SATs vs. A-Level (GCSE, IGCSE)

i'm doin ma SATs tomorrow.. and worried about wat score im going to get.. cos im findin the english in the SAT hard..... do IV league uni's look at mainly SATs.. cos i got very high IGCSE grades (9A*) .. and am predicted high A-level grades too...
ahh if only there was one skl system..

thanks

Reply 1

WokSz

The skills required in the SATs are somewhat different to IGCSEs. Although the latter will probably be more similar to SAT II, the first will test your skills in Vocabulary and Mathematics - basics things you need to be good at according to US Universities.

Ivy League schools place quite a lot of emphasis on the SAT score for many reasons. As I said above, the majority of the American Universities feel it's the most appropriate preparatory course for College entrance into the US. As a result, if you do well on it they feel you would probably be successful in their degree programs.

The Ivy League schools are notorious for looking at not only test scores. Harvard for example has made it common policy to interview as many candidates as possible so as to get to know the person as well. We need to understand that unlike Oxbridge, Harvard don't only interview potential students. They will also give out offers to students they don't interview. On a side note for Harvard, they have mentioned on their website that they have often rejected students who always had straight As at school and got 1600 on the SAT. This shows that they aren't simply looking for very smart people, but also students who are well-balanced and enjoy doing non-academic endeavours. This trend is sadly not seen often in British or European Universities.

I hope that helps :smile:

. Good luck with your SAT!

Reply 2

s.e.r.e.n.e

biggadog

American universities in general place more emphasis on the linguistic skills of their freshmen.

Yes the english is going to be harder than what we have for GCSE. You will need to study for the vocab harder. SATII wise, they are very easy compared to our A-levels.

Yes SAT is very very important, way more than SAT II for your Ivy League admissions.

Reply 3

teily

yea, the verbal part of the SAT is difficult. To "level" my score i took the ACT instead of the SAT. math and science are my strengths so I took the test that catered to that. The ACT has four parts while the SAT has two. best of luck on your test.