The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States.

The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, anonprofit organization in the United States. It [1] was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still administers the exam. The test is intended to assess a student's readiness for college. It was first introduced in 1926, and its name and scoring have changed several times. It was first called theScholastic Aptitude Test, then the Scholastic Assessment Test, but now SAT does not stand for anything, hence is an empty acronym. The current SAT Reasoning Test, introduced in 2005, takes three hours and forty-five minutes to finish, and costs $49 ($75 International), excluding late fees.[2]Possible scores range from 600 to 2400, combining test results from three 800-point sections (Mathematics, Critical Reading, and Writing). Taking the SAT or its competitor, the ACT, is required for freshman entry to many, but not all, universities in the United States.

Function
The College Board states that the SAT measures literacy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college. They state that the SAT assesses how well the test takers analyze and solve problemsskills they learned in school that they will need in college. The SAT is typically taken by high school sophomores, juniors and seniors.[4] Specifically, the College Board states that use of the SAT in combination with high school grade point average (GPA) provides a better indicator of success in college than high school grades alone, as measured by college freshman GPA. Various studies conducted over the lifetime of the SAT show a statistically significant increase in correlation of high school grades and freshman grades when the SAT is factored in.[5]

Structure
SAT consists of three major sections: Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing. Each section receives a score on the scale of 200800. All scores are multiples of 10. Total scores are calculated by adding up scores of the three sections. Each major section is divided into three parts. There are 10 sub-sections, including an additional 25-minute experimental or "equating" section that may be in any of the three major sections. The experimental section is used to normalize questions for future administrations of the SAT and does not count toward the final score. The test contains 3 hours and 45 minutes of actual timed sections,[8] although most administrations, including orientation, distribution of materials, completion of biographical sections, and eleven minutes of timed breaks, run about four and a half hours long. The questions range from easy, medium, and hard depending on the scoring from the experimental sections. Easier questions typically appear closer to the beginning of the section while harder questions are towards the end in certain sections. This is not true for every section but it is the rule of thumb mainly for math and sentence completions and vocabulary.

The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools in the United States,[1] in other English-speaking countries and for English-taught graduate and business programs world-wide. Created and administered by Educational Testing

Service (ETS) in 1949,[2] the exam aims to measure verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing and critical thinking skills that have been acquired over a long period of time and that are not related to any specific field of study. The GRE General Test is offered as a computer-based, computer adaptive exam administered by selected qualified testing centers; however, paper-based exams are offered in areas of the world where computer-based testing is not available. In the graduate school admissions process, the level of emphasis that is placed upon GRE scores varies widely between schools and between departments within schools. The importance of a GRE score can range from being a mere admission formality to an important selection factor. Critics of the GRE have argued that the exam format is so rigid that it effectively tests only how well a [3] student can conform to a standardized test taking procedure. ETS responded by announcing plans in 2006 to radically redesign the test structure starting in the fall of 2007; however, the company later announced, "Plans for launching an entirely new test all at once were dropped, and ETS decided to introduce new question types and improvements gradually over time." The new questions have been gradually introduced since November 2007.[4] The GRE has been revised as of August 2011. The cost to take the test varies between US$130 and $210, depending on the country in which it is taken, although ETS will reduce the fee under certain circumstances. They are promoting financial aid to those GRE applicants who prove economic hardship.[5] ETS erases all test records that are older than 5 years, although graduate program policies on the admittance of scores older than 5 years will vary.

Structure
The computer-based GRE General Test consists of six sections. The first section is always the analytical writing section involving separately timed issue and argument tasks. The next five sections consist of two verbal sections, two quantitative sections, and either an experimental or research section. These five sections may occur in any order. The experimental section does not count towards the final score but is not distinguished from the scored sections. The GRE is section-level adaptive in that the computer selects the second section based on the performance on the first section. Unlike on the computer adaptive test prior to August 2011, the examinee is free to skip back and forth within sections. The entire testing procedure lasts about 3 hours 45 minutes. [6] One minute breaks are offered after each section and a 10 minute break after the third section. The paper-based GRE General Test consists of six sections and is only available in areas where computer-based testing is unavailable. The analytical writing is split up into two sections, one section for each issue and argument task. The next four sections consist of two verbal and two quantitative sections in varying order. There is no experimental section on the paper-based test.

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a half-day standardized test administered four times each year at designated testing centers throughout the world. Administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for prospective law school candidates, the LSAT is designed to assess Reading Comprehension, logical, and verbal reasoning proficiencies.[1] The test is an integral part of the law school

admission process in the United States, Canada (common law programs only), Australia[2][3], and a growing number of other countries. An applicant cannot take the LSAT more than three times within a two-year period. The test has existed in some form since 1948, when it was created to give law schools a standardized way to assess applicants aside from GPA.[4] The current form of the exam has been used since 1991. The exam has six total sections: four scored multiple choice sections, an unscored experimental section, and an unscored writing section. Raw scores are converted to a scaled score with a high of 180, a low of 120, and a median score around 150. When an applicant applies to a law school, all scores from the past five years are reported. As of 2011, it costs $139 (USD) to take the LSAT in the United States, and $144 [5] (CAD) in Canada.

