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


You'll receive three scores for the SAT CAT:
  1. Mathematics scaled subscore, ranging from 200 to 800 (these are math questions).
  1. Critical Reading scaled subscore, ranging from 200 to 800 (tests reading comprehension, antonyms and sentence completion).
  1. Writing Assessmentranging from 200 to 800

The SAT is graded on a preset curve so that your scaled score will correspond to a certain percentile. An overall score of 630, for example, approximately corresponds to the 90th percentile, meaning that 90 percent of test takers scored at or below this level.

Highest SAT Scores?
California Institute of Technology average SAT Math: 767
Sample approximate percentiles within the score range of 200-800. Percentiles may vary from year to year.
  96-99th percentile 720
  79-90th percentile 630
  61-75th percentile 570
  37-50th percentile 500



Different Uses for the SAT

The importance of your SAT scores varies from graduate school to graduate school and from field to field. State schools will often have minimum SAT score requirements. More competitive programs will often put more value on the SAT score. Certain technical majors, such as Engineering, also tend to put more value on the SAT.

Some graduate schools will not include a section and only require two sections, meaning a score potential from 400 to 1600. Technical graduate programs may require high Quantitative scores. Psychology programs and those that emphasize reasoning skills often have minimum Analytical scores.

 Graduate Program  Math   Reading
 Cal Tech Engineering  767  
 Iowa State Engineering  765  
 Columbia U. Education  628  564
 Lehigh U. Education  560  526


International Students

International students who have studied at non-U.S. schools and are applying to a U.S. graduate school should put more emphasis on the SAT because graduate school admissions officers need an objective way to compare students from different backgrounds. In addition, graduate schools may need to asses the student's verbal skills if he or she is a non-native speaker.
    Continue to SAT Scores and Graduate School (page 3 of 5 in Chapter 1)

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