Operation “Soaring Eagle” : Introduction to the SAT

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Alright. If you’ve been following the series thus far, you might’ve been thinking that not much concrete progress was being made in terms of actually getting you into a college. Well, rest assured, this post onwards, we’re talking serious stuff.

To begin with, we’re discussing the SAT. To be more specific, the SAT Reasoning Test, which is administered by College Board in a number of centers on several dates throughout the year. There used to be a time when the SAT was an acronym for Scholastic Aptitude Test, but even College Board (CB) accepts that it’s fallen into disuse. I already explained in the previous post why standardized tests are important, so I won’t be getting into the specifics of that. Here’s a basic lowdown on what all you’ll be expected to face in the SAT:

• Candidates are tested on 3 broad topics : Reading, Writing and Math
• The test consists of 10 sections. The first section is always a Writing section. To be more specific, it’s the Essay section, where you’re provided a topic and are expected to write a 2-page essay in 25 minutes. This will be covered in detail in a later post.
• All questions are MCQs except Section 1 and some questions in one of the Math sections.
• Sections 2 through 8 are a mixture of Reading, Writing and Math sections. There is no particular order. One of these 7 sections is an experimental section from one of the 3 topics which CB inserts into the paper to gauge how test-takers react to new kinds of questions. You will not be marked on this section. But, since there is no way to know for sure which of these 7 sections is the experimental section, you’ll have to give it your best shot anyway.
• Section 9 is a short Math section and Section 10 is a short Writing section.
• The entire test takes about 3.5 to 4 hours.

Right, so the first thing you’ll need to do is set out a schedule for your SATs. I’m not talking about preparation. I’m talking about actual testing! This is because not only will you need to give the SAT Reasoning Test, you’ll also have to take your SAT Subject Tests. You can choose from 6 dates or 7 dates (for International and US applicants respectively) scheduled throughout the year. A full schedule is available here. It is important to leave room for at least 2 attempts at each test you wish to take. This means that if you’ve started planning early enough and you plan to give just 3 Subject Tests, you should have 4 test dates on your mind.

The ideal time to sit the SAT Reasoning Test is in spring and summer. Use the March, May and/or June dates to your advantage. Unlike the Subject Tests, the Reasoning Test does not require you to know concepts beyond what you may have already learnt thus far. The Reasoning Test just needs practice.

So go ahead and register for your account on the College Board website. You’ll be asked to fill out a profile about yourself too, which involves many many confusing checkboxes. These are only background questions that CB asks you so that it can draw up some matches with some universities. It’s not important unless you’re confused about which universities you might like to attend (and you shouldn’t be, if you’ve read all the posts under this series). Also, be sure to uncheck any innocuous looking checkboxes which state that CB will share your details with interested universities. This is to protect your inbox and your mailbox from unwanted mail.

While registering for the test, you have the option of entering your school’s CEEB code. If your school has one, go ahead (This is also important at a later stage in the admissions process). If your school doesn’t, you’re not at any disadvantage whatsoever. Also, be sure to register early enough to make sure that you get a test center close to your home.

Also, there are hidden fees for international applicants. For example, apart from the standard sticker price of $47 for taking the SAT Reasoning Test, I was asked to shell out an extra $28 as International Registration Fees and another $24 as India/Pakistan Surcharge. That made the total $100 – more than a 100% increase!

Also,  you have the option of opting into the Student Answer Service. Basically, CB will send you a sheet of paper telling you which questions you got wrong. The questions themselves won’t be on the sheet, and since you’re not allowed to take the question paper out of the room, there won’t be a way of determining which question you got wrong. However, you will know which topics to concentrate on the next time you take the test.

The next 3 posts will look at teach of the topics covered in the SAT in further detail.

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