What is the SAT and can it help you?

The SAT Reasoning Test (which was originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test) is a standardized test given to high school students in America and used to determine eligibility for admission to colleges and universities.

The test is owned and published by the College Board, a not-for-profit organization domiciled in the United States.

High school students are encouraged to take the examination, which runs for about 3 hours and 45 minutes and includes an Application Fee of $47 ($75 for students who take the test in countries other than the United States), because it can help them advance their educations.

The SAT Examination exists in three parts – Mathematics, Critical Reasoning and Writing. The maximum score attainable in each part of the test is 800 … the perfect score (which is very difficult to achieve) is 2400. Average scores are, of course, dramatically lower. However, some high school students manage to compile extremely positive test results … and they are coveted – and recruited – by some of America’s finest colleges and universities.

The SAT Examination has been a “measuring stick” used to gauge the literary and writing skills of high school sophomores, juniors and seniors for many, many years. Its results give college administrators the information they need to determine the academic potential of the students who take the test.

And that academic potential often means the difference between admission to a school of higher learning and denial to that same institution. So – and this is obvious – the SAT Examination is critically important to the academic and educational future of the countless high school students who accept the challenge and take the test.

Here is something you need to know: poor performance – and a less-than-impressive result in the SAT Examination the first time you take it needn’t “spell doom” for you. No … because if you fail the test or produce mediocre or even poor results … you can take it again.

Many high school students begin taking the test – to measure their intellectual capabilities — while they are still sophomores and at least two years removed from applying to a college or university for admission.

That’s a sensible approach … a good thing to do. Familiarity with the test will make it easier for the test-taker when he or she is a high school senior and really needs to achieve positive results. Plus … the test is offered an amazing seven times a year. It’s true …

Whether you’re just a second year high school student or a senior hoping to impress college administrators, you can take the SAT Examination up to seven times in any given year. That gives you ample opportunity to score well and have a great result to submit to the college or university of your choice.

And, it goes almost without saying, if your SAT score is good you have a better chance of being admitted to the college or university of your choice.

So … can the SAT really help you? The answer is clear … obvious … and unquestionable. It is a resounding Yes!