<p>I've been wondering if an 800 on SAT II's really have that much of an impact because so many people get somewhere in the 770-800 range. This might not hold so well for non-native speakers of the foreign language tests, but to see that a relatively high percent (I think 9% of Math II tests are 770+) of test takers score in the upper range seems to be a sign that the college board needs to rewrite their tests. With a seemingly low statistical significance, do the admissions officers think very highly of an 800 SAT II anymore?</p>
<p>No, not of one (especially not in Ivies or other top schools). To have several near-800 scores may have some effect. It is understood that some sat ii's are easier. To score an 800 on a test in your native language, to get an 800 SAT II math -- those are the weakest 800s.</p>
<p>What about 800's in the sciences? (more than one, two-four depending on the student, I suppose.)</p>
<p>I'm pretty damned sure that 800s hold a lot of weight. Multiple 800s in academic subjects is even more impressive.</p>
<p>800s in Subjects such as your native language, Math II, and Physics don't hold any water--they're pretty much prerequisites for the most competitive schools.</p>
<p>When you say near-800, what does that mean? Will a 790 in Lit and a 770 in US Hist impress?</p>
<p>(More importantly, would they offset a 730 Math 1...)</p>
<p>Any test 700+ is excellent.
I would say that there is no difference between scores > 750.</p>
<p>Ugh. I hate it when foreign students take the SAT II in their native languages. I find it kind of a cop-out of taking a test which requires actual studying. </p>
<p>I would use completely use it if I were in that boat, but I personally would think more highly of a non-native speaker who gets a 720 on the Chinese language exam than a native speaker who gets an 800.</p>
<p>Bilingualism is bilingualism. They take the rest of their tests in their second language - it seems only fair that they take one in their first.</p>
<p>well colleges can usually tell whether a person is taking a subject test in his or her native language... so they know whether or not it took a lot of work.</p>
<p>i think that an 800 does carry weight, but if they're like ALL science + math (typical asian male, unfortunately for me :() or what kwu listed, is not AS impressive. i see it as... the more variety the better?</p>
<p>Yes and no. </p>
<p>The critical reading test on the SAT I in English is much more difficult than the the language tests. Speaking the language can get you through the SAT II language tests, but just speaking English isn't going to get you through the CR portion of the SAT I. You forget the fact that some people learned both English and a second language at the same time- it's not always a "English is a second language" sort of thing, so they kind of have the upperhand in that respect. </p>
<p>Either way, I see the SAT subject tests as a way to show what you've learned in your education and your motivation in learning, not what kind of environment you've grown up in. Being a native speaker isn't something you exactly "work hard at." Even so, what about test takers who native languages aren't available? Tough luck? Not really fair either........</p>
<p>I never said CR = SAT II language tests in terms of difficulty or complexity. In any case, if native English speakers find the CR section tough, imagine what difficulty non-native speakers must have. It's probably a fair bit more than whatever difficulty English speakers have on the language tests.</p>
<p>I think we have differing views on what standardized testing is intended to indicate. I see the tests as being measurements of raw skill; if you possess the skill, you display it on the test, you get the appropriate score, without regard to how you came about that skill. Hard work shouldn't measure into it; that's what GPA is for.</p>
<p>Some people are always going to excel in certain subjects with little effort, for whatever the reason, and it's no use penalizing them. Saying that a Chinese student has an advantage because his/her background allowed him/her to score high on the language test doesn't seem fair to me. It'd be like saying I had an unfair advantage because I grew up in a household where reading was valued and encouraged, and subsequently scored a 790 on literature without studying. Same goes for people with strong math backgrounds. If someone chooses to spend hours studying or in prep classes to get a comparable score, more power to them, but their score won't be any more valid because they "worked."</p>
<p>What about an 800 in Literature?</p>
<p>790=800 in almost all subjects. Exceptions</p>
<p>1) Math IIC (Level 2) a 790 is the 88th Percentile
2) Languages...because native speakers and others mess up the curve, so percentages are skewed for that as well.</p>
<p>"Bilingualism is bilingualism. They take the rest of their tests in their second language - it seems only fair that they take one in their first."</p>
<p>First, people who are bilingual don't necessarily have a "first" and "second" language. Lots of kids grow up speaking two languages from childhood. So they aren't taking the rest of their tests in their second language. </p>
<p>Also, yes, people who speak English as their second language obviously have to take SAT and SAT II in their second language. But if you want to go to an American college or univ., you are rightly going to be judged, score-wise, on the same playing field as native English speakers. On the other hand, the SAT II language tests are intended to test your ability in a foreign language. Native speakers who take those tests are not being tested on that ability. </p>
<p>I'm not knocking people who do it, but it's not what the test was intended for.</p>
<p>BTW, yeah, I'm sweating the Spanish SAT II scores about to come out. :-</p>
<p>In reply to the whole native-speaker taking an SAT II language test thing...</p>
<p>To many students who had English as their first language, it is a bit harder to understand that it actually takes work to still do well on SATIIs in your native language. I can confidently say that it is actually quite rare to have a student score 800 on an SATII language test and still do well on the SAT I's.</p>
<p>I know for asians, many kids dont speak their native language that much and consequently lose the ability to communicate well in that language. To actually get an 800 on a language test (be in Chinese, Spanish, German, whatever) means one has to be pretty proficient with it. Just because you speak perfect Chinese does NOT mean you will score an 800. In fact, just being able to speak it can only get you a 500ish. Writing and reading in another language at an "800-level" AND getting a great CR score is not as easy as many think. </p>
<p>I might be biased seeing how I'm a native Korean speaker and got a 790 on the SAT IIs. However, you must realize that to develop this level of proficiency (not even a perfect 800 btw), I had to go to korean school for well over 7 years of my life. If I had not studied Korean for so long and instead just spoke it at home, I would probably have scored a sub 600 or so, seeing how I would be able to read NOTHING since I am never exposed to korean writing outside of korean school.</p>
<p>Hope that puts things in perspective. Just because you speak a language at home does not mean you can read and understand it at an SAT-level. It gives you an advantage because you HEAR it a lot, but that does not help you READ it, which is what the SAT tests.</p>
<p>Yeah, I wrote I speak spanish at home (which I do), but English was my first language... and I speak more of a spanglish type of thing. Consequently, I got a 570 on Spanish w/ Listening.. :( retaking now in January! Ahh... I'm really hoping adcoms don't think I'm lying when I say I speak it at home.</p>
<p>Is an 800 in World History noteworthy? and 780 in Chemistry w/o AP Chemistry?</p>