Taking the SAT

You’ve been preparing for years to get into a good college by maintaining your good grades, joining organizations and volunteering in your community. You and your family have been visiting schools and starting the college planning process. There’s one major thing to do before you start filling out your college applications: take the SAT.

Most schools require that you take a standardized test, like the SAT, to determine your college readiness. Your scores, just like the rest of your application, will be scrutinized by the college’s admissions office and compared to the scores of other applicants. Colleges place a different weight on various parts of your college application, but it’s safe to say that your SAT scores are fairly important in the assessment process.

How to Register for the SAT

The SAT is administered by the College Board. There are specific dates that the SAT is offered every year, and you must register for SAT testing by mail or online prior to the test date. You can take the SAT as many times as you like, although research shows that taking the test more than twice probably won’t improve your scores. It costs $45 every time you take the SAT test. Register on-time and try not to change your test center to avoid additional fees.

How to Prepare for the SAT

There are many ways that you can prepare for the SAT, depending on your schedule and your learning style. The SAT is different from any other test out there, and so we don’t suggest walking into the test unprepared. Here are some SAT preparation tips:

1. Check out your local bookstore for SAT workbooks. Some workbooks will walk you through the format of the test and let you take practice versions of the test and score them.
2. Some high schools offer courses on the SAT, either as a for-credit course or an after school program. Check with your guidance or career counselor to see what SAT programs your high school offers.
3. There are paid SAT preparation courses from Kaplan, the Princeton Review and other organizations that you can sign up for online or in your local community.
4. Sign up to take the PSAT before you take the SAT. The PSAT, or preliminary SAT, is a great way to get practice for the SAT and an indication of how you will perform when you do. You can use your PSAT scores to identify areas you need to improve before the real SAT test. Your high school, or another high school in your area, administers the PSAT. You must register and pay a fee in order to take the PSAT.

Sections on the SAT

The SAT consists of 9 scored sections from the following subjects:

• Critical Reading
• Mathematics
• Writing

We’ve provided the links above should you wish to get detailed information from the College Board about each section of the test and how it is scored.

Your SAT Scores

Reporting your SAT scores to colleges can be a very stressful activity, especially before you know your scores. You can send up to 4 scores for free when you register to take the SAT, and you can change your mind about sending the scores within a few days of taking the test.

It’s important to know that every college has their own score-use practice. Some colleges will allow you to report only your best SAT scores; some will want to see all of your scores. If you are trying to get into a competitive institution, or your scores are at the bottom of (or below) the required admissions criteria, it’s especially important to know the school’s score-use policy. If you don’t want to report any of your SAT scores to schools until you see how you did, you’ll incur score reporting fees. You may also be able to report your best scores by section or test date to your potential schools (i.e. you did better on the Reading section during your first test and better on the Math section during your second test attempt). See the College Board’s new score reporting policy “Score Choice” for more information.