College 101 : The SAT Reasoning Test

2:47 PM

Assalamualaikum and greetings!

This is the second installment of the College 101 series, where my collaborators and I (but seriously, they contributed waaaaaaay more than I did) will be sharing the basic introduction of the SAT by College Board as well as some tips to guide you through acing 'em all!

So, are you excited?

Let's get the ball rolling.

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Introduction


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The SAT Reasoning Test assesses subject matter learned and problem solving skills in Math, Critical Reading (or in another term, comprehension) and Writing. Most universities in the US require applicants to take the SAT in order to apply and get admitted. Nevertheless, most, if not all American students take the test anyway. 

The good news is, you wouldn't need to be afraid of the test. Yeaaaaayyyy! But now you might be wondering, how is that gonna help?

To be frank, the test might seem difficult at first. That is absolutely okay. It works pretty much like SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia/Malaysian Education Certificate) or any other big exams that you had been through. For SPM, you need to know the type of questions, format, have strategies and do a lot of practice! The same thing goes for SAT too. Spend some time to practice SAT questions regularly and you’re good to go!

Format

The SAT is 3 hours and 45 minutes (225 minutes) long in total (You're gonna be in trouble).............not including breaks (Oh, you're save now).

So, the whole test is divided into 3 major sections; Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing. There will be sub-sections for each major section and the allotted time for each sub-section ranges from 10 mins to 25 mins. The sub-sections are not arranged in order and the arrangement of every test paper is different from the other.

For example, you might be answering Math questions during the first period but the guy besides you might be answering Critical Reading questions in the same period (But seriously, don't stare at the person besides you during the actual test). Other than that, everyone will be starting with the essay question first. 

Actual Test Summary: Essay question -> Random section -> Random section ....... -> Last section

Basically, there are three types of questions which includes:

     a) Multiple-choice Questions
     b) Student-produced Responses (A portion of the Mathematics Questions only)
     c) Essay Question

Scoring

The total score for SAT is 2400, with 800 for each of the Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing sections.

  • For each correct answer: +1 is added to your score.
  • For every wrong answer: ¼ is deducted from your score. 
  • 0 score is omitted for each unanswered question. 
  • The full score for your Essay is 12. Two readers will mark your essay on a scale from 1 - 6. These scores are then added together to get essay score per 12. 
In the student-produced responses section (the Maths section I was talking about just now), you will produce your own answers and no mark will be deducted for wrong answers in this sub-section. 

The score that you get by adding all of your correct answers and deducting your wrong answers for every section, however, is not your mark out of 800 for that section. It is called as the raw score of the section.

So, this is how they calculate the full score. The raw score will be matched to a table full of the real scores. For example, you get a raw score of 37 in Maths and in the real score table that is, let’s say, around 600. Then, they will add up the full score for every section and the sum is the full score out of 2400.

Here is an example of such score conversion table:

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The Critical Reading Section

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What is it about?

This section tests you in vocabulary and comprehension through sentence completion and passage-based reading questions. For vocabulary, currently there is no easy way to acquire good vocab in a short time (probably until we, humans manage to figure out how to store vocab using micro chip in our head) so you need to start from now! 

Tips and Strategies:

One of the surprises that they prepare for you in SAT Reasoning Test is the awesomeness of the vocabularies used, so awesome that sometimes you can't even make out what a sentence means! (Alright, that might be a little bit off from the actual case). The point is to increase your knowledge of the SAT Vocabulary as well as the mastery of words applications and train your ability to grasp the main idea of a passage. Here  are our suggestions:
  • Quiz yourself regularly with SAT Flashcards - Buy one or make it yourself. Check out the "DIY SAT Flashcards" section at the end of this post.
  • Study the applications of the words, not just their meanings. Have a dictionary, be it traditional or digital besides you when you're studying to make learning new vocab easier.
  • Make reading English newspapers, news portal and other non-fiction materials your new morning or before-bed habit. Sites like The Washington Post and The New York Times would be helpful.
  • Practice reading actively by focusing on the gist of the passage and avoiding distractions such as thinking about what to eat for dinner or planning which cat videos you're gonna watch on YouTube later on.
  • Take note of the main idea of the passage that you're assigned with. Most of the times, many questions from each passage will revolve around the main idea discussed in the passage. So, main idea comes first, then the extra details. 

The Mathematics Section

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What is it about?

