Analysis of various examinations in American middle schools

The full name of SSAT is (Middle School Entrance Examination), which is a middle school entrance examination in the United States, equivalent to the senior high school entrance examination in China. The examination was conducted by SSATB (Middle School Entrance Examination Committee) in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

SSAT was founded in 1957, with a history of 49 years. Since the establishment of SSAT, there have been more than 750 examination rooms all over the world, and there are also examination centers in Taiwan Province, China, Shanghai and Hongkong. About 60,000 candidates apply for the exam every year. There are more than 300 private secondary schools in the world (including many excellent private schools such as the United States and Canada), and the SSAT report must be listed as one of the important documents for admission application; More than 300 other schools will require or accept SSAT, because these schools trust the detailed evaluation results of SSAT, and SSAT will compare your performance with other competitive global student groups, so SSAT is one of the very important reference conditions provided to schools when applying for admission to private secondary schools.

SSAT exam content:

SSAT mainly measures students' mathematics, English level and comprehension. The exam is divided into four parts: quantitative, oral, reading and writing. And it is divided into two kinds of tests: the lower grade (candidates currently studying in grades 5-7) and the upper grade (candidates currently studying in grades 8- 1 1).

The scores of subjects in grades 5-7 are between 440-765 and 438+00, with full marks of 265,438+030 and basic marks of 65,438+0320.

Grade 8-1 1 500-800, out of 2400, basic score 1500. None of the above writing samples are graded, but they are one of the important references for schools to choose students.

The SSAT exam structure is divided into four parts:

Mathematics (quantitative) is divided into two units, each with 25 questions and 30 minutes.

Chinese (verbs) are divided into 30 synonyms, 30 and 30 analogies. The examination time is ***30 minutes.

Reading ***40 exam time * * * 40 minutes.

The writing sample is ***25 minutes, which is not included in the score, but it is one of the important references of American schools.

The SSAT exam is held in June 1 1, June 12, June 1, March and April every year. You can take the exam many times and apply for the school with the highest score. The SSAT exam provides free delivery to two schools, but the name of the school should be filled in before the exam. Students are advised to determine the school application list before the exam.

How to take the SSAT exam:

If you want to take an overseas exam, please log on to the official website of SSAT in www.ssat.org and choose the test center according to your actual situation. If you want to take the exam in Shanghai, please visit the official website of SSAT in www.ssat.org. When choosing a test center, please select K 12 1 test center. Or sign up for SSAT Shanghai test center.

Website: ssat.com.tw, or telephone registration, please call Shanghai SSAT test center to register at (02 1)6235 1907. The self-registration fee for SSAT is about 1600 yuan.

2.IB course

The full name of IB course is International Bachelor Degree Diploma Course (IB course for short). He is a two-year easy course designed by the International Diploma Organization for senior high school students.

IB Senior High School is a two-year pre-university course for high school students in grades 1 1 and 12. IB curriculum is not based on the curriculum system of any country in the world, but is self-contained, which absorbs the advantages of mainstream curriculum systems in many developed countries and covers its main core contents. Therefore, IB curriculum system not only has compatibility with the mainstream education curriculum system in the world, but also has its own uniqueness under the development of its own educational concept.

IB courses are distributed in six basic disciplines, and students should study both science and humanities. All students participating in the diploma program must choose one course in these six subject groups to study. Each course is divided into advanced courses and general courses.

All IB diploma students must choose one course in each of the six prescribed subject groups, at least three of which are advanced courses. The maximum score of each subject is 7 points, plus 3 points for expanding papers and knowledge papers, out of 45 points.

