Study Finds Variations in Math, Science Tests in 7 Nations

By Debra Viadero

To be admitted to a university, secondary school students in England have to pass a chemistry test that lasts nearly eight hours. But in Japan, the entrance exam in chemistry for prestigious Tokyo University lasts just 2-1/2 hours.

And, unlike the tests in either of those countries, the United States' Advanced Placement exam in chemistry asks almost no questions about organic chemistry--the specialty of almost half the field's practitioners.

Those are among the variations researchers found when they compared mathematics and science tests that college-bound students take in seven industrialized countries. The Washington-based National Center for Improving Science Education will release a report on...