High school juniors and seniors typically take the SAT. It is intended to measure literacy, numeracy, and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college.
In this article, we’ll be looking at the highest score in SAT and how to achieve a good SAT score.
This three-hour-long exam comprises four different sections: reading, writing, math without a calculator, and math with a calculator. The essay portion of the SAT is optional, but most students choose to complete it, lengthening the total exam time to almost four hours.
Nonetheless, the beauty of SAT lies in the student’s ability to make the best out of it. Let’s look at an overview of what this post entails.
Table of contents
About The SAT
The SAT is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. It is a multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper test created and administered by the College Board.
SAT aims to assess a high school student’s readiness for college and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants. College admissions officers usually review standardized test scores alongside your high school GPA, the classes you took in high school, letters of recommendation from teachers or mentors, extracurricular activities, admissions interviews, and personal essays. How important SAT scores are in the college application varies from school to school.
Overall, the higher you score on the SAT, the more options for attending and paying for college will be available to you.
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Who Can Take The SAT?
The SAT can be taken by everyone who applies to a college or university undergraduate program and scholarships or other programs that require SAT scores.
Here are the main registration fees:
- SAT costs $49.50
- SAT with essay costs $64.50
There are also some additional payments for extra services such as late registration, waitlist, change of test center or test date, etc. All non-US test-takers also make additional international registration payments which depend on their region. For instance, if you’re from Europe, you need to pay $49.50 for the SAT and $47 as a regional fee.
How To Register For SAT
You can register online on the College Board website or by mail using the form in the Student Registration Booklet for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests. If you need a paper registration, ask your school counselor for a copy of the booklet.
Before you proceed with the registration, you need to;
- Determine which administration you plan to take. See the full SAT schedule.
- Sign in to your free College Board account.
- Provide your full, legal name and other identifying information. Make sure it’s the same name and information shown on your photo ID.
- Decide if you want to answer other questions about yourself. This takes time, but it’s worth it if you want colleges and scholarship organizations to find you.
- Decide whether to sign up for the SAT with Essay.
- Explore test center locations and dates for when you can take the SAT.
- Upload a photo that meets particular photo requirements.
- Check out, and print your Admission Ticket.
What is SAT Like? SAT Sections
There are two SAT sections: Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing is comprised of two tests, one focused on Reading and one focused on Writing & Language. The Math section comprises a single test with two components – a non-calculator portion and a calculator-allowed portion.
The SAT also includes an optional Essay section. SAT Essay scores are reported separately from overall test scores. Some colleges may require that you complete the SAT Essay. However, you can confirm each college’s admissions policies on the school website or on our school profiles.
The SAT contains 4 sections:
- Reading
- Writing & Language
- Math (No Calculator & Calculator Sections)
- Essay (Optional)
The SAT format includes 154 multiple-choice questions and 1 optional essay. When broken down, the reading section comprises 52 multiple-choice questions that are to be attempted in 65 minutes; the writing and language section has 44 multiple choice questions to be attempted in 35 minutes; math has 58 questions to be taken in 80 minutes; the essay section takes 50 minutes.
How Long Does It Take To Complete SAT?
The SAT consists of three main sections; Reading, Writing and Language, Math, and an optional Essay. When put together, it takes a total of 3 hours, 50 minutes to complete the test.
What is The Highest Score in SAT?
The highest score in the SAT is 1600 points. The SAT score range goes from 200 to 800 per section or 400 to 1600 overall.
The College Board will also give you sub-scores in the critical reading and writing sections: you’ll receive a subscore out of a possible 40 points in four separate categories (Command of Evidence, Words in Context, Expression of Ideas, and Standard English Conventions).
This also holds true for Math, where there are three sets of sub-scores (Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Passport to Advanced Math). These are based on questions you answered in each of the sections that belong to these categories.
You’ll also receive cross-test scores for Analysis in History/Social Studies and Analysis in Science. These questions come from different sections in the test.
Though the possibility of having a 100% SAT score is slim, chances are that it’s attainable. In fact, out of the two million students who take the test every year, only about 500 get the highest possible SAT score. The question now is, do you have the capacity?
SEE ALSO: How To Prepare For IELTS In 2024 | Study Guide, Practice Test, Exam Dates, & Venue
How To Prepare For SAT
Preparing for SAT is a conscious endeavor that demands rapt attention and effort. In this section, we’ll outline the general steps you need to take in order to prepare for SAT, all the way from the day of registration to the test day.
#1 Register for the SAT
If you haven’t registered for the SAT, that’s enough to say you’re not ready to take the SAT. You can register at the College Board website.
In the registration’s course, there’ll be a need to pick a test location and date. Nevertheless, you’re advised to pick a location that’s not too far away, since you’ll have to drive there the morning of the test.
