SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly
Scholastic Aptitude Test and
Scholastic Assessment Test) is a
standardized test for college
admissions in the
United States. The
SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a
non-profit organization in the United States. SAT was previously
publish and developed by the Educational
Testing Service (ETS). ETS now administers the exam. SAT
testifies the ability of a student whether his is ready for college or
not.
The duration of the test is three hours and forty-five
minutes. It costs $45 ($71 International), excluding late fees. The name
and scoring system of the SAT has changed several times since the it’s
introduction. The present name was adopted in 2005 with possible scores
from 600 to 2400 combining test results from three 800-point sections,
along with other subsections scored separately.
Structure
SAT consists of three major sections:
-
Critical
Reading
-
Mathematics
-
Writing
Each section consists on a scale of 200–800 points. All
scores are multiples of 10. Total scores are obtained after adding the
scores of all the sections. Every large section is divided into three
parts. There are 10 sub-sections, including an additional 25-minute
experimental or "equating" section that may be in any of the three major
sections. The questions range from easy, medium, and hard depending on
the scoring from the experimental sections. Easier questions typically
appear closer to the beginning of the section while harder questions are
towards the end in certain sections. This is not for every section but
it is the rule of thumb mainly for math and sentence completions and
vocabulary.
Style of questions
Most of the questions on the SAT are multiple choice; all
multiple-choice questions have five answer choices, one of which is
correct. The questions of each section of the same type are generally
ordered by difficulty.
The questions are weighted equally. For each correct
answer, one raw point is added. For each incorrect answer one-fourth of
a point is deducted. No points are deducted for incorrect math grid-in
questions.
Taking the test
The SAT is offered seven times a year in the
United States, in
October, November, December, January, March (or April, alternating),
May, and June. In other countries, the SAT is offered on the same dates
as in the United States except for the first spring test date (i.e.,
March or April), which is not offered.
Candidates may either take the SAT Reasoning Test or up to
three SAT Subject Tests on any given test date, except the first spring
test date, when only the SAT Reasoning Test is offered. Candidates
wishing to take the test may register online at the College Board's
website, by mail, or by telephone, at least three weeks before the test
date.
Raw scores, scaled scores, and percentiles
Students receive their online score reports approximately
three weeks after test administration (six weeks for mailed, paper
scores), with each section graded on a scale of 200–800 and two sub
scores for the writing section: the essay score and the multiple choice
sub score. In addition to their score, students receive their percentile
(the percentage of other test takers with lower scores). The raw score
or the number of points gained from correct answers and lost from
incorrect answers (ranges from just under 50 to just under 60, depending
upon the test), is also included.
SAT
preparation
Many companies and organizations offer SAT preparation
classes in Pakistan in
the form of books, classes, online courses, tutoring and only recently,
board games. Large organizations include Kaplan and the Princeton
Review.
