SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)
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. 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 1600. 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,
your raw score is figured out by Adding points for
correct answers and Subtracting a fraction of a point
for wrong answers. Total test time: 3 hours and 45
minutes. 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
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 your raw score is taken and turned 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
Section 1: Reading 52 Questions Time – 65 minutes | 5 Reading Passages, including 1 paired passages |
Section 2: Writing and Language 44 Questions Time – 35 minutes | 4 passages |
Section 3: Math, No Calculator 20 Questions Time – 25 minutes | 15 Multiple Choice, 5 Grid-in |
Section 4: math, Calculator 38 Questions Time – 55 minutes | 30 Multiple Choice, 8 Grid-in |
Optional Essay 1 Question Time – 50 minutes | Write an essay analyzing how the author of a given passage has made his or her argument. Evaluated on reading, analysis, and writing. |
(Source: Official SAT Site – www.sat.collegeboard.com )