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The SAT (pronounced "S-A-T") Reasoning Test, formerly called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test, is a type of standardized test frequently used by colleges and universities in the United States to aid in the selection of incoming students. In the U.S., the SAT is administered by the private College Board, and is developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

Unlike many other countries' education systems, there are substantial differences in teaching methods and curriculum among U.S. secondary schools, both in regard to high schools in separate states and between high schools in the same state. The variability results largely from the American principle of federalism, whereby local jurisdictions have most of the control over school systems, and the tax system in the U.S., in which school districts are funded locally as well. Wealthier jurisdictions enjoy higher tax revenue, and as a result their public schools are better funded.

These differences make it difficult for universities to compare prospective students in an effort to identify and admit the most deserving and promising candidates. In the absence of centralized secondary education school exit exams (such as the French Baccalauréat, Irish Leaving Certificate, or English A-levels), there is a need in the U.S. for some sort of standardized tests. U.S. universities use tests such as the SAT and the ACT as a way of assessing students coming from schools using different class ranking or grading systems or in schools with no grades at all.

The tests are generally taken by high school students or graduates wishing to progress to higher education, though they are available to anyone. Test results of applicants are provided to colleges and universities identified by the student. Although admission criteria to these universities usually also include GPA, teacher recommendations, and participation in extracurricular activities, some colleges have a threshold score that automatically qualifies or disqualifies a candidate for admission. Scores on the SAT are also sometimes used as a criterion for the awarding of academic scholarships.

Internationally, there is little interest or knowledge of the SAT, because other countries usually have their own standardized tests. However, the SATs are available worldwide to interested students.

Graduates of schools outside of the United States seeking admission to U.S. colleges/universities are often expected to provide SAT (or ACT) scores. These students are often not informed of the availability of these tests, and most teachers outside of the U.S. (especially those in non-English speaking countries) are also not aware of this requirement. Usually, interested students must obtain information about the test on their own (typically from U.S. embassies, consulates, an international school and/or by obtaining a free "SAT Program Registration Bulletin, International Version"). This can require international travel and large fees. Because the SAT has been well established for many years, some universities outside of the U.S. may also consider SAT scores in their admissions process as well, although they are rarely required.

England and Wales use quite different tests called SATs (pronounced sats) at several stages in the school system.

The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly the SAT I: Reasoning Test and commonly referred to as the SAT I) consists of three sections: math, critical reading, and writing. Beginning with the March 12, 2005 administration of the exam, the SAT Reasoning Test was modified and lengthened. Changes included the removal of analogy questions from the Critical Reading (formerly verbal) section and quantitative comparisons from the mathematics section. A writing section (with an essay) based largely on the former SAT II Writing Subject Test was added to the exam, and the mathematics section was expanded to cover three years of high school mathematics. Also, since the writing section was included in the SAT I, the SAT II Writing Subject Test was discontinued. Short passages with one or two questions following them replaced analogies. Scores on each section range from 200 to 800, with scores always being a multiple of 10.

The new SAT contains ten sections and a total length of 3 hours 45 minutes; with the additional writing section, a "perfect" score on the new SAT is 2400 (On the March 12, 2005 SAT, 107 students nationwide scored a perfect 2400[1]; scores are calculated by the addition of the score on each section; thus a score of 800 on the Critical Reading, Math and Writing sections are needed for a perfect score). The ten sections are divided up as follows: three math, three reading, and three writing, with one equating section which may be any one of the three types. The equating section does not count in any way towards a student's score; it is used to test questions for future exams and to compare the difficulty level of each exam. During the test, takers do not know which section is the equating section (however, it is never the essay or Section 10, which is always a ten minute writing section). Each of the questions within a section is ordered by difficulty (the test is commonly said to be "powered"). However, an important exception exists: questions that follow the long and short reading passages are organized chronologically instead of by difficulty. It's also important to note that each question carries the same weighting. Each question now has five answer choices. Ten of the questions in one of the math sections are not multiple-choice. They instead require the test taker to input the result of their calculations in a four-column grid. For each correct answer, one raw point is added; for each incorrect answer one-fourth of a point is deducted. This ensures that a student's mathematically expected gain from random guessing is zero. For the ten student-produced answers in the math section, no points are deducted for a wrong answer. The final score is derived from the raw score; the precise conversion chart varies between test administrations due to minor variations in test difficulty.

