All About SAT Exam 2023 You Need to Know

What is the SAT?

SAT stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test. It is a standardized test that is designed to evaluate the reading, writing, and mathematical aptitude of the candidates. SAT exam is managed by The College Board and is usually taken by the high school students while applying to colleges. The final score of the SAT exam is under the range of 400 to 800. The written essay section is an optional part of the SAT, which is required by some selective colleges.  

There are no specific eligibility criteria stated by The College Board for taking the SAT. The official schedule of the essential SAT dates is released early in the year, and tests are scheduled on Saturdays. The number of applicants in the Fall session is much higher than the rest of the year because admissions are open in almost all of the international educational institutes. 

How much does it cost to take the SAT? 

  • The fee for SATs varies from country to country.
  • General SAT with written essay cost $106. 
  • General SAT without essay costs $94.
  • SAT with subject tests cost approximately $111.
  • In Indian currency, the fee of the SAT exam is about 6000-7000 INR. 

What is the format of SAT? 

SAT Reasoning and SAT Subject tests are conducted by The College Board. There is a specific pattern set by The College Board, which should be kept in mind by the applicants to make sure they are able to score maximum marks on the tests.  

There are two sets of exams in SAT, which are SAT Reasoning Test and SAT Subject Test. Usually, most universities accept SAT Reasoning Test during the admission process. While SAT Subject Test might be required by a few universities to ensure the applicants have enough knowledge in a particular subject.

Pattern of SAT Reasoning Test 

The essay portion of the SAT exam is optional, as some universities need it as part of the academic records, while the majority do not. You get the admission eligibility criteria from the universities you are applying to determine whether you need to take the essay test.   

Topic Number of Questions Duration (minutes) 
Reading 52 65 
Writing & Language 44 35 
Mathematics 58 80 
Essay (optional) 01 50 
Total 155 230 

SAT Subject Test Exam Pattern

The SAT Subject Test is meant to assess the knowledge of the applicants in a specific subject. 

  • The total marks of an SAT Subject Test are 800.
  • 20 subjects are available for testing from The College Board.
  • The total duration is 1 hour. 
  • Most commonly, subjects like Maths I, Maths II, Chemistry, Biology are taken as Sat Subject Test. However, other subjects, like German, Physics, French, Chinese with Listening, among many others, are also available.

What is a good score on SAT exam for the top 15 colleges?

There is no specific SAT score, which is deemed good for the admission in universities and colleges. No official scores or percentiles are released by the leading universities and colleges, so there is no specific SAT score, which can be called the threshold of the admission. Such criteria keep on changing every year due to various factors like the number of students applying to a specific program, the overall academic records of the applicants, and other factors. However, on average and smart calculations, the following score is considered to be good for the top 15 colleges:

Institutes SAT Scores 
Princeton University 1430-1570 
Harvard University 1480-1560 
Yale University 1420-1590 
Columbia University 1490-1590 
Stanford University 1510-1580 
University of Chicago 1490-1560 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1510-1580 
Duke University 1490-1560 
University of Pennsylvania 1420-1550 
California Institute of Technology 1530-1590 
Johns Hopkins University 1460-1580 
Dartmouth College 1420-1560 
Northwestern University 1420-1560 
Brown University 1405-1570 
Cornell University 1390-1550 

Your definitive guide to Study Abroad in USA

How many times can you take SAT exams? 

To make it easy for the applicants to get admission to their dream university by securing high marks in SAT, The College Board allows candidates to take the SAT Exam as many times as they want. It means the candidates can keep improving their marks as much as they want.  

What are SAT Subject Tests?

Highly-selective colleges require applicants to take at least two SAT Subject Tests to demonstrate their ability to study in challenging programs. The SAT Subject Tests offered by The College Board are: 

  • SAT Biology E/M to evaluate the applicant’s knowledge of general concepts of Biology. 
  • SAT Chemistry to check your ability to organize and interpreting results of different observations and experiments.
  • SAT Physics to assess the ability to solve problems related to laws of physics, simple algebra, trigonometric problems, and graphical relations.
  • SAT U.S History to test the knowledge of applicants about the history, geography, and major developments in USA history.
  • SAT World History to evaluate the candidate’s understanding of the major events in global history and the basic terminologies.
  • SAT Literature checks reading and interpretation skills. 
  • SAT Math I include algebra, basic statistics, number theory, trigonometry, and geometry.
  • SAT Math II evaluates advanced mathematical concepts.
  • Foreign Languages like French, Germany, Spanish, Hebrew, and others. 
  • Foreign Languages with Listening skills to evaluate a candidate’s proficiency in a specific language.  

How to prepare for SAT Exam 2023? 

The paper pattern and setting of the SAT have been revised, which is considered more difficult for international students. As a result, there is no use of preparing for the old SAT, and your preparation for the old version would not work well in the new pattern. There is a lot of fake material available on the internet, so it is better that you refer to the official SAT practice sets given by The College Board official website. These practices tests are: 

Shall I take SAT or ACT?

Many US colleges and universities accept both SAT or American College Testing (ACT) for the admission of international students in undergraduate degrees.  

The pattern, difficulty level, and preference in the admission process of both SAT and ACT are quite similar to each other, which makes it difficult for the students to decide which tests they should take. A significant difference between SAT and ACT is that there is a Science section included in the ACT, while the SAT includes a Math section in which calculator is not allowed.  

