The SAT Test

The SAT Reasoning Test is a test that was developed by the College Board to determine whether a student is prepared for college. The first test was started in 1901, but it has undergone many changes in scoring and setup. In 2010, the SAT test lasts three hours and forty-five minutes, and it costs $45. The scores can vary from 600 to 2400 points, which are determined by a student's performance in math, writing, and critical reading. Each subject offers the opportunity to score 800 points. The College Board claims that the SAT test reflects the analytical skills, which are critical to success in college, that students should have gained in high school.

Math
The mathematics section of the SAT is made up of two twenty five minute sections and one twenty minute section. One twenty five minute section is made up of only multiple choice questions, while the other twenty five minute section is made of up multiple choice and gridded answers. The twenty minute section is made up of only multiple choice questions. The math sections consist of algebraic, geometric, and reasoning questions. There are also questions about statistics, data analysis, and probability. Students may use a calculator on the math section, and many choose to use graphing calculators. Using a graphing calculator can save time on multiple calculations and problems that are based on graphing information.

Writing
The writing section of the SAT is made up of a multiple choice section and a brief essay. The multiple choice questions consist of error identification and improvements for sentences and paragraphs. The error identification questions are designed to make sure the student can distinguish between a well written sentence and a poorly structured sentence. The questions that require students to make improvements on sentences and paragraphs challenge the student's ability to logically organize a set of idea. The essay is a twenty five minute section, where a prompt is provided and the student must construct an essay. The essay portion of the writing section holds 28% of the weight of the total score, while the multiple choice portion holds 70%. The essays receive a score between 1 and 6, but the trained readers usually only spend about three minutes on each essay.

Critical Reading
The critical reading section of the SAT is made up of two twenty five minute portions and one twenty minute portion. The types of questions vary greatly, including sentence completions and questions that follow long and short passages. Students' vocabulary, sentence structure, and logic organization is tested in this section of the SAT. Most of the passages that the students read are excerpts from longer passages, books, and essays on social and physical science, the humanities, and personal pieces. After reading the passage, the student is given a list of questions that are based on the passage. The questions at the beginning of the list, which are immediately after the passage, tend to be easier than the later questions. However, the questions are in order by the chronology of the passage.

About The Questions
All of the multiple choice questions have five answer choices. In the multiple choice questions, the questions are ordered from easiest to hardest. Each question carries the same weight. With each correct answer, the student is awarded with one point; however, with each incorrect answer, one fourth of a point is deducted. This last scoring principle is put in place to discourage guessing because a blank answer neither gains or loses a point or any portion of a point. Educated guesses, or questions where you are able eliminated two or three answers, are better options for guessing.

More Information About The Test
The SAT is offered during the months: October, November, December, January, February, March or April, May, and June. It is usually given on the first Saturday of the month, and the results return a few months later. The $45 fee may be waived for low income students. Most high schools will offer SAT Preparation classes that students may enroll in prior to taking the test.

How The SAT Is Used
Most colleges look at the SAT scores and the high school GPA to determine whether a student can handle the college level workload. However, some universities are not using SAT scores because there has been some controversy about whether it is a legitimate test for all students. A lower SAT score will not keep you out of a good college, but a high SAT score may be the deciding factor!