The writing section of the new SAT includes multiple choice questions and a brief essay. The essay section, which is always administered first, is twenty-five minutes long. All essays must be in response to a given prompt. The prompts are broad philosophical questions. Test takers may be asked to explain their opinion on the value of work in human life, or whether democracy represents an ideal system of government. While five-paragraph essays are not required, the College Board recommends using a variety of examples drawn from the individual's life experience, from history or from literature. Trained readers assign each essay a score between two and six. Blank essays or those which are considered off-topic are given a score of zero. In the complex process of scaling a test-taker's writing score, the essay score accounts for roughly thirty percent; the multiple choice component, seventy percent. In other words, the essay score represents roughly two hundred points out of 2400; on most test administrations, it should be possible to obtain a score of 2200 or above while leaving the essay blank.

Which scores on the new test qualify as "excellent", "average", or "poor" is yet to be determined. One of the reasons for the new test was to broaden the range of scores by adding another section; however, this tends to make judging new scores difficult. Many American colleges will require the new test, but will continue to only consider the reading and math score combination in the criteria of their admissions process. Some colleges will now accept the writing section in lieu of the SAT II: Writing Subject Test, which has been discontinued. Most universities and colleges plan to study the results from the new tests for several years before setting expectations and requirements.

In the early 1990s, the SAT consisted of six sections: two math sections (scored together on a 200-800 scale), two verbal sections (scored together on a 200-800 scale), the Test of Standard Written English (scored on a 20-60+ scale), and an equating section. In 1994, the exam was modified, removing antonym questions, and adding math questions that were not multiple choice. The average score on the 1994 modification of the SAT I was, in theory, 1000 (500 on the verbal, 500 on the math). The most recent national average was 520 for math and 508 for verbal, a combined score of 1028. The most selective schools in the United States (for example, those in the Ivy League) typically had SAT averages exceeding 1400 on the old test.

The SAT Subject Tests are 20 one-hour multiple-choice tests given in individual subjects. A student chooses which ones he or she will take, depending upon individual factors, such as college entrance requirements. Until 1994, the SAT Subject Tests were known as Achievement Tests; until January 2005 they were formally named "SAT II," the name by which they are still well known. The exception to the one-hour time was the Writing test, which was divided into a 20-minute essay question and a 40-minute multiple choice section; it was discontinued after January 2005. A student may take up to three SAT Subject tests on any given date, which are the same dates as for the administration of the SAT Reasoning Test.

English

• Literature

History and Social Studies

• U.S. History (formerly American History and Social Studies)
• World History

Mathematics

• Mathematics Level 1 (formerly Math IC)
• Mathematics Level 2 (formerly Math IIC)

Science

• Biology E/M (Ecological/Molecular)
• Chemistry
• Physics

Languages

• Chinese with Listening
• French
• French with Listening
• German
• German with Listening
• Spanish
• Spanish with Listening
• Modern Hebrew
• Italian
• Latin
• Japanese with Listening
• Korean with Listening

• Writing
• English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT)

Each individual test is scored on a scale of 200 to 800, except for the ELPT, which was scored on a scale of 901 to 999.

Prior to the first administration of the new SAT (which includes the Writing section) in March, 2005, most highly selective colleges required applicants to take three SAT Subject tests, including the Writing Test and two others of the applicant's choosing, in addition to the SAT. With the Writing Test now part of the standard SAT, most selective colleges ask applicants to submit scores for any two SAT Subject tests , although some schools, such as Stanford University, require that one of those tests be a math test. Engineering schools typically require a science test and prefer Math Level II. A handful of the most competitive schools, such as Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, and Georgetown University, still require three Subject tests in addition to the three sections of the SAT.

Schools also vary with regard to their SAT Subject test requirements of students submitting scores for the ACT in place of the SAT: some schools consider the ACT an alternative to both the SAT and SAT Subject tests, whereas others accept the ACT but require SAT Subject tests as well. Information about a school's specific test requirements can typically be found on its official website.

