The full form of SAT is the ‘Scholastic Aptitude Test‘. The SAT is a standardized test used for college admissions in the USA, Canada, and even India. Scores on the SAT range from 400 – to 1600. With this, college admissions officers often look at these scores together with your transcript, essays, extracurricular activities, and other aspects of your application to decide whether or not you are a good fit and ready to pursue a degree at their school. SAT will be going all-digital and a 2-hour exam from 2023.
SAT Syllabus:
Reading: The reading section has questions related to reading passages, and each passage consists of 10 – 11 questions. There are 5 of them in total, and the length of the passages varies. The primary purpose of the section is to assess the candidate’s ability to understand and assimilate written text. The candidate is expected to know the meaning of words in context, along with associated variations in implied meanings and impact due to the exact word usage.
English, Writing, and Language: The writing section has 4 passages, with each passage associated with 10-11 questions. A candidate is expected to spot errors, rephrase marked/highlighted sentences with better alternatives etc. The main focal point revolves around the usage and understanding of grammar. Since the student is applying for a foreign university, vocabulary, Grammar, Editing of the sentences and punctuations are considered well.
Mathematics: The Math section is 80 minutes long and has 58 questions. It has a couple of basic sub-sections: a 25-minute section (no calculator) and a 55-minute section (calculator allowed). Math questions involve knowledge of subject areas such as arithmetic, geometry, algebra, statistics, and probability. It also involves data interpretation from tables/graphs and problem-solving.
For Mathematics, it is usually a good idea to identify your areas of improvement early on (insufficient grasp of fundamentals, skewed time management etc). Once you zero in on a deficiency, it is advisable to devise a laser-focused strategy to strengthen the deficiency.
List of topics for Mathematics:
- Solving linear equations and linear inequalities
- Interpreting linear functions
- Linear inequality and equation word problems
- Graphing linear equations
- Linear function word problems
- Systems of linear inequalities word problems
- Solving systems of linear equations
- Solving quadratic equations
- Interpreting nonlinear expressions
- Quadratic and exponential word problems
- Radicals and rational exponents
- Operations with rational expressions and polynomials
- Polynomial factors and graphs
- Nonlinear equation graphs
- Linear and quadratic systems
- Structure in expressions
- Isolating quantities
- Functions
- Ratios, rates and proportions
- Percents
- Units
- Table data
- Scatterplots
- Key features of graphs
- Linear and exponential growth
- Data inferences
- Center, spread, and shape of distributions
- Data collection and conclusions
- Volume word problems
- Right Triangle word problems
- Congruence and similarity
- Right triangle geometry
- Angles, arc lengths, and trig functions
- Circle: Equations and theorems
- Complex numbers
Need Online SAT Prep?
[inbound_button font_size=”20″ color=”#088ff7″ text_color=”#ffffff” icon=”” url=”https://www.stoodnt.com/online-sat-act-subscription” width=”” target=”_blank”]20% Discount on Online SAT Prep… Starting from Rs. 720 per month[/inbound_button]
SAT Essay (Optional):
Essays are completely optional questions but this essay section will test the comprehension skills of the candidate. The time allotted for this task is 50 minutes, and it is meant to assess your understanding of the given data/case and the quality of your writing. 650-700 is the expected length of the essay, and the candidate should take a stance on the issue at hand. However, expounding on personal opinions is not expected and the purview is limited to the given data. Precise language in a logical and consistent manner fetches good marks.
The essay remains a separate component of the test (if you choose a test with Essay), and its score does not register in the overall test score of 1600. No penalty is awarded for incorrect responses, and all questions carry equal weight (unless specified). Most of the test questions are multiple-choice- 4 choices given of which 1 is correct.
Recommended Articles:
List of Indian Colleges/Universities that Accept SAT Scores
SAT Exam Pattern:
The SAT exam comprises three main Sections — Math, Evidence-Based Reading, and Writing. Also, there is an optional 50-minute essay. The total testing time after including the essay comes to 3 hours and 50 minutes.
- Total Questions: 154 Questions (155 with essay)
- Duration: 3 Hours with 50 mins of extra time allotted for Essay (optional)
- Total Score: 1600
The SAT exam also comes in 2 avatars:
General Test and Subject Test.
SAT Subject Tests vs SAT General
Subject-based tests are administered to prove the prowess in a specific area of interest, and the weightage accorded to the result is dependent on the target school. General SAT is far more common of the two (our focus in this article) and usually serves as the de-facto standard for undergraduate college admissions.
