The Scholastic Aptitude Test, SAT

At the beginning of WWII James Conant , President of Harvard University, created a scholarship program to attract other students. However, Conant had to come up with a way to compare and evaluate students academically. Conant’s assistant solved the problem by using Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The SAT was created by a psychologist at Princeton called Carl Brigham. The SAT was based on the army recruits IQ test which Brigham had created before. The first SAT was administered in 1926 and by the end of WWII most colleges and universities would use it to select students. Later Conant established ETS to administer it.

More than two million students take this test and almost all the colleges and universities use the SAT score for admission nationwide. Despite some weaknesses SAT prevails and is an important factor in student admission process.

SAT Tests

There are two types of the SAT, the SAT Reasoning Test and the SAT Subject Test. The SAT evaluates how well you have learned your school subjects and how well you can analyze and apply them to solve problems; critical skills needed for successful higher education. The SAT is scored on the scaled of 200 to 800 and is offered seven times a year in the US, Puerto Rico, & its territories and six times a year overseas.

The Reasoning Test

The SAT Reasoning Test quantifies your critical thinking ability; a skill you'll need for academic success in college. The SAT Reasoning Test includes Critical Reading, Math, and Writing sections and it is scored on a scale of 200 to 800, with two writing subscores for multiple-choice and the essay.

The SAT Reading Section is designed to assess (200-800) your knowledge of critical reading and sentence level reading through short and long passages, sentence completion, and passage-based reading questions. The SAT Reading Section takes 70 minutes.

The SAT Math Section of the SAT test is designed to assess (200-800) your skills in numbers and operations, algebra and function, geometry, statistics, probability, and data analysis through multiple choice and descriptive questions (calculate the answer). The SAT Math Section also takes 70 minutes.

The SAT Writing Section takes 60 minutes. In the SAT Writing Section students must show their skills in grammar, usage, and word choice by providing answers to the multiple choice questions and by writing an essay (score: 200-800).

In addition to the SAT Math, Reading, Reasoning, and Writing sections there is one 25-minute unscored section, known as the variable or equating section. This unscored section may be either a critical reading, math, or writing multiple-choice section. This unscored section does not count toward the final score, but is used to try out new questions for future editions of the SAT and to ensure that scores on new editions of the SAT are comparable to scores on earlier editions of the test.

The Subject Test

The SAT Subject Test (formerly SAT II: Subject Tests) quantifies test takers’ knowledge in specific areas and their skills to pertain that knowledge. These tests are independent of any particular textbook or method of instruction. Some students take one or more of these tests to differentiate themselves from others. Others take them as a requirement for their choice of college or university.

Taking the SAT Subject Test will help you enhance your academic resume and can even help you bypass some of the college freshman courses if you earn a good score. The SAT subjects are Math (Level 1 & 2), English, History & Social Studies, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Foreign Languages (Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, & Korean).

The SAT Subject Test is use for:

admission by colleges and universities
Course placement
Counseling
Evaluating your academic status conjoined with some background information, high school records, SAT Reasoning Test score, and teacher recommendation(s).

The best way to find out what SAT Subject Test to take, is to do some research during the first two years of your high school. Find out what colleges and universities you want to attend and their admission process. This research can help you plan your high school courses more efficiently and gives you a clear picture on what courses to take to benefit you in your SAT Subject Test and later on in your college of your choice.

Most students take the test during the last two years of their high school. The best rule of thump is to take the test when you are most ready. For subject test such as math and physics the best time is usually after you finish their courses and for language test the best time is after some times of practice (about two years or more).

There are an unlimited number of sources that test designers can use to test your knowledge. Unfortunately, for this reason this test becomes more challending for students. This test is also challenging because there are no specific lists of readings. These 6 to 8 sets of questions can be driven from any text. Therefore, when you know you are able to understand and analyze any literature that is the time to take this test.

History & Social Studies
To prepare yourself for this test you should know that you cannot rely only on your textbooks. Some college level introductory courses, outside readings, and sample questions can all help. Just remember you cannot depend solely on one source and one textbook.
Mathematics (Level 1 & 2)
Mathematics level 1 tests your skills in algebra, geometry, basic trigonometry, algebra functions, and elementary statistics. Students taking this test usually have taken 3 years of mathematics and have taken more than 3 years if they take mathematic level 2.

Mathematics level 2 tests your skills in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, functions, and statistics. It may be helpful to you to know that test designers don’t expect you to know every topic in each area; however, just make the best of your time and prepare yourself accordingly.
Biology
Students can choose to take either Ecology or Molecular Biology on the test day by answering its respective section. Students are expected to be able to understand biology major concepts, solve problems, draw conclusion from experimentations and observations, understand different forms of graphs, and interpret experimental data. Test takers can master these skills by taking one year of college introductory courses in Biology, math, and laboratory.
Chemistry
One year of college introductory course in chemistry, algebra, and lab will help students to master major chemistry concepts, solving problems, decipher experimental results and data, and interpret graphic forms.
Physics
Test takers should take one year of introductory course in physics, algebra, trigonometry, and lab experiments to help them master major physics concepts, and problem solving using basic mathematical concepts such as ratio, and proportion.

Things to Know

Make sure you are familiar with metric system for your science tests.
You can bring graphing or scientific calculators. Calculators that make noise, electrical ones, typewriter ones, use paper tape, organizer, cell phone, power book, laptop, and electrical writing pads are not allowed.
Have a few number two pencils along with a good eraser.
You are not allowed to bring scratch paper, any books or notes, colored pen or pencil, and high lighters.
Bring snack for breaks that are given after each hour of test taking.
On your test day arrive early at your designated test center.
During each period you should work on the booklet that is given to you. You can not go back to previous sections nor can start the next one.
Students can select up to three subject tests to take on one testing date, and if you take less than three tests, you can leave after your final section.
Test centers offer standby tests for those who have missed the late registration deadline. However, there is no guarantee that there would be space for these students and it’s based on first-come-first-serve.
If you missed your test day you can call to reschedule. However, the fees are nonrefundable. There is a $20 fee for changing your test date, test center, or your subject test.

Test Preparation