Education Articles from College Matching Service

Admission to a college or university of your preference would require you to go through a number of selection procedures. Colleges consider essays, interviews, recommendations, community involvement and even high school GPAs. However, SAT scores remain the primary factor. A high SAT score would significantly increase your chances of admission.

The SAT has three sections and three scores, each on a scale of 200 to 800.

• Writing
• Math
• Critical Reading

It is important to submit your SAT scores to the chosen universities ahead of the deadlines. The procedure for proper submission of SAT scores is outlined here.

• Visit the College Board website to register for the SAT. Select the four colleges or universities you want to send your SAT score reports to. Changes in the selection of colleges can be made till midnight on the Tuesday of the week following your test day. Create or log in to your College Board account from the “My SAT” link.
• The “Scores” link on the College Board website will give you access to the scores page if you need to send additional SAT score reports. Click on the “View and Send Scores” button. Enter your login credentials, and click on “Send Available Scores.” Search for colleges and scholarship programs by name, state or code. Select your options and then choose from regular or rush delivery.
• Your credit card information will be required for any additional score reports requested. A charge of $9.50 is entailed for each additional score report.
• To request for SAT scores that are more than a year old, download and print the “Archived Score Report Form” on the College Board website. You will need to provide your current name and address, name and address at the time of testing, registration number, test date, college codes and credit card information. Depending on the age of your SAT scores, the charge for each additional report varies from $20 to $30.

Achieving academic success is every student’s dream in order to obtain their desired career. The quest for highly competitive scholarship equally exerts an academic pressure on them. SAT scores, therefore are an important aspect that influence their academic career. In United States, SAT has become one of the defining factors for accepting students in the colleges and Universities. This particular factor has motivated several students to opt for quality SAT preparation courses. These prep courses help them to obtain higher scorers. In fact, according to an Ohio State University study, students who are taking private SAT Prep classes score around 60 points higher on their SAT tests than other students.

Benefits of SAT Prep Classes:

• The SAT Prep classes help the students to identify their weaknesses and to focus the significant areas of study. It also helps you to gain in depth knowledge of the SAT testing methods and thus reduces you exam related anxieties.

• These classes explain the students the various subjects that are incorporated in their SAT exams. They also take mock examination that includes SAT style questions.

• You can also strengthen your knowledge of both math and vocabulary with the SAT Prep classes. Moreover, they broaden your understanding of specific topics as well as point out your setbacks.

• Most of the students face an anxiety about the SAT exams. The private Prep schools help them to transform this threatening experience into an achievable and winnable experience with the help of their experts and councilors.

Thereby, enrolling to a private SAT Prep class is very beneficial for a high school student in order to channel their ambitions for success. In fact, with the increasing pressure for getting admitted to the best colleges and Universities, investing in this particular tool for academic success has become a mandatory factor.

SAT examination is essential for most of the colleges and Universities in United States. After taking the SAT, you also need to obtain particular scores in order to achieve a college acceptance. There are several factors that you need to do for obtaining your SAT scores. These include:

• Create an online College Broad account and sign up for the SAT. Once you are through it, you will find a link on their site that says ‘View and Send Scores’. Simply sign in and you can check your entire SAT score history. You will also find the data’s of the school where you have send your scores.

• You can even change the score recipients very conveniently at the My SAT page. Upon registering, you will be given four free score reports and you can change these score recipients anytime within a week after taking the test.

• Apart from receiving the My SAT Online Score Report for free, you will also receive a printed score report through mail. However, the online score report gives you more information about your performance on each section. This helps you to get a brief idea about the type of questions you attempted and their level of difficulty as well as the number of questions you omitted, or answered correctly or incorrectly.

• The online SAT score report also compares your score with the others in your school, state and nation and also provides a printable copy of your actual essay response. Thereby, you can easily work on improving your scores while retaking the exam. Based on your scores, it will also help you to search for colleges and careers.

• You also have the option to send your scores to some more colleges, if you pay an additional fee. Moreover, you can send your SAT scores for various scholarship programs.

