Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), previously known as Scholastic Aptitude Test is a standardized examination conducted by the College Board for students intending to pursue their Under-Graduate degree from universities abroad.
SAT scores are accepted in as many as 175 countries worldwide, including but not limited to universities in The United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and so on. A lot of these universities offer promising scholarships to qualifying students based on their ranking in the test.
What does the examination paper look like?
This pencil-and-paper examination analyses the mathematical, critical reading and writing skills of the candidate.
An SAT test primarily constitutes four sections –
- Writing
- Reading
- Mathematics (without a calculator)
- Mathematics (with a calculator)
There is an optional fifth section that deals with essay writing. The necessity to appear for this section of the test depends on the University one wishes to apply for and thus differs accordingly.
How are the sections timed and scored?
- Writing: The writing section requires one to answer a total of 44 questions in a 35 minutes time slot.
- Reading: The reading section includes 52 questions with a 65 minutes testing period.
- Mathematics (without a calculator): This involves solving 20 questions in 25 minutes without the use of a calculator.
- Mathematics (with a calculator): Using a calculator, one is expected to solve a total of 38 calculation-based questions in 55 minutes.
- Essay writing: In June 2021, the College Board opted to discontinue the SAT essay which meant that only those students applying to few selected universities were still required to write this section of the examination. In this section, one gets a total time period of 50 minutes to read the given passage and write an essay analyzing how the author built his or her argument.
Each of the two sections namely, Reading/Writing and Mathematics has a possible scoring range of 200-800. This brings the test to a total score of 1600.
Anywhere above 1200 can be considered as a decent SAT score. However, this also depends on the University one wishes to get into and each selection committee comes with its own expectations as far as a good SAT rank is considered.
How and when do I apply for it?
This test is conducted 5-6 times a year in India.
SAT registration deadlines fall approximately 5 weeks before each test date and requires applying online on the College Board website.
One can appear for an SAT as many times as they wish to. However, more than 4 attempts is not advisable as most universities ask for a compiled list of all SAT scores and a bad score in the past might not look all that appealing to the selection committee.
In case one wishes to cancel their previous SAT score before re-applying for the test, they can do so through the official website of the College Board.
Ideally, one is expected to start preparing for the exam in the 11th grade and take the exam towards the middle of the 12th grade. This provides ample time to go ahead and work towards completing other formalities that come with applying to universities abroad.
Cost?
The cost of the test can range from 94$ (without a written essay) to 106$ (with a written essay). In Indian rupees, this would come up to 6200-7000 rupees.
To have a deeper insight into the type of questions that one encounters in each section and the kind of resources to use during preparation, follow @golden_draft and know all about it and more!
