The SAT is a globally recognized college admission test that lets you show colleges what you know and how well you can apply that knowledge. It tests your knowledge of reading, writing and math — subjects that are taught every day in high school classrooms. Most students take the SAT during their junior or senior year of high school, and almost all colleges and universities use the SAT to make admission decisions.
Taking the SAT is the first step in finding the right college for you — the place where you can further develop your skills and pursue your passions. But SAT scores are just one of many factors that colleges consider when making their admission decisions. High school grades are also very important. In fact, the combination of high school grades and SAT scores is the best predictor of your academic success in college.
What does it test?
It tests the skills you’re learning in school: reading, writing and math. Your knowledge and skills in these subjects are important for success in college and throughout your life.
*The critical reading section includes reading passages and sentence completions.
*The writing section includes a short essay and multiple-choice questions on identifying errors and improving grammar and usage.
*The mathematics section includes questions on arithmetic operations, algebra, geometry, statistics and probability.
How can I prepare?
The best way to get ready for the SAT is to take challenging courses, study hard, and read and write in and outside of the classroom.
Studies suggest that cramming and short-term prep can’t substitute for hard work in school, but it’s certainly a good idea for you to become familiar and comfortable with the test format and question types. That’s why the best SAT practice is the PSAT/NMSQT, which covers the same subjects under timed conditions.
You can also take advantage of our free online practice tools, such as an online or printable practice test, sample questions, The Official SAT Question of the Day™ and more.
Remember, a little practice goes a long way.
Is the SAT the most important factor in college admission?
The SAT is just one factor among many that colleges use to get to know you better. It’s best to keep the test in perspective and understand that it’s only part of a comprehensive admission process that also recognizes other factors, like extracurricular activities and personal recommendations.
Every college and university uses a different combination of criteria for admission. Feel free to reach out to the schools you’re interested in to understand their unique admission policies.
Each section of your SAT (critical reading, mathematics and writing) will be scored on a 200- to 800-point scale, for a possible total of 2400. You’ll also get two “subscores” on the writing section: a multiple-choice score from 20 to 80, and an essay score from 2 to 12.
But how do you get these scores? Two steps happen before you see a final score.
First, we figure out your raw score by:
Adding points for correct answers.
Subtracting a fraction of a point for wrong answers.
Remember: Questions that you skipped don’t count either for or against your score, and points aren’t taken away for wrong answers on the math questions where you needed to fill the answers in a grid.
Then we take your raw score and turn it into a scaled score. This is where the score of 200–800 points comes from, and it is done through a statistical process called “equating.” This process makes it possible to compare your score with the scores of other students who took alternative versions of the test, and to your own scores on previous tests.
Visit How the SAT Is Scored to see exactly how your score gets calculated.
How much time will I have to take the SAT?
The SAT is made up of 10 sections:
*A 25-minute essay
*Six 25-minute sections (mathematics, critical reading and writing)
*Two 20-minute sections (mathematics, critical reading and writing)
*A 10-minute multiple-choice writing section
Total test time: 3 hours and 45 minutes
You’ll also get three short breaks during the testing, so don’t forget to bring a snack!
Most students take the SAT during the spring of their junior year of high school. Many students choose to take the SAT a second time in the fall of their senior year after becoming familiar with the test day experience.
How many times should I take the SAT?
Most students take the SAT once or twice. We don’t recommend taking it more than twice because there’s no evidence that taking the SAT multiple times significantly changes your score.
Create your own SAT self-study plan http://sat.collegeboard.com/practice/sat-study-plan
