Few basic things you should know about SAT

During the last two years of High School, your kid will be preparing to take the SAT and or PSAT.  Plenty of support is available online to prepare a student for the test.

At the beginning SAT was called Scholastic Aptitude Test and later became Scholastic Assessment Test.  Today it is simply known as SAT.

SAT is conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) on behalf of the College Board.  Testing started in 1926 and most colleges require prospective entrants to submit SAT or ACT scores.  SAT evaluate the college readiness of the student.

SAT is consists of three sections: Math, Critical Reading and Writing.  The Writing section includes an essay.  Each section is worth 800 points for a possible perfect score of 2,400 points.  Typical score vary from 600 to 2,400.

Total time allowed to take the test is 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Students can register online and the test is offered several times during the year.  Check the web site for deadlines and locations.

Beware that colleges consider other factors in addition to your SAT score.  Those could include your High School GPA, transcripts, interviews, letters of recommendations and essays.  Application evaluation method for each college is different.