In terms of date, you want to make sure you give yourself enough time to prepare. If you’re totally unfamiliar with the SAT, I would advise picking a date at least three months in advance if possible. You can do that if you have to work on a compressed timeline because of application deadlines. For what it’s worth, you need to give yourself ample time to prepare for the test.
#2 Get familiar with the exam structure and format
Understanding the test structure, instructions, and type of questions to expect is an important step to take.
The SAT is out of 1600 points distributed into two chunks: 800 points for the Math section, and 800 points for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (made up of a Reading Test and a Writing test). The lowest possible score is 400 points (200 on each section).
The essay section is optional and is separately scored out of eight points in three domains, making the max essay score 24.
You can find detailed instructions for the SAT here.
#3 Create a study schedule
The few that hit the highest score in SAT don’t do so without a study guide. Creating a study guide will help you stay focused and committed to the cause. For instance, if you want to study for 50 hours to cover a particular section if you can allot 5 hours to each week, you’ll definitely cover 50 hours in 10 weeks. In a nutshell, a study schedule holds you accountable.
#4 Practice
You need to create a study plan that enables you to prepare for the exam. We recommend taking at least one fully timed practice test toward the beginning of your studying, and one toward the end.
In addition to the demo test, you can practice specific question types and topics.
We also recommend you take at least one practice test on paper, which is how the actual SAT is administered, so you can get comfortable with the format.
#5 Understand the different sections
Understanding the different sections of the SAT gives you a clearer idea of the question types and formats that you’ll face on the exam day. Understanding the different sections gives you first-hand knowledge of the sequence of the section and the directions for each section.
#6 Study outside the box
Mix your SAT prep with some general knowledge-based courses. Read through articles, scientific studies to prepare for the Reading Test. This will give you an encompassing knowledge of a good number of things.
Reading outside the box increases your general knowledge and overview of things. It will also give you a more critical approach to the critical reading and writing sections.
#7 Know your weaknesses
If you’ve taken the practice test repeatedly, I’m sure you’ll be able to identify your areas of strengths and weaknesses. Once you’ve noted your area of weakness, it achieve work on them and ensure an improvement.
The SAT also provides guidelines on calculating your subscores in different areas. You can use this to get an additional idea of what particular areas you are strongest and weakest in within a section.
#8 Set a Score Goal
Once you have an idea of your baseline, set a goal score. A 100-point improvement from your baseline in a month is probably doable; a 300-point improvement in that time frame is much less so. And remember that the more you want to improve your score, the more time you’ll have to put into it! Our rough estimates for point improvement are as follows:
- 0-30 point improvement: 10 hours
- 30-70 point improvement: 20 hours
- 70-130 point improvement: 40 hours
- 130-200 point improvement: 80 hours
- 200-330 point improvement: 150 hours +
Your target score should also take into account your preferred institution. You want to be within their middle 50% if possible. The middle 50% describes the score range of the 25th-75th percentile of admits. So if a school’s middle 50% is 1050-1200, then 25% of admits scored below 1050, 50% scored between 1050 and 1200, and the top 25% scored above 1200.
#9 Be ready for the test day
This aspect of preparation is one you can’t afford to leave out. Ensure you have everything you need, including:
- your admission ticket
- photo ID
- an approved calculator
- at least two No.2 pencils with erasers
- a drink or snack for your break
Find out more about what to bring and what not to bring to the SAT on the College Board website.
On the test day, try to have a balanced breakfast (e.g., oats, yogurt, nuts, seeds, eggs, fruits, and vegetables) and stay hydrated. All test centres open at 7:45 AM (doors close at 8 AM), so don’t be late. You’ll be assigned a seat and get strict SAT requirements on when to start and stop working on each section of the test. There will be only two short breaks during the test.
#10 Take a break on the eve of SAT
The night before SAT is a time to rest, get your things ready and do anything you know to ease of the stress and tension; stay off Alcohol!
How To Check SAT Scores?
After the test, the College Board’s team scans the answers sheets and reports the scores to students. If you register for the SAT online or register by mail but created a personal account on the College Board, you’ll get an email with detailed information on how you can go to your online score report once scores are available.
Students who don’t have online accounts will receive paper score reports. If you want, you can even get your SAT scores by phone, but it’ll cost you an extra fee.
Your score report consists of your total score and a detailed breakdown of your scores for each section. Also, you’ll see how your scores compare to the scores of other test-takers — the higher your score, the better results you achieved.
But how well you passed the test compared with other students isn’t the most significant thing for you. Identify what the SAT highest score is for you based on your top-pick college.
Conclusion
While you must not amass the highest score in the SAT, you have to score averagely above your choice of institution’s SAT score requirement.
To help achieve this feat, stay focused on the goal and ensure you’re doing your best to make that dream a reality.
References
- blog.prepscholar.com – What’s the Highest Possible SAT Score?
- collegereadiness.collegeboard.org – How to Register for the SAT Online
- Princetonreview.com – What is the SAT?
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