What is the SAT? Things you should know

SAT is a test commonly used in the United States, for admission and to assess students' standardized ability. SAT test scores are also a condition for admission to many universities around the world such as Canada, the UK, Singapore, etc.

1.1. What is SAT Exam?

The SAT is used to assess a candidate's general natural and social knowledge and is used for admission to a number of universities in the United States. The SAT is owned by the College Board Corporation - a private non-profit corporation in the United States and managed by the Educational Testing Service.

The SAT exam will be held internationally 7 times a year, in March, May, June, 8, 10, 11, 12 every year. Depending on each state, each university in the US will require SAT scores to be submitted at any time.

So you understand what the SAT exam is, right, let's continue to learn about the SAT exam!

1.2. Importance and Benefits of the SAT

A high SAT score is an advantage when enrolling in top universities in the U.S. or in some other country. The SAT exam is considered important and brings many benefits to international students before being admitted to their dream school:

1 - Complete your study abroad application

For students, students who decide to study abroad, especially in the US, need to take the SAT exam to ensure the earliest completion of study abroad documents. The higher the score on the test, the greater your chances of being admitted to prestigious schools.

2 - Individual competency assessment

The SAT test is used to comprehensively assess students' reasoning, analysis and critical thinking skills before entering university. From there, it partly helps students evaluate their strengths and weaknesses to promote and improve.

3 – Advantages in applying for scholarships

A high SAT score is considered an advantage that makes it easier for international students to apply for scholarships to study abroad at prestigious universities. Depending on the number of SAT test scores achieved, the scholarship value of international students at each school will vary.

4 - Supplement to other exams (IELTS, TOEFL,..)

When studying for the SAT exam, you will accumulate and hone additional skills, which will help you with the IELTS and TOEFL exams,... such as reading and comprehension skills, thinking skills, logical reasoning, vocabulary,... Even at some universities in the US, candidates with high SAT scores in Reading and Writing will be allowed to skip TOEFL/IELTS scores.

1.3. Candidates for the SAT

Candidates for the SAT exam are usually high school students or students who are planning to study abroad in the United States or at schools that accept SAT scores around the world. To take the SAT, candidates need to have a good level of English because the SAT test is entirely in English.

Notes on changes:

• The SAT exam is held in a 100% online format starting in 2023 worldwide and from 2024 in the US.

• The online version of the SAT test will have a test time of 2 hours, which is shorter than the traditional test (3 hours).

• Although the exam is online, candidates still have to go to the designated exam location as before.

After dropping the Essay test, in 2021, the SAT consists of 2 subjects: Mathematics and Reading - Writing. At the same time, the time for taking the exam is shortened to 3 hours and the scale falls from 400 to 1600 points.

2 subjects include 4 parts: Math without a computer (25 minutes), Math with a computer (55 minutes), Reading (65 minutes) and Writing (35 minutes). In addition, candidates will have 2 breaks, each time 5 minutes, before the Math test with a computer and before the Writing test.

Below is a detailed breakdown of each section of the SAT exam structure after 2021:

The test score of the SAT exam will range from 400 – 1600. In which, the Mathematics section has a maximum score of 800 and the Reading - Writing section has a maximum score of 400.

3.1. How to calculate SAT scores

1 - Mathematics Exam

• Find Raw Score: By calculating the total number of correct questions in both non-computer Math and Math with a calculator. The maximum total score is 58.

• Find the Scale Score: Get the Scale Score of the test you just took to check the final score. You should only refer to the point conversion table and estimate your score because each test will have a different conversion table.

2 - Reading and Writing

• Raw Score: Number of correct sentences in each section

• Scale Score: Look up the correct number of questions (Raw Score) to find the corresponding Scale score of each section, then add 2 points together and multiply by 10 to get a total score.

Refer to the SAT marking process:

For example, how to calculate the score of an SAT test is based on the above process:

• Reading Test Raw Score: Answer 35 questions correctly, so the score is 35 → Reading Test Score is 30.

