SAT Exam Dates
SAT is a verbal and quantitative reasoning test required for seeking admission in undergraduate courses of many US universities. Kartik Singhal, a GyanOne client, yet again provides his insights (check out his earlier post on Applying for Engineering courses abroad) on the SAT exam and his preparation journey for the same.
Study Abroad What is SAT I and II?
SAT I and SAT II exams are given by students for applying abroad and is the gateway to a college, financial aid, scholarships, etc. Students often take the SAT in the spring of 11th grade and again in the fall of 12th grade.
Scholastic Assessment Test also known as SAT I is an aptitude test which tests student’s ability on Critical Reading, Writing, Grammar and Mathematics.
It is globally acclaimed and helps undergraduate institutions check the academic strength of a student for various courses. SAT I is marked out of 2400 and is a three hour and forty five minutes long exam.
SAT I test structure consists of 10 sections of different timings. There are three sections each for Critical Reading, Writing and Mathematics. For mathematics, one of the sections is both multiple choice and grid-ins and the other two are multiple choice.
In the writing sections, the first section test students on writing abilities in which they have to write an essay in twenty five minutes whereas the other two sections test students on their grammar.
In addition to these sections there is one supplemental section which can be mathematics, critical reading or writing based. This section is not marked in the 2400 score but the students won’t be able to know which out of the ten sections is experimental.
SAT II, also known as subject test, tests applicants on a set of more than 20 different subjects including History and social sciences, Mathematics, Foreign Languages and Physical Sciences. Each subject test in SAT II is marked out of 800.
Which subjects did you take the exam for? Why?
I took SAT I which is considered to be the entrance to any university abroad especially USA. In addition to this I took Mathematics Level-1, Mathematics Level-2 and Physics subject test.
How did you prepare for the exams?
For both my SAT I and SAT II, I took GyanOne Coaching classes. With the help of their advice and guidance I was able to prepare and make an organized schedule.
Learning vocabulary and doing critical reading passages was a very important task. There were study materials provided by GyanOne but in addition to those, I also referred to SAT college board book and Barron’s.
For mathematics subject test, I revised my concepts from John Chung Mathematics manual. Managing time and organizing tasks was the most important factor during my preparation.
How did you manage time with your school studies?
Since there were school exams and extracurricular activities going on with my SAT preparation, time management was the most important part. I used to make my weekly schedules and set my goals for a day.
At the end of every week I used to analyze my performance and create my future schedules and targets accordingly. Moreover there was always a specific time allotted to extracurricular.
But it is indeed very luring to extend that time and procrastinate your work. But determination plays a major role over here. You cannot lean towards one thing or else it can be problematic towards your preparation for both school and SAT exams.
What advice do you have for other SAT aspirants?
Folks, do not take any part of test lightly because even if you know a subject very well you may not score well either due to overconfidence or lack of practice. So practice is really very important.
Manage your time well and make your schedule because this will help in planning and organizing yourself. Extracurricular activities are important but getting a good test score is equally important.
Never procrastinate your any work or target because it will not end up in a good way. Last but not the least, have patience, determination and faith in yourself.
The New SAT
The SAT has been redesigned and students can now take the new SAT starting March 2016. The exam has been redesigned to measure the most important skills, knowledge, and understandings. The redesigned test includes an optional essay that allows students to engage in and demonstrate the deep critical reading, analysis, and writing skills they’ve learned in high school. The redesigned test will be scored differently from the way it’s been scored in the past. The test will now share a common score scale with the other tests in the SAT Suite because the content is so tightly aligned. Furthermore, subscores and cross-test scores will be added for greater insight and there won’t be a penalty for guessing.
Also read:
SATOne™ – Premium SAT Preparation
Leave a Reply