U.S. Immigration Education: The SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), an important examination for high school students worldwide to apply for admission to U.S. universities and scholarships, is often referred to as the U.S. college entrance examination (premium course) alongside the ACT. The reform of the SAT has always been a focal point for Chinese students and parents. On July 1 of this year, the College Board released the official guide for the new SAT, marking 2016 as the first year after the SAT revision. Therefore, understanding how to actively respond to the new SAT reform has become an urgent knowledge point for domestic high school students. Regarding the phenomenon of students rushing to register for the last old version of the SAT, education experts suggest that Chinese students need not be so anxious, but should instead focus on actively improving their reading and analytical skills.
AP Courses: Enhancing Students' Comprehensive Abilities, Preparation is Key
The Advanced Placement (AP) program, provided by the College Board, offers college-level courses in high school, allowing high school students to engage with college coursework early and potentially earn college credit. In terms of practicality and functionality, AP courses play an absolutely important supportive role for the SAT exam, significantly enhancing students' reading, writing skills, and vocabulary expansion. Furthermore, AP courses cultivate students' analytical skills, which are also a crucial assessment point in the SAT exam.
Reading: Encouraging Extensive Close Reading to Improve Speed and Accuracy
The reformed SAT exam will present a significant challenge to students' reading comprehension and vocabulary, with the weight of the memorization section reduced to 5%. Education experts believe that students should engage in extensive close reading rather than just skimming. On the basis of close reading, students must eliminate confusion regarding the questions about the text and thoroughly understand the meaning conveyed by the article, clearly organizing the relationships and evidence (arguments) within it, and correctly interpreting the meaning of each sentence. "Test-takers must improve their speed and accuracy in close reading, striving to align more closely with native English speakers (premium course), and should choose to read challenging texts while also engaging with a wide range of topics."
In the new SAT test, the reading section will also undergo significant reforms, with reading, writing (grammar and an optional essay), and math to be completed within 180 minutes. Reading will pose a considerable challenge for non-native English speakers. Scholars suggest, "Domestic test-takers should read more articles in the biological sciences, even if they encounter many specialized and obscure vocabulary terms, as it is essential to clarify the structural relationships within the articles."
Some netizens have raised questions about how to choose the optional essay. Global Study (courses) understands that U.S. university applications are absolutely fair and balanced, with examiners primarily assessing students' comprehensive abilities. Domestic candidates can choose to take the essay based on their personal circumstances, but should strive to participate in the optional essay test to gain additional points to improve their admission rates to prestigious U.S. universities. On the other hand, this will also assist students in applying for scholarships at universities.
Writing: Do Not Rush for Results, "Slow Work Yields Fine Products"
The official guide for the new SAT highly praises writing, stating, "Writing is a crucial communication tool; whether you are in college or working, writing is core to higher education." The new essay is an optional prompt and is the last part of the new SAT exam, where test-takers will write on a given topic within 50 minutes, without needing to provide their own opinions but rather analyze the provided argumentative material. The new essay requires test-takers to demonstrate logical reasoning rigor and effective evidence analysis, focusing on analyzing and commenting on the given reading material. In preparing for the essay, it is emphasized that test-takers should develop good writing habits, practicing at least one essay every two days. In writing the essay, students should not blindly start writing but should first organize their arguments and ideas. Domestic middle and high school students should also read more original books from foreign universities, as "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"; there are no shortcuts to learning.
Mathematics: Correctly Understanding the Requirements of the Questions is Key
Chinese students have consistently outperformed Americans in mathematics, showing a significant advantage. However, the text length of the math questions in the new SAT will be greater than in the current version, which undoubtedly increases the impact of language barriers for Chinese test-takers, potentially diminishing their advantage in mathematics. Regarding this part, which both students and parents are keenly concerned about, education scholars believe that test-takers need not overly worry about the reforms in the math section. "Students only need to master the basic mathematical knowledge points; I believe that Chinese test-takers' advantages in mathematics will continue to manifest. If a test-taker does not perform well in the math section of the SAT, it is likely due to insufficient mastery of knowledge points in domestic math courses."
In summary, the new SAT will be a new attempt for students, conducting a multidimensional assessment of test-takers. The exam questions will further aim to accurately assess students' academic abilities, requiring students to invest more time in review and develop more effective study plans. Test-takers and parents need not overly worry about the challenges posed by the new SAT; those who begin reviewing now will also have ample time to adapt to the changes brought by the new exam.