College Board SAT Exam
The Scholastic Assessment Test, or SAT, is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States and is administered by the College Board corporation. Students typically take the exam during their junior year of high school. The College Board does not develop or score the test. This is done by the Educational Testing service. (ETS)
The SAT exam can be an incredibly difficult exam for students. Alongside studying for your regular high school courses, you’re faced with an exam that could determine your future career.
But is the SAT exam really that important? Are SAT scores really that important? Further, is it worth studying for the SAT exam and taking time away from your regular course work?
Here are the reasons why the College Board SAT exam is important, and why it’s worth studying for the test:
1) The SAT gives college admissions offices the opportunity to compare your academic abilities to other applicants. Faced with thousands of applicants each year, admissions offices need an objective way to see how your score fits into their potential student body. The GPA is a fairly objective measure of a student’s abilities, but there’s so much grade variation (and sometimes inflation) from one high school to the next that the SAT still remains the most important metric to compare students.
2) The SAT is a standardized test that assesses three aptitudes: math, reading and writing. Your SAT score reflects your aptitude in these three areas. You’ve most likely already taken high school courses in three sections already. The SAT gives a college a chance to see how you might do in different courses at their school. Perhaps you’re planning on majoring in English. In this case, admissions offices will look to see how you did on the reading and writing sections, compared to how you fared on the math section. And the same goes if you’re planning on becoming an engineer or scientist.
3) The test brings a potential wealth of opportunities with scholarships and financial aid. Faced with two competing applicants for one scholarship or extra grant from a university, the financial aid office is more likely to reward the student who has a higher SAT score. Doing well on your SAT can bring scholarship opportunities and an abundance of extra financial aid.
From its ability to compare certain applicants in an objective way to the scholarship opportunities the exam could bring you, the SAT is an important exam. You should study and be prepared for the exam, as it might just give you a serious edge on your competition.
Ross Blankenship is an admissions expert and the Founder of Top Test Prep. To find out more about the College Board SAT exam Top Test Prep, go to http://toptestprep.com.