SATs 2012-2013: Details and Dates

There are a few things to know about the SATs before I list the dates for you. First of all, SATs are only a portion, although weighed heavily in most admissions processes, of the application process. The highly researched SATs were, in part, developed to standardized the thousands of different grading systems found across the globe. And its name, the Reasoning test is a hint as to how to study for it. It's all about your reasoning abilities.

For years people have asked me if there are any tricks to know other than studying math, English and writing. First and foremost- go to class. As a bad test-taker in my day, I thought the answer was to study more and totally understand each subject. Although I have never done a true blind-experiment, I have found that it is not so much about inherently great test-takers with awesome grades (let's not joke- SATs usually come easy to these kids) as it is about confident and realistic critical thinkers. Duly noted, people who are trained to test, like Brazilians, seem to have better first scores on the exam in general- especially on the Math section. But there are very few of us who test and magically transcend all sections of the exam. There are some great helpful hints out there- and one of the best is knowing a little more about the college-success-indicator itself.

What is on the SAT exam?
The SAT Reasoning test is divided into three subjects and about 10 sections. With several bathroom breaks, the exam lasts about five (5) hours. It consists of English comprehension, math and an essay. You can score up to 800 points per section, totaling 2400. The essay is a subscore grade on a 12-point scale graded by two readers giving you a maximum of six (6) points each. Many, many universities consider the English comprehension and math sections more heavily than the essay section. You can clarify this information on a school's admissions website. The median average for SATs is about 500 or so per section. Each university has its own average scores listed in a freshman profile and the admissions requirements.

What is the SAT Subject exam?
These content-based exams are offered to students wanting to show exceptional mastery in a particular subject to enhance their profile or used as admissions criteria for students entering into majors like Engineering or Pre-med. If you are one of the students declaring a major during admissions- you will want to see if these exams, offered but not taken the same day as SATs, are part of your check-list.

SAT Help
I started researching tutoring partners about three years ago after finding it difficult to provide teacher-based practice for students. Firstly, because many of our teachers are SAT test center proctors and would feel they were violating ethics by privately teaching to the test; Secondly because I wanted to discover, with a professional's opinion, what this nagging feeling was that told me the SAT was not all about content. After interviewing several candidates, I chose New York City-based company because of its philosophy in creating and enforcing critical thinking and its highly educated and dedicated professors with international experience. Part of the agreement was that they would not just offer sessions to my students, but to my teachers and student-SAT tutors as well. Why should my students know all the tricks? After one lunch period being trained by Isaac Foster, I had an answer to my question- SATs were more than an indicator of mastery of curriculum- but heavily weighed-in a student's independent thought process and problem-solving skills. What I learned from doing the course as one of the students is that the answers to all the questions can be 'seen' within the context of the prompt and answer selection. The finely-tuned eye can make very educated guesses, extrapolating necessary information through the process of elimination. You do not need a calculator or a dictionary. In fact, those who know how to work without them, in my experience, are ready for the exam and much more than that. An interesting comment from my students once they saw how the exam really worked: What will become of us if we continue to rely on technology to "help" us do our work?? (Wow- that could be the next SAT open-essay question!!) This being said- make those Greek and Latin Root flash cards, write letters by hand and use a thesaurus, try not to use a calculator- and learn to apply and connect your classroom content to your life so it sticks. If that doesn't work, sign up for the CollegeBoard's free SAT help,ask us about our NYC tutoring partner who helped scores go up by an incredible 100 points, or be happy you go to a teach-to-the-test school if you are in Brazil! Oh- and one last hint- it seems like the essay section scores best when you write more. Just remember to ANSWER THE QUESTION.

Registering and Sending Scores
SATs (both the Reasoning and Subject tests- which you cannot take the same day) are usually offered the first Saturdays in October, November, December, January, March, May and June. When you register to take the SATs on Collegeboard.org, you will be advised of the test location and dates available. If you are taking the SATs in the United States, you will look at the first table- your registration dates are different. If you are taking the SATs OUTSIDE OF THE US, please scroll down for the international dates. Please remember that not all Test Centers (such as the American School of Brasilia) offer all SAT test dates.You will have the opportunity to send your scores through the SAT system to the universities to which you apply. In fact, the scores MUST be sent through the CollegeBoard system to be considered official by the admissions committees.

EAB will offer the exams in October, November, December, May,and POSSIBLY June.

SAT Specials Tips
Some schools, if you talk to the admissions office, will waive the need for a TOEFL if you score high enough on the English portion of the exam.

There are over 800 post-secondary institutions test free universities that do not require the SATs and some that do not require SATs for international students. As these cases are more rare, planning is pertinent.

If you need financial help or other arrangements to take the exam, Collegeboard offers SAT fee waivers and test accommodations for students with disabilities.