The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a general test of reading, writing and math skills, which is administered and conducted by a non-profit organization of the United States, "College Board". SAT scores are among the essential factors considered in college admission. Students seeking admission to any of the undergraduate courses in the USA, have to clear the SAT exam as  it is  among one of the essentials criteria of the program along with their class rank, high school GPA, extra- curricular activities, personal essays etc. The SAT test is conducted 6-7 times a year and in India it is conducted at 10  centers.

The SAT test are meant to test your skills and knowledge in the following areas:

I) Critical Reading : The revised critical reading section of the  SAT  will comprise of the passages which are evidence based.  Some passages may include charts, graphs and tables. This section will include multiple choice questions based on the given passages.

ii) Writing : This section basically tests your grammar skills. This includes multiple -choice questions based on the passages given which are related to the improving sentences, Identifying sentence errors and improving paragraphs.

iii) Math Test : This section  will consists of multiple choice and grid-ins questions. The test is divided into two portions: Math test- calculator and Math test -no calculator.

iv) SAT Essay : The redesigned SAT test  includes an optional section for essay writing. This is not required to be attempted by everyone who takes the SAT; the colleges and universities will determine whether they require the SAT essay score from the prospective students.

ELIGIBILITY SAT
SAT is applicable to any student irrespective of age, group and qualification.

TEST FORMAT
College Board has recently redesigned the SAT examination pattern which will be effective from March 2016. The latest format of the test is as follows:

Total testing time: 3 hours (plus 50 minutes for the essay, which is optional)

Component	Time alloted(minutes)	Number of questions
Critical reading	65	52
Writing & Language	35	44
Essay optional	50	1
Mathematics	80	58

Registration fees :
SAT with Essay:$ 54.50


Mode of Payment

• Credit card
• Pay pal
• Check
• Bank Draft

Score Reporting 
Maximum of five universities are reported with the candidate's SAT results, a provision given by the College board. The student has to figure out his choice of universities before he appears for the actual test which are mentioned in his application form. The cost is met while paying for the form itself. 

Scores
The redesigned SAT scores will be reported on a scale of total score, section scores, test scores, cross-test scores.

Total score	Section scores (2)	Test scores (3)	SAT Essay scores (3)	Cross-test scores (2)	Subscores (7)
Sum of the two section scores. 400–1600	Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Math. 200–800	Reading, Writing and Language, and Math. 10–40	The SAT Essay is optional. Reading, Analysis, and Writing. 2–8	Analysis in History/Social Studies and Analysis in Science. Based on selected questions in the Reading, Writing and Language, and Math Tests. Please note that Analysis in Science and Analysis in History/Social Studies scores are subject to ongoing research. 10–40	Reading and Writing and Language: Command of Evidence and Words in Context. Writing and Language: Expression of Ideas and Standard English Conventions. Math: Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Passport to Advanced Math. 1–15

TEST CENTERS
http://www.accesseducationindia.com/test-centers.html#sat
Admission procedure for undergraduate degree courses in USA
The students willing to apply to the undergraduate courses in USA may submit their application through the common application process or by applying to the individual universities:

i) Common Application: The common application is a non-profit membership organization that provides reliable admission services to the students. It is used by approximately 450 universities.

ii) College Application: some universities require the student to fill a separate application form of their university.

Each university set their own application deadlines and fees, as well as admission requirements, however the basic the basic admission requirements to most of the U.S Colleges and Universities are :

• Electronic application – this can be from 2 to 8 pages, and seeks information about the student from biodata to family information
• Test scores – SAT General, SAT Subject, TOEFL, and AP
  The colleges and universities in the US require scores of the following standardized admission and English proficiency test:
  SAT/ ACT
  TOEFL/IELTS
• High School information:
  Students applying to the undergraduate courses in USA require to submit their high school reports and transcripts. If the transcripts are in a language other than English, then it must be translated into English only by the issuing authority or university.
• Application Essays/Statement of Purpose:
  The essays or the personal statement plays a vital role in the process of evaluating the students candidature. The students may include their academic background, their career ambition, reasons for choosing a particular course in their statement of purpose. Some universities frame their own essay questions.
• Teacher recommendations:
  The universities asks for the reference letter that may be from the person who knows the student professionally or has taught him.
• Application fee:
  The students can apply to the selected universities after paying the application fees set by the university.
• Interview – required by some competitive universities.

ACT vs. SAT
The SAT and the ACT are two different standardized test for college admission in the United States. A student can take any of the test to make him eligible for the admission in the undergraduate courses offered at several colleges of the United States. But there are some basic differences which might help the student to decide which test is better for them. The differences are as follows:

		SAT			ACT
Test Format		sections	No. of questions	Time allotted(in minutes)	sections	No. of questions	Time allotted(in minutes)
		Reading	52	65	English	75	45
		Writing and language	44	35	Mathematics	60	60
		Mathematics	58	80	Reading	40	35
		Essay(optional)	1	50	Science	40	35
					Optional writing test	1 prompt	40 minutes
Content covered		Reading, vocabulary, grammar and usage, writing and math.			Grammar and usage, math, reading, science reasoning, and writing(optional)
Test Style		Some tricky questions may be asked			straightforward, questions may be long but are usually less difficult to decipher
Scoring		Scale ranging from 400 to 1600 · Scale ranging from 200 to 800 for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing; 200 to 800 for Math; 2 to 8 on each of three traits for Essay Essay results reported separately			English, Math, Reading, and Science scores will each range between 1-36. Composite ACT score is the average of your scores on the four sections; ranges between 1-36
Penalty for Wrong Answers?		yes – you lose ¼ of a point for incorrect answers (except on the grid-in math questions)			no – you do not lose points for incorrect answers
Offered when?		seven times per year: January, March or April, May, June, October, November, December			six times per year: February, April, June, September, October, December (note that some states offer the ACT as part of their state testing requirements; these tests are not administered on the national test dates)

CURRENT SAT vs. REDESIGNED SAT
The college Board has now announced the new format of the SAT examination which will be applicable for the students appearing for the march 2016 SAT test. The board has made some changes in the question pattern as well as the section wise test- timing has also been changed. The major difference between the current SAT and the redesigned SAT are as follows:

		CURRENT SAT			REDESIGNED SAT
Total-Testing Time		3 hours and 45 minutes			3 hours (plus 50 minutes for the Essay [optional])
			Time Allotted (minutes)	Number of Question		Time Allotted (minutes)		Number of Question
Sections		Critical Reading	70	67	Reading	65		52
		Writing	60	49	Writing and language	35		44
		Mathematics	70	54	Mathematics	80		58
		Essay	25	1	Essay(optional)	50		1
Score Reporting		Scale ranging from 600 to 2400 Scale ranging from 200 to 800 for Critical Reading; 200 to 800 for Mathematics; 200 to 800 for Writing Essay results scaled to multiple-choice Writing			Scale ranging from 400 to 1600 Scale ranging from 200 to 800 for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing; 200 to 800 for Math; 2 to 8 on each of three traits for Essay Essay results reported separately