SAT

SAT is an international standardised test required for admission into most of the colleges in the United States. It is also accepted in colleges in Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Canada. SAT is developed and published by the College Board. It is administered by Educational Testing Services worldwide on behalf of the College Board in over 25,000 test centres across 192 countries.

SAT Test is conducted 7 times annually depending upon the region. It is held at least 5 times a year in most countries. SAT registration costs between USD 52.50 to USD 101.50 depending upon the country. It was taken by 1.7 million students across the world in 2017.

●       SAT is a 3 hours long paper-pencil test.

●       It has four sections – Reading; Writing and Language; Mathematics (no calculator); Mathematics (calculator use allowed).

●       A fifth section of essay writing (50 minutes) is optional. It is, however, required by some colleges.

●       The score range is between 400-1600 for the overall test.

SAT Subject Test

●       SAT Subject Tests are for specific subjects required by colleges for admission.

●       20 Subject Tests are available in five general areas – English, History, Languages, Mathematics and Science.

●       The tests are generally available six times in a year.

●       Each Subject Test is of one hour duration.

●       Students can take up to three Subject Tests on a test day.

●       One cannot take SAT and SAT Subject Tests on the same day.

●       Language with Listening tests are available only in November.

SAT Eligibility

●       No eligibility criteria

●       Students who are 12 years or younger in age can only register by mail

●       Students in eighth grade or below must not include a photo in their registration

SAT Registration

●       SAT registration can be done online or by mail.

●       Special accommodations can be requested for students with disabilities at the time of registration

SAT Exam Pattern

●       SAT is a paper-pencil test

●       It is 3 hours long while SAT with Essay is 3 hours 50 minutes long

●       SAT has four components - Reading test, Writing and Language test, Mathematics test without calculator, and Mathematics test with calculator

●       Essay component is optional. It is required by some college. Students need to opt for it as per the college they wish to apply for.

●       Score scale ranges between 400-1600

●       Score scales for Reading and Writing & Language components are 200-800; for Mathematics – 2 to 8

●       Essay results are evaluated separately

SAT Syllabus

SAT test focuses on accessing skills and knowledge acquired by students in high school education. Each section tests the skills required to succeed in college.

Reading Test

●       Multiple choice questions based on passages and informational graphics

●       Some questions consist of informational graphics like tables, graphs, and charts

●       The test includes –

○       A passage from a classic or contemporary work of U.S. or world literature.

○       One passage or a pair of passages from either a U.S. founding document or a text in the Great Global Conversation. For e.g.: The U.S. Constitution or a speech by Nelson Mandela

○       A passage about economics, psychology, sociology, or some other social science.

○       Two science passages (or one passage and one passage pair) examining foundational concepts and developments in Earth science, biology, chemistry, or physics.

Writing and Language Test

●       Multiple choice questions based on passages

●       Some passages have informational graphics like tables, graphs, and charts

●       Questions are based on sentence structure, usage, and punctuation.

●       Students are required to change words, clauses, sentences, and punctuation to fix the mistakes in the sentences.

●       The topics include verb tense, parallel construction, subject-verb agreement, and comma use as well.

Mathematics Test

●       The test is divided into two sections – Math Test–Calculator and Math Test–No Calculator.

●       Most questions are multiple choice while some are grid-ins

●       Grid-in questions require students to solve a question and fill in the answer derived in the space given

●       Topics covered include –

○       Algebra

○       Ratios, Rates, Proportional Relationships, Scale Drawings, Percentages

○       Polynomials, Linear, Quadratic, Exponential Models, and Equations

○       Linear and Exponential Growths

○       Probability, Statistics, Graphs

○       Geometry and Trigonometry