Group 1: Language A 1 and World Literature

Group 2: Language B (modern language other than mother tongue)

The third group: individuals and sociology (history, geography, economics, philosophy, psychology, etc. )

The fourth group: experimental science (physics, chemistry, biology, design, environmental system, etc. )

The fifth group: mathematics (advanced mathematics level, advanced mathematics standard level, mathematics research, mathematics method)

The sixth group: art and elective courses (art design, music, drama art, etc. , or the third modern language, or choose another subject from the third and fourth groups, or the standard level of advanced mathematics)

Students who want to get IB diploma must also study TOK (knowledge theory) and EE (extended thesis), and have qualified CAS activities (creation, action and service). These three core courses are the concentrated expression of the uniqueness of the curriculum of IBO diploma program. The course of epistemology is an interdisciplinary compulsory course. Its purpose is to cultivate students' ability of judgment and comprehensive induction, encourage students to question basic knowledge, prevent subjective assumptions and ideological prejudice, and enhance students' ability of analysis and expression on a rational basis. ? Expand the topic? Students are required to conduct independent research in combination with a certain knowledge point in the course they have studied, and can write an article of 4,000 words. This requirement provides students with the opportunity to write papers according to their own interests, which makes them familiar with independent research methods and exercises their writing ability. CAS stands for creation, action and service, and encourages students to innovate, improve their artistic accomplishment, persist in exercising, care for others and give full play to the spirit of cooperation with others. Only when students surpass themselves and the knowledge in textbooks can they develop in an all-round way and become people with complete civic awareness.

Thousands of universities in the United States and Canada regard IB diplomas as excellent admission qualifications. Famous universities, such as Florida University, Yale, Princeton and other first-class Ivy League universities, even allow IB students with excellent grades (students with 6 or 7 scores in all three major subjects) to enter the school directly to study in the second year of university, without having to study in the first year. In addition, most universities give credit relief to students who have achieved excellent results in individual subjects, thus shortening the time and expenses for students to study in universities.

3.AP course

What is the full name of AP course? Advanced course class? The abbreviation of "Advanced Placement" is an educational program established by American College Board (CEEB) in American high schools. It aims to provide opportunities for high school students with excellent grades and talents to take college-level courses in advance in high school. AP courses usually have a wealth of teachers, and teaching according to the syllabus formulated by CEEB is as difficult as the basic courses of American freshmen. AP has 19 subjects and 34 courses, such as? Calculus? Physics? Chemistry? Economy? English writing? Literature? Environmental science? American politics and government? American history? European history? Various foreign languages, etc. The course covers a wide range, and each subject is studied for one year. Students can take one or more courses according to school regulations and their own abilities.

If you do well in the AP course exam, you may apply for college credits directly, which is one of the most direct benefits of taking AP courses. ETS holds AP exam in May every year, and you can know the exam results in July. Test scores range from 1 to 5. Most universities are good grades with a score of 4 or above, which can give university credits (some schools will not change). For example, the applicant's calculus AP test score is 5. If the rest of the universities recognize this score, you can get credit for this course in your freshman year, without having to choose the candidate's course. In this way, you can take other interesting lessons in the well. The more AP test scores are recognized by universities, the more credits they get, the more time students spend studying other courses in universities, and they may finish their studies ahead of schedule or even miss out on their double degrees.

Chinese AP course is a foreign language course, allowing middle school students to attend for two years. Candidates who pass the exam can get college credits, or take advanced Chinese courses, or both. In other words, those who pass the AP exam and pass the exam can choose Chinese classes in the fifth semester after entering the university. About 90% universities in the United States, Canada and about 20 other countries recognize its credits.

The difficulty and scope of AP Chinese course are equivalent to four semesters (about 250 hours) in American universities as a second language, including Chinese listening, speaking, reading and writing and China culture. The language is Mandarin, and the fonts are simplified and traditional.

AP Chinese test aims at communication skills, cultural awareness, integration, cultural comparison and community application. Students need to understand the embodiment and product of China culture, make a comparative study of Chinese and American culture and grammar, and go beyond the classroom to master practical communication skills.

Basic framework of AP Chinese test

The basic structure of the examination is divided into three modes: interpersonal communication ability, information acceptance ability and expression ability. Interpersonal communication ability tests students' exchange of opinions and ideas, information acceptance ability tests students' reading comprehension and listening, and expression ability tests students' oral and writing.

Interpersonal skills account for 30%, including reading and writing questions 1% and listening and speaking questions 20%; Information acceptance test 40%, including listening part 15% and reading part 25%; 30% of the questions are about expression ability, half are spoken and half are written.

Like other AP foreign language tests, the Chinese test is based on the fluency of language use and has strict requirements on the test time. The exam is divided into two parts, the first part is listening and reading, and the second part is speaking and writing. Each part is 45 minutes, and the whole exam is *** 180 minutes.