The modifications in SAT in 2016 have made it very similar to the ACT. As a result, many applicants have started to take both SAT and ACT to earn maximum scores on both of them. If you want to take only one of the tests, it is better to get in touch with the universities you are going to apply to determine their eligibility criteria and the standardized testing required. 

Most of the foreign universities accept both SAT and ACT. To make a final decision about which test to take, you should practice the mock SAT and ACT tests available on their official websites. It will give you help you in determining the difficulty levels of both the tests yourself and make a smart choice in terms of taking the test to enhance your chances of getting maximum marks in either of the standard tests and get admission to your dream university.  

Cost of college education in the USA

study abroad salary and expense

If you are considering a college or Bachelor’s (undergrad) education in USA, this post will tell you how much will it cost you! Keep on reading to find some money saving tips at the end.

Cost of Bachelor’s or College in USA

Getting a Bachelor’s degree from a reputed US university is the dream of every Indian student. Like in any other country, various types of universities are present in the USA. College Board gives an estimate of many US universities. However, this estimate fee varies a lot. Top US universities are private non-profit institutes and charge around $60,000 per annum, including the living charges. Many other options with lower fees are also available.

College Board has released the total charges of different types of universities. On average, international students, including Indian students, have to pay the fee of $26,300 for bachelors in the USA at state colleges. In comparison, private universities charge around $36,000 per year.

These charges are just the estimation of the total expenses an Indian student might have to bear while studying in the USA. The expenses vary from person to person and depend on the university as well. A significant gap is present between colleges of the same type as well. For example, Michigan University is one of the top public US universities. Therefore, its fee of $64,500 (see this link for details) is comparable to many private universities.

Public vs Private Colleges

State-owned and public universities are much cheaper than private universities. They offer good quality education. Public universities have two fee structures: one for the residents of US and one for the international students, Therefore, Indian students applying for a Bachelor’s degree in the US should seek the fee structure for the foreign students. In private universities, usually, the charges are the same for both local and international students. Therefore, there is more diversity of pupils in private universities.

The least expensive option of studying in the USA is to get admission in a two-year program. Such types of degrees are offered by community colleges that approximately charges $3,700 per year. Even though the two-year of study at a community college is not considered a full degree, it can still be counted as the first half of your bachelor’s degree. The credits can be transferred to another university, where you can complete your bachelor of four years.

If you want to study abroad, you have to consider the total cost of living and other charges. After adding an estimate of living and transport expenditures, it is expected that you would have to arrange the following amount per year to cover the cost of your college education in USA:

  • Community or technical college – $18,000
  • A four-year study programme at a state university for in-state students – $26,200
  • A four-year study programme at a state university for out-of-state students $42,000
  • Private universities – $53,500

Also read: How to study undergrad in USA?

Is it possible to get financial aid?

It is imperative to differentiate between the expected expenses and the actual charges paid by the students. The US has numerous financial aid programmers. When the cost of studying abroad is estimated, the financial aid options are not factored it. As a result, the cost of studying in bachelors in the USA for Indian students can become less than the anticipated fee, if they avail funding schemes.

According to polls and researches, 85 percent of the bachelor students benefited from some type of financial aid during their studies. Top universities of the US like Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Caltech, and Stanford offer numerous scholarships and financial aid programs. More than 55 percent of undergraduate students get financial aid at MIT. Around 60 percent of students receive assistance at Caltech. Similarly, other universities dispense financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and study schemes.

The most advantageous thing about these extensive financial aid schemes is that they cover both national and international students. Most of the universities in the US allocate a separate budget for international students. Therefore, Indian students can get benefit from these schemes to get a quality bachelor’s degree from the US with a minimum financial burden. The University of Pennsylvania has allocated about $10 million for the funding of international students. Similarly, Harvard and Columbia’s university provides individual grants to deserving international students as well.

Students applying to any university should check out the details of financial aid on their official websites. It is advised that students apply for a financial aid scheme at the time of their admission application submission. Some top universities also have the policy of not considering the applicants’ financial background at all. Instead, aid is given to every deserving candidate who is eligible for admission at the university.

Also read: Cost of MS in USA

How can you save money?

Cost of college education in USA can be a huge financial burden for the Indian students. Therefore, you should consider the following options to save money and get quality education:

Take admission in USA public universities

The standard of education in public universities in the USA is of the utmost quality. Therefore, if you want to get a proper education under the minimum fee, consider taking admission at a public USA university.

Live where the cost of living is low

Managing living cost in a foreign country can be exhausting. Select a university in rural or suburban areas as the cost of living is low in these areas.

Select universities where you can be a top student

If you are a good student and has the high chances of scoring scholarship on the basis of merit, choose a university where you will be eligible for merit-based scholarships. Apply to a university where your SAT scores are likely to be among the top positions. In this way, you can save lots of money by getting concession on your university fee.

Apply to universities where numerous financial aid options are present

As discussed in the previous section, there are a number of universities in the USA that offer financial aid on the basis of need and merit. While applying for bachelors in the USA, Indian students should opt for universities that provide financial aid to international students. This information can be found in great details on the respective websites of the universities.

How does Scholar Strategy help in your undergrad or college (BS) applications?

We provide strategic essay crafting assistance for the College Applications (Common App as well as other systems) because we know what admission committee is looking for. Drop us an email at scholarstrategy (at) gmail (dot) com for help with the same.