Components of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a standardized test of academic achievement. The test is designed to assess the ability of students in their freshman year of college to perform college-level work. It is composed of two sections: verbal, math, and writing. The first section measures verbal ability to reason demonstrated through inquiry about grammar, vocabulary, sentence construction, and mechanics. It has two parts: an essay writing portion and an objective reasoning portion. The second part of the SAT measures math ability and has two parts: an objective reasoning portion and an analytical reasoning portion (Carlson et al., 2017).
Writing
The writing section evaluates writing skills by focusing on organization, style, and content. Further, the multiple-choice section contains questions that require students to use their knowledge of math, English, or reading comprehension to answer each question correctly. The math section includes questions that need calculation, algebraic thinking, and problem-solving skills. The essay writing section asks students to write an essay based on an assigned topic.
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal reasoning involves answering questions based on information presented verbally by the examiner. For example, the questions might concern the topics of vocabulary usage or grammar usage. It also includes questions that ask students to read data out loud and explain what they have read in their own words.
Math Reasoning
Math reasoning presupposes responding to questions that involve mathematical formulas presented orally by the examiner. Examples include questions about addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or ratio problems involving fractions or decimals numbers below ten thousandths.
Knowledge Areas and Design of the SAT
The test covers essential knowledge that students should have when they enter college. It also tests how well a student has learned those concepts through instruction and experience. The test measures critical thinking skills as well as general reasoning abilities by asking questions that require students to analyze the information provided in charts, graphs, or tables to determine the best answer.
The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) has been designed to evaluate students’ ability to perform at a higher level than their current academic achievement (Carlson et al., 2017). It means that if a student is already performing at a high level in one subject area but not another, they may still be able to improve their score on the test by preparing for it beforehand or taking practice tests online or in person with an instructor who can guide them through the test questions step-by-step if necessary.
SAT Administration Schedule
The test is administered twice a year, once in early January and once in early April. Students take the same test each time they take it; however, there are minor differences between each administration. For example, some items may be removed or revised from one administration to another. Also, some items may be added or changed from one administration to another.
SAT Score System
Two types of scores are reported on the SAT: percentile rank score and raw score. Percentile rank scores are based on students’ scores compared against all other test takers who have taken the exam. Bias is present in this test because it has been developed for young children who may be less able to produce grammatical sentences than older students. These older students have been exposed more often to reading materials containing those types of words (Carlson et al., 2017). The results from this test are not appropriate for use with adults because they do not provide an accurate assessment of academic achievement or attention span levels.
Reference
Carlson, J. F., Geisinger, K. F., & Jonson, J. L. (2017). The twentieth mental measurements yearbook. The Buros Center for Testing, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln.