Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

I just signed up for the Spanish (reading only) SAT II for June 5th. I'm a senior, and I got accepted to Boston University. The reason I'm taking it is because if I get at least a 560 on it, I don't have to take 2 classes of a foreign language at BU during my freshman year. That's 1/4th of the work I'll have to do for next year (8 classes between 2 semesters), and I'd rather focus that time and energy on classes towards my major.

Here's the catch: I haven't taken spanish since freshmen year. For those of you who live in NY, you know about the regents exam, but for those who aren't familiar. the regents exam is usually administered to sophomores who have completed Spanish 1, 2, and 3. I only took up to Spanish 2 (3 simply didn't fit into my schedule), but I took the regents exam at the end of my sophomore year, and somehow managed a 92. But that was 2 years ago.

So is the exam very difficult? I will be going to the bookstore right after school tomorrow to get a review book, and I will study as much as I can before June 5th, while also studying for my AP's and battling senioritis (haha, it's true). So what do you think is the most important thing I study? Vocab? Grammer? Verb conjugation? I'd appreciate any suggestions... all I need is a 560, but I have very little time to re-learn an entire language.

And sorry for the long story. :-)

Just for more background on how I've done on SAT II's: Math IC - 710, Writing - 690, Literature - 610, no prep whatsoever.

By Savoirfaire87 (Savoirfaire87) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 10:33 pm: Edit

I'd like more info about the Spanish SAT II as well!

Thanks!

By Magoo112 (Magoo112) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 10:57 pm: Edit

It's a REALLY easy test. Taking 2 yrs of spanish should, assumming you paid attention, get you an 800. I took it this year (I'm in AP Spanish) and got an 800. Just know how to conjugate the verbs and when to use what tense. The listening part was pretty easy as well... but then again I am Hispanic (Dominican) so I speak spanish at home all the time.

By Co0 (Co0) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 12:28 am: Edit

My Spanish Lesson:

- If you know these words, you should do well on the SAT II Spanish test
Arrugar
Pérfido
Embarazado (If you don't this word, you should be very very embarazado, riiiighhht???)
Estremecerse
Bostezar
El Ruiseñor

- Make sure you know the subjunctive...Most Spanish teachers think this is the most important thing in the whole world and spend 3/4 of the year teaching it. "Subjunctivo" is much more important than basic vocabulary. It's sad really that many people in AP Spanish know the million different forms of subjunctive after all the drills and crap yet still mispronounce Fácil and Difícil and forgot exactly whether Subir is to go up or down.

- Let's not forget the Spanish teachers' favorite word: Haber. Know this word and how to use it in all 14 tenses. You are considered advanced if you do...he has ha

Espero que hagas (WOW, SUBJUNCTIVE) bien....buena suerte

By Varr (Varr) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 03:00 pm: Edit

If you need any help(or any one else) let me know, spanish is my native language, I could help you out if you need to know any meanings or vocab or grammar,
just let me know
my email is varr_rdz00@hotmail.com

By Varr (Varr) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 03:03 pm: Edit

Its
espero que te vaya muy bien, o(or) que salgas bien,, and NOT!! "ESPERO QUE HAGAS BIEN"(c0O)

By Osnapjew (Osnapjew) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 03:27 pm: Edit

yes, Varr!! i was about to point that out last night but i went to bed.

also, i don't know any of those words on the list you posted except for 'arrugar' and on practice tests i've been able to do 750+ easily. sheesh.

By Magoo112 (Magoo112) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 06:12 pm: Edit

Embarazado is pregnant....

By Rubixcube (Rubixcube) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 07:37 pm: Edit

I am in my second year of spanish, i know basic sunjunctive, perfect indicative and sunbjunctive, future, preterito/pluperfecto, subj. conditional, most subj. clauses, imperfect/pluperfect subj. and some random structures. what else do i need to know to so the spanish sat 2? and what is the range of vocab i should know? i am not taking it this year, but i just want to know

By Teal (Teal) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 07:41 pm: Edit

What's the difference between the listening test and non listening one? Is one longer than the other? Would the nonlistening one have a section to replace that portion?

By Nymetsgirl1986 (Nymetsgirl1986) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 10:09 pm: Edit

Gracias! Thanks so much for the responses. I've already started memorizing vocab, and I've been able to remember a lot of stuff in the process. Barron's SAT II Spanish review book is very helpful, so I suggest that all the people who will be taking the SAT II should get it.

And the listening test is only offered in November, still an hour long, as a response to a previous post.

By Co0 (Co0) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 12:04 am: Edit

Ok, sorry everyone for the rude post..To be honest, the only reason I posted it was because of how dejected I have become once I recognized the reality of standardized tests of idiomas extranjeros. Before I looked at a sample SAT II Spanish test, I used to consider myself a very good Spanish student. Spanish has been my best and favorite subject since 9th grade; I've always maintained the highest grades in my Spanish classes grades and won a private school district competition for Spanish two years in a row. In terms of speaking, I have become rather proficient because I practice all the time w/ latinos. (I live in texas) But then comes the Span SAT II; after looking at practice tests, turns out maybe I ain't all that good at Spanish after all (What gets me are those reading passages). In fact, if I can't do well on a standardized test of a subject I love and have worked HARD to learn, who wouldn't be a little disgruntled? Again, lo siento

By Nymetsgirl1986 (Nymetsgirl1986) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 10:20 am: Edit

So some people are saying that the SAT II Spanish is very straightforward, fairly simple as long as you know the material, etc., and others are saying that it's extremely difficult, even for those who are proficient at the language.

So... which is it? Am I wasting my time? I already payed the $24 to sign up, so I'm taking it either way...

By Magoo112 (Magoo112) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 07:10 pm: Edit

It's really not a hard test.

I say this assuming that you dead read a decent amount of Spanish literature in your school (Don Quijote, Lazarillo de Tormes, etc...)

If you read books such as these (which use more castillano than what I call regular spanish) and understood them, you should be fine.