It’s good to know that as I can have one fewer test to worry.
Cheers!
October 11th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Hi karl,,
I am from India ,, and i am preparing to give SAT,, in the start of december this year.
And the point is that i haven’t started my prepration up till now ,, but I am goin to start in a day or two,, which means that i’ve got around 50 days ,, so is it possible for me to have a exam with a good score ( 1350 leaving writing) ,, is it possible !
For how many hrs i have to study for SAT and also for maths and english as i’ve got my 12th studies also so its pretty hard for me but i’ll try my best ,, as i don’t wanna
waste a year for SAT as i wish to apply for University of north texas for the fall 07 for which i have to send my results 6 monts before,, plz help me out as this is quite crucial for me.
Thanks for yout support.
Ravi.
October 12th, 2007 at 12:30 am
Ravi,
I am traveling today and sending this message from a hand-held device. I will send you a proper response tomorrow as soon as I can get to a computer. Thank you for your patience.
October 12th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Ravi,
I absolutely think you can prepare well in fifty days. You have to be very diligent, however. You may want to start by trying ePrep’s free PSAT course. Once you have finished that, let me know and I will guide you further. Hope to hear from you again soon.
October 13th, 2007 at 5:31 am
How many international students get more than 2360 in SAT I exams in Y2007. Do you have any information information.
October 14th, 2007 at