SATs, SAT Subject Tests, ACTs, AP, IB, CXC, CAPE, TOEFL! When it comes to planning for college, which tests should you take and why? Depending on your high school curriculum, you may be exiting high school with a diploma that doesn't quite translate to American or European standards. The standardized tests you take can impact your application eligibility and in some cases improve your chances of acceptance.
Determining which series of standardized tests are required for your college applications largely depends on where you plan to study. If you are aiming at applying to American institutions, College Board's SAT, AP, SAT subject tests or the ACT test are accepted. Most students will select between taking the SAT or ACT exam to submit in addition to their high school transcript. Choosing between either depends on your testing preference and which tests are available in your region. The SAT is composed of three parts: Reading, Writing, and Math and lasts 3 hours 50 minutes. The ACT is composed of five sections: English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing (optional) and lasts 2 hours 55 minutes. Picking between the two is a matter of personal preference. Either of these scores will be sent to your desired institution, so be mindful of how many times you take these tests. The rule is to never take more than 3 and use the best of your 3 scores to send to schools.
Taking AP and SAT subject test exams depends on your situation. If you are planning on studying in the US, APs offer the benefit of college credit for scores 4+. This can help eliminate freshman year required courses, reducing your program length. Each university has different transfer requirements, so it is helpful to see your school's course transfer guide.
In addition, different colleges will credit courses differently. Not all AP courses hold the same weight; it largely depends on what you wish to study. AP Art History will not offer as much benefit to a degree in biology compared to AP Biology. SAT subject tests can add more "weight" to your application by displaying technical competence in key subjects like STEM and foreign language courses.
For individuals interested in studying in the Netherlands, American standardized tests like the SAT and ACT hold no weight, so do not waste your money and time stress about them. Instead, most schools will require the student have taken 3 - 4 AP courses with a score of 3+ if coming from an American curriculum or their equivalence in IB or CAPE courses. Though these exams act as a minimum bar to entry for most Dutch university programs, they do not offer college credit like they do in the US.
Caribbean standardized testing (ex. CXC) is accepted internationally but may require transcript conversion. IB courses are internationally accepted but it is important to review the transfer equivalency for your courses. CAPE exams can offer academic credit at American institutions. If you are attending a Dutch institution like MPC in Sint Maarten, your stream organically translates to the Dutch higher education scheme. Unfortunately, if you are interested in studying elsewhere, transcript conversion may be required. The main risk of stream-based programs in the Caribbean is that they limit your choices when selecting your desired program. For example, if you chose the business package but wish to study a degree in STEM, the gaps in your fundamental education may make you ineligible for those programs. Additional education may be required before you can transfer across streams. This does not mean you cannot study STEM programs coming from a business package, but it will require more work.
If you are a citizen from a country with an official language other than English, some institutions may require you to take an English-proficiency exam. The most common version available on Sint Maarten is the TOEFL exam. Despite the fact that if you are a Sint Maartener, the likelihood of your native tongue not being English is low, taking the TOEFL exam can help improve the eligibility of your application and make up for any lower scores in reading and writing.
For most Caribbean students, selecting the unique combination of tests will largely depend on your intended destination. Sometimes taking more tests can pad your application, but this comes at a cost.
If you have questions about which tests you should take, schedule a 1:1 with a member of our team @ connect.empoweru@gmail.com.
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