The SATs
SAT Overview
The SAT Reasoning Test is a four-hour test designed to measure your performance in high school math, critical reading, and writing. Even though the testing time is only four hours, expect to be at the testing center for at least five, so get lots of sleep the night before and eat a big breakfast. For more tips for the day of the test, see our Last-Minute Tips section.
- Math: 70 minutes. Two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. Multiple choice and “grid-in” questions.
- Critical Reading: 70 minutes. Two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. Multiple choice questions.
- Writing: 60 minutes. Two 25-minute sections and one 10-minute section. Multiple choice questions on grammar and one essay.
How do I approach the test?
Within each section, the questions start out easier and get harder. But all the questions are worth the same amount. So spend more time on the easier questions and skip the harder questions if you really have no idea. The harder questions will also contain more trick answer choices – so the obvious answers for the harder questions are probably wrong.
If you get a question right, you get a point. If you get a question wrong, you lose 1/4 of a point (if there are 5 answer choices). That means you should guess if you don’t know the answer – especially if you can eliminate any answer choices.
Register for the SATs
The test costs $45 (for the ’08-’09 school year). See your counselor to get a fee waiver (if you’re eligible) so you don’t have to pay for the test and you get to send four score reports to colleges for free. Click here for FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) about the SAT.
Register online for the SATs. You can also use that link to view and send your test scores to colleges.
SAT Math Review
Two main subjects you absolutely need to know: geometry (lots of shapes, angles, especially circles and triangles) and algebra (solving equations, etc.). Here’s a quick SAT Math worksheet with some practice problems. If you know everything on there, you’re in pretty good shape.
SAT Critical Reading Review
They ask you to read passages from books or articles and then answer multiple-choice questions about the passage. There are also questions that give you a sentence with a missing word and ask you to pick the right word to fill in the blank.
SAT Writing Review
The TOEFL
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