Related Articles:
AP Exams vs SAT Subject Tests: Overview, Differences and Preparation Strategy
Top Mistakes Students Make on the SAT Subject Tests
Effective March 2020, there have been a few changes in the exam pattern of SAT. It remains a test of a candidate’s reading, writing, and mathematical abilities. Individual sections, viz. English and Mathematics, are scored on a scale of 200-800, adding up to a total of 1600. 3 sub-scores are also given for reading, writing, and math on a scale of 10-40. Essays are scored on a scale of 2-8, and closely mimic the essence of academic texts. The raw scores are scaled to the final scores based on the difficulty of the questions answered and other secret parameters (known as ‘equating’). The test comes in both formats: computerized and paper-based.
SAT Fees
Candidates can check out the detailed SAT Fee levied below:
- The fee for only the SAT exam is $52 + Non-U.S. Regional Fee. Non-U.S. Regional Fee for students giving SAT Test in India is $49, so the total SAT fee is $101
- The fee for the SAT exam with Essay is $68 + Non-U.S. Regional Fee. So, the total fee for the SAT exam with Essay is $68 + $49 = $117
- For subject tests, candidates have to pay an additional $26 as a basic subject test fee
- For SAT subject tests, some additional fee might be required
SAT Cancellation Fees
Cancelling your SAT Registration is an expensive affair and students are always advised to go for a date change rather than cancelling the exam entirely. Candidates should keep in mind that Registrations cannot be refunded later than five days before test day, and candidates are only refunded $10 whether they have opted for SAT or the SAT along with Essay.
SAT Rescheduling Fees
Candidates who are looking to change their SAT Test Centre or SAT Test Date or changing between the SAT and SAT Subject Tests or vice versa are required to pay an extra $30 to avail of similar services. Candidates can check out rescheduling fees below:
Date/Exam Centre Change Fee – $30 | Late Registration Fee – $30 | Register through Phone – $15
Wait-list Fee- $53
SAT Test Centres in India:
You can get the test centre according to your date and region. Not all test centres have available seats. You will be able to see up to date seat availability within the SAT registration process.
- Select your SAT test date
- Find a test centre near you
- Start your registration to find seat availability
Check out the official site for SAT registration.
Need Guidance with SAT preparation?
Check out our SAT Prep Tutors and Online SAT Prep program (self-paced).
SAT Exam Dates 2022 in India
Upcoming SAT Exam Dates
- March 12, 2022 (Registration Deadline: Feb 11, 2022)
- May 7, 2022 (Registration Deadline: Apr 8, 2022)
- June 4, 2022 (Registration Deadline: May 5, 2022)
Anticipated SAT Exam Dates 2022
- August 27, 2022
- October 2, 2022
- November 5, 2022
- December 3, 2022
How to Register for SAT?
- Visit the official website of the College Board.
- Fill in all your required details carefully.
- Upload your latest and clear photograph.
- Choose whether you want to be enrolled in the College Board Student Search Service or not
- Once you have filled in the exact details, you will be asked to pay the registration fee of the exam which is $104 [INR 7,700*] *includes the Regional Fee
- After successful payment of the application form, take a print out of the admit card required for the exam day.
Canadian Universities that Accept SAT
Given below is the list of universities that accept SAT for college admissions in Canada:
- University of Toronto (SAT score: >1350)
- University of British Columbia (SAT score: >1400)
- Acadia University (average SAT score – 1100)
- University of Alberta (SAT score: >1200)
- University of Waterloo (SAT score: >1300)
- McGill University (SAT score range: 1300 – 1460)
- Carleton University (average SAT score – 1380)
- McMaster University (SAT score: >1200)
- University of Calgary (SAT score >1100)
- University of Lethbridge (average SAT score – 1040)
- Athabasca University (average SATscore – 1200)
- University of Saskatchewan (SAT score >1100)
- Capilano University (average SAT score – 1100)
- University of Ottawa (SAT score >1050)
- College of New Caledonia (average SAT score – 1245)
- Dalhousie University (average SAT score – 1100)
- St Mary’s University (average SAT 1140)
- University of Manitoba (average SAT 1100)
Indian Universities that Accept SAT Scores
- Ahmedabad University
- Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education
- Anant National University
- Atria University
- MS Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
- Ashoka University
- OP Jindal Global University
- Azim Premji University
- Shiv Nadar University
- Bennett University
- Symbiosis International (Deemed University)
- BML Munjal University
- SRM Institute of Science and Technology
- Jai Hind College
- VIT University
- Shoolini University
- SASTRA Deemed-to-be University
- FLAME University
- SRM University Delhi-NCR, Sonepat
- GITAM
- Sri Sri University
- GD Goenka University
- Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology
- Jain University
- SVKM’s NMIMS
- UPES
- SRM University- AP, Amaravati
- KREA University
- World University of Design
- Manav Rachna University
- PLAKSHA University
- Vijaybhoomi University
- Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University
.