It is about Mathematics! (duhhh) So, here is the list of the topics that will be tested along with the range of the amount of questions for each topic:
*Hint: Click on each section to be directed to a free online practice website

Maths Sections Distribution:

  • 25 minutes for 20 multiple-choice questions
  • 25 minutes for 18 questions: 8 multiple-choice questions and 10 grid-in questions (also called student-produced response questions), which require you to write your answers in a special grid
  • 20 minutes for 16 multiple-choice questions
So, you have roughly a little bit more than a minute on average for each question. 


Another notably important thing to know besides the actual topics covered in the SAT is stuff that you can safely avoid. So, here are the skills that you wouldn't need for the SAT: 
  • Doing big number-crunching — large numbers or endless calculations
  • Writing geometry proofs
  • Using the quadratic formula (you can solve any quadratic equation on the SAT by factoring or plugging in numbers)
  • Working with imaginary numbers, the square roots of negative numbers
  • Doing trigonometry or calculus
So, hoooray! No calculus, people! Oh, you sure will understand why once you actually get into college. For now, let us proceed with the strategies.

Tips and Strategies: 

  1. Read the directions! Understand what the question is actually asking for, then work out what is necessary.
  2. Work from the easiest to the hardest! As you know, you'll get one point for a correct answer and lose 1/4 point for a wrong answer. Therefore, every question, regardless of difficulty grants you the same amount of point! So, work your way with the easy questions first and save the more difficult ones for the last.
  3. The answer is among the answers! For many of the multiple choice questions, instead of trying to figure out the answer, forming an equation and that kind of stuff, you can simply try plugging in the answer. That would save you a lot of time!
  4. Spend your time wisely! Refrain from spending so much time on a question that you are not sure of. Instead, get the ones that you can do done first, followed by the rest. Do not try to double check (this is not SPM, where you usually have ample time). Only do extra checking if you are done with all of the questions of the section.
  5. Fill in an answer for all student-produced-answer questions! Remember, you won't lose any point even if you get it wrong for this type of Maths question. So, use the chance to guess even if you don't know. You might be right!

Math Facts to Know:

  • Some phrases — less than, fewer than, shorter than, subtracted from — reverse the order of subtraction (for example, four less than x is x – 4).
  • In a triangle, the largest angle is opposite the largest side, and the smallest angle is opposite the smallest side.
  • The sum of two sides of any triangle must be larger than the length of the third side.
  • In a circle, inscribed angles are half as large as their arcs.
  • A tangent line and a radius always form a right angle.
  • To solve a linear equation, isolate the variable on one side of the equal sign.
  • A base to the zero power equals one (100 = 1, for example).
  • Anything quadratic on the SAT can usually be factored.

The Writing Section

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This section tests you on essay writing as well knowledge about grammar rules, sentence structure and so on. Here is the official breakdown of this section:
  • Essay - 1 question - 25 minutes
  • Multiple-choice - 49 Questions -35 minutes (one 25-minute section and one 10-minute section)
For the multiple-choice writing questions, they are broken down into categories as follows:
  • Improving sentences - 25 questions
  • Identifying sentence errors - 18 questions
  • Improving paragraphs - 6 questions

The SAT Essay & How to Tackle It 

The essay is always the first question on the SAT. You will be given 25 minutes to respond to the question by writing an argumentative essay on the answer sheet, using a No. 2 pencil. Before we actually get into how to tackle the essay, it is vital to know what aspects the are valued in the test. Simply putting it, you are expected to:
  • Develop a point of view on an issue presented in an excerpt
  • Support a point of view using reasoning and examples from their reading, studies, experience, or observations
  • Follow the conventions of Standard Written English

Sample Essay Prompt: 

Essay Prompt: 

 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

Even scientists know that absolute objectivity has yet to be attained. It's the same for absolute truth. But, as many newspaper reporters have observed, the idea of objectivity as a guiding principle is too valuable to be abandoned. Without it, the pursuit of knowledge is hopelessly lost.

Adapted from "Focusing Our Values," Nieman Reports

Assignment: Are people better at making observations, discoveries, and decisions if they remain neutral and impartial? Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Now, I bet you are wondering what makes a good answer different from a mediocre or not-so-good answer in attempting this same prompt. Very well, since this example is taken directly from the College Board website, click here to see sample responses, their scores and why. 


