Wot's my SAT score, mate?

April 12, 2006 9:23 PM

Educated in the UK, I have no idea what my SAT score is and therefore how I measure up to various entry requirements in the US. Is there a way of converting my GCSEs/whatever into a SAT score?
posted by cogat to education (4 comments total)

No, you'll need to take the SAT, in most cases.

If you already have a UK BA degree though, most US schools will allow you to apply for an MA program with a GRE score.

Give Kaplan Test Prep in London a call and you can speak with an admissions assistant to learn more about the process of applying to a US school from the UK.
posted by k8t at 9:42 PM on April 12, 2006

No. The SAT is a particular test, not a general scale of academic qualification. To get an SAT score, you have to take the SAT.

That said, universities in the United States will have different admissions requirements for international students (for example) that will account for whatever tests you have taken in your native country. Get in touch with the schools you're interested in attending and they'll tell you what tests and scores they use in considering applications.
posted by jjg at 9:49 PM on April 12, 2006

For what it's worth I've known many people who've studied at US universites, none of whom have been required to sit the SAT, but if you do have to, you might want to get the SAT Program Registration Bulletin (International Version), available from US embassies.
posted by jack_mo at 1:42 PM on April 13, 2006

If you're trying to apply to a US college, you've already marked the best answer.

If you're trying to guess how good your score on the SAT would be, given your GCSE score, it's useful to know that (year-to-year norming aside) the SAT is standardized to a mean of 500 and a standard deviation of 100 points.

I can't find a good site explaining how the GCSE is scored, but presumably it's the same way; just find out how many standard deviations off the mean you are, multiply by 100, and add or subtract that to 500 for your estimated SAT score.
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:59 AM on April 14, 2006