h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

They hold pretty much the smae importance as any other exam you do before your GCSEs, little more, little less

GCSEs are intermediate level exams taken in 7 to 11 subjects(depending on your ability/school) for most people. They are the final exams in compulsory schooling and are supposed to indicate to future employers, schools, or universities your level and breadth of knowledge.

I should add that they are taken at age 16

Ahh...
Now it is clear. Thanks. We have CAT tests and Regents Exams here in America. CATs are the California Achievement Tests, and they are given to elementary school students for some of the same reasons as GCSCs, but they also allow schools to keep track of student achivement by age, grade and region.
Regents Exams are given to high schoolers, and a Regents diploma used to mean that you were special. Now there are so many people are upset by low quality schools that the board of education upped the standards, and all students must pass regents level exams to graduate high school.
Being a Regents student was basicly like being one grade ahead of your age-mates. It was also possible to be in some Regents, but not all. (example: regents english and science, general math and social studies)

So...
Britain has GCSEs
America has CATs and Regents Diplomas.
Cool

I wasn't aware of midlevel exams in the USA.

Erm do you know how the application preocess works for Degree level institutions. It might be interesting to compare it to the UK UCAS system http://www.h2g2.com/A301050 and would be a valuable addition to the guide. If you were looking for entries to write that is...

Dear god, there are far two many standardized tests in the US, especially Massachusetts. In the past 2 years, I've taken the CAT tests, various math exams, the SAT, the MCAS(which I'm taking now) and some sort of intelligence test. I only got scores back for the SAT. I've also had to take a test call the MEAP. I don't remember what it stood for, but it was long. Maybe if they stopped testing us so much we'd have time to learn something!

Aha, I've just had a few h2g2 kids moaning to me about their CATs (well, about a weej ago). There's something I recognise.
Some kids in Britain do them. I say some because them lot -had- done them while my school -hadn't-. At least, if we had then we hafn't been told

I'm fairly certain we didn't do any.

I never realized how long this forum was until I'd looked at it in the new layout...

I wouldn't think CAT tests were really anything to complain about...they're not particularly hard.

My cat tests were easy.I passed with flying colours.(i'm not kidding by the way-I may be called the cat but I'm not stupid)
Penguin girl;I have constructed a save the fish campaign.I'm afraid it has a comical twist to it-but I'd be honoured if-as an ACE-you'd be the first person on what will hopefully end up a very long forwarding list...Is there an e-mail address I can send it too where you can send it too all your freinds?

This thread is tiny. There are bigger.

As for this Save The Fish...what's the point? I can't beleive anybody would want to use that cacky new skin.

Hey hey hey, there's an ex-ACE here, y'know! Amazing how much authority a badge gives you, eh?

Are you related to victor meldrew?

No, but he is a cool guy!

I don't beleive it(!)





(comedy drumroll)

Hur hur

Yeah well wochyoo expect from a first rate feline?

My god...this forum's gone dead...
Weird, considering how active it used to be. Of course, I've been gone for a month....can you believe they still haven't updated the "SAVE THE FISH" homepage? I started a Penguin appreciation society today. Please join. My hosting site's on the fritz, so I couldn't upload the pic yet.
http://www.h2g2.com/a400276

Yeah, we did have a rather interesting conversation going on here for a bit.

So, how about them penguins?

Yay penguins. So whatcha think of the new features and such?