Ron Woldoff - SAT For Dummies

Most 11th and 12th graders take one of two giant exams on their way to college. One is the SAT, and the other is the ACT. Most colleges accept both, but you should check with your target schools just to be sure. When you call or email the college admissions office, among your other questions, ask these things:

Do you require an exam score with my application?

If so, do you accept both the SAT and the ACT?

Do you need me to write the exam essay?

The SAT and the ACT are similar in overall difficulty. The math is about 90 percent the same, but SAT math goes more in depth than ACT math, while ACT math covers more topics. (ACT math has logarithms, for example, which SAT math does not.) Some students may find ACT math easier.

The ACT’s writing and language questions are about the same as the SAT’s, while ACT reading questions are almost the same but don’t include evidence-based questions (more on those in Chapter 3). The ACT also has its Science Test, which the SAT does not. To compensate, the SAT has some science-based questions mixed into the Reading Test, but not nearly to the extent of the ACT Science Test. Students who struggle with scientific studies may prefer the SAT.

Each exam has an optional essay question at the end, but the ACT essay assignment is very different. The SAT essay is covered here in Chapter 7, but for more on the ACT essay, and the ACT overall, pick up the latest edition of ACT For Dummies by Lisa Zimmer Hatch and Scott A. Hatch (published by Wiley).

There are also the SAT Subject Tests, which specialize in about 20 topics including biology, history, math, and languages. Depending on the school or academic program that you apply to, you may have to take one or more Subject Tests.

Besides contacting your target schools and checking their websites, you can find more on the application requirements by checking a college guide. A college guide is a compendium (thorough collection) of school listings and admission requirements. Many libraries and bookstores carry college guides, and you can also talk with your college counselor, who may also have one.

If college isn’t in your immediate future, you may want to take the SAT just to get it out of the way, while the test topics are still fresh in your head. If your plans include a stint in the armed forces or the Peace Corps before hitting higher education, you can keep your options open by taking the SAT before you go. Then when you’re ready to get back into the classroom, you’ll have some scores to send to the college of your choice. Note that SAT scores are officially valid for five years (as of this writing), but the college you apply to may require newer scores. Just keep that in mind.

What are you getting into here? Well, it’s nothing you can’t handle, but it helps to know what’s coming up. Here is the SAT testing experience, in this order:

SAT Reading Test: 52 questions, 65 minutes

SAT Writing and Language Test: 44 questions, 35 minutes

10-minute break

SAT Math Test, No Calculator Allowed: 20 questions, 25 minutes

SAT Math Test, Calculator Allowed: 38 questions, 55 minutes

10-minute break (if you’re staying for the essay)

SAT Essay (optional), 1 essay question, 50 minutes

The SAT is given at multiple times at select high schools throughout the United States and in English-speaking schools in many other countries. Homeschoolers can also take the SAT. This section explains how and when to register for an exam and acceptable methods of payment.

You can register for the SAT online, by mail, or, if you’ve taken the SAT before, by phone.

Online registration is simple: Go to www.sat.collegeboard.org/register to create an account, sign up, and choose a test center and date. You need a credit card or a PayPal account and a digital photo of yourself ready to upload. Be sure the photo meets the College Board’s standards: a head shot where your whole face is visible and you’re the only one in the photo. Head coverings are okay if they’re religious in nature.

You can also register by mail. At the time of this writing, you have to register by mail if you’re younger than 13 or older than 21 or if you need to take the exam on a Sunday for religious reasons. However, also at the time of this writing, the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the rules everywhere, so registration may be different by the time it’s your turn.

You can also ask your school guidance counselor for a registration form. If you’re homeschooled, call the nearest public or private high school, or call the College Board Customer Service Center for help. If you register by mail, you’ll have to attach a photo and enclose registration payment (credit card number, a check from a United States bank, or a bank draft).

The College Board Customer Service line within the U.S. is 866-756-7346 and outside the U.S. is 212-713-7789. Hearing-impaired test-takers can call the TTY Customer Service number, which within the U.S. is 888-857-2477 and outside the U.S. is 609-882-4118. You can also contact the College Board by mail at this address: College Board SSD Program, P.O. Box 8060, Mount Vernon, IL 62864-0060.

However you register, you’ll be asked whether you want to sign up for the Student Search Service. Answer yes and fill out the questionnaire. Colleges, universities, and some scholarship-granting organizations receive information about you from this service. Expect lots of emails and letters — a little annoying, perhaps, but it’s good to know that the schools are interested in you. You may also discover a school or scholarship that meets your needs perfectly.

Scammers are interested in you too. Don’t send personal or financial information to any organization unless you know it’s legitimate. You know this, of course, but exam registration and college application is a new game. Not sure the contact is legit? Call the College Board Customer Service line to check.

The SAT was typically offered seven times a year, but at the time of this writing, everything is being reworked due to COVID-19. SATs are regularly cancelled and postponed, so by the time you get this book, hopefully the pandemic and quarantine will have passed, but the number of yearly exams may be different.

You can take the exam as often as you want. Ideally, you take it two or three times, but the door is open if you want another chance. Most high-schoolers follow this pattern:

Start in the fall of your sophomore year: Here you take the PSAT/NMSQT, which is sort of a junior SAT, for the first time. Right now as a 10th grader, this exam doesn’t count for much other than a practice and eye-opener of the series of exams to come.

Continue in the fall of your junior year: Here you take the PSAT/NMSQT again, only this time it counts. If you do well, it opens the door for several scholarship opportunities and special programs. No pressure.

In the spring of your junior year: Take the SAT as a first run, which serves as a practice test, though you can send in your scores if you’re pleased with them. Note you can also practice with an unscored practice exam, but this experience isn’t quite the same as the real deal. Some juniors take the SAT twice during the spring.