The SAT test is used to evaluate a candidate’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills which would help to measure their overall ability and potential to undertake the bachelor-level study program.
It is a compulsory test to secure admission to any undergraduate program of any college in the USA. This test is developed, managed, and administered by the College Entrance Examination Board, based in the USA. It is prepared and scored by the Educational Testing Service. It is an approximately 4-hour long test. There are two types of SATs namely, SAT Reasoning Test and SAT Subject Tests.
| Name of the Test | Components of the Test | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Reasoning Test | Verbal, Mathematical, and Reasoning skills | 3 hours, 20 minutes |
| SAT Subject Tests | Assesses knowledge of a specific subject | 1 hour |
SAT Test Format
SAT Reasoning Test Format:
| Section | Type of Questions | Score | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Reading | Sentence completions, reading comprehension, and paragraph-length critical reading | 200-800 | 70 minutes (25 +25+20 minutes) |
| Writing | Grammar, usage, and word choice ( multiple choice and student-written essay) | 200-800 | 60 minutes(25+25+10 minutes) |
| Mathematics | Algebra and functions; statistics, probability, and data analysis; number and operations; geometry | 200-800 | 70 minutes (25 +25+20 minutes) |
SAT Subject Test Format:
SAT subject test can be divided into 5 general areas – English, History and Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, and Languages.
A college may require one or more of the subject tests for admission and placement. SAT subject test consists of multiple choice questions.
It should be noted that there are some subjects for which questions are asked in a unique pattern.
SAT Eligibility Criteria
There are no eligibility criteria for the SAT. You can take it during your Class XI or even after the XII boards. Just keep your college application deadlines in mind as admission decisions are largely dependent on SAT scores (along with GPA, transcript, recommendations, etc.).
SAT Test Fees
| Test | Format |
|---|---|
| SAT Reasoning Test | $43 |
| Writing | Grammar, usage, and word choice ( multiple choice and student-written essay) |
| SAT Subject Tests Basic registration fee Language Tests with Listening (add to basic registration fee) All other Subject Tests (add per test to basic registration fee) |
$20 add $20add $8 |
Tips and Strategies for Clearing SAT
Preparing for SAT
The mere thought of cracking the SAT can be never wrecking for most of the students. However, the test itself is no rocket science. Mentioned below are a few simple guidelines that can help you attain a good SAT score.
- It is essential to start studying well in time for the SAT. You should consider studying at least 4 months before the exam
- It has various questions to test diction and reading comprehension skills in the verbal section. Reading newspapers, and novels, and watching English movies will prove to be quite beneficial. Make sure to check the dictionary for unfamiliar words
- You should try to incorporate the newly learned words into your everyday usage
- It is advisable to make a note of every word that you learn along with its meaning in a small diary. Make sentences with those words to comprehend their usage better. Keep this diary handy and scan through the pages whenever you get time
- It’s a good idea to learn groups of words in multiples. Learn prefixes, suffixes, and root meanings. Take for example the prefix “ex”. It means out or away. Now think of similar words such as exterior, exit, extrinsic, or extrapolate. You can easily guess that extrinsic means external to as it is another ex-word
- It is important to hone your writing skills for the writing section in the SAT. The easiest and most reliable way is to maintain a journal
- It is important to work on logic puzzles. SAT is known to test the logical reasoning skills of a candidate. You can easily purchase logic puzzle books from bookstores and practice on an everyday basis
- During your SAT preparation if you use a calculator frequently, feel free to take the calculator to the exam. However, students who are not well versed in the use of a calculator will gain little from its use during the exam
Study the previous SAT test papers well now! The time to learn the test directions is before the paper and not during the paper. Every minute spent reading the instructions is a minute less for solving the answers
Dates and Deadlines
It is administered 7 times a year for students in U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Territories. However, for overseas students, the SAT is offered only 6 times each calendar year on designated dates.
