In our latest blog feature, we take a look at The SAT and delve into a few details to give prospective student-athletes a better understanding of what it is, why its required, where to find your nearest test center, what’s involved in the test, how its assessed and how to plan for it.
What is the SAT?
The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) is taken to demonstrate to colleges/ universities what the prospective student knows and how well they can apply their knowledge. While the SAT is not required by all colleges and universities, it is a global recognized test used for admitting students into colleges and universities all over the United States.
Colleges and universities usually look at the combination of high school/secondary grades and SAT scores. This combination functions as a prediction of a student’s future academic success. You cannot fail this test, and you can take it as many times as you would like to.
The registration deadline for the SAT exam is normally about 2 weeks before the date in which you plan to take it. We recommend that you take the SAT 12-18 months before going to the USA. This will allow you time to retake the test if you are not happy with your scores.
The Structure
You will be assessed in Reading and Writing and in Maths, with 2 modules each during the test. There is also an essay section. Some colleges don’t require the essay but do recommend it. In these cases, it is suggested to do what the college recommends.
The Reading and Writing section consist of short reading passages in different subject areas including history, the humanities, and science. These passages are usually about 25-150 words long, and they’re followed by 54 multiple-choice questions. The Math section consists of both multiple-choice questions, as well as free response questions to test your fluency and ability to apply math concepts, skills and practices. About 75% of all questions are multiple choice, while the rest are student-produced free response questions.
Scoring
Students’ scores are determined by whether they answer questions right or wrong, and by considering attributes of the questions, including difficulty level, the questions’ ability to differentiate between students with various levels of content knowledge, and the probability that a student is guessing based on their pattern of responses.
For most students who are trying their best on every question, it is better to guess than leave a question blank, especially if the student can eliminate 1 or 2 answer options before guessing. Your total SAT score is a number between 400 and 1600 - this score is the total of your scores in both sections and in all 4 modules. Each section has a possible score range of 200-800 points. The average SAT score for students admitted to an Ivy League or top colleges/universities is high, often around at least 1550.
Planning for your SAT Test
It is important to prepare for the SAT. You may find that taking the exam at least 2 times can really be beneficial in getting to achieve the score that you would like. There are some good resources available online to help with preparation for taking test. We would recommend that you do your own investigation for websites to aid planning to take the test.
FirstPoint USA’s Elite package offers 1 to 1 tutoring with our partner Tutor Chase, which is something that can also be purchased as a one-off at a preferential rate if you do not have this package. Our clients will also have access to Magoosh, a SAT study preparation platform, for up to 12 months to help get ready for the exam.
