The SAT - the Scholastic Aptitude Test

About the SAT

Planning on applying to college? Then it's never too early to prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The SAT, also known as the SAT Reasoning Test, is a requirement of most undergraduate programs at four-year colleges and universities in the United States.

SAT Structure

The SAT is divided into ten sections: three Critical Reading sections, three Writing sections, three Math sections, and one unscored Experimental section, which looks just like one of the other nine sections. The Writing Essay section always comes first, but the remaining nine multiple-choice sections can appear in any order.

The exam measures your critical reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning skills. The test is composed of 10 sections:

3 Critical Reading sections

Critical Reading (3 sections)
Length	20 or 25 minutes
Format	Multiple Choice
Questions	16-19 (20 minute section) 24-28 (25 minute sections)
Question Types	Reading Comprehension Sentence Completion
Topics Tested	Reading Sentence Structure Vocabulary

The SAT contains three scored Critical Reading sections. One Critical Reading section lasts 20 minutes, and the other two Critical Reading sections last 25 minutes each.

The SAT Critical Reading sections contain two question types.

Reading Comprehension questions require you to understand the topic, scope, purpose, and structure of academic passages drawn from the arts and sciences.
Sentence Completion questions require you to select a word or pair of words that "fill in the blanks" to produce a grammatically and logically correct sentence.

3 Writing sections

Writing (3 sections)
Length	10 or 25 minutes
Format	Student-written Essay Multiple Choice
Questions	1 (Essay section) 14 (10 minute Multiple Choice section) 32-35 (25 minute Multiple Choice section)
Question Types	Long-form Essay Identifying Sentence Errors Improving Sentences Improving Paragraphs
Topics Tested	Writing Grammar Sentence and paragraph structure

The SAT contains three scored Writing sections. One Writing section lasts 10 minutes, and the other two Writing sections last 25 minutes each.

The SAT always begins with the 25 minute Essay section, in which you are presented with an issue, normally in the form of a quotation, and must respond to a specific question about that issue. You must express your point of view on the given issue and support it with well-developed reasons and examples.

The other two Writing sections contain three different multiple-choice question types:

Improving Sentences: For these questions, you are given a sentence with a portion of the text underlined. You must determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence contains a grammatical error, and if so, how to best correct the error. The 10 minute Writing section contains only Improving Sentences questions. The 25 minute multiple-choice Writing section also contains a group of Improving Sentences questions.
Improving Paragraphs: Several of these questions will appear at the end of the 25 minute multiple-choice Writing section. These questions require you to read a short passage and answer questions about the sentence structure, word choice, organization, and development of the passage.
Identifying Sentence Errors: These questions test your ability to recognize English grammar and usage errors. For Identifying Sentence Errors questions, you must determine whether a sentence contains a grammatical or usage error, and if so, identify the error. Although you must be able to identify the error, these questions do not actually require you to correct it. You will encounter a group of these questions in the 25 minute multiple-choice Writing section.

3 Math sections

Math (3 sections)
Length	20 or 25 minutes
Format	Multiple Choice Student-produced Responses
Questions	16-20
Question Types	Problem Solving (multiple choice) Grid-ins (student-produced responses)
Topics Tested	Arithmetic and number properties Algebra Geometry Data analysis Probability and statistics

The SAT contains three scored Math sections. One Math section lasts 20 minutes, and the other two Math sections last 25 minutes each.

The Math sections contain two question types:

Multiple choice questions are regular math problems with five answer choices.
For Grid-ins, you must supply the answer by "gridding in" your response on the answer sheet.

Both Multiple Choice questions and Grid-ins test a limited range of basic mathematical concepts:

Numbers and operations, including arithmetic, number properties, fractions, averages, ratios, and rates.
High school algebra, including rules of exponents, polynomial expressions, and the quadratic equation.
High school geometry, including lines, triangles, polygons, circles, spheres, cylinders, cubes, etc.
Data analysis.
Probability and statistics.

Mastering the SAT Math section requires practice. Many test takers who are great at math score poorly on the SAT, not because they're not good at math, but because they don't know how to apply their math knowledge to the types of questions that appear on the test.

1 unscored Experimental section

Experimental (1 section)
Length	25 minutes
Format	Multiple Choice
Questions	Varies
Question Types	Varies according to section type
Topics Tested	Critical Reading, Writing, or Math

The SAT contains one unscored Experimental section that the College Board uses to test new questions for official use in upcoming tests. The Experimental section will look exactly like one of the nine scored sections and can appear in any order on the test. Because there is no way of knowing which section is the Experimental section (don't try to guess), you must treat every section as if it counts.

