What is SAT?

SAT or the Scholastic Aptitude Test, is a standardized college entrance exam that is used to gauge the aptitude of applicants by universities throughout the US. The SAT is also applicable in a few top-tier universities in Pakistan including Lahore university of Management Sciences (LUMS), Institute of Business Administration (IBA) and National University of Science and Technology (NUST).

The SAT is a vital element of college applications, specially for those applying to the US and it is imperative to ensure that you get it right.

Everything you need to know about the SAT

Here’s everything you need to know about the structure, elements, components and marking of the SAT. It is divided into 2 compulsory sections, alongside an optional essay.

Evidence-Based Reading & Writing

The evidence-based reading & writing section is designed to test your passage interpretation skills along with your vocabulary. The entire section carries 800 marks, has to be completed under 100 minutes in total and is further divided into 2 sub-sections, the reading and the writing section

• The reading section includes 52 MCQs, based on your interpretation of the given passages, to be solved in 65 minutes.
• The writing section includes 44 MCQs, designed to test your grammar and vocabulary, to be solved in 35 minutes.

Mathematics

The section is designed to test your Algebra, geometry, trigonometry and problem-solving skills. The entire section carries 800 marks and should be completed under 80 minutes. The math section is divided into two sub-sections.

• The first sub-section includes 20 questions that should be solved under 25 minutes and the use of calculator is prohibited.
• The Second sub-section comprises of 38 questions that should be solved under 55 minutes and the use of calculator is permitted in this section.

Essay

After the 2016-redesign, Essay has been made optional for the SAT however, a lot of universities require your essay scores as well. The SAT essay requires you to read a piece of text and analyze the source while discussing how the author effectively builds an argument.

The essay is scored in 3 categories (reading, writing and analysis) on a scale of 2-8 for each category and it carries a total score of 24 points. You get 50 minutes to attempt the essay after attempting the previous 2 sections.