Test composition
The LSAT consists of five 35-minute multiple choice sections (one of which is an unscored experimental section) followed by an unscored writing sample section. Several different test forms are used within a cycle, each presenting the multiple choice sections in different orders, which is intended to make it difficult to cheat or to guess which is the experimental section.

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a computer-based standardized examination for prospective medical students in the United States and Canada. It is designed to assess problem solving, critical thinking, written analysis, and writing skills in addition to knowledge of scientific concepts and principles. Prior to August 19, 2006, the exam was a paper-and-pencil test; since January 27, 2007, however, all administrations of the exam have been computer-based. The exam is offered 25 or more times per year at Prometric centers.[1] The number of administrations may vary each year. Most people who take the MCAT are undergraduates in college in their Junior or Senior year of college before they apply to medical school. Ever since the exam's duration was shortened to 4.5 5 hours, the test may be offered either in the morning or in the afternoon. Some test dates have both morning and afternoon administrations. The test consists of four sections, listed in the order in which they are administered on the day of the exam:     Physical Sciences (PS) Verbal Reasoning (VR) Writing Sample (WS) Biological Sciences (BS)

The Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences sections are in multiple-choice format. The Writing sample consists of two short essays that are typed into the computer. The passages and questions are predetermined, and thus do not change in difficulty depending on the performance of the test taker (unlike, for example, the Graduate Record Examination). The Physical Sciences section assesses problem-solving ability in general chemistry and physics and the Biological Sciences section evaluates these abilities in the areas of biology and organic

chemistry. The Verbal Reasoning section evaluates the ability to understand, evaluate, and apply information and arguments presented in prose style. The Biological Sciences section most directly correlates to success on the USMLE Step 1 exam, with a correlation coefficient of .553 vs .491 for Physical Sciences and .397 for Verbal Reasoning.[2] Predictably, MCAT composite scores also correlate with USMLE Step 1 success.[3]

The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), also known as the Iowa Tests, are standardized tests provided as a service to schools by the College of Education of the University of Iowa. The tests are administered to students in kindergarten through eighth grade as part of the Iowa Statewide Testing Programs, a division of the Iowa Testing Programs (ITP). Developers E. F. Lindquist, Harry Greene, Ernest Horn, Maude McBroom, and Herbert Spitzer first designed and administered the tests, originally named the Iowa Every Pupil Test of Basic Skills, in 1935 as a tool to improve instruction.[1]Over decades, participation expanded and currently nearly all school districts in Iowa participate annually in the program, as do many other school districts across the United States. In a cooperative relationship, participating schools receive ITBS test materials, scoring and reporting services and consultation in the use of ITBS for instructional purposes, and ITP utilizes participation by schools in research and test development.[2]

Content
ITBS are written in levels 1-8. Each test level consists of a series of tests administered in content sections with each section designed to measure specific skills. Test levels 5-8 are administered to students from kindergarten through second grade (K-2). School districts employ the series of tests in primary grades to gain information about classes and students for instructional planning, to supplement teacher observations regarding student abilities, and to establish a basis for subsequent annual evaluation of student progress. Sections for levels 5-8 include: Vocabulary, Word Analysis, Reading Comprehension, Listening, Language, Mathematics, Social Studies (Levels 7 and 8 only), Science (Levels 7 and 8 only), and Sources of Information (Levels 7 and 8).[3] Test levels 9-14 are administered to students from third grade through eighth grade. Like test levels 5-8, the primary purpose of levels 9-14 is instructional development. School districts use the standardized achievement battery to learn supplementary information useful in choosing curriculum and lesson planning. Teachers may use ITP testing batteries to suggest areas where the skills of individual students are most and least developed. Sections for levels 9-14 include: Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Spelling, Capitalization, Punctuation, Usage and Expression, Math Concepts and Estimation, Math Problem Solving and Data Interpretation, Math Computation, Social Studies, Maps and Diagrams, Reference Materials, Word Analysis (Level 9 only), and Listening (Level 9 only).

The Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED) are a set of standardized tests given annually to high school students in many schools in the United States, covering Grades 9 to 12. The tests were created by the University of Iowa's College of Education in 1942, as part of a program to develop a series of nationally accepted standardized achievement tests. The primary goal of the ITED is to provide [1] information to assist educators in improving teaching.

