The SAT
The SAT is the standard college entrance examination. In recent years, the ACT has rivaled the SAT in popularity and breadth of use. The SAT (which originally stood for Scholastic Aptitude Test) was first developed in 1926. The test was originally thought to be objective and “uncoachable” but today the SAT is a $100 million-a-year business.
The SAT has been recently revamped and is called the SAT II by many. The SAT tests student’ knowledge and skill level in mathematics, vocabulary and reading. There are now ten sections on the SAT: 3 math sections, 3 verbal sections, 3 sections of critical reading and 1 experimental section. Writing, math and verbal sections are scored, and the experimental section is not. This section is used by the College Board to try new questions for future SATs. You will not know which section is experimental.
The test uses quantitative comparisons, sentence completions, multiple-choice and a number of other testing formats. Your SAT scores on a scale of 200 to 800 for both sections. A perfect score on the SAT is 2400. However, less than 10 % of students score higher than 600 on the verbal section and the math section is exceptionally tough. Very few students score higher than 600 on this section. The Average SAT score is 1500.
The new SAT (SAT II)
Aside from the addition of the writing section, there are a number of other changes to the SAT. The new SAT contains multiple choice questions for the grammar section of “Critical Reading,” which used to be called the writing section. More algebra and short reading passages now replace analogies and quantitative comparisons. For 2006, some schools allow you to choose the old SAT or the new SAT (SAT II).
The old SAT
The old SAT had only two sections, math and verbal, and was scored out of 1600, with each section accounting for 800 possible points. It will be outmoded entirely in 2007.
SAT stands for…
The SAT may also stand for Scholastic Assessment Test, but it is most widely known simply as the SAT. Its initialization is not important.
*SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board. This body is not involved in the production of this site, nor does it endorse content.
