The SAT and SAT Subject Tests

The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized admissions test used to assess academic preparedness for universities and colleges in the United States, offered by the College Board. Required for entry to most higher education institutions in the U.S., the SAT (the ACT being the other) tests an undergraduate applicant’s writing, reading and mathematics skills and knowledge.

Over a period of 3 hours and 45 minutes, SAT test-takers will complete the following sections:

1)    Writing: This section presents a combination of multiple-choice questions on grammar usage and an essay component. These multiple-choice questions test students on sentence and paragraph improvement and error identification. Often the first section of the SAT, the 25-minute essay allows test-takers to show how they can develop and express their ideas effectively in a piece of extended writing by responding to a given prompt. To be successful, it is important to build on a topic viewpoint in a logical way and use supporting examples and details clearly with proper use of language. An effective and concise essay should display sound organizational structure of the writer’s main ideas by addressing the elements of the prompt.

2)    Critical Reading: Reading comprehension and vocabulary skills are tested in these multiple-choice answer sections. Test-takers will need to read short and extended passages for main ideas and subtleties and complete sentences by drawing from the content and topical details. Having some understanding of literary devices, such as metaphor, exaggeration, comparison and contrast, will be beneficial for analyzing and interpreting the purpose of particular sentences or the author’s point in the paragraphs.

3)    Mathematics: An array of mathematical concepts and topics are tested with reference to key knowledge and skills from the secondary school curriculum. These sections include both free-response and multiple-choice questions on solving problems in arithmetic, geometry, algebra, scattered plots, probability and statistics.

Altogether, there are ten separately timed sections on the SAT, which include one 25-minute essay, six 25-minute sections, two 20-minutes and one 10-minute section. Each of the above three major sections is scored on a scale from 200 to 800, for an accumulated maximum of 2400. The Writing section has two sub-scores: the essay is graded from 2 to 12 (a combined score given by two readers that each marks from 1 to 6) and the multiple-choice sub-score ranges from 200 to 800.

Previously called the “SAT II” exams, The SAT Subject Tests are content-specific tests that give students the opportunity to showcase their academic strength across a range of 20 subjects from English Literature to Ecological Biology. The Subject Tests of their choice are written by first-year applicants to demonstrate how prepared they are for a particular area of study at the college level. Not all U.S. colleges will require them for admission, so it’s best to check with each institution regarding how many subject tests are needed, which can range from zero to three.

Watch this spot for more information on how to prepare for the SAT.