<p>So, you’re one of those people who has never formally learned [insert language here], but you speak it fluently. Your language also happens to be one that is offered as an SAT II. What to do?</p>
<p>I was in your position once. I took the SAT II for a language I speak at home but never learned in school, twice. My first score was mediocre, my second was great. Since at the time I was lost and had nobody to ask for advice, I thought I’d make this thread to answer any questions that people like me may have.</p>
<p>Should I take the SAT II [insert language here] test?
If you can read in the language, it’s certainly worth a shot. If you only speak it, but don’t know how to read it at all, probably not. Even if you take the listening test, it’s mostly written and you must be able to read. If you have enough time, you could try learning to read the language (by enough time I mean a year or two, not a few months), which is difficult, but not impossible. </p>
<p>Should I take the reading-only or the listening test?
If possible, take the listening test. That helps distinguish you from people who only took the language in school and can read it well, but would have a hard time holding a conversation. That being said, if you’ll do better on the reading-only test (or you can’t take the listening test because of location or timing), don’t fret. </p>
<p>Do I need to prepare for the SAT II?
Absolutely! Unfortunately, there are no prep books for most (if not all) SAT II Language tests. There are two things you can do though:
[ul]
[<em>]1- READ! Read in your language. Read every day. Read a book, newspaper articles, magazines, anything. You must get used to reading and comprehending quickly. You’ll also pick up new vocabulary words that may appear on the test. Always look up words you come across that you don’t know.
[</em>]2- Get your hands on as many practice tests and sample questions as you can. If there is only one practice test available, you’ll have to contend with that. Take the tests, do the questions, and always review your results carefully.
[/ul]</p>
<p>If I do badly, should I retake the test?
In most cases, yes. If you bombed it and think you can’t do much better, don’t. But if you did alright but want a better score, do, you’ll have a much better idea of what to expect this time around. </p>
<p>Aside from that, prepare for the SAT II as you would for any other standardized test: make sure you have all necessary materials ready, go to bed early the night before, etc…
If you have any other questions, please post them here and I’ll be happy to help! </p>