SAT is longest and the most comprehensive test that a high school student will ever take. Its scores have a huge impact on your college options. Most of the colleges in United States take SAT score into consideration and do not accept students scoring below a certain level. Following certain guidelines while preparing for SAT will help you to reduce the burden. These are:

• Opt for practice SAT exams: Practicing SAT exams will help you to be familiar with its methods and procedures as well as to review your mistakes. Practice tests can be found at book stores and online. Improve your test scores by several points, every time you take a practice test.

• Improve your vocabulary: The majority of the verbal section of the SAT is based on vocabulary. It frequently presents odd words that sound like other simple words with a different meaning.

• Refresh the high school math: Most of the math on SAT is set from the earlier level of high school course materials. Thereby, practice the old algebra and geometry books to score high in this particular section.

• Read magazines, newspapers and books regularly: Develop your reading habit in order to broaden, challenge and improve yourself. Be well informed about the latest developments.

• Stop guessing: If you have no idea of the answer of any multiple choice question on the SAT, do not try to guess and get it right. It will be better to skip such an answer as getting wrong answers will have a more negative impact to your score.

• Practice writing: Your writing skill gets better only with practicing. You can try writing some SAT style essays everyday to be able to write them quickly.

Some helpful tips:

• Get a lot of sleep the night before the test.
• Have a good breakfast on day of your exam.
• Get to the test location well before the scheduled time.
• Retake your test if you are not happy with your SAT scores.

Writing SAT essays need practice and a special treatment. Think your essay in three parts such as, the opening, the body and the conclusion. The conclusion needs to be strong enough to leave an impact on the readers mind. The opening or the introduction of a standard SAT essay consists of one paragraph of about four to five sentences. State your view on the topic clearly in the opening paragraph, along with the points that will support your view. It is better to use maximum three points and try to avoid clichés. Include information and data that supports your points in the body and explain each point in separate paragraphs. While concluding bring you message together. Since it is the most important part of your essay, give your best effort to your conclusion. The following are some standard guidelines that will help you to write a strong SAT essay.

• Outlining your essay: This is one of the most important factors. Your reader is also going to mark you on the basis of the structure of your essay. The typical outline includes stating your position, followed by the first, second and third points. Explain each point as briefly as possible. Give a strong closing that will force your reader to accept your point of view.

• Decide your position: The first thing you need to do while beginning your SAT essay, is deciding your position. Never change your mind in between. Take your time to decide your pros and cons and stick to the one in which you strongly believe. This will help you to stay focused on the task.

Some essential points to check up:

• Be straightforward and to the point.
• Explain clearly and give simple examples.
• Do not generalize any of your points.
• Avoid using unnecessary words.
• Try a variety in structuring your sentences.
• Maintain a constant tone throughout your essay.

You must study for the SAT if you want to go to college in the United States.  With the help of SAT scores, a college determines whether a student has the ability to become the right fit for their college or institution. Although, SAT scores are vital, they are not everything for the college admission process. Colleges and institutions also consider recommendations, interviews, essays, your higher school Grade Point Average, community involvement and much more for the admission procedure. However, your chances of college acceptance enhances if you get a high SAT score.

How Important is SAT Score?

The significance of an SAT score generally depends on where students would like to attend college. More than 50% of colleges accept the majority of the students who submit applications. However, for a few colleges, SAT scores really matter. These institutions generally get more applicants; however, they can only accept a limited number of applications.

How Colleges and Schools Decide

Top schools generally look at the academic achievement of the students such as the types of courses, class rank and grades to decide whom to accept. Admission executives then study the non-academic profiles of the students such as their acts of citizenship, community involvement, and other extra-curricular activities. Few colleges also look for merit among artists and athletes. Multiculturalism can also become a major factor for college acceptance. Right at this point, SAT test scores play a major role. You can have extra curricular activities and everything else; however, if you have a low SAT score, you will have a difficult time gaining admission to the college of your choice.

SAT Score – Its Importance

SAT tests the ability of a student in three main areas: writing, reading comprehension, and math. Students, who get a 650 verbal and a 650 math on SAT, are able to do work at almost any institution or college within the country. Numerous SAT preparation workbooks and programs are available to help students in the process of study. If a student performs well in SAT, admission to their desirable college becomes easier. It is often not easy to understand how crucial SAT scores are in the process of college admission. A great SAT score may provide a student the competitive edge and may help them to stand out more than the other applicants.