<p>I've heard that some schools require incoming freshmen to take SATII languages. If anyone has taken the french exam in the past years could they share the level of difficulty and their experiences? Thanks...any advice on preparation?</p>
<p>I found the vocabulary/grammar multiple choice section to be quite generous. I've been in French immersion in Canada since seventh grade and was only unfamiliar with one word, but guessed it because all the other choices were bogus. I remeber it was "semelle" which means sole of a shoe or sandal. </p>
<p>I remember on the October 9th SAT II French test, there was only one word I didn't know. It was "charcutier" which means porkbutcher. I also guessed that correctly. I think half the skill on the French tests is knowing the words and grammar, and the other half is eliminating obviously incorrect answers. </p>
<p>I found I finished 60 questions on 20 minutes, took 25 minutes for the reading and advertisements, and the last 15 reviewing. Last time I took the test, I got a 760. That's pretty good considering I'm not a native speaker. </p>
<p>And also, remember that the guessing penalty on the French test is 1/3 of a point, not 1/4 of a point like most tests, so it's fairly nasty. I wish they'd give 5 answer choices, cause most of the time I could pick the answer out of 50 choices. </p>
<p>There is also some evidence of commonly accepted French standards in the test that are not completely grammatically correct, but follow idiom, so you must watch out for that, and I think that is fair. I know there were a few fill-in-the-blank questions that had 2 or 3 correct answers, but you had to have a knowledge of which answer is more commonly spoken and most efficient in speech. I know in many American schools, French is taught in an English setting and emphasis is put on grammar and vocabulary rather than oral fluency. This puts students at a severe disadvantage. You can read and write the language, but if you cannot express yourself orally effectively, you're lost. That is why I am thankful for the French Immersion program that is offered in virtually every Canadian high school. </p>
<p>I also spent 5 weeks studying in Quebec City this summer on scholarship, and I know that helped me a lot on the test. The best way to prepare for this test is to immerse yourself as much as you can in a French environment that goes beyond the classroom as much as possible. </p>
<p>I recommend taking the French test as the first subject tests. Never take a math or science test before a language. You definitely will be able to concentrate more, without all that scientific mumble-jumble in your head, whereas if you take a math or science afterwards, it's not too hard to wash a language out of your mind for an hour or two.</p>
<p>hi...can anyone suggest which books i should use for the french sat ii??</p>