SAT Exam Review: Knowing the Score
Ah, the SAT. It has been the measuring stick by which people have been admitted to college for decades. It’s portrayed on television as the bane of every teen’s existence. Yes, the SAT has quite the reputation. But you’ll be interested to know that in 2005, the SAT underwent a major facelift. No longer will college bound teens be aiming for that ever elusive 1600. With new sections and different methods of scoring, the SAT looks a lot different, but hasn’t changed so much that you need to change your entire testing strategy.
So what’s so new about the SAT?
The format of the SAT is still the same, pretty much. You sign up for the test, pay your registration fee and report to a designated location on the test date. You take several tests, each lasting about 25 minutes and you get a few breaks in between to eat a snack and stretch your legs. However, rather than only having two main scores—one for math and one for verbal—you now have three scores, one for math, one for reading and one for writing. So, instead of having an overall possible high score of 1600, you now can score from a range of 200 to 800 on each individual test.
The SAT Structure
Critical Reading |
|
| Question Type | Number of Questions |
| Sentence completions | 19 |
| Passage-based Reading | 48 |
| Time: Two 25-minutes sections; one 20-minute section. Total: 70 minutes |
|
Writing |
|
| Question Type | Number of Questions |
| Identifying sentence errors | 18 |
| Improving sentences | 25 |
| Improving paragraphs | 6 |
| Essay writing | One essay |
| Time: Two 25-minute sections; one 10-minute section. Total: 60 minutes |
|
Math |
|
| Question Type | Number of Questions |
| Multiple-choice | 44 |
| Grid-ins | 10 |
| Time: Two 25-minute sections; one 20-minute section. Total: 70 minutes |
|
Information About Writing SAT Essays
The writing section is also an entirely new addition to the SAT. You will be required to write an essay on a given topic. This essay now allows the test scorers to get a sense of your writing abilities, your use of language and your ability to defend an argument—all qualities highly valued by potential colleges.
Some colleges are even doing away with their admissions essay requirements and merely using the SAT essay portion as a means of evaluating applicants. So, if you send your SAT score to any colleges, they will be able to read and evaluate your writing easily.
What does the SAT Test Asses?
The SAT is actually called the SAT Reasoning Test. This is also a name change from what it used to be. In recent years, it was called the SAT I: Reasoning Test. And before that, the initials actually meant something: Scholastic Aptitude Test. But besides the name and format changes, the SAT still basically tests for the same sorts of things, which are your ability to reason out a problem and your ability to think logically. What you have learned in school and your background knowledge do not come into play on the test. This fact is actually one reason many are trying to have these sorts of college entrance exams done away with. Some believe that if they do not test for knowledge, then what’s the point?
How important is the SAT?
The SAT used to be a lot more important to your chances of being admitted to college. Nowadays, however, the test is used in combination with a variety of other factors including grades, GPA, community service, extracurricular activities, clubs participated in, leadership roles, jobs held and your admissions essay. So, your SAT score is factored into the equation and if you do well, great! If you don’t do so well, you still may get into the college if you have excellent grades and excel in other areas. More and more college admissions officers understand that the SAT test is not always an accurate measure of someone’s ability to do well in college.
How can I Prepare for the SAT?
You can’t exactly “study” for the SAT. That is, there is not a set of information that you must learn before you can do well. However, it could be helpful for you to practice doing sample questions online at the College Board website at www.collegeboard.com or you can sign up for the PSAT and take a test run on the exam. There are also many SAT test taking tips out there that can make the testing taking process a bit easier to handle.
So, even if you’re not the best of test takers, you can do well on the SAT and you can get into the college of your dreams. Preparation is half the battle!