The Essential Guide to SAT preparation

Anyone who aspires to get into an American college or university should first take the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) exam. The SAT score is an important qualifying criterion for admission into undergraduate degree courses in U.S. universities.

What is SAT?

SAT is an entrance exam created by the College Board, used by most universities and colleges in the U.S to make admission decisions. The weight of SAT scores varies across schools. Apart from the SAT scores, universities and colleges also consider your high school GPA, letters of recommendation, academic transcript, extracurricular activities, personal essays and interviews.

The SAT exam is held each month from October to January, as well as in March, May and June at centres across the nation. Students are allowed to take the SAT exam as many times as they want; most colleges and universities consider either the highest SAT score or the SAT super score, which is the combination of the highest section scores earned in different attempts.

SAT Exam Format

SAT tests your basic Math, and reading and writing skills. The essay section is optional. Here is what the test format looks like.

Subject	Duration (in minutes)	No. of questions	Type of Questions	Score Range
Math	80	57. Calculator is allowed for only 37 questions.	Problem-solving and data analysis Algebra and Advanced Math	200-800
Reading	65	52	Understanding of passages from American and world Literature, Sciences, and History/Social Studies (500-750 words)	200-800 (combined with Writing section)
Writing and Language	35	44	Standard English Conventions and Expression of Ideas through passages (400-500 words) related to History/Social Studies, Science and Humanities	200-800 (combined with Reading section)
Essay (optional)	50	50		not scored
Total	3 hours 50 minutes	154 questions	—	1600

 

There is no negative marking in SAT. Each year, only 400 students across the world, from around from a 1.8 million who appear for SAT, succeed in getting a perfect score.

There is no minimum age eligibility for appearing for SAT. Most candidates appear for the test in their class XI or XII.

Recently, Sanchit Kapoor, a 15-year-old student from Dubai, achieved a perfect 2400/2400 score in the SAT exam held on November 7 (earlier the SAT exam was for 2400 marks; the format changed in March this year).

SAT I and SAT II – Understanding the Difference

When we talk of SAT as a general admission criterion in the U.S, we are referring to SAT I. There is also a SAT II, which assesses your knowledge of a particular subject. SAT I, on the other hand, determines your reasoning and English language skills.

The formats of the two exams are as following –

	SAT I	SAT II
Name of exam	SAT I, SAT Reasoning Test	SAT II, SAT Achievement Tests, SAT Subjects Tests
Format	3 hr, 45 min multiple-choice test (with one optional essay question)	1 hr multiple-choice test
Subjects covered	Math, Reading, Writing	20 different topics
Which Colleges/Universities Require It?	Almost all colleges	Few colleges

 

A handful of schools, including Harvard, Pomona, and Carnegie Mellon require you to submit scores from both the SAT I and SAT II tests (1 to 3 subjects).

Some colleges and universities have more specific guidelines on which tests you need to take, for example, if you are seeking admission to MIT, you will have to take one Math and one Science SAT II.

These are the subjects offered for SAT II

Humanities	Math and Science	Languages	More Languages
Literature	Math Level I	French	French with Listening
World History	Math Level II	Modern Hebrew	Chinese with Listening
U.S. History	Physics	Spanish	Spanish with Listening
	Chemistry	German	German with Listening
	Biology/EM	Italian	Korean with Listening
		Latin	Japanese with Listening

 

Registering for SAT in UAE

You can register for SAT either online or via mail

Steps to register online

1. Sign into your College Board account.
2. Provide your full name and other personal information. Ensure it is the same name as shown on your valid Government photo ID.
3. You will be prompted to answer some questions about yourself, only the one’s marked with a * are compulsory. You can choose not to answer the non-compulsory questions. However, it is recommended that you fill the form completely.
4. Decide whether you want to sign up for the SAT with Essay, based on the colleges you want to apply.
5. Upload a photo that meets photo requirements set by the College Board.
6. Review and print your Admission Ticket.

If you are registering by mail to take the test outside the U.S, the mailed registration forms must be received by the international deadlines. You can pay by cheque or money order

SAT Fees in UAE

Test	Fee
SAT	$45 + $47 (Non-U.S. Regional Fee for UAE)
SAT with Essay	$57 + $47 (Non-U.S. Regional Fee for UAE)

For online registration, you have to pay via credit cards.

Tips for SAT preparation

Here are some simple tips that will help you get better SAT scores.

• Try to answer every question: There is no negative marking, so try and answer as many questions as you can. However, do not take too much of time making wild guesses.
• Use the process of elimination: It is always easier to spot a wrong answer, so first identify and cross all wrong answers, and then choose the right one from the remaining options.
• Make good use of your test booklet: Use it for calculations, underlining parts of passages, writing formulas, No one is going to check what you have written in the test booklet.
• Fill in the Scantron ovals carefully: There is nothing worse than getting the answer right, but marking the wrong oval.
• Slow down and choose your questions carefully: Before attempting to answer all questions, choose the questions that you want to answer first. Once you have completed them, go ahead and try all others. Slow down, and focus on accuracy.
• Be careful with the essay: You are given an argument, and you are required to critique it. Don’t give your opinion. Instead, you have to critique someone else’s opinion. Be mindful of this, and write a persuasive essay.
• During the exam, if you find yourself caught between two options, trust your first intuition.

Want to score a perfect 1600 in SAT? Start your SAT preparation now. It is best to seek help of a private tutor or join a coaching institute in your class XI or XII.