Devised by the Educational Testing Serving, the SAT is a test in English and Mathematics, the authoritative test in its sector for more than a century.
The vast majority of North American universities recognize the SAT and the most selective among them require candidates for the Bachelor’s degree to obtain a relatively high score.
But what is the SAT ? What should you expect when taking the English test? What are the tests within the SAT ? What are the marking criteria of this standardized test ? Where do you take the SAT?
Here is all you need to know about this unavoidable exam and how Your Dream School can prepare you for it.
What is the SAT?
SAT is the acronym of “Scholastic Assessment Test”. It is a standardised test lasting 3 hours 45 minutes which determines your capacities of comprehension and logic of the students (american or international) with the view to joining an American unviersity.
SAT candidates are submitted to three types of evaluation, graded between 200 and 800, and can then appreciate their global level at the end of the BAC (or BAC+1)
The more prestigious your target university is, the higher your SAT score has to be.
To join certain specific university departments, it is possible that you willhave to pass between one and three SAT Subject Tests, in addition to the normal SAT. These are supplementary examinations lasting a minimum of 60 minutes, enabling the judgement of your knowledge in five different areas (English, Mathematics, History, Science and Languages), divided into around twenty distinct exams.
Where and when do you take the SAT ?
Taking the SAT has a cost : it takes 64.50 US$ for the version with an essay et 47.5 US$ for the version without an essay. Add to that if you want to sit the exam in Europe.
Regarding the SAT Subject Test, it costs 26 US$ + 22 US$ per test (or 26$ if you have listening) and extra if you wish to sit the exam in Europe.
In France, multiple establishments in Paris and in the provinces, offer to sit the SAT at the rate of four times a year. Do not hesitate to consult the registration calendar on the SAT website to find out the dates and the centers of the exams.
Registration to the SAT and to the SAT Subjects Tests is done directly via the SAT platform and should be completed around a month before you take the exam. Note that the SAT and the SAT Subject Test cannot be taken on the same day.
Please Note: You must equally take into account registration delays in the American university of your choice, so that you can include your SAT score in your application. In general, you will obtain your result between three weeks and a month, after having taken the exam.
Why prepare for the SAT ?
Depending on the university that you want to go to, you will have to sit, as well as the normal SAT (SAT Reasoning Test), one of multiple options during a complementary exam called the SAT Subject Test.
The SAT Exam is composed of multiple tests:
- Reading test (Written comprehension – 70 min): You will be made to analyse texts in order to complete phrases and respond to a certain number of QCM questions.
- Writing and language test (Writing – 60 min): This English test will evaluate your level of language through the correction of phrases containing grammatical errors, vocabulary errors and syntax errors. You will also have to write multiple essays.
- Mathematics (Mathematics – 70 min): This exam aims to examine your capacity for reasoning and your logic through QCMs om geometry, algebra, probability and statistics.
For the uninitiated, the SAT exam can be very baffling. The workload to combat can seem colossal in comparison to the time you are allowed. The tests follow one another at a steady pace, and you must be capable of handling the pressuregenerated by the exam in order to not lose your nerve.
Remember that it’s not just about getting a good result. What matters is to obtain the score required bythe American university that you want to go to.
Harvard, UCLA, Yale … The more well renowned the establishment, the higher your score has to be. For example, did you know that on average, almost a quarter of those admitted to the University of Yale have a perfect score in the SAT Mathematics test !
Succeeding in the SAT and achieving the required score cannot be improvised. It is essential to follow a good preparation for the SAT to familiarize yourself with the collection of exams that you will have to pass on the day. Understanding how the Mathematics and English test functions and knowing your own progress will permit you to tackle the tests more calmly and maximize your chances of success.
Preparation for the SAT : Your Dream School’s unique method
The Your Dream School Team have devised an unprecedented and proven method in order to prepare and support students wishing to sit the SAT examination.
Firstly, we will evaluate your initial level in order to best identify the aspect we need to work on. Then, we will develop a made-to-measure preparation plan, perfectly tailored to your profile to allow you to achieve your target score.
Over the course of your program, you will benefit from remote private tuition with excellent teachers, who have many years of experience in SAT preparation. Attentive and available, these SAT experts will help you to familiarise yourself with the English test and give you valuable and informed advice.
We will also give you access to a SAT preparation platform online to let you work where you want and when you want.
In order to best respond to the needs of each student,we offer numerous SAT preparation formulas which differ in the number of hours of support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for any questions or supplementary information.
