SAT CERTIFICATE AND EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

As society is developing, sending children to study abroad is becoming more common. For students intending to study in the US, SAT certificate is one of the compulsory standardized tests for universities enrollment. Let’s find out about the SAT and its essential information.

See also: Should you take SAT or ACT when studying in the US?

1. What is SAT?

SAT is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the American education system. SAT is an international certificate recognized by many universities and colleges in the US to assess students’ science – social knowledge and logical thinking ability. It also proves the readiness of future university students.

SAT is administered 7 times a year (with 1 to 2 months of interval), which are March, May, June, August, October, November and December.

Previously, College Board held 2 SAT tests, SAT I (SAT General Test) and SAT II (SAT Subject Test). SAT II is an exam that assesses knowledge in a specific field. Depending on your intended major, you are required to take an exam of a specific subject such as Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, US History, World History…

However, from 2021, SAT II has been suspended, SAT exam mentioned below is SAT I exam.

1.1. Structure of the SAT exam

The structure of the SAT exam consists of 3 sections: Reading, Writing & Language, and Mathematics with a duration of 3 hours.

• • Reading section consists of 52 questions with a duration of 65 minutes, including passages of US or world literature, speeches or articles in the fields of natural sciences, social sciences, economics, mentality…

• • Writing and Language section has 44 question in 35 minutes. Its main tasks are to read the text, find mistakes and correct it. The questions’ topics belong to various fields such as history, science and social sciences, vocational…

• • Math section includes 58 questions in 80 minutes, in which the part without calculator has 20 questions in 25 minutes, while the part the allows calculator includes 38 questions in 55 minutes. The topics of the this section are Algebra and Functions, Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability, Number and Operations. You may also come across some questions about Geometry and Measurements.

SAT used to have an Essay section. This is an optional test which is not included in the SAT score, but many universities still require candidates to take the test. However, from 2021, College Board has officially suspended this Essay section.

1.2. SAT score scale

SAT score ranges from 400 to 1600. Each section of Reading and Writing & Language has a maximum score of 400, while Math section’s maximum score is 800.

During the SAT exam, candidates receive points for correct answers and no penalties for incorrect or blank answers. College Board’s system will scan the candidate’s answer paper and perform raw grading. The raw score is the total score of the correct answers, which will later be converted to the scale score of 200 – 800. After the conversion is done, you will have the final score.

Online score will be available 1 to 2 weeks since the test date (most commonly 13 days) and can be found at www.collegeboard.com/sat. Paper transcripts will be available 6-8 weeks after the test. Once the test scores are available, College Board will send the score to the universities that students plan to enroll in (free sending for up to 4 schools).

1.3. How long is SAT score valid?

SAT certificate is valid for 5 years. This is a long duration that you can comfortably do the admission procedures as well as be better prepared for university environment.

1.4. The importance and benefits of the SAT

• • Opportunities to study at universities: Good SAT score is considered golden ticket to help you enter your dream university. All universities in the US take SAT as an entry requirement. In addition, SAT is also accepted in many countries such as Canada, Australia…

• • Increase the chances of getting a scholarship: SAT can help determine which students are ready for college. The higher the score, the better the student’s analytical and problem-solving skills are. Not only will this impress the admissions committee, but it will also greatly improve your chances of getting a  scholarship.

• • Enhance logical thinking: Unlike the ACT certificate, which relies heavily on subject knowledge, SAT is more about reasoning ability. With SAT questions, if you don’t initially know the answer, you can still analyze by analogy with impossible answers and find the right result. Therefore, the structure and questions of the SAT test are very beneficial in developing students’ thinking and reasoning ability.

See also: SAT preparation materials for reference?

2. What SAT score is considered high?

SAT score scale is regulated quite clearly, the higher the score, the more opportunities the students have to attend top US universities. However, what SAT score is considered high is still a question of many students. Here is a detailed breakdown table of SAT score:

To determine that the SAT score is high or low also depends on the requirements of the university you wish to join. The more famous and high quality the university is, the higher the entrance score is. In general, getting the SAT score of above 1300 will improve your competitiveness when enrolling in universities. If you score 1500 or more, your chances of getting into top universities in the US are extremely high.

3. How to register for the SAT?

To take the SAT, you need to register directly with College Board. Candidates can register for SAT by 2 methods: online or by mail.

• • Online registration: Candidates need to create and log in to a College Board account at https://account.collegeboard.org/login, providing their full name and other information as required. After paying the exam fee by credit card, candidates will receive a registration number and an admission ticket.

• • Registration by mail: Candidates fill out the required information on an application form issued by College Board, then send it to College Board along with the fee that can be paid by credit card.

If your score below expectation, you can take the test again and there is no limit to the maximum test taking turns. Another special feature is that the SAT certificate applies superscore. Candidates can use the highest scores from sections of the different test dates and produce the final result.

4. SAT exam fees

How much is the SAT registration fee? It’s a concern of many parents, because if you don’t get enough scores to apply to the desired university on the first, second or even third attempt, the cost of taking the SAT will become a burden. In Vietnam, SAT exam fee is 108 USD (which includes $55 of official exam fee and $53 of regional fee for East Asia/Pacific region). You need to register for the exam online at the official College Board website at least 4 weeks before the test date to avoid the $25 late registration fee.

If you want to change the test date or test center, you need to notify College Board 3 weeks before the exam or log in to your account and request to change the test date with the fee of about $25.

See also: SAT course

5. Where to take the SAT test?

In Vietnam, SAT test centers are only available in major cities such as HCMC, Hanoi and Danang with about 15 to 20 test centers. The number and venue will be different depending on the test date. Candidates can find out about the test locations of their desired test date via https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/test-center-search.

Intertu Education is currently enrolling students for SSAT exam preparation, SAT exam preparation, ACT exam preparation, GMAT exam preparation, GRE exam preparation, GED exam preparation. If you have any questions about SAT certificate, please contact us directly, via email or hotline for a free consultation.