SAT sections
I’ve talked about the SAT in my previous post and mentioned how important it is to take this test if you’re planning on attending college. When you start applying to colleges, part of the admission process requires that you have your SAT score sent to them for evaluation. If you haven’t take the SAT, the chances of you completing your admission papers is zero.
To register for the SAT go to www.collegeboard.com where you will be able to register and pay for the exam.
The SAT is made up of several parts; critical reading, reasoning, math, essay questions and subject tests.
The SAT Reasoning Test This is where you’ll be tested on how well you use your critical thinking skills to analyze and work out problems. These are skills you’ve learned during your high school career and they point to how well you’ll do academically in college.
The Critical Reading Section This section was previously called the verbal test. In this portion of the SAT you will see short reading passages and long reading passages. You’ll be asked questions about these sections. Sentence completion questions will also be on the exam.
The Short Essay This portion of the SAT contains multiple choice questions and writing an essay. You’ll be tested on your ability to organize and express your ideas clearly, develop and support the main idea and use appropriate word choice and sentence structure.
Here’s a sample of an SAT question taken from the College Board;
Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn from the past and succeed in the present? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
If you want more sample question on the exam, go to the website and you’ll find a great deal of SAT prep questions to help you.
The Math Section This portion of the SAT contains 44 multiple choice questions and 10 student produced response questions. In this section you’ll grid-in your answers. Make sure you check on what the policy is for using calculators on this segment of the exam.
You can get ready for the real SAT test by taking a practice SAT exam at the College Board. You’ll be able to reinforce your test taking skills, become more familiar with the format of the real SAT and when you get your test results back it will help you see where there may be gaps in your SAT knowledge. You’ll be able to focus valuable study time in areas of most need.
As I said in a previous blog, preparation is the key to success. If you are prepared, you shouldn’t have any fear. Study and hard work will bring you confidence.
If you have more questions about the SAT is a good idea to talk to your high school counselor and make your concerns known.
Getting a good grade on any test is a matter of knowing the material and making sure that you study. Familiarize yourself as best you can with the subject matter of the SAT exam. Try to work SAT vocabulary into your speech. That may sound silly, and in some ways it is. You can make a sort of a game of it with your friends as you all prepare to take the SAT. Form a study group and use your new words on each other. The more you use what you know, the better it will stick in your memory. Study and prepare and you’ll do great!
