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Essay Section Guide
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1a. What is the SAT?
1b. SAT Scores & B-School
1c. How the SAT CAT Works
1d. SAT Pacing Strategies
1e. SAT Tips & Strategies

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Registration info: 
The SAT is available year round, but you should try to schedule a few months in advance.

U.S. Students:
Call 1.800.SAT-CALL to register.

International Students
International Locations Just bring pencils and a watch. Scratch paper is supplied on test day.

CALCULATORS ARE NOT ALLOWED.


Spend at least 50 hours preparing.

Good Luck!


   1a. What Is the SAT & What Does It Test?

The SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) General Exam is a required test for most American graduate schools (except business schools, which require the GMAT, and law schools, which require the LSAT). The SAT consists of three multiple-choice sections, Mathamamatics, Critical Reading and Writing.

High-scorers typically spend over 40 hours preparing.

Mathamatics (Math Questions)
Multiple Choice 44 questions
student-produced responses 10 questions
70 minutes

Critical Reading (Sentence Completion, Antonym,
Reading Comprehension)
Scentence completion 19 questions
Comprehension 48 questions
70 minutes

Writing (Writing Assessment):
The SAT® begins with an essay. You'll be asked to present and support a point of view on a specific issue. Because you have only 25 minutes, your essay is not expected to be polished—it is meant to be a first draft.
60 minutes

What Skills Does the SAT Test?

The SAT primarily tests four skill sets:

  1. Endurance and ability to focus
  2. Basic knowledge of word usage, math, inductive and deductive reasoning
  3. Test-taking skills: ability to guess, work at an appropriate pace, and make decisions under pressure
  4. Problem-solving abilities
The 800score.com method is to focus on these skills that are necessary for both success on the SAT and in graduate school.

As for endurance, the first skill, you'll have to stare at a screen intensely and focus for over three hours. Keep this in mind when taking practice tests. Get used to working for hours on end. The physical and mental exhaustion is part of the test's challenge.

The second skill set, a basic knowledge of reading comprehension, math, inductive and deductive reasoning, is covered in the later chapters of this online prep guide. No calculators are allowed on test day, so you need to practice doing basic math calculations by hand.

General test-taking skills are covered in this chapter and throughout the online guide. Timing is a major part of test taking, particularly for the SAT CAT.

To improve your problem-solving abilities (the fourth skill set) we have extensive information on reasoning techniques and specific strategies. When you get a question wrong, make sure to review the conceptual error you made by reviewing our explanations for the question. You do not want to repeat the error.

How to Prepare

The SAT is a difficult and unusual test. Budget at least 50 hours to prepare for the SAT so as to get your best possible score.
    Continue to SAT Scores and Graduate School (page 2 of 5 in Chapter 1)

    How to get the 800score.com SAT Prep Course