<p>If you're a non-native speaker, isnt it acceptable to get a 500-600 on a test thats designed so natives cant get a perfect score?</p>
<p>The lower UC's offer one year credit if you get a 520, so i dont really see what the big fuss about. </p>
<p>Thoughts?</p>
<p>lol. it's acceptable but if you apply to competitive schools, they still want 700+. Non-native french and spanish speakers get 700+ easy on SAT II language. Thats non-natives who gets 80s in the class. :p. {says alot about level of difficulty}</p>
<p>who says that it's designed for native speakesr can't get a perfect score? the SAT chinese has an average a 720 or something.</p>
<p>
[quote]
designed so natives cant get a perfect score..
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That is an incorrect assumption. From CB's website for Spanish, for example:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Three to four years of Spanish language study in high school (or two years of strong preparation), or the equivalent.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>A non-native speaker who is taking AP Lang can score a high 600 or 700+.</p>
<p>Depends on the Subject Test, I think. I've heard that Spanish and Chinese have killer curves, but the other ones are supposed to be alright if you've had sufficient practice.</p>
<p>Dunno about Chinese, but Spanish is not that difficult for a fourth-year, non-native, Spanish student. But, don't plan on a 750+, unless acing AP. :)</p>
<p>its not that natives cant a 800, its just that ive heard of natives getting a 770 or so.</p>
<p>The fact that the average for chinese is 720 is just my point, alot of the testakers are chinese people who want language credit for college, thus murdering the curve that exists on other SATs.</p>
<p>but yeah...im study like crazy for this test</p>
<p>I had a hard time on the French SAT II. I'm the also best student in my French V class and I stayed with a host family in France.</p>
<p>I was also one of the only ones in my school to take the SAT IIs. ACT dominates.</p>
<p>My friend took the Spanish test (he's in Spanish V) and did not score very well either.
So, the material you learn has a big deal to do with it. Maybe my school's language program isn't compatible with the test?</p>
<p>"acceptable" is certainly vague.</p>
<p>at top schools, no, 500-600 is not acceptable, but keep in mind sat 2's are only a small part of your scores.</p>
<p>with that said, i think that the SAT 2 languages (at least spanish) test alot on vocabulary. the grammar is very basic (spanish 3) so its sort of an easy test to study for. furthermore, a 650+ is certainly possible for anyone</p>
<p>For the most part, it just depends on what kind of school's you're applying to. If the school's average SAT scores are in the 700 range, I don't think they would cut you any slack for getting a 500-600 on language. Try to aim for whatever range the school you want has reported.</p>
<p>On a related note, I took 4th year French, which is the equivalent of AP French at my school, did well in the class, and got a 760, so it's not entirely impossible, since I'm not a native speaker. On the other hand, I know other people in my class who took the SAT French test and did much worse than I, so it's really on an individual basis. </p>
<p>I would just say if you have a good grasp of grammar and are fairly well-read in the language, then go for it. It might be a good idea to have other subjects in mind if you don't do as well as you would like.</p>
<p>Also, I'm pretty proficient in Chinese (I go to Chinese school and my family speaks it at home) and I decided not to take the Chinese test in large part due to that HORRENDOUS curve.</p>
<p>Have fun studying and good luck!</p>
<p>I took a language one myself and bombed it despite taking the suggested number of years. I think it's how far you've learned with the subject. And being white, it's hard to get fluent from telenovelas.</p>
<p>It shouldn't be impossible to get an 800 if you are non native. As a native Spanish speaker, the Spanish the test was ridiculously easy. So I cannot see why someone who has spent four years studying the language cannot manage at least 700 with hard work and preparation.</p>
<p>What about listening vs. non-listening versions of the test? It seems to me that the listening portion could be particularly difficult for a non-native speaker (and my observation is that in my son's school, oral skills are not emphasized all that much).</p>
<p>I'm a non-native speaker of German and I got a 760 on the German w/ Listening SAT and a 5 on the AP.</p>
<p>To sprtn117: it's difficult because, at least with the German test, it's almost all "exceptions to the rules," i.e., stuff like odd expressions that you really wouldn't know unless you're a native speaker, or very advanced grammar stuff that they almost never teach in high school. I managed to have a great teacher and natural talent for language, but the average student even in 4th level would have trouble, hence the low averages.</p>
<p>to Hunt: It's usually better to take listening if you're comfortable with it just because it gives colleges a better picture of your language skills. I didn't find the listening part to be extremely difficult, by my class was very speech and understanding-oriented, so if his wasn't it might be a problem. This also might be a problem on the AP test because, with German at least (I don't know about any others), there is a section where you must record oral answers with a tape recorder, in addition to a listening portion.</p>
<p>I've also heard the listening is difficult bcos the tape players have poor quality audio, so it's easy to miss inflections, etc.</p>
<p>I didn't experience that but I guess it could be true if you're taking a test like Chinese where inflections are crucial to meaning.</p>
<p>Then again, if you're taking Chinese with Listening, chances are you're a native speaker.</p>
<p>Having taken 2 practice SAT Chinese tests w/ Listening, I didn't feel like poor audio quality impeded my comprehension that much, if at all. </p>
<p>The main obstacle in listening comprehension, at least IMO, is that on most language exams, SAT and AP, is that they only play the dialogue one time, two at the most.</p>
<p>To put this in context, yes, I am a native speaker.</p>
<p>I got a 760 on Spanish (w/o listening). I was taking AP Spanish Language the same school year. I got a 5 on the exam. I am not a native speaker. I just "get" Spanish. It naturally comes easy to me.</p>
<p>^^
Hey I got 760 too (w/o listening).
The thing is that I never took a Spanish course. I'm a Portuguese speaker and that is pretty much the same as being native, sort of. </p>
<p>And I also refused to take Chinese because it would not look as good since I'm a Chinese speaker too.</p>
<p>Same for me. 760 without listening and a 5 on the AP Language test. I am a native speaker. ^_~</p>