<p>hi,</p>
<p>i'm a student from the uk and i am thinking of applying to american "colleges". in order to do so, i guess i have to sit the SAT tests. i was just wondering if anyone has done both SATs and a-levels. if so, could you comment on the relative difficulty?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>Hi, I’m from the Caribbean where we do the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE) which is equivalent to the British A-Level. I also did the SAT.</p>
<p>First you have to understand that there are two diff SAT exams. They are SAT I and SAT II. </p>
<p>The skills required in the SAT I are somewhat different to A-Level. Although the A-Levels will probably be more similar to SAT II. SAT I will test your skills in Vocabulary Mathematics and Writing- basics things you need to be good at according to US Universities.</p>
<p>The SAT I (a.k.a SAT Reasoning test) includes math content that’s roughly equivalent to GCSE-level Maths. The test does however include some math content that is not tested at GCSE level. These topics include: Functions, Permutations and Combinations, Sets</p>
<p>The SAT I also test Critical Reading i.e it is designed to test reading comprehension and vocabulary in context. Thus, GCSE-level English is good preparation for this portion of the exam. However, you should practice extensively, so that you are prepared to budget time for the lengthy passages. (the lengthy passages and time limits per section is why some find this section of the test difficult) </p>
<p>SAT I includes a written essay (25 minutes) plus 2 multiple choice Writing sections. The multiple choice sections will test your knowledge of standard English grammar and style. Technically, this is American English, so British students may have trouble with the occasional idiom. But a background in grammar is essential.</p>
<p>Yes far easier</p>
<p>SAT’s are 20 times easier than A Levels!</p>
<p>Not really…</p>
<p>A levels just require you to try hard and put in a lot of effort, whereas SAT are mainly aptitude based.</p>
<p>The average person can probably only score a maximum of 2100…</p>
<p>For 2300+ you have to have some natural ability</p>
<p>What matters on the SAT is how well you do compared to others. So it doesn’t really matter how easy or hard it is.</p>
<p>I’m also from the UK and I took the SATs.</p>
<p>To answer your question: no.</p>
<p>The SATs (Both reasoning tests and subject tests) consist of about 50% of topics that aren’t covered in A-Level. Of course the other 50% that ARE covered in A-level are much easier but the overall test will be harder since half the material isn’t on the A-Level syllabus.</p>
<p>You definitely should consider doing a month or so of revision (depending on your natural skill) rather than just sitting it and hoping for the best.</p>
<p>thats my opinion</p>
<p>a level maths, while more in depth than sat math, is based more on content and knowledge.
sat math on the other hand seems to be heavily based on time management/minimizing careless errors.</p>
<p>if you do a level math content wise the sat math isnt a problem, but the speed and precision at which u have to complete sat math is something new.</p>
<p>the reading and writing sections are tougher than a level’s english. questions are tricker, vocab tested tougher, time constraint much higher as usual.</p>