The SAT: What to Expect

The SAT is a standardized test that is used for college admissions in the United States. The test, owned by the College Board, is designed to measure a student’s readiness for college, as it tests the students on writing, mathematics, and critical thinking skills. The exam takes three hours to finish, and an additional 50 minutes are added if the student decides to take the optional essay portion of the test.

The exam is typically taken by Juniors and Seniors who are planning to attend a 4 year college. Senior Paramveer Bhangu, who has taken the SAT once, spent close to a week studying for the test. “On the night before the test,” he states, “I spent 3 hours studying with the SAT practice book. I stayed up until 10 studying and went to sleep right afterwards.”

There are 3 main portions of the exam. The first portion, the evidenced-based reading and writing portion, is designed to measure the student’s ability to correct grammatical errors in a sentence and identify and fix weaknesses in a passage. The second portion, the mathematics test, tends to focus on Algebra problems, data analysis, and understanding of mathematical concepts. The optional portion of the exam, the essay, asks the student to read a passage, analyze how the author of the passage develops his/her argument, and support their explanations with evidence from the passage. Students are given 50 minutes to read the passage and write their essay.

Camilo Chavez, a senior at Pitman who has taken the SAT twice, usually spends 2 weeks studying for the exam. When asked if he studies the night before the exam, he stated “No, I usually stay up late. I want to relax and don’t study because I feel that studying the night before the test will stress me out.” He was then asked “What portion of the exam gives you the most trouble and concerns?” He responded “ I am most concerned about writing because I fear that I will run out of time.”

Similarly, when Paramveer was asked the same question, he answered “Writing concerns me the most. When I finally get to the essay, I am already exhausted and just want to finish the test already.”

Both Paramveer and Camilo expressed their belief that the mathematics portion of the test required the most study. Their similar beliefs may be attributed to the fact that the math covers a wide array of topics such as algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and basic foundations of calculus. The portion tends to contain mostly Algebra, which forces upperclassmen to review algebraic problems, since the majority of upperclassmen took algebra in their earlier high school years.

On the college board website, there is a valuable resource that allows students to receive free online practice for the SAT. Labeled “SAT on Khan Practice,” students have access to interactive problems, video lessons, and full-length practice tests. When asked if they were aware of these resources, both Camilo and Paramveer responded “No.”

The SAT, although lasting almost four hours and being composed of three sections, is not as intimidating as the typical student would think. With adequate preparation, such as utilizing online practice or reading the SAT Study Guide, students will have a clearer path to succeed on the SAT.