General Strategies and Tips for the SAT Essay:

  • Make use of the paragraph given - Read the entire paragraph. Obviously, it is there for a certain reason. In this case, it is there to help you!
  • Develop your point of view - Decide whether you agree with the author or the other way around. Why? Why do you agree or disagree? What examples would you bring up to support your opinion? Ask these questions to help you formulate a rough idea flow of your essay.
  • Be precise - You are not expected to use flowery, long-winded sentences. NEVER. It’s an argumentative essay and should be as direct as possible.
  • Maximize the potential of your examples - Make your examples thoughtful, meaningful and well-developed. It is better to just have one or two of this type compared to many oversimplified examples. Less is more!
  • Be yourself! - Remember, the whole point of this essay is expressing your personal opinion and supporting them with well-developed examples. So, don't be afraid to be different if you have a strong opinion and meaningful examples. Feel free to use phrases like "In my opinion", "I strongly believe", "I think" and so on.
  • Important Technical Details - Try to write two full pages, include an introduction and conclusion, as well as vary your sentence styles/structures a little bit. For the last part, be sure to apply the ones that you are confident about. Do not trade the precision and value of your points for extra style!
  • Time is crucial! - You only have 25 minutes to finish the Essay section (Whooooaaa, this is crazy!) Well, you're not wrong about that! It takes a lot of practice to get used to writing good argumentative essays with well-developed examples in such a short time. Therefore, do a lot of practices so that you'll get used to the short time frame.
  • Prepare a cheat sheet for examples! - Brainstorm and do some research on 6-10 examples that can be used for a variety of topics. It can be people like Steve Jobs, or events like the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Jot down the important points of each example and read them often. This way, you wouldn't have to be nervous about coming up with an example during the actual test..... You already have them in your head! 

General Strategies and Tips for the Multiple-Choice Writing Questions:

In order to succeed in the Multiple-Choice Writing Questions, you must be knowledgeable and confident with the main rules of grammar. Here are some of the usual concepts/rules that are tested in this section:

  • Verbs: Check that the tense (past, present, perfect, and future, for example) and quantity (singular or plural) of the verbs fit in the sentence.
    • Example: For the past 100 years or more, the town of Boston, Massachusetts (stands/is standing/was standing/has stood/stood/will have stood) for the American patriotism which the people embrace so strongly.
  • Pronouns: Check that the number (singular or plural) and case (subject, object, or possessive) fit the sentence and that each pronoun clearly refers to an identifiable noun or pronoun in the sentence.
    • Example: According to the politician's son, (he/the politician) had not yet decided to run for re-election.
  • Word choice: Identify words that are often confused to make sure they’re used correctly.
    • Example: Affect vs Effect / Advise vs Advice / Aid vs Aide
  • Complete sentences: Check to see whether two complete sentences are improperly joined together (with no conjunction or semicolon) or whether a so-called sentence is really just a fragment.
    • Identifying  a fragment: 
    • Does it have a verb?
    • Does it have a subject?
    • Can the phrase make sense standing alone (is it a dependent clause or phrase)?
      • If a phrase gets a 'no' for any of the questions above, then it is a fragment.
  • Parallelism: Be sure all the elements in the sentence that are doing the same job have the same grammatical identities.
    • Examples:
      • Incorrect: The greatest basketball games demonstrate the skills of the players, their abilities to work as a team, and how they react to the coach.
      • Correct: The greatest basketball games demonstrate the skills of the players, their abilities to work as a team, and their reactions to the coach.
      • Incorrect: To leave now is worse than betraying your country.
      • Correct: To leave now is worse than to betray your country.
  • Subject-Verb Agreement: People usually get confused or careless with the subject-verb agreement. Most of the time, the questions would trick you with singular/plural concept and you must be careful because this type of question is easy but also tricky.
    • Examples:
      • Neither the police nor the zookeeper (were/was) able to find the missing boa constrictor.
      • The list of books, authors, and publishers (were/was) sitting on the table.

Wohoooooooooooo! So you have made it this far! Okay, I'm exhausted from writing and you might already be yawning once or twice throughout reading this post so far. So, let us chill a little bit with some super adorable GIFs! 

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What To Expect On SAT’s Saturday
(SAT tests are on Saturdays, interesting isn’t it?)

  • Know the specific address and location of your test centre. Google the address the night before and how to get there.
  • Print out your SAT ticket at least (the earlier the better, keep 'em all in a file) the night before and make sure you have your picture ID (your national identification card/ driving license/ passport) in your bag. To make things easier, pack your bag before you go to sleep!
  • Bring several sharpened 2B pencils, an eraser, a sharpener and a calculator. You might as well want to bring an extra calculator or an extra battery. Just to be safe, you know. Pens and mechanical pencils are not allowed
  • Bring high-protein snack (Nuts, Protein Bar, Snickers and Mars bar are recommended) and bottled water. Since you only have 5 minutes break between sections, you won’t have time to go out and buy food. This test lasts for nearly 4 hours and you don’t want to be mentally exhausted.
  • Turn off your phones and any electrical appliances such as iPods and iPads. You might get into trouble if your alarm suddenly goes off and disrupts the test. In some centres, you might even get in trouble if you're seen with your gadgets!
  • Be well rested and stay calm throughout the test! 
  • During the test, only guess when you can eliminate at least two out of five choices.