Goals of the ITED

Rather than testing a student's content knowledge, the ITED endeavors to evaluate students' skills in a [1] variety of areas, especially based on problem solving and critical analysis of texts. These are considered by the authors of the ITED to be skills acquired across multiple curricular areas and skills that are important for academic success.[2] Within the skill areas evaluated by the ITED, the test is designed to elicit information about a student's current skill level, growth and abilities within each area tested. The ITED is designed to examine and compare a student's ability in several educational fields, including vocabulary, reading comprehension, language, spelling, mathematical concepts and problem solving, computation, analysis of social studies materials, analysis of science materials, and use of sources. Although the test is broken up into these fields, the goal of the ITED is to track the development of the [2] skills and analysis needed in each of these areas rather than the content. [edit]ITED

Sections

[edit]Vocabulary The vocabulary section of the ITED focuses on testing the development of students' vocabulary for everyday communication.[3][4] [edit]Reading

Comprehension

The reading comprehension section of the ITED tests literal understanding as well as the higher-level skills of inference and analysis.[3][4] [edit]Language:

Revising Written Materials

The language section of the ITED focuses on students' ability to revise and edit texts, include issues of style and clarity as well as grammatical errors.[3][4] [edit]Spelling The ITED spelling test presents students with groups of words; students must indicate which word is misspelled or whether they are all spelled correctly.[3][4] [edit]Mathematics:

Concepts and Problem Solving

This section focuses on problem solving and logical thinking skills rather than mathematical computation. Some questions require basic computation while others require students to determine the steps [3][3][4] necessary to solve a problem without actually completing the problem itself. [edit]Analysis

of Social Studies Materials

This ITED section requires students to analyze information presented to them and will often contain documents including maps, graphs and reading passages.[3][4] [edit]Analysis

of Science Materials

The science materials section of the ITED evaluates students' familiarity and comfort with scientific procedures and their ability to understand and analyze scientific information and methods.[3][4] [edit]Sources

of Information

The sources of information section tests students' ability to do research and to use the resources available to them to find information.[3][4] [edit]Uses

of the ITED

The ITED is used in the majority of schools in the state of Iowa, both in the public and private education sectors, and the tests have found some use in other regions of the United States. The ITED is [5][6] administered in the fall and results are used along with classroom observation and student work by teachers to evaluate the progress of a student's abilities.[2] The ITED results are also used by the state of Iowa to monitor schools' progress and determine if schools and students are meeting goals.[7] Individual student ITED results are used to help determine placements and tracks. The ITED helps educators and students plan student schedules by providing information for the school to use in placing students in classes of varying levels of difficulty. The results also provide information about students' academic potential, assisting students and school advisors as they make their high school course selections and [8] plan for college. The ITED is scored based on the number of questions a student answered [9] correctly. Research has indicated that there is a correlation between ITED scores and student grade point averages (GPAs), although these correlations were lower than expected and lower than indicated by prior research.[8]

The Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) is a two-day standardized test taken by all High School Juniors in the U.S. state of Illinois. On the first day, students take the ACT, and on the second day, a WorkKeys examination and Illinois State Board of Education-developed science examination.[1]. It has been required for all Illinois High School Students since 2001.[2] [edit]Areas

of Assessment

The PSAE attempts to assess students on the following areas[3]:     Math Reading Science Writing

[edit]Exemptions A student is required to take the PSAE to achieve a high school diploma, unless he or she meets one of the following requirements[1]:    The students Individualized Education Program is incompatible with the PSAE, and the test cannot be modified to comply. In this case, the student takes the Illinois Alternate Assessment instead. The student is not proficient in English. In this case the student takes the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English instead. The student is enrolled in an alternative Education program, including an adult education program, or high school equivalency certificates.

TerraNova is a series of standardized achievement tests used in the United States designed to assess K12 student achievement in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, vocabulary, [1] spelling, and other areas. The test series is published by CTB/McGraw-Hill. TerraNova was created with an update in 1996 CTB to the California Achievement Tests and the California Tests of Basic Skills.[2] TerraNova are used by many Department of Defense Dependents Schools. The state of California uses the test as part of the CAT/6 or California Achievement Tests, 6th edition statewide testing program, STAR. The CAT series of tests have been available for quite some time and before many US states began developing their own standards-based tests as part of an overall testing movement in the United States, which began in the early 2000s. The CAT were also widely used outside of California to assess student achievement. [edit]Tests They are usually multiple choice with bubble sheets. Many take a few hours. Test sometimes extends to over one day. Fifth grade and above have difficult short answers. The questions are usually on the same level as other tests. Some are a bit more difficult, depending on grade level (usually more difficult for private schools).

