Testing for College: The SAT

Hey Students!

Glad you are back to check out the next installment of Let's Go To College!  Today's posting, and the next few, will be about the variety of options you have when it comes to College acceptance tests.

We will be looking specifically at the SAT for this post, and the ACT and the option of "Not-Testing" the next two after.

Today will be a basic introductory post about the SAT's and what you as a student should expect.


What is the SAT?

The SAT is a standardized test that colleges use to determine admission into their schools.  This sounds very over-whelming, but stay with me!

Colleges use the scores you earned to decide whether or not you are ready for college and will be successful in the future.  Again, this does sound life-or-death, but it is ok!

The SAT tests your critical thinking and reasoning abilities, more so than specific content knowledge.  This means that the SAT is looking at how you think instead of how much of what you learned you memorized in school.  The thought is that students in colleges who can think critically can continue to develop the specific knowledge they need to succeed.  If a student cannot reason well, they will not be able to think for themselves and critically once they arrive to college.

What should I expect to see on the test?

The SAT is a comprehensive test.  Basically, you will be tested on three categories:  Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing.  Critical Reading and Mathematics are multiple choice tests, while the Writing portion is, well writing.

Again, the questions are used to determine your critical thinking skills as opposed to specific knowledge.  THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU DO NOT HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT THE SUBJECTS!

What this means is that even if you do not feel comfortable with the facts and formulas that are involved with three categories, you can still test well if you keep your mind right.

Collegeboard.com is a great tool that you can use to practice taking the SAT, and offers specific information on how to prepare effectively.  Check them out here at: http://sat.collegeboard.org/home

How do I study for the SAT?

There is no way around it, if you want do well on the SAT you are going to have to STUDY STUDY STUYDY!!!

There are a variety of options when it comes to studying for the SAT.  The usual way is to grab a few of the SAT study books available at most book stores and online.

Textbooks.com provides a lot of options, including The CollegeBoard Official Study Guide:

After looking at a few of the options online, I found this book to be a really helpful option.  It comes with 8 practices tests after 6 detailed chapters about not just content, but thinking critically.  As we have heard over and over again, critical thinking is the focal point of the testing.  

You can explore your options and figure out which books work for you.  I would also recommend searching for practice tests as well.  Collegeboard.com supplies a lot of practice-test opportunities, as does http://www.majortests.com/sat/, and they are both free!  Both offer you the chance to create a profile and track your progress, but that is completely up to you!