How much Spanish is needed to take the SATII subject test?

[Carpe Diem]

Is it based on 4 years of Spanish or can you do well on 2 years?

 

Also, what is the difference between Spanish and Spanish with listening? Is the latter more conversation based vs. more grammar based?

 

Thanks!

[Laura Corin]

I would look at the samples available online. I looked at the French ones: the listening was an extra paper, so it didn't reduce the grammar. I thought that one of the reading passages was quite adult sounding in its grammar and vocabulary. I would be surprised if you could do well after a standard two years.

[mumto2]

My dd just took the French SAT subject exam in May, awaiting her results. We decided to do it based on her taking a practice exam which can be found online. She is self taught through a variety of resources including friends/native speakers. Not really sure where she would fall in the standard years of study except she is far more fluent then I was after two years of high school French way back when.

 

She found both the Barron's and Princeton guides helpful for French. One guide would have been fine. I know these can be found at some libraries. Like Laura she thinks the level of grammar and vocabulary was about the same with or without listening. In May it was only offered without listening and fit well with her Maths subject exams so she took it. She considered the practice exams to be great predictors of how she did. She came out of the exam quite positive.

 

She is actually going to take the Latin and German exams next month, once again no listening because not offered until late fall for the German. Again it is a situation where she is already doing two so will add German on. We drive two hours for a test location and in late fall weather could be a problem. Best to be done, hopefully.

[TrixieB]

Dd says it depends on your two years of Spanish.  She said the vocabulary was the hardest part for her.  Her Spanish 1 & 2 classes introduced Spanish grammar with some vocabulary; Spanish 3 was reviewing and cementing Spanish 2's grammar, and learning more vocabulary; Spanish 4 was reading books and learning vocabulary, with more complicated grammar details.

 

She also used Barron's SAT test prep and a Spanish grammar book.

 

Dd thinks she personally would not have done well on the subject test after two years of Spanish.  She says after three years, she'd possibly have done okay if she'd been able to memorize extra vocabulary.  She took the test near the end of Spanish 4 but doesn't have her score yet.

 

ETA: I went through the practice test and was surprised at how much I got right.  I did not study Spanish in school.  BUT I've sat in on at least six years of my kids' co-op classes and I guess I've absorbed a LOT more Spanish than I realized. 

 

And dd wanted me to add that the test has a lot of reading comprehension questions, hence the need for vocabulary.  She said a fair amount of the test vocabulary was not from her standard Spanish 1/2/3 textbooks (i.e. animals, clothing, going to school, going to the doctor, traveling) but instead was more real-life vocabulary.

 

 

[Carpe Diem]

Thanks everyone.