The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is the basic test you need to clear if you're hoping to continuing your education after high school. Your SAT scores will make the difference between (a) getting into college or higher studies or not; and (b) which college or university you get admitted to. Obviously, the higher your SAT score, the greater your chances of getting in to the top-tier Ivy League and other reputed institutions!
This article lays out general information and basic guidelines about the SAT and how to select the best practice test materials for acing the test!
Basic information
The SAT is conducted seven times in a year across the US and US territories (October, November, December, January, March, May and June). For overseas students, however, the test frequency is only six times in a year (October, November, December, May and June).
Scoring is done on a scale of 200-800 with 2400 being the perfect score! Scores that average around 1500 and upwards are considered good scores. The general SAT test is divided into ten sections as follows:
- One essay of 25 minutes duration
- Multiple-choice writing section - 10 minutes
- Six sections of 25 minutes each
- Two sections of 20 minutes each
Of these 10 sections, one 25-minute section remains unscored from any of the three parts. However, you will not be able to identify this section, which means you will have to attempt all ten sections to ensure you get the highest possible scores. Listed below are brief descriptions of the three main sections of the SAT - critical reading, writing and mathematics.
Critical reading section
This section is spread over seventy minutes - two sections of 25 minutes each and one 20-minute section. The section tests the student's ability to complete sentences and reading comprehension of short and long passages of content. Sentence completion questions are in the multiple-choice format; the reading comprehension part provides passages that should be read and the questions that follow be answered.
Writing section
This section is made up of two 25-minute and one 10-minute sections for a total of sixty minutes. The test is comprised of one essay (25 minutes) and three multiple-choice sections: (i) 25 questions on improving sentences; (ii) 18 questions on identifying errors in sentences; and (iii) 6 questions on improving paragraphs.
Mathematics section
The number of sections and timing is the same as the critical reading section described above. Students have to answer 44 multiple-choice questions and 10 questions where the questions must be solved and the answers entered in the grid provided.
Selecting practice test materials
While accuracy is important, it is no less important to practice on your timing. Very often, students end up spending too much time on one section and are left with little time to complete the rest. Hence, when selecting practice test materials for the SAT, you need to opt for materials which help you develop both accuracy as well as timing. There are plenty of guidebooks and sample papers available both in print and online. Some may be free, others will cost you money! If a group of friends or classmates are appearing for the SAT at the same time, it may make sense to pool your resources to buy these materials.
Listed below are some of the resources available online:
- collegeboard.com
- testprep.sparknotes.com
- learnhub.com
- english-test.net
- freevocabulary.com
- testprepreview.com
- algebra.com
- studyhall.com
Books in print that you can buy include The Official SAT Study Guide (available at Amazon), Barron's SAT 2400: Aiming for the perfect score (Amazon) and so on.
Remember, "practice makes perfect" and the more test exercises that you complete, the greater will be your confidence levels in approaching and completing the SAT. There is no negative marking for unanswered questions, so attempt all of the multiple-choice questions where a bit of guess work or eliminating obvious wrong choices may still get you that mark!
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