Extra Resources

Critical Reading

The key here is read as much as you can in many different areas. Iqra’!

Writing

Practice tests

  • The Official Guide to SAT (aka the Blue Book)


DIY SAT Flashcards

  1. Google SAT wordlists by typing in “Most Difficult SAT words”, “”Common SAT Words”, “Important SAT Words” etc. Most wordlists contain the definitions only but some have both definition and sentence examples.
  2. Make your own flashcards! To save time, gather a few friends and delegate specific number of words to each friend.
  3. Quiz yourself and your friends regularly. To expand your vocabulary, share and exchange flashcards with your friends.
  • Making flashcards based on words you are not familiar with in the SAT practice sets is also an awesome idea.
  • You can also buy the Barron’s SAT Vocabulary Flashcards at MPH, Popular Bookstore, Kinokuniya or even online. Splitting the cost with your friends would be an effective way to save money.  
  • If you opt for more environmental friendly options, google “Quizlet SAT” or “Online SAT Word Quiz”. Most sites are free and have interactive SAT vocabulary quizzes.

SAT scores you should aim for

Practically 2100 and above if you’re aiming for top universities. 2200 and above recommended for Ivy League universities. (1800 is actually considered good enough for many of the top 200 universities)

Pieces of advice

  • Don’t study for SAT last minute. You are better off not taking the test than cramming everything in one go. Have a study plan for SAT from now. Spend some time everyday to practice the questions. Even a question a day or a word a day means something!
  • Take timed practice. The SAT is a race against time. If you are not used answering the SAT within the time allotted, you will face great anxiety during test day which would not do good to your score.
  • Know that studying for SAT is very time-consuming. Students in the USA take at at least two years to study for the SAT so you could not expect you’d do any better in less time than that (not impossible, though). Remember that students around the world take this test. If you are struggling with it, know that any other students in another country might face the same thing too. Just don’t give up and be consistent in doing practices.
  • You should have a College Board account to register for the test. You will also get many benefits from the site if you know how to use it well. Get more tips from this site such as what to expect on test day, the do’s and don’ts.
  • Register for the SAT early. Trust us on this one! You would not want to travel all the way to Penang for the test just because there are no place left in KL. Check with the person in charge with SAT registration at school so you know when to register, etc. Dates are important because the scores will be sent to the universities you are applying to. Late test means late application. University application deadlines are very (VERY) important.
Alright, so that is all for now. In the upcoming posts of #College101 series, I'll be covering about the new SAT (starting in February 2016) as well as the SAT Subject Tests. If you think this post is helpful, share it with your families/friends/schoolmates/colleagues! 

Other than that, subscribe and stay-tuned for more updates! Wishing you the best of health and success in everything that you do :) 


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Special Thanks to All Editors and Contributors:
Nur Alia Mohd. Meliki
(Kolej PERMATApintar - Graduated)

Muhammad Hisyam Saiful Hakimi
(Arizona State University, USA - Class of 2018)

Achmad Bakhtiar M Yuni
(Rutgers University, USA - Class of 2018)

Isaac Tan Guan Ming
(University College London, UK - Class of 2017)

Solehah Salim
(University of California, Davis, USA - Class of 2018)

Nuraini Aguse
(University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA - Class of 2018)

Rahazimah Alzahrah Abu Bakar Sadiqin
(Boston University, USA - Class of 2018)

Nurul Dalila Safiah Noor Azmi
(Kolej PERMATApintar - Graduated)


Credits:

  • College Board : https://sat.collegeboard.org/home?navid=sat-sat
  • SAT For Dummies : http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/sat-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html
  • MyTutor : https://www.mytutor.com/educators/resource-room/testing-tips/writing
  • PrepScholar : http://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-800-on-sat-writing-11-strategies-from-a-perfect-scorer
  • Student-Tutor : http://student-tutor.com/blog/5-strategies-proven-increase-your-math-sat-score/
  • Alpha Dictionary : http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/confused_words.html
  • University of Richmond Writing Center : http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/fragment.html

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