The SAT Test in a Nutshell: Essential Information for Success

Digital SAT exam is a universally accepted admission test for undergrad programs abroad, especially in the US. It’s administered on 7 weekends in a year and is widely accepted by most colleges abroad.

The SAT exam can show the potential of students to succeed in college and career. Students can stand out on college applications by submitting their best scores as evidence which universities typically look for. In fact, more than 1.5 million students take the SAT every year as the SAT score is a great way to intimate the colleges that you are college-ready.

Understanding the SAT

• Test Structure

The SAT exam consists of two sections – Reading and Writing and Math. The SAT exam is a multi-stage adaptive test (MST), dividing each section of Reading & Writing and Math into two modules of equal length. The first module of either section serves a set of easy, medium, and harder questions. Based on students’ performance in the first section, the level of difficulty of the second module could be more or less.

• Duration & Format

The SAT exam Spans for 2 hour 14 minutes – 64 minutes of Reading & Writing and 70 minutes of Math. Questions in English section are multiple choice questions (MCQ) while the questions in Math are both MCQs and Student Produced Responses (SPR).

Scoring Scale: The SAT exam is scored on a scale of 400-1600 which is the sum of the scores of both the sections given below.

Reading & Writing: 200-800

Math: 200-800

Each correct answer gives one point and there is no penalty for wrong answer. As such, the number of correct and wrong answers in a test (also called RAW score) will be converted into scaled score using an algorithm. There is no penalty for wrong answers, and so guessing will not reduce the score.

Reading & Writing section: Explanation of the SAT scoring system, including the score range for each section and the total score.

Registration Process: The SAT exam registration involves several steps mentioned below.

• Creating College Board account: You need to create an account in the collegeboardorg. This account is used to register for the SAT exam. The account creation requires your personal details such as your name, DOB, academic information etc. Most importantly, the name and other details in the registration form must match the details in the ID proof you carry on the day of your test. Mismatch may disqualify you to take the test.
• Test date & Location: The SAT exam is offered throughout the year on 7 weekends. Students can choose the date and location suitable for them.
• Test centre: The Digital SAT exam is administered at several centres, and so depending on your location, choose a test centre nearer to you.
• Test date Availability: Check the availability of seats on the preferred date at the chosen test centre and confirm it.
• Registration & Fee: Fill the registration form which requires your location, high school information, test preferences etc. The Test fee is $111 is you are taking the test outside the US and $68 if you are taking the test in the US. Make sure that you have no other commitments on the test day as rescheduling and cancelling the test costs more. https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/registration/international-testing/fees.
• Upload a clear photo of yours which will be compared to the photo on your ID.
• Fee waiver: Eligible students can avail the fee waiver and take the test free along with other benefits. Please refer to the following link for eligibility criteria. Review the eligibility criteria.
• Registration copy: Once the registration is done, double check that the details you mentioned in the registration from are correct. Take a printout and carry it to the test centre.

Registration Deadlines: The registration for a given test date will be open throughout the year, but the deadline for registration will usually end 15days before the test date. With late registration fee, a student can register for the test 11 days before the test.

https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/dates-deadlines

SAT Preparation Tips

• Study Plan

The SAT exam requires an organized preparation and a student can achieve the best with a study plan that spans 3-5 months at most. Study plan is always student specific, and so requires that he/she identifies key skills and problematic areas to come up with a test taking strategy. Preparation without a study plan is like shooting bullseye blindly. To chalk out your study plan, you need to sit with your mentors who trained you and who also know your potential.

Don’t need to too much worry about your study plan as the SAT exam is a short-term prep. All that you have to know is how to align your skills to the dynamics of the test and concepts tested.

• Practice Tests

Students often overestimate and overemphasize the importance of the number of practice tests they need to take. Given a test like SAT exam, 5-10 practice tests are enough to familiarize yourself with the test, evaluate your potential, and fix your strategy.

It looks like the College board doesn’t allow you to attempt all the questions within the time and get all the questions correct. Nevertheless, techniques and strategy will help overcome the limitations and outsmart the test maker’s plan. Remember, learning and practicing too much can also be a hindrance if not guided by a Mentor. The role of practice tests is familiarizing yourself with the test format and improving time management.

• Prepare for Test Day

1. Check your registration: Log into your College Board account to confirm your registration details and ensure everything is correct.
2. Prepare your devices: While the SAT is digital, it is administered on devices provided at the test center, so you do not need to bring your own device.
3. Familiarize yourself with test center policies: Understand what you can and cannot bring to the test center (e.g., calculators, snacks, etc.).

• On Test Day

1. Report early: Report at the test center early to have a safe margin of time between check-in and testing time.
2. Carry required materials: Carry your printed admission ticket, acceptable photo ID, and any other allowed by the testing centre items such as a calculator. Please refer to the following link.  https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/device-lending#:~:text=You%20can%20take%20the%20SAT,Chromebooks%20aren’t%20permitted).
3. Follow instructions: Ensure that you follow the test centre rules and reach out to the proctor for any help.

• Post-Test

1. Check your scores: Scores are usually available online a few days to a couple of weeks after the test.
2. Send your scores to colleges: You can send your scores to colleges for free if you do so within a limited time after the test, or you can pay a fee to send them later.

Resources

Fortunately, there are a few popular resources handy for your practice. Besides College Board (https://www.collegeboard.org/), the following resources are available to extensively explore. .

• College Board Official Resources

1. Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/ It’s an official partner of College Board and so the material simulates the actual test. This website provides free resources, full length practice tests, subject wise and topic wise practice questions, and video lessons.
2. Official SAT Study Guide: It used to be available only as a book, but now it provides digital content and practice tests. This is also one of the books recommended for SAT test takers.

• Prep Books with Digital Access: https://princetonreviewbooks.com/sat-psat

The Princeton Review SAT Premium Prep: A book famous for learning strategies and practice questions, and access to online tools.

• Mobile Apps

Daily Practice for the SAT (College Board): A great app for quick practice sessions and daily questions from the College Board.

• Practice Tests

Bluebook by College Board: An essential app for Digital SAT, it provides practice tests in the exact format you’ll experience on test day. It’s crucial for familiarizing yourself with the digital interface.