AP Chinese exams are all conducted by computer, and simplified and traditional Chinese characters are displayed on the same screen. Students can choose one of the phonetic symbols and Chinese Pinyin.

The examination questions are flexible and diverse, combining the understanding of China culture and tradition. For example, about moon cakes, dragon boats, zongzi and other foods, contact a China festival, say three sentences or write a short article. And there will be many forms, such as reading an email and replying, listening to a dialogue and answering questions, and writing a topic.

AP Chinese test grade standard

It is understood that AP Chinese test scores are divided into three grades: N grade is primary, I grade is intermediate, and PA grade is primary and advanced. Each level is divided into senior high school, senior high school and junior high school. I-level is above average, reaching PA-level primary school means that your Chinese level is very good, and higher is outstanding achievement. Each university will decide how many preparatory credits can be deducted from AP Chinese scores according to its own Chinese level and students' level.

Main points of AP Chinese exam

1.AP The Chinese test includes listening, reading, writing and speaking, in the order of listening, reading and speaking. The proportion of AP Chinese test scores in listening, speaking, reading and writing is 25% respectively.

2. Listen and read seventy multiple-choice questions, write four major questions and say three major questions.

3.AP Chinese exam questions include multiple-choice questions and open-ended questions. Multiple-choice questions are tested first, and open-ended questions are tested later.

4. The proportion of three communication methods is 4. In the AP Chinese test, expression and demonstration account for 30%, explanation and understanding for 40%, and communication for 30%.

5. The application of language ability. AP Chinese test is closely related to the application of cultural knowledge.

6. Culture is divided into big culture and small culture, and the direct relationship between AP Chinese test and small culture is closer than that with big culture.

7. number seven. The AP Chinese exam is completely computerized and takes about two hours and thirty minutes.

There are two fonts for Chinese characters in 8.8. In the AP Chinese exam, candidates can choose a font freely. There are two Chinese pinyin input methods for AP, including Chinese pinyin and phonetic notation.

The answer to 9.9. AP Chinese exam questions are all presented in English.

10. The choice of multiple-choice questions in AP Chinese exam depends on the type of questions, and there are options in both English and Chinese.

1 1. Students who take the AP Chinese exam must complete the Chinese AP course before they are eligible to take the exam.

12. The multiple-choice part of the AP Chinese exam depends entirely on computer grading, while the open-ended questions are graded online by AP Chinese experts.

4.SLEP exam

SLEP is the abbreviation of middle school English proficiency test, that is, middle school English proficiency test (English proficiency test for middle school and high school students whose mother tongue is not English). The SLEP test is sponsored by educational testing service, and the center is responsible for the TOEFL test all over the world. The result of SLEP test is the standard to judge the English level when entering American middle schools.

The perfect score of SLEP test is 67, and students with more than 42 points can enter junior high schools and high schools in the United States to receive formal courses.

The SLEP exam * * * has three sets of papers: (Table 4? The first set, form 5? The second set, sixth grade? The third episode)

For more information about the application conditions, please click the relevant links.

Experts studying abroad pointed out that American missionary schools originated from American culture and even western culture.

Determined by characteristics. As we all know, most American beliefs and allusions come from the Bible, and studying abroad is mainly to integrate into American native culture, so choosing American missionary middle schools is the best bridge to communicate with American society.

Second, it can measure the ratio of students to teachers and students in the school.

The proportion of students here mainly refers to the proportion between races. Experts studying abroad say that the United States is an immigrant country, and there are all races in schools. In other words, when students choose American high schools, there should not be too many China students, which is very unfavorable to students' language environment and character building.

Thirdly, the school selection criteria can be based on the area where the high school is located.

When choosing a high school in the United States, the region can also be used as a reference for choosing a school. According to experts studying abroad, the East Coast of the United States has a good cultural heritage and many high-quality schools. Moreover, experts studying abroad should also remind that the location of the school also directly affects the cost of studying abroad. Generally, the tuition fees and living expenses in remote areas are low, so it is recommended that students with weak economic foundation apply for remote high schools with good education quality.

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