The following are the major tests related to college admission. When registering for exams, students are often asked to provide their high school or CEEB code. The SAS College Entrance Examination Code is 687225.

The SAT

Since the SAT is not offered in China, recently there has been an influx of Chinese Nationals taking the SAT in Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore. In fact, there has been such a rush for test seats that many international school test centers have been filled with students from China before students attending the local school could be registered.

The SAS center is a "private" and requires a special set of instructions for SAS students wanting to take the SAT here. Obviously it would make no sense to post these instructions here. They are, however, on Family Connection. Login to read them or check with the counseling office for details.

Students register online for an SAT through collegeboard.com. When you register, you will receive an immediate confirmation and your admission ticket. If you miss the deadline, the only option is to test as a standby.

*The May 1, 2010 SAT falls on the Labor Day national holiday in Singapore.

• You must request that your official SAT's be sent to colleges via collegeboard.com either at the time you register (for free) or for a cost of US$9.50 after you have received your scores. If you take the SAT in November the only chance you have of getting your scores to an ED/EA/EASC school early enough to be considered in the review of your application is if you tell the College Board to send your scores to that college at the time you register for the test. In most cases those scores will arrive on time, but there are no guarantees since occasionally there are delays in the scoring of tests. Listing the college as a score recipient at the time you register is the only way you’ll have a chance they will arrive in time. If everything works properly, the college SHOULD get those scores electronically on the same day they are available to you on the College Board website.
• Many colleges and universities have found that the SAT does little to increase the ability of their admissions officers to predict success at their institutions. SAT and ACT tests are optional at more than 700 schools. If you're worried about the SAT, take a look at this list. 
• Afraid your scores aren't high enough? Take a look at "typical" SAT Reasoning Test scores for various selective colleges.
• There are differences between the SAT and ACT. Here are details.

The SAT Subject Tests

Subject Tests (formerly known as the Achievement or SAT II's) are 60 minute multiple choice exams designed to measure knowledge and skills in particular subject areas. Students take the Subject Tests to demonstrate to colleges their mastery of specific subjects like English, history, mathematics, science, and language. The tests are independent of any particular textbook or method of instruction.

Many selective colleges (and the University of California) use the Subject Tests. In combination with other background information (your high school record, scores from other tests like the SAT Reasoning Test, teacher recommendations, etc.), they provide a dependable measure of your academic achievement and are a good predictor of future performance. Some colleges specify the Subject Tests they require for admission (e.g., University of California requires Math Level II and one other); others allow students to choose which tests to take. If you're unsure about the SAT Subject Tests and which schools require them, here is a list and further explanation.

If Subject Tests are required (and at most schools they are not!) you should take them at the conclusion of a related course (e.g., AP Physics). They are only 60 minutes long and you can take up to three on the same day. You cannot take the SAT Reasoning and SAT Subject Tests on the same SAT date.

Registration for the ACT is done online through the ACT website. To register, create an account, choose your test date, and print your admission ticket. A few weeks after the test you can login to see your scores. You are strongly encouraged to take the "ACT Plus Writing" since most colleges require it. The SAS test center will fill before the registration deadline so you are encouraged to register early. There are differences between the SAT and ACT. Here are details.

Preliminary SAT - PSAT/NMSQT

The PSAT is annually given to all SAS sophomores and juniors. Students are automatically registered for this exam which will be given on Wednesday, October 14, 2009. Score reports and test booklets will be returned to students in January. Please note that only SAS students are allowed to take the PSAT on our campus. The new PSAT/NMSQT will parallel many of the changes to the SAT. For juniors, it is the mechanism for entry into the National Merit program.

PLAN

As a "pre-ACT" test, PLAN is a predictor of success on the ACT Assessment. It also focuses attention on both career preparation and improving academic achievement. At SAS we give the PLAN to freshmen on the same day that the PSAT is given to sophomores and juniors.

Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement (AP), the SAS AP program, and SAS AP Scholars is available. Please note that only SAS students are allowed to take AP exams on our campus.

May 2010 SAS AP Schedule

SAS students who have two exams scheduled in the same slot should speak with Mr. Mark Devine, the SAS AP Coordinator, to determine which exam will be taken later. SAS only gives AP exams to SAS students.