SAT I
"It's a measure of the critical thinking skills you'll need for academic success in college. The SAT assesses how well you analyze and solve problems-skills you learned in school that you'll need in college" -collegeboard.com.
Of course we know that the SAT I test counts for 60% of our Total Percent score in Egypt. And that is why it is the most important test in the American High School Diploma. People rarely ask you about your GPA. But, they always ask "what's your SAT score?" and that is what tells them weather you are clever or not. So, do your best in the study part and god will reward you with the perfect score.
The SAT has changed after March 2005 and we are now talking only about the New SAT. And now let's get to work...
What does the test cover?
• 3 Sections:
–Critical Reading –Writing –Math
Critical Reading Section: Overview
• Includes short and long reading passages with questions and sentence-completion questions.
Time :70 min. (two 25-min. sections and one 20-min. section)
Content : Critical reading and sentence-level reading
Item Types :Reading comprehension, sentence completions, and paragraph-length critical reading
Score : 200-800.
Critical Reading Section: Sentence Completion
• Measure your:
–Knowledge of what words mean
–Ability to understand how the different parts of a sentence fit together
• Example:
Hoping to _______ the dispute, negotiators proposed a compromise that they felt would be _______ to both labor and management.
(A)enforce . . Useful
(B)end . . Divisive
(C)overcome . . Unattractive
(D)extend . . Satisfactory
(E)resolve . . acceptable
Critical Reading Section: Reading Passages
• Measure your ability to read and think carefully about different reading passages ranging in length from about 100 to about 850 words.
• They are taken from a variety of fields, including the humanities, social studies, natural sciences, and literary fiction.
Writing Section: Overview
• Includes multiple-choice questions and a short essay.
Time : 60 min.
Content : Grammar, usage, and word
Item Types : Multiple choice questions (one 25-min. sections and one 10-min. section) and student-written essay (25 min.)
Score : 200-800
Writing Section: Multiple Choice Questions
• The multiple-choice writing questions measure your ability to:
–Improve sentences and paragraphs
–Identify errors (such as diction, grammar, sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, proper word usage, and wordiness)
• Example:
The reason we stopped fishing was because the fish had already stopped biting.
A. because the fish had already stopped biting
B. because the fish had all ready stopped biting
C. that the fish had already stopped biting
D. that the fish had all ready stopped biting
E. because the fish had stopped biting already
Answer to Writing Question:
• The correct answer is C. Saying "the reason is... because" is redundant. A subordinate conjunction like "that" or "why" works better. Choice D is wrong because "all ready" is not an adverb.
Writing Section: Short Essay
• The short essay measures your ability to:
–Organize and express ideas clearly
–Develop and support the main idea
–Use appropriate word choice and sentence structure
• You will have to develop point of a view on an issue and use reasoning and evidence to support your ideas.
• The essay will be scored by trained high school and college teachers.
• Example:
• Directions:Think carefully about the statement and assignment below. Outline a response that develops and supports your own ideas. You have twenty-five minutes to write an essay on the given topic.
• Statement to Consider: There are times when you have to obey a call which is the highest of all, i.e. the voice of conscience even though such obedience may cost many a bitter tear, and even more, separation from friends, from family, from the state to which you may belong, from all that you have held as dear as life itself. For this obedience is the law of our being. --Mahatma Gandhi
• Essay Question: Is it more important to comply with the dictates of conscience than with other demands? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from what you have read, studied, or experienced.
Math: Overview
• Multiple choice and questions that require you to grid in the answer.
• Can use a calculator, but no question requires a calculator to be solved.
Time : 70 min. (two 25-min. sections and one 20-min. section)
Content :Number and operations; algebra and functions; geometry; statistics, probability, and data analysis
Item Types : Five-choice multiple-choice questions and student-produced responses
Score : 200-800
Math: Sample Questions
• A car travels from town A to town B, a distance of 360 miles, in 9 hours. How many hours would the same trip have taken had the car traveled 5 mph faster?
• A rectangular door measures 5 feet by 6 feet 8 inches.
What is the distance from one corner of the door to the
diagonally opposite corner? (1 foot = 12 inches)
A. 8'2"
B. 8'4"
C. 8'8"
D. 9'
E. 9'6"
Answers to Math Sample Questions
• The correct answer is (B).
5 feet = 60 inches
6 feet 8 inches = 80 inches
This is a 6-8-10 triangle, making the diagonal 100 inches, which is 8 feet 4
inches. If you don’t recognize the common triangle, you can use
Pythagorean Theorem (a2 + b2 = c2) to solve the problem.
• Answer: The correct answer is 8.
Distance = rate ×time
360 = r(9)
40 = r
If r were 5 miles an hour faster, it would equal 45 (40 + 5 = 45).
d = rt
360 = 45t
t = 8
Sample questions and answers taken from: www.educationplanner.com
How can I prepare?
• Practice, Practice, Practice
• Work problems
• Take old exams in a TIMED setting
• Use review books
• Know directions for the test beforehand, and know how the tests are scored so that you can test wisely
Look in the "Useful links" page for SAT study guides and online courses.