About the Reasoning Test

The SAT is one of two admissions tests (the ACT being the other), often required for admission to US universities.

The SAT Reasoning Test is a three hour and forty-five minute test comprised of three sections: Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. The test is designed to measure critical thinking and analytical skills. It is offered several times per year at numerous sites throughout the UK.

Registration

You may register for the SAT on the College Board website. The testing sites will not be able to register you for the test.

Testing Fees

• Reasoning Test: $49 Registration fee + International Processing fee of $29.

• For standby testing, an additional $43 fee is incurred.

• SAS (Student Answer Service; including the difficulty level of each question and whether it was answered correctly, incorrectly or omitted) is $12.50.

• QAS (Question and Answer Service; including a copy of the verbal and maths sections, a record of your answers and the correct answers) is $18.00. It costs £9.50 for each score report sent after the test.

 

Testing Dates

Note: Dates for the 2013-14 academic year will be available on the College Board Website in early June when registration opens.

Timing

If possible, we suggest students sit their admissions tests in the spring of Year 12/lower sixth form, to allow time to re-sit the tests if needed.

Testing Sites

The only way to find out which testing sites are available on a particular testing date is to create an online account and begin the registration process on the College Board Website

Standby Testing

Students who missed the registration deadline for the SAT may attempt to take the test via standby testing. To take the test standby, you will go to a testing centre with your completed paper registration form. If students who registered for the exam do not turn up, their places are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. For that reason, we recommend arriving by 7 am to queue and complete the registration process.

Scores

There are three sections on the SAT, and each one ranges from 200-800 points. The overall SAT score range is from 600 to 2400, with 2400 being the highest possible score.

All questions are multiple choice, with the exception of maths grid-in or write-in questions. Students receive one point for correct answers, and ¼ of a point is deducted for every incorrect answer. There are no deductions for leaving the answer blank, except you will not have any positive points for that question. For that reason, some test tutors recommend skipping questions if students cannot eliminate any wrong answers to a question.

Test takers will be given a raw score, which is determined by the composite of correct and incorrect answers. Students are also given a percentile, which is a percentage number that locates the student’s raw score in relation to other students who took the SAT on that test day. For example, a student in the 85th percentile has done better than 85% of all other students who took the same test on the same day across the world.

After you take your SAT, your scores will be available to view online within 17-20 days depending on the test date (up to six weeks for the score results in paper form). The College Board recommends that you also allow at least an additional week for the university to process your scores.

Check out our Blog, for our Top Ten Tips for SAT's!