• Writing and Language Test Raw Score: Correct 38 questions, so the score is 35 → the Writing and Language Test Score is 34.

• Add up the Reading and Writing sections: 30 + 34= 64

• Multiply the Scaled Score by 10: 64*10 = 640.

• Math Section Raw Score: Correct 45 questions so the score is 45 → Math Section Score is 660

• So the total SAT score is equal to the total score of the Math test plus the total score of the Reading - Writing test: 640 + 660= 1300. These are some pretty high scores.

3.2. SAT Score Scale

Each school or profession at the school will have different grading requirements. Therefore, before registering for a major at any university, you must carefully consider the requirements of that school.

Refer to the detailed scale table:

Refer to the entrance scale below of the top 10 universities in the US:

The US SAT and the International SAT are two versions of the SAT. Are they really the same, or are they just different in the country of registration? Let's find out more about the similarities and differences of the two versions of the name:

5.1. Similarities between the American SAT and the International SAT

There will be no difference between the US SAT and the international SAT in terms of:

• Exam time: 1 day

• Exam structure, exam sections, and exam time

• Difficulty of the exam

• Exam room conditions, exam proctoring regulations, facilities, proctoring team,.. must meet the same strict standards in terms of facilities as well as the team of supervisors

5.2. Differences between the US SAT and the International SAT

The International SAT and the American SAT are two versions that are not exactly the same. Take a look at the comparisons below to see the similarities and differences between the two names for the SAT:

In Vietnam, more and more students are deciding to study abroad and want to take the SAT exam to apply for admission to American universities. In order to have practical experience on how to register for the exam as well as the form of the exam, IDP Education will immediately share with you the following useful information:

6.1. Experience before taking the SAT in Vietnam

1 - Check the exam schedule carefully

Please make sure to check the schedule carefully after registering for the exam. Go to the sat.collegeboard.org page to check the exam schedule and plan to prepare for the exam to avoid cases of forgetting or remembering the wrong exam date!

2 - How to register for the exam

Regarding the SAT exam in Vietnam, there are 2 ways to register for the SAT exam: online and by mail:

• Register online via the College's official website at least 4 weeks before the exam date. Go to the collegeboard.org website, create an account, and complete the instructions to register for the exam.

• Register by mail: Visit the main website collegeboard.org to download and fill out the application form. Once completed, put it in an envelope stick the test date on the outside (the label is attached to the registration form), and send it to Collegeboard.

3 - Exam location

The SAT exam in Vietnam is only available in the following 3 major cities:

4 - Change the test date/test center

To change the test date or test center, you must call the College Board and pay an additional fee. Besides, you also need to pay attention to change before the 4th day within 2.5 weeks before the exam date.

5 - Exam fees

You need to pay about $78 for 1 SAT I (Reasoning) test. In case you have to incur additional services: change of date, time, exam center, or exam subject, you must pay an additional fee. is 20.5 USD, and the fee for sending transcripts: is 9.5 USD/school.

6.2. Experience in the process of taking the SAT in Vietnam

Pocket the following notes right away to have useful experiences for the perfect SAT exam and avoid mistakes:

• You should be at the exam venue 30 minutes early to complete the procedures before entering the exam room

• Prepare all the necessary equipment and tools such as pencils, erasers, and handheld computers,... and documents such as exam papers, and passports,...

• Do not use electronic devices such as phones, tablets, recorders,... in the process of doing the test. If detected, all your test results will be canceled.

• If you are late or do not show up on the test day, you are still allowed to reschedule the test for the next test. You will not need to register for the exam again from the beginning, but you will have to pay an additional 30 USD (about 700,000 VND) to change the exam date.

• Understand the instructions for each part of the test to have time and allocate time reasonably and effectively for each sentence. You should prioritize going from easy to difficult questions and pay attention to writing the answers on the answer sheet accurately

• You can use the exam paper as a draft page because there is no need to return it to the proctor

6.3. Experience after taking the SAT in Vietnam

After completing the SAT exam, candidates should also have notes to prepare to update their test scores to have the next preparations for studying abroad.