The SAT is an approximately four hour long standardized test administered seven times each year by the College Board at designated testing centers throughout the United States.

Upcoming SAT Test Dates

The SAT is administered seven times per year. Upcoming test dates and registration deadlines are as follows. You can find more information about upcoming test dates and registration deadlines at the official SAT website.

2007-2008 Test Dates	Test
Format	Multiple Choice
October 6, 2007	SAT & Subject Tests
November 3, 2007	SAT & Subject Tests
December 1, 2007	SAT & Subject Tests
January 26, 2008	SAT & Subject Tests
March 1, 2008	SAT only
May 3, 2008	SAT & Subject Tests
June 7, 2008	SAT & Subject Tests

Notes:

Sunday administrations will occur the day after each Saturday test date for students who cannot test on Saturday for religious reasons.
The Language Tests with Listening are offered in November only.

How to Register for the SAT

Registering for the SAT is fairly straightforward. Although you can register by mail, the easiest way to register for the test is online at the official SAT website. The current registration fee for the SAT Reasoning Test is $41.50, which is most easily paid by credit card, although the College Board will also accept money orders, certified checks, and personal checks. The registration fee for SAT Subject Tests varies according to the number of Subject Tests that you take.

The SAT is administered seven times per year at pre-selected testing sites throughout the United States. You may take the test as many times as you wish. In fact, most students take the test more than once. However, while most colleges will accept your highest SAT score, admissions committees at certain selective schools tend to view multiple (more than three) SAT attempts unfavorably.

To be directed to the official SAT registration website, click here.
Your SAT Score
On the SAT you gain one point for each question answered correctly and lose % point for each question answered incorrectly (with the exception of Grid-ins on the Math section, where you do not lose any points for an incorrect answer). You are not penalized for questions left unanswered.

Your totals for all nine scored sections are combined to produce three raw scores (one each for Critical Reading, Writing, and Math), which are then converted to three scaled scores ranging from 200-800 points. In addition to your raw and scaled scores for each section, your SAT score report will also contain additional information about your performance on the test and how you compare to other test takers.

Scores you will see on your SAT score report:
- Raw Score and Scaled Score for the Critical Reading, Writing, and Math Sections
  Your raw score for each section is calculated by adding one point for every question you answered correctly and subtracting %point for every question you answered incorrectly. Questions left blank do not affect your raw score (you essentially get zero points for unanswered questions). Your raw scores for the three Critical Reading, three Writing, and three Math sections that counted are added up to produce three final raw scores, one each for Critical Reading, Writing, and Math. The Experimental Section is not graded and has no effect on your final score.
  
  These three raw scores are then converted into three scaled scores, which range from a minimum of 200 points to a maximum of 800 points, and are reported in 10 point increments (so possible scores include 520 or 700, for example, but not 524 or 705).
- Score Range for Each Section
  According to the College Board, your scores are approximations rather than precise measures of skill. Therefore, your SAT score report will also note a score range around each scaled score that provides an estimate of how your scores might vary if you were tested many times. In most cases, your score would fall within a range of 30-40 points above or below what the College Board considers your "true ability."
- Multiple Choice Writing and Essay Subscores
  In addition to your raw scores for the Critical Reading and Math sections, your SAT score report will also indicate two subscores for the Writing section. You will receive a multiple-choice subscore ranging from 20-80 points, and an Essay subscore ranging from 2-12 points. If you fail to write an Essay, or if you write an Essay on a topic other than the one assigned, you will receive an Essay subscore of 0 points.
- Information about Your Responses
  Your SAT score report will also contain detailed information indicating which questions you answered correctly, incorrectly, or left blank.
- Estimated Percentile Rank for College-Bound Seniors
  Your SAT score report will indicate a corresponding estimated percentile rank ranging from 1-99 for each section (Critical Reading, Writing, and Math) and question type. This number represents the estimated percentage of all college bound seniors who scored lower than you on that section or question type on that test. Your percentile ranks are important because college admissions officers can use them to get a quick idea of where you rank in the overall applicant pool.
What your SAT score means to colleges

Although many factors play a role in college admissions decisions (such as grade point average, the overall rigor of your high school program and academic courses, and extracurricular activities), there is no question that your SAT score is one of the most important. In fact, recent surveys of college admissions officers indicate that SAT scores are more important than ever to whether you get accepted or rejected to your college of choice. Particularly at the more competitive colleges and universities, your SAT score can "make or break" your application.