Introducing the SAT

What is the SAT? The SAT is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Developed in 1901 First stood for Scholastic Achievement Test Changed in 1941 to Scholastic Aptitude Test Changed in 1994 to just SAT – Doesn’t stand for anything

Myths about the SAT Take SAT on (so-and-so) date Re-testing looks bad Studies prove this is not true Re-testing looks bad Colleges do not consider re-testers any worse than non-re-testers SAT doesn’t matter anyway Required for most college admissions

Facts about SAT Administered seven times per year Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, March, May, June Perfect score on SAT is 1600 Consist of 2 scored sections: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing – 800 65-minute Reading section 35-minute Writing section Math – 800 55-minute section with calculator 25-minute section without calculator Essay is optional and scored separately

Why take the SAT? Some students are required by their high school and state Most colleges require the SAT for admission Many employers are requiring SAT scores for employment since the SAT measures your ability to reason Allows college students to skip intro classes It’s much easier and less knowledge-based than the ACT

Improving your SAT score Enroll in SAT course, buy prep material, spend time taking practice test Bag the easy points – Easy questions are worth the same amount as hard questions Answer the questions you know first then work the harder ones

What to expect on test day Get a good nights sleep before and eat breakfast Bring two forms of ID, pencils, calculators, a watch for timing that does not beep Things NOT to bring: Scratch paper Things that make noise Headphones MP3 players Remember that cell phones will not be allowed during testing time