SAT

If the United States of America is among the countries you are considering to study abroad, you are aware that there are a number of entry requirements waiting for you, from English criteria to academic qualifications. 

The SAT exam is also among the criteria required when applying to some universities from students who want to study abroad, such as ACT, GRE and GMAT.

 

Latest Changes Made For the Digital SAT

The College Board, which organizes and administers the SAT exams, announced as of January 2021 that, based on requests from students, teachers, and educational institutions, the SAT Subject Tests and SAT with Essay exams will no longer be administered.

Additionally, the College Board has decided to conduct SAT exams in a digital format via computer in the United States starting in 2024 and in other countries starting in 2023. This allows for the announcement of exam results within just a few days, as stated.

Universities generally request logic and mathematics results as part of their admission requirements. However, for certain programs, a Subject Test may also be required. It is important to note that universities do not have the authority to request students' exam scores directly from the College Board.

Unchanging Aspects of the Exam according to last developments

The SAT exam will continue to measure knowledge and skills that are highly important for universities.
The scoring of the exam will still be conducted on a 1600-point scale.
The exam will be administered under supervision, either in schools or testing centers, and these centers will remain open to all students, not just those enrolled in the specific school where the exam is conducted.
College Board will continue its commitment to providing free and top-quality exercise and practice resources.
College Board will continue to support all students, including those needing accommodation on exam days.

Changing Aspects of the Exam according to last developments

Students will be able to take the SAT exam using a computer or tablet.
The exam will be shorter, with a duration of approximately 2 hours instead of 3 hours.
There will be shorter reading passages in the exam instead of a few long texts.
Students will be allowed to use a calculator throughout the entire math section, and there will be an integrated calculator in the digital exam application.

 

What Is the Digital SAT?

The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) is a test used by both American citizens and foreign students for admission to colleges and universities in the United States, and is also accepted by many universities in the process of placing foreign students in Turkey to Turkish universities.
Organized by "The College Board", the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) is administered seven times a year in the United States and six times a year in countries outside the United States. Examinations are generally administered every 2 months, applications and registration for exams are made from application centers in the relevant countries or over the internet (http://sat.collegeboard.com/). There are no restrictions to attend the exams. SAT exam results are valid for 2 years.
SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) aims to measure students' knowledge level and interpretation ability in critical reading, writing-composition and mathematics-geometry areas, which are important and necessary in university education. The SAT exam tests the thinking skills that students need to achieve academic success in university education and that they have learned in secondary education.
Generally, high school seniors or students who have graduated from high school take the SAT. This test aims to measure the level at which students can use the knowledge and skills they have acquired during secondary education. In this exam, the way they think and solve problems and how they make connections between problems are also evaluated. The SAT is a great resource for higher education institutions. This test is also one of the most sensitive indicators of students' performance at university.

 

How long does the Digital SAT test take?

 

The digital SAT is composed of two sections: Reading and Writing and Math. Students have 64 minutes to complete the Reading and Writing section and 70 minutes to complete the Math section for a total of 2 hours and 14 minutes.

Each section is divided into 2 equal length modules, and there is a 10-minute break between the Reading and Writing section and the Math section. The first module of each section contains a broad mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. Based on how students perform on the first module, the second module of questions will either be more difficult or less difficult.   

 

Component	Time Allotted (minutes)	Number of Questions
Reading and Writing	64 (two 32-minute modules)	54
Math	70 (two 35-minute modules)	44
Total	134	98

 

Most of the questions are multiple choice, though some of the math questions ask you to enter the answer rather than select it.

On all questions, there's no penalty for guessing: if you're not sure of the answer, it's better to guess than leave the response blank. 

 

What are the SAT Topics?

 

1. SAT The Reading and Writing Section
   The current version of the SAT features a 65-minute Reading section of 52 questions and a 35-minute Writing and Language (W&L) section of 44 questions. In the combined Reading and Writing (R&W) Section of the new digital SAT, there will be two modules, each taking 32 minutes and comprising 27 questions.

The new SAT will feature a greater range of topics, tones, and styles than the analog test, with more questions stemming from the humanities and a few poetry questions added (often by authors from the early 1900s and before). However, the passages and their corresponding questions will be grouped by the skill set they’re testing rather than by the reading topic. You can expect each Reading and Writing module on the digital SAT to assess these skills:

Information and Ideas (12–14 questions): Use details from brief texts, tables, and infographics to determine the main idea, choose the best evidence to support a claim, answer comprehension questions, or infer the most logical way to complete an excerpt.
Craft and Structure (13–15 questions): Define words and phrases that appear in lines of poetry or sentences of prose, evaluate how passages are making arguments, or connect ideas presented in two excerpts (e.g., determining whether one idea builds on another or whether two paragraphs are making similar or different claims).
Expression of Ideas (8–12 questions): Select the transitional word or phrase that makes the author’s meaning clearer for readers, or use a short set of provided notes to decide which of the answers achieves a particular purpose (e.g., which answer represents a comparison, or which answer represents a contrast).
Standard English Conventions (11–15 questions): Choose answers that reflect your knowledge of conventional grammar and mechanics.

1. SAT The Math Section
   In the analog version of the SAT, the Math portion comprises a 25-minute No-Calculator section of 20 questions and a 55-minute Calculator section with 38 questions. With the new digital SAT format, Math will be 70 minutes long and 44 questions, divided equally between two modules, and you can use a calculator on the entire section.

The digital SAT will no longer test reading skills in the Math section. The paper version of the Math section sometimes includes harder-to-understand word problems. The online format will instead feature more concise, straightforward questions that focus on your mathematical understanding rather than your reading ability.

The Math topics tested on the digital SAT remain the same as those in the paper test, but they’ve been renamed:

1. Algebra (previously called Heart of Algebra; 13–15 questions): Develop, analyze, or solve linear equations and inequalities as well as systems of equations.
2. Advanced Math (previously called Passport to Advanced Math; 13–15 questions): Create, interpret, or solve a variety of problem types, such as quadratic equations, polynomial operations, or absolute-value equations.
3. Problem Solving and Data Analysis (no name change; 5–7 questions): Answer prompts about ratios, rates, or proportions; convert units; calculate percentages; analyze data with one or two variables; or infer data and evaluate claims from statistics.
4. Geometry and Trigonometry (previously called Additional Topics in Math; 5–7 questions): Solve problems involving perimeter, area, or volume; angles, triangles, or trigonometry; and circles. The digital SAT will have nearly double the number of geometry and trigonometry questions as the paper version (15% of the section as opposed to the previous 8%).

As with the Reading and Writing section, the order and number of the prompt types will change for each student.

Within these four topics, you’ll also see two question formats:

• Multiple choice: You’ll select one out of four possible choices supplied on the test.
• Grid-in, aka student-produced, response: You’ll need to develop your own answer and then input your answers digit by digit rather than choosing from a group of possible solutions.

 

When is the  Digital SAT test?

If it says when the SAT exam is and you want to take the SAT, you can start making your applications two months before the exam date. Tests are usually held in October, December, March and May. The SAT exam dates for 2024 are as follows:

       Registration deadline          SAT Exam Dates

• 23 February 2024               9 March 2024
• 19 April 2024                        4 May 2024
• 17 May 2024                         1 June 2024
   

Where are the SAT test centers?

There are many test centers around the world for the SAT test, and each test center has a code. For SAT exam centers in Turkey, you can check the College Board official website from this link. You can register by selecting the SAT test time and the nearest SAT test center before you appear on the page.