All About SAT Examination to Study Bachelors in USA !!

Gear up for the change of format in the Scholastic Aptitude Test, for admission to US colleges and universities, starting from 2016. 

Students need to appear for Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in order to apply to various colleges and universities in the US for higher education. The exam aims at testing the logical reasoning and the problem solving skills of the candidates which is a major criterion for admissions to colleges.

The SAT, apart from testing a student’s academic preparedness is also an important step to apply for financial aid and scholarships. The questions majorly focus on testing your knowledge of subjects such as Maths, Science, History, Social Studies, English and Languages.

SAT is conducted 6 times in a year. The next set of these exams are lined up to be conducted in March, May and June this year for which the dates have been released.

There are two types of SAT exams:

SAT General Test/ SAT-I: The general test of 3 hours and 45 minutes includes three sections of multiple choice questions:

• Writing: The writing test assesses candidate’s knowledge about grammar, usage and word choice. 
• Reading: It tests candidate’s capability of sentence completion, paragraph reading and reading comprehension.  
• Mathematics: This test includes Basic Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Probability, Statistics and Data Analysis.

SAT Subject Test (Optional)/ SAT –II: Some Universities or Colleges require or recommend SAT subject Test score with admission application form. SAT subject test is an optional test, but it provides an additional opportunity to candidates to show their capabilities and knowledge about particular subjects to universities and colleges. This test will be important if a candidate is applying for major in any specific subject.

The SAT II is an hour test with multiple choice questions. Candidates are required to select three subjects per sitting from the list of 20 subjects like Chemistry, Physics, Social Studies, German Reading, Spanish Listening, World History, French, Mathematics, Literature, etc. 

SAT Paper Pattern:

• SAT question paper is divided into 3 sections; critical reading, mathematics, writing.
• Each section is allotted 800 points making the total attainable score of 2400.
• Total time allotted: 3 hours and 45 minutes

Frequently Asked Questions about SAT Exam

Question: What is “Good Score in SAT”? 

• Experts suggest that in order to make it to the Ivy League colleges and any other good colleges in US, a minimum score of 700 in each of the sections and a total of 2400 is considered to a good score. You need to touch a score of 2000 at least for applying to a decent college. There is no specific benchmarking or a cut off set by the colleges however a good score in SAT is an important criterion to strengthen your application to the various colleges in US.

Question:What “Number of attempts” does a candidate get? 

• It is recommended that you take the test the once but, just in case you are not satisfied with your first performance and if you strongly feel that you can improve upon a certain section in another attempt, then you can retake the test. The SAT however, can be attempted unlimited number of times.