Benefits of SAT Exam and its Importance

SAT, also known as Scholastic Aptitude Test, examines the candidates' written, verbal, and mathematical skills. It is mostly opted by the candidates who want to pursue U.G. courses from universities abroad. Therefore, understanding the benefits of SAT exam becomes crucial. Besides, SAT scores are mandatory for admission to universities in the U.S. and Canada. 

The SAT exam is conducted offline, i.e. Pen & Paper-based, for 3 hours. The SAT questions are in the MCQ pattern, and additionally, the question paper will be in English. Candidates have the opportunity to choose the exam centre for SAT according to their convenience.

Table of Content

• What is the Benefit of SAT Exam?
• SAT Exam Pattern
• SAT Exam Syllabus
• SAT Exam Preparation Tips

What is the Benefit of SAT Exam?

There are plenty of benefits of giving SAT exam. The SAT exam scores open the door to various career opportunities. Some of them are listed below:

• The SAT Scores are Widely Accepted: The colleges/ universities in India recognise the SAT scores. Most of the universities in the USA accept SAT scores for admissions into U.G. courses as it is a standard exam to gauge the individual potential. Further, income-eligible SAT takers receive college application fee waivers. 
• Helps Candidates to Build their Career: As mentioned above, SAT scores are widely accepted; therefore, with qualifying SAT scores, candidates can apply to multiple colleges and the possibility to apply for U.G. courses widens. Moreover, they can always receive education from well-experienced faculty who can guide them to achieve their individual goals.
• Scholarship Facilities: SAT can help the candidates bag many scholarships. Candidates who perform well and stand out from the crowd are often acknowledged with great scholarships. These are mostly in the form of fee waivers. 
• Level a Lower GPA: A strong SAT score also reflects the candidates potential. In case the GPA is low, the SAT score balances it. Additionally, it demonstrates to the respective colleges the academic advancement of the candidates throughout high school. 
• Keeps a Check on Individual Growth: When students take the SAT, they will track their preceding test scores and examine their growth in college readiness over time. It is an excellent way to look behind on the courses taken and individual development. Besides, it enables candidates to see which strategies and courses have been the most advantageous in promoting improvement toward college readiness.

SAT Exam Pattern 

The college board sets the SAT exam pattern as the conducting authority of the exam. Therefore, knowing the exam pattern is considered among the benefits of SAT exam in India. However, the SAT exam is carried globally for admission into U.G. courses in different colleges and universities. Further, the SAT Exam comprises two parts: SAT Reasoning Test, usually called the SAT Generals Test. The other is the SAT Subject Test. The SAT Reasoning/General Test is essential for applying to U.G. courses in the USA. In contrast, the SAT Subject Test is usually taken by students to improve their college application or to express their expertise in a particular subject. Only limited universities or colleges demand the scores of the SAT Subject Test.

NOTE: The total time allotted for the SAT exam without an essay is 180 minutes. While attempting with the essay paper, the time limit is 230 minutes.

SAT Exam Syllabus

The SAT syllabus is essential for the preparation of the exam. However, the SAT syllabus is administered by the conducting authority. The syllabus includes reading, Writing and Language, Mathematics, and SAT essays (optional). Knowing and understanding the entire syllabus is recognised as the benefit of the SAT exam. Additionally, it enhances the preparation of the candidate.

Writing & Language

• Improving sentences, structure, and its approach
• Verb agreement
• Noun agreement
• Parallelism
• Pronouns
• Incorrect comparisons
• Conjunctions
• Misplaced modifiers
• Punctuation
• Non-fiction narratives mostly about careers, history, social studies, the humanities, and science.

Reading

• Understanding of passages from the US and world Literature, History/Social Studies, and Sciences.
• Sentence completion.

Mathematics

• Arithmetic operations 
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Statistics
• Probability
• Mean & median
• Mode
• Ratios
• Direct and indirect variation
• Permutation & combination
• Problem-solving
• Data analysis

Essay

• This section requires students to assess a case through the study of evidence.

SAT Exam Preparation Tips

As mentioned above, the benefits of the SAT exam, here are some of the preparation tips to enhance the exam prospect. Most of the suggestions are recommendations from qualified SAT candidates. 

• Study Each Section's Directions Before Answering: Read and examine the directions mentioned for each SAT section. However, invest limited time over that, do not get engrossed in reading. It can restrict the time to attempt the complete question paper. 
• Always Attempt the Known Questions First:  While going through each section, answer all known questions and have confidence. Detect all the unknown questions, try to attempt them at last. 
• Strike Off the Incorrect Answers:  Always try to strike a balance between correct and incorrect answers. Suppose there is the slightest possibility that any option is incorrect in the MCQ question, and the candidate can detect it. In that case, they should try to strike it off. It increases the chances of detecting the correct answers. 
• Keep the Paper Clean: Do not be careless when choosing the answer. Always try to be clean and mark the answers neatly. Since machines mark the answers, any double marking or untidiness can go against the exam format.
• Divide the Time: The SAT is time-bound, and therefore, allot the time over each answer judiciously. Remember, the exam is spread across the different sections, and hence, it is easy to lose track of time. So pay attention to the time allotted for each test and calculate the remaining time while advancing to each section.