Conducted by the College Board, SAT is a standardized assessment to assess candidates' college readiness. High school students seeking admission to undergraduate programs in universities in the US must take the test. The exam scores are accepted by the universities in India also. Thus, being a popular exam among students, SAT has become prominent for students who want to study abroad, especially in the US.
SAT Exam comprises two sections –Evidence-based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and Mathematics. The two sections are further divided into two sub-sections each. The SAT Optional Essay and SAT Subject Tests have been discontinued by the College Board. The examination conducted is in offline mode. Thus, every student must practice SAT Sample Papers and practice tests through the actual exam-style and difficulty level.
Key Features of SAT exam:
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Name of the Exam
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SAT
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Full Name of the Exam
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Scholastic Assessment Test
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Purpose
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Pursue Undergraduate Courses in USA & Canada
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Conducting Body
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The College Board
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Mode of Exam
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Pen and Paper-based
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Exam Fees
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$55 + $49 (Non-US Regional Fee)
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Sections
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- Evidence-based Reading and Writing (EBRW)
- Mathematics
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Score Range
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400-1600 points
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Important Exam Features –
- Students taking SAT must know that it assesses them based on their knowledge of the subject, skills, and understanding, which is more important for the College.
- Students are fairly tested on their Reading, Writing, Analysing, and Mathematical skills.
- While assessing SAT Essay, the main focus is on how the students have perceived the author's argument, which helps analyze your reasoning skills.
- There is no negative marking so that students can attempt each question with ease.
Knowing about the exam features gives you a fair idea of the SAT Exam. However, students must be thorough with SAT Exam Pattern. It helps in understanding the sections, marks distribution, and section-wise question pattern. Being familiar with the Exam Pattern is essential for every candidate to understand the exam.
The below-mentioned table will give you an idea of the SAT Exam Pattern.
SAT Exam Pattern
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Sections
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Sub-Sections
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Number of Questions
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Duration
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Score
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Evidence-based Reading and Writing
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Reading
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52
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65 minutes
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200-800
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Writing
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44
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35 minutes
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Mathematics
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No Calculator
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30 MCQs & 8 GRID-INS
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80 minutes
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200-800
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With Calculator
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15 MCQs & 5 GRID-INS
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Total
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154
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3 hours
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400-1600
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However, for more information, you can learn about the exam pattern from
here.
SAT Sample Papers
Sample Papers are an essential part of the study material available to the students. It helps understand the SAT exam and gives students an idea of what type of questions can be asked and the difficulty level. These are not the actual exam papers but are similar to them. It is an ultimate prep tool recommended to each student preparing for any entrance or competitive exam. SAT Sample Papers are designed such that they will help you revise, solve and analyze your performance.
Here is why solving SAT Sample Papers prove to be beneficial for you in acing the exam –
Benefits of Solving SAT Sample Papers
Stay updated with the changes – Solving sample papers give you an idea of the SAT Exam Pattern. As exam patterns tend to change over time, it prepares students for better understanding and knowing the type of questions and sections in the exam. SAT Sample Papers are similar to the actual SAT Paper, which helps you understand the changes, section-wise question distribution, marks distribution, and difficulty level. Also, once you're aware of the type of questions asked, it reduces stress and anxiety, and you feel confident while attempting the exam.
Analyse your performance –Sample papers are an ultimate tool for SAT preparation that helps students understand the pattern and analyze their performance. The more sample papers you solve, the more you can focus on weak and strong areas. However, solving them consistently will help you remember important concepts that have a higher weightage in the exam. Thus, solving them regularly will help you track your performance and to do well in the actual exam.
Improved efficiency–Out of numerous topics to study, the students can't cover all of the topics in a limited time. While preparing for each section, experts advise that students must solve sample papers and practice papers to be thorough with the formulas, concepts, and theories. You can plan your preparation accordingly and work on improving your performance. Solving SAT sample papers will help you in becoming efficient.
Understand the question pattern and marking scheme – Once you start to solve practice papers, you will get a fair idea of section-wise question and marks distribution. You also get to know about the topics that are of high weightage and important topics that have been frequently asked. It helps you focus on the concepts that can fetch you higher scores and be organized with your SAT Preparation.
Revise, Revise and Revise – Revising the concepts till the end is helpful for every student. It helps in remembering the concepts for a longer time. Also, experts advise that once you have completed your preparation, solve sample papers and practice papers to practice and revise the concepts studied. As different statistics prove that students who comprehensively revise have chances to score higher in the exam. Thus, each candidate needs to revise all concepts and consistently focus on solving sample papers and mocks.
So far, now you must be clear with the importance of solving SAT Sample Papers, which benefits you in the actual exam. The College Board, conducting body of SAT, also provides SAT Practice Papers on their official website for the aspiring students to practice and score well in the exam. You can visit the
official website to download the SAT Practice Papers.
