SAT® General Information

The SAT® reasoning test is a paper and pencil exam that measure critical thinking, reading comprehension, math, and writing skills that have been developed throughout a student's formal education. The concepts and skills tested by the SAT® are those identified as prerequisites for success in undergraduate programs.

The SAT® subject test measure students’ knowledge and ability to apply this knowledge in particular subject areas. All of the subject tests are one hour multiple-choice tests and are available in five subject areas including:

College & university admission officers usually suggest you take the test during the fall of your senior year. It is best to take it then, just in case you want to retake it before you begin applying to colleges. Typically, undergraduate programs accept applications between January 1st and February 15th in any given year for an August enrollment start date. Keep in mind that colleges and universities have a limited number of enrollment slots and so you want to apply to college soon after January 1st. Remember, it can take up to four weeks for the College Board to mail your score report to the colleges that you are applying to.

You can register for the SAT® by mail or online. For more information, please visit the College Board's website at www.collegeboard.com.

You will receive one point for the total number of questions that you answer correctly for the math questions, critical reading questions, and writing multiple-choice sections. You will also receive a 1/4 point off of each incorrect answer for he math, critical reading questions, and writing multiple-choice questions. Questions that are skipped and incorrect answers from the student produced response questions of the math section are not counted. The total raw score is the number of correct answers versus the number of incorrect answers in each section. The raw score of each section is then converted to a scaled score. The scaled score takes into account the level of difficulty of previous editions of the test as well as the ability level of students who take the test the same time as you do.

The essay portion of the writing section will be scored separately and accounts for 30% of the raw score for the writing section. The multiple choice questions of the writing section account for the other 70% of the writing section raw score. The essay is scored by two readers, normally high school and/or college faculty members, and is based upon the College Board's writing scoring guides. Because two different readers rate the essay, your total raw score for the essay is the sum of two scores; one for the first reader and one for the second. If the two readers’ individual scores differ by one point, a third reader is added to score the essay.

The scores for the math, critical reading, and writing sections will each be reported on a scale ranging from 200 (lowest) – 800 (highest). The raw score you receive on each section is converted to a score on this scale.

The exact conversion of the raw score to a scaled score is not constant; because different sets of questions are used on different test dates. The conversion of raw scores to scaled scores compensates for small variations in difficulty between sets of questions, and also helps minimize variability due to factors unrelated to your skill or knowledge. This scale tends to provide a more stable and accurate assessment of a student's abilities.

The writing section is made up of two subscores which are then reported on the 200 – 800 scale range. The first subscore is the scaled score of the writing multiple-choice questions. These questions will be reported on a scale ranging from 20 (lowest) – 80 (highest). The second subscore consist of the scaled essay score. The essay will be reported along a 12-point scale. For example, if a student receives a scaled score of a 5 from the first reader and a 5 from the second reader, his total scaled score for the essay would be a 10.

College & university admission committees will consider your SAT® scores along with other information in evaluating your qualifications for undergraduate programs. The emphasis that the committee places on your score will vary from school to school. Other sources of information used by admission committees include:

- Undergraduate point averages

- Breadth and difficulty of high school coursework

- Letters of recommendation from high school advisors or others

- Personal statements or admissions essays

- Involvement in extracurricular activities

- Participation in other activities demonstrating motivation, responsibility, maturity, integrity, resourcefulness, tolerance, perseverance, dedication to service, or other relevant characteristics

If you feel that your scores are low, or that the scores do not accurately reflect your ability, you may wish to take the SAT® again. All of your scores that are available and reportable will be written in the report. Even if you cancel a score, this will be indicated on your score report.
According to a survey of undergraduate school admission officers, multiple sets of scores may be used in one of several ways:

- Some schools only consider the most recent set of scores

- Others take an average of the scores

- A larger number of schools consider multiple sets of scores equally and note improvements (most common)

- Finally, some schools use only the highest set of scores or the highest individual section scores

You may wish to consult an institution's admission office directly for information about its procedures.