The SAT is offered seven times a year in the United States, in October, November, December, January, March (or April, alternating), May, and June. The SAT is typically offered on the first Saturday of the month for the November, December, May and June test dates. In other countries, the SAT is offered on the same dates as in the United States except for the first spring test date (i.e. March or April), which is not offered. Students can prepare for the test with books, tutors, online programs, or the use of newly designed calculator programs during the test. Companies such as Kaplan, Inc. and The Princeton Review have tutoring programs that can reach $1100 - $3000 (USD) for a six week session. In addition, numerous "boutique" tutoring companies offer one-on-one tutoring services, ranging from around $250 to over $700 per hour, depending upon the experience level of the individual tutor. There is also the little known resource of calculator programs, some of which can be used during the math section of the test (one example featured by The New York Times can be found at http://www.HigherSAT.com and goes for $39), while others can be used in place of verbal flashcards. Online test preparation is widely available; the first such online SAT preparation course www.testprep.com was created in 1995 by Pardner Wynn, and was recommended by the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal Smart Money Magazine, and PC Magazine's first "Top 100 Websites" list.

Candidates may either take the SAT Reasoning Test or up to three SAT Subject Tests on any given test date, except the first spring test date, when only the SAT Reasoning Test is offered. Candidates wishing to take the test may register online at the College Board's website, by mail, or by telephone, at least three weeks before the test date.

The SAT Reasoning Test costs $41.50. For the Subject tests, students pay an $18 Basic Registration Fee and $8 per test (except for language tests with listening, which cost $19 each). The College Board makes fee waivers available for low income students. Additional fees apply for late registration, standby testing, registration changes, scores by telephone, and extra score reports (beyond the four provided for free).

Candidates whose religious beliefs prevent them from taking the test on a Saturday may request to take the test on the following Sunday. Such requests must be made at the time of registration and are subject to denial.

The linking of intelligence quotient (IQ) and the SAT is equally controversial. While Frey and Detterman posit a correlation between ("old") SAT scores and IQ (offering methods for estimating a test taker's IQ from his SAT score, and vice-versa), others state that such studies are subject to the kind of bias discussed in the previous section [2]. John Katzman, founder of The Princeton Review, argues in an interview for Frontline (PBS) against its status as an IQ test. The success of test-prep companies such as The Princeton Review, Kaplan, Inc., Inspirica, and many others offer evidence that, unlike on an IQ test, a tester can significantly improve his or her score with focused training and study.

Mensa used to accept individuals who scored a 1300+ on the SAT prior to September 30 1974, and 1250+ on tests up to January 31, 1994. After the test was recentered in 1995, Mensa decided that SAT scores were no longer an effective measure of intelligence and high scores are no longer accepted.

• In the 2001 black comedy Storytelling the protagonist scores 200 verbal and 710 maths by ticking off the answer sheet to form the words "f--- this s---".
• The SAT was the main subject of the 2004 teenagers' film The Perfect Score. It was dubbed the "Suck Ass Test" by Roy, played by Leonardo Nam.
• In the 2004 film D.E.B.S., the government was said to have hidden a test in the new SAT that identified young women for their ability to become crime-fighting secret agents.

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: SAT Study Guide

• PSAT/NMSQT, a "Preliminary" SAT test taken by sophomores and juniors; also used to qualify for National Merit Scholarships, administered by the College Board.
• List of admissions tests
• SAT Essay Prompts

• Case Western Reserve University. "Case psychologists find SAT tests to be strong indicator of general intelligence" (regarding the Frey and Detterman study).
• Frey, M.C. and Detterman, D.K. (2003) Scholastic Assessment or g? The Relationship Between the Scholastic Assessment Test and General Cognitive Ability. Psychological Science, 15(6):373–378. PDF
• Gould, Stephen Jay. The Mismeasure of Man. W. W. Norton & Company; Rev/Expd edition 1996. ISBN 0393314251.
• Hoffman, Banesh. The Tyranny of Testing. Orig. pub. Collier, 1962. ISBN 048643091X (and others).
• Owen, David. None of the Above: The Truth Behind the SATs. Revised edition. Rowman & Littlefield, 1999. ISBN 0847695077.
• Sacks, Peter. Standardized Minds: The High Price of America's Testing Culture and What We Can Do to Change It. Perseus, 2001. ISBN 0738204331.
• Zwick, Rebecca. Fair Game? The Use of Standardized Admissions Tests in Higher Education. Falmer, 2002. ISBN 0415925606.

• Official website with test information
• Atkinson expands on his remarks
• FairTest, a standardized testing watchdog organization
• Claim: Students who take the SAT are awarded 200 points for spelling their names correctly (from Snopes.com)