The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test Second Edition (WIAT-II; Wechsler, 2005) developed by David Wechsler, assesses the academic achievement of children, adolescents, college students and adults, aged 4 through 85. The test enables the assessment of a broad range of academics skills or only a particular area of need. The WIAT-II is a revision of the original WIAT (The Psychological Corporation, 1992). The suggested use of the WIAT-II is in settings such as schools, clinics, private practices, and residential treatment facilities. These facilities can use the WIAT-II in order to assist with diagnosis, eligibility, placement, and decisions regarding interventions. It is encouraged to use this assessment with behavioural observation, history, and additional measures. There are four basic scales: Reading, Math, Writing, and Oral Language. Within these scales there is a total of 9 sub-test scores.

Test Format
Reading   Word Reading: assesses pre-reading (phonological awareness) and decoding skills (naming letters, phonological skills [working with sounds in words], reading words from lists). Reading Comprehension: assesses types of reading comprehension skills taught in the classroom or used in everyday life (matching words to pictures, reading sentences aloud, orally answering oral questions about reading passages, silent reading speed). Pseudoword (phonetic) Decoding: assesses the ability to apply phonetic decoding skills. (Reading nonsense words aloud from a list [phonetic word attack]).

Math  Numerical Operations: evaluates the ability to identify and write numbers ( e.g. counting, and solving paper & pencil computations).

Math Reasoning: assess the ability to reason mathematically ( e.g. counting, identifying shapes, and solving verbally framed "word problems" [presented both orally and either written or in illustration]).

Written Language   Spelling: evaluates the ability to spell (written spelling of dictated letters, sounds and words that are read in sentences). Written Expression: assesses the writing process (writing letters and words as quickly as possible, writing sentences, and writing a paragraph or essay).

Oral Language   Listening Comprehension: measures the ability to listen for details (multiple-choice matching of pictures to spoken words). Oral Expression: assesses general ability to use oral language effectively (repeating sentences, generating lists, describing scenes and pictured activities).

The WIAT-III US consists of 16 subtests including several not featured in the second edition: Oral Reading Fluency, Math Problem Solving, Math Fluency Addition /Subtraction /Multiplication, Early Reading Skills, Alphabet Writing Fluency, Sentence Composition and Essay Composition. The test takes 45-90 minutes to administer depending on the age of the participant. The mean score for the WIAT-II is 100 with a standard deviation of 15, and the scores on the test may range from 40 to 160. 68% of participants in the UK standardisation sample obtained scores of 85-115 and 95% obtained scores of 70130.

The Wide Range Achievement Test 4 (WRAT4) is an achievement test which measures an individual's ability to read words, comprehend sentences, spell, and compute solutions to mathproblems.[1] The test currently is in its fourth revision.[1] The test was developed in 1941 by psychologists Sidney W. Bijou and Joseph Jastak.[2] The test is appropriate for individuals ages 594 years. The WRAT4 provides two equivalent forms (Blue and Green), which enables retesting within short periods of time without potential practice effects that occur from repeating the same items. The alternate forms also may be administered together in a single examination.[1] The Wide Range Achievement Test 4 (WRAT4) is the latest offering in a test series first published in 1946. The various editions of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) have enjoyed widespread use in a variety of settings as a measure of the basic academic skills necessary for effective learning, communication, and thinking: reading and spelling words and performing basic mathematical calculations.

Description: The Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) is a brief achievement test measuring reading recognition, spelling, and arithmetic computation. There are two levels; level I is normed for children ages 50 to 11-11; level II is normed for children aged 12 through adults aged 64.

Scoring: Norms provided for the 1978 edition include standard scores with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, percentile scores, and grade levels. The standard scores are scaled based on the norm group; the grade levels are arbitrarily assigned and can be interpreted only as rough references to achievement level. Only standard scores should be used for comparisons among scores. Reliability: The manual reports split-half reliabilities of .98 for Reading at both levels, .94 for Arithmetic at both levels, .96 for Spelling I, and .97 for Spelling II. During the norming study, both levels of the WRAT were administered to children ages 9 through 14. Since there is overlap in skills tested between the high end of level I and the low end of level II, this provides another estimate of the reliability of both. On Reading and Spelling, split-half reliabilities ranged from .88 to .94 for different age groups; on Arithmetic they ranged from .79 to .89. These results indicate that overall the reliability of the WRAT is excellent. Validity: The test most similar to the WRAT is the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT), another short, individually administered test which covers comparable material. In general the WRAT correlates very highly with the PIAT. The WRAT correlates moderately with various IQ tests, in the range of .40 to .70 for most groups and most tests. Norms: The 1978 WRAT norms are based on 15,200 subjects for seven states. According to the manual, no attempt was made to make the sample representative of national characteristics. The manual states that minorities were represented, but gives no data on their representation. The sample was stratified by age, sex, and approximately by ability. Suggested Uses: Recommended uses for the test described in the manual include comparing achievement of one person to another, determining learning ability or learning disability, comparing codes with comprehension in order to prescribe remedial programs, and informally assessing error patterns to plan instructional programs. An added feature in the WRAT4 is a Reading Composite Score.