What Students Should Know About the SAT

What is the SAT?

The SAT is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities in the USA to make admissions decisions. Universities use the data supplied by applicants’ test scores to create a tool to measure applicants’ readiness for higher education.

When can you take the SAT exam?

You should think about taking the exam sometime during your last 2 years of high school.

The SAT is “offered nationally every year in August, October, November, December, March, May, and June.” Therefore, plan to leave enough time between your exam date and college admissions due dates, in case you'd like to retake the test to try for a different score.

How long does the SAT exam take?

SAT lasts 3 hours on the exam itself, or 3 hours and 50 minutes including the essay portion.

How to SAT scores work?

The SAT is divided into two sections:

• Mathematics
• Evidence-based reading and writing

There's also an optional essay section.

Each section is graded individually, and scored between 200-800 points. Therefore, the highest score you can receive on the exam is 1600.

Students who take the essay will get a separate score for that section.

How does the SAT work?

Sometimes just understanding how an exam works can help alleviate nerves or test jitters. Students who would like to take the SAT will need to register in advance and pay a registration fee. Then, on the day of their exam, students will take their test at a designated testing location. This may have changed in the student’s area based upon mandates for managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Students will have approximately three hours to complete the exam, and then will receive their test scores 4-5 weeks after the exam.

SAT vs ACT

Students who feel the SAT isn’t right for them can consider taking the ACT instead, as most colleges will take both. For students who are particularly strong in science, the ACT might be the better choice. Students should take some time to review practice exams for both test styles to determine which is best for them.

👉 We did a full breakdown of the differences between SAT and ACT in our guide.

Preparing for the exam

Understand your university's requirements

Study your prospective university’s website to figure out exactly what their requirements are for admissions. For example, international students may find a university doesn’t require the SAT, but instead will ask a student to take an English proficiency exam instead. If your school doesn’t take the SAT, they should know which exam they should take, or what score they need for admissions into their university or program.

Plan ahead

Once a date has been set for the exam, make a study schedule, and go through as many practice exams so you feel confident in your knowledge and skills.

Succeeding at the SAT also requires good test-taking skills. A great approach is to flip through all the questions at the beginning of the exam and immediately complete the ones you know the answer to. This will help alleviate some anxiety and leave you enough time to finish up the questions you're a little less confident in.

Think big-picture

The SAT is just one part of a university admissions process.

It's an important step towards earning admission to university -- but not the end-all-be-all for students.

Planning ahead, studying, and practice tests can make all the difference when it comes to earning a good score on the exam.