• After the test, if you feel that you did not do well or did not pass the test, you can cancel the test results in 2 ways: Cancel the results immediately after leaving the test room or tell the College Board that you do not want to receive the results anymore.

• You need to access the page: www.collegeboard.com/sat with an existing account to update test scores. Test scores will be posted 3 weeks after the end of the test and will be notified by The College Board in 4 weeks. From 2023, you will know your SAT scores earlier, just a few days after the test than after a few weeks as now.

• Transcripts (hard copies) will be mailed to you in about 6-7 weeks and sent to the University if you have a need and apply beforehand.

You need 6-12 months to get used to and prepare for the SAT at its best. Normally, Vietnamese students who want to study in the US will revise from the 10th or 11th grade to be able to take the SAT exams at the end of the 11th or 12th grade, to be more convenient in making applications. You should start preparing for the exam as soon as possible to have more time to prepare for the exam and for other things such as preparing documents, applying for scholarships, applying for visas,...

For students, students, and parents whose children are preparing to study abroad, there will certainly be many worries about new luggage in a foreign country. Let's answer some common questions with IPD before learning and taking the SAT:

1 - Is it possible to convert SAT scores to IELTS scores?

The answer is NO. Because the SAT is a standardized test that is the foundation for university and IELTS is a test that shows your language proficiency. Therefore, SAT and IELTS certificates are not equivalent, so SAT scores cannot be converted to IELTS scores and vice versa. However, you can use both certificates at the same time to apply for study abroad to ensure the best conditions and benefits.

2 - Will a high SAT score get a scholarship to study abroad?

SAT scores are a mandatory test for admission to top schools in the US and are also one of the conditions for you to apply for a successful scholarship. However, applying for a scholarship does not necessarily depend on SAT test scores, besides there are factors such as GPA, extracurricular activities, scholarship essays,...

Read more: Scholarships to Study in USA

3 – How long is the SAT certificate valid for?

Unlike IELTS or TOEIC certificates that are valid for 2 years, SAT certificates are valid for a longer period, up to 5 years from the time the test results are known.

4 - Do I need an SAT certificate to study in Europe and other countries?

To study abroad in European countries or with universities in other countries, SAT test scores are not required and are not required. However, SAT scores are still quite important if you want to get into a good school (good or higher) and want to win a scholarship.

5 - When should I register for the SAT?

It is recommended to register about 1 and a half to 2 months before the exam to plan the exam to ensure that there are still exam spots and can choose your favorite exam location. At the same time, register for the exam early to limit the rush in preparation and exam preparation, helping to quickly complete the application to study abroad

6 - Can I take the SAT on a computer?

For the SAT Math test, it is the only part of the SAT that allows candidates to use a computer as a support tool. This means that you are not allowed to use the computer for the rest of the exams.

Note: Laptops, tablets, and computers with internet access are not allowed

See more:

• Learn about studying in the U.S. with IDP

• How much money does it cost to study in the USA? Updated 6 Types of Expenses

With the latest 9+ things about the SAT exam that international students need to know shared above, IDP believes that students, students as well as parents have also grasped the overview of the SAT exam when they are planning or deciding to study abroad. To have accurate and reputable information in the preparation period for studying abroad Best of, you and your family can be completely assured when choosing IDP Education as a consulting and support facility on the path to international study. Please pick up the phone and contact them immediately if you need support in studying abroad advice, please call the hotline: at 1900 6955 or through the Website: https://www.idp.com/vietnam.

Prepare your application to study in the USA with IDP!

With a team of American study abroad consultants with more than 50 years of experience, IDP will help you choose the right major and course for your strengths and orientation. In addition, IDP counselors will also assist you with your application for admission, track your progress, and receive a confirmation letter from the school.

In particular, you will be able to practice the interview process, complete your application to study in the US with a visa pass rate of up to 95% and equip yourself with skills before going to study abroad. You can attend IDP's study abroad fairs or events throughout the year to chat directly with university representatives, review applications on the spot, and hunt for scholarships to study abroad with a value of up to 100%.

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