SAT testing got you frazzled? Take a breath, IAM 360 have you covered!
Picture this: You’ve just signed up to the IAM 360 program and you’re super excited about the opportunity to go and study and play sport in the US.
Then you find out: it is recommended that you sit something called the SAT test in order to further your chances at receiving a good college offer.
Hang on, you think, what on earth is the SAT?! Why do I need it?! Where do I do it?! What if I fail?! Your brain is a melting quicker than the wicked witch of the west in the Wizard of Oz.
Before you tear your hair out, keep calm and read on, we’ve got some information to help you start to wrap your head around the SAT testing.
Let us answer some of your burning questions to start with.
What in the world is the SAT?
Basically, SAT stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test and is a general multiple-choice test (usually) that measures verbal and mathematical reasoning abilities.
Most colleges/universities in the US ask that you take the SAT for admission to their institute.
And why wouldn’t you sit the SAT? It’s the perfect opportunity to prove to your desired college that you deserve a place at their school and to show-off your strengths, because after all, you’re a superstar!
You can sit the general SAT test and are also given the chance to showcase your knowledge in specified areas, with the SAT subject tests offered in five different subjects.
Feel better now? You can actually choose what subject tests you want to take! This means that you can show your preferred school your abilities in your favoured subjects!
Choose your subject tests and perform as highly as you can as colleges will take your score scaled from 200-800 into account as they are strong predictors of college success.
What if I don’t perform as well as I wanted? Should I just self-implode on the spot?
Keep your cool and don’t burn those text books just yet. The SAT is held six times per year and you have the opportunity to sit the test more than once if you have a brain-fade or don’t achieve the results you wanted.
If you walk out of the test thinking; well, that was a huge disaster, you can immediately approach the coordinators and fill out a form to cancel your scores being sent out to colleges and reschedule to sit the exam at a later date.
Phew! Bullet dodged, yes?
Definitely! However, it is encouraged that you take the SAT seriously and attempt to achieve your best results each time you sit the exam.
How do I prepare for a test that grades everything and nothing at the same time?
A ‘general’ test sounds completely vague, right?
Well, there are still a few ways that you can prepare to sit the general and subject tests to achieve those high scores that will knock your college’s socks off!
Firstly, the tests are based around high school level learning, so dust off those subject text books and get studying!
Secondly, the College Board website offers a variety of practice exams and feedback upon completion to help you boost those scores and confidence when heading into the real thing.
Fine, I guess I’ll do it if it’ll help me get into college. When can I sit the SAT?
The SAT is usually conducted on six separate occasions in a year, spaced out over the year and held in different locations.
It is best to coordinate with your high school course counsellor when best suits you to take the general and subject tests.
It is recommended that you register to sit the exams as close as possible to studying the particular subject in order to have the knowledge as fresh as possible in your mind. That way, you best avoid the space where tumbleweed usually takes up residence between your ears not long after high school graduation!
You can head to https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/ for more information on the schedule of exams and fees.
When do I get my score and what happens next?
Scores are usually released roughly a month after you sit the testing and you can access your score online or by mail soon after they are released.
When you register for the test you are required to nominate what colleges/scholarship programs you want your scores sent to. Once you do so, your scores are automatically sent to those colleges or programs, as well as your high school.
But I’m an international student, how do I sit the SAT from overseas?
The SAT’s are held in most countries roughly at the same time as the US, head to the website’s international registration section for more details!
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/international
So there you have it. Don’t let the thought of sitting tests surrounded by coughing, wheezing, sneezing teenagers scare you away. These tests will help you in the long run when you get that incredible offer from the college of your dreams!
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