{"id":6643,"date":"2016-05-17t12:17:21","date_gmt":"2016-05-17t19:17:21","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/?p=6643"},"modified":"2016-05-16t20:22:01","modified_gmt":"2016-05-17t03:22:01","slug":"sat-test-faq-frequently-asked-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/sat\/sat-test-faq-frequently-asked-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"sat test faq: most frequently asked questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

if you\u2019ve just realized that you need to take the sat, you probably don\u2019t know much about it. that\u2019s okay! in my first semester of junior year, i didn\u2019t know a lot about the sat either. all i knew was that everyone was taking it, and i needed to figure out how to get a good score. over time, i\u2019ve learned a lot about this scary, mandatory, standardized test. so if you have questions, i have answers for you!
\n <\/p>\n

how long is the sat?<\/h2>\n

the new sat is three hours long<\/a>, with an extra 50 minutes if you choose to take the optional essay. some colleges require the essay, so it\u2019s probably a safe choice to take it if you\u2019re unsure which schools you will be applying to. during the test, you get one 10-minute and one five-minute break. it\u2019s a good idea to bring snacks to eat at this time so that you don\u2019t get distracted by hunger while taking the test.
\n <\/p>\n

when and where do i take the sat?<\/h2>\n

the sat is administered several dates a year<\/a>, so you have many opportunities to take the test. it\u2019s usually offered in january, march, may, june, october, november, and december. (starting in 2017, it will be offered in august and not january). specific dates vary depending on the year, but tend to be around the same time in the month. upcoming 2016 test dates are june 4th, october 1st, november 5th, and december 3rd.<\/p>\n

use the college board website to find the test centers<\/a> closest to you. try to pick a testing center you\u2019re familiar with so you don\u2019t feel uncomfortable on test day. ideally, the test site would be as close to your home as possible.
\n <\/p>\n

how much do my sat scores matter?<\/h2>\n

this question depends on which colleges you are applying to<\/a>. some schools weight sat scores very highly when they are reviewing applications. others might look at grades and extracurricular activities first. but you can\u2019t know how schools value your scores, so your best bet is to look at the average sat scores<\/a> for admitted students and try to aim for scores in that range.
\n <\/p>\n

when should i start studying for the sat?<\/h2>\n

most students take the test in the spring of their junior year, and they\u2019ll begin studying a few months before<\/a>. giving yourself plenty of time to study allows you to identify your strengths and weaknesses, take lots of practice tests, and ensure that you get the best possible score. try to start studying at the beginning of the year, so that you can take the january or march test, then potentially take the test a second time in may or june if you need to.
\n <\/p>\n

how do i register for the sat?<\/h2>\n

registering for the sat<\/a> online is a pretty straightforward process. make a college board account, provide your personal information and pick a test date and location. you\u2019ll also need to upload a photo for your admission ticket and pay a registration fee. the fee is $54.50 with the essay and $43 without it. finally, print your admission ticket and remember to bring it to the test center (along with your id). you\u2019re done!
\n <\/p>\n

what are the biggest changes to the new sat? <\/h2>\n

the college board has made several big changes<\/a> to the test. first of all, it\u2019s three hours plus an optional 50 minutes, rather than three hours and 45 minutes (all mandatory). the content of the sat has changed, as it now features \u201cevidence-based reading and writing,\u201d in which you\u2019ll have to read passages and answer questions about them. the math section has been redesigned, and the essay will now be evidence-based rather than persuasive. also, the new sat won\u2019t test the obscure vocabulary that the old test did. instead, it will test more commonly used words in different contexts. another big change is that there is no penalty for guessing. with the old test, students got points taken off for incorrect answers. lastly, the scoring system has changed from a 2400 scale to a 1600 scale.
\n <\/p>\n

is the new sat harder? <\/h2>\n

it may be harder or it may be easier<\/a>, depending on your strengths and weaknesses. for example, if you are better at persuasive essay writing, the old sat may have been easier for you. if you hated the obscure vocabulary on the old test, then perhaps the new test will be easier for you. the answer to this question will be different for every student.
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

if you don’t know anything about the sat, we’re here to fill you in. get the answers to all of your faqs and find out everything you need to know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[24903],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nsat test faq: most frequently asked questions - magoosh blog | high school<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"if you don't know anything about the sat, we're here to fill you in. get the answers to all of your faqs and find out everything you need to know.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/sat\/sat-test-faq-frequently-asked-questions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"sat test faq: most frequently asked questions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"if you don't know anything about the sat, we're here to fill you in. get the answers to all of your faqs and find out everything you need to know.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/sat\/sat-test-faq-frequently-asked-questions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"magoosh blog | high school\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/magooshsat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-05-17t19:17:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-05-17t03:22:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"nadira berman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@magooshsat_act\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@magooshsat_act\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"nadira berman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"article\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/sat\/sat-test-faq-frequently-asked-questions\/#article\",\"ispartof\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/sat\/sat-test-faq-frequently-asked-questions\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"nadira berman\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/#\/schema\/person\/cd91c33a9b415932280e4bc631efaacf\"},\"headline\":\"sat test faq: most frequently asked questions\",\"datepublished\":\"2016-05-17t19:17:21+00:00\",\"datemodified\":\"2016-05-17t03:22:01+00:00\",\"mainentityofpage\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/sat\/sat-test-faq-frequently-asked-questions\/\"},\"wordcount\":771,\"commentcount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/#organization\"},\"articlesection\":[\"sat\"],\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"potentialaction\":[{\"@type\":\"commentaction\",\"name\":\"comment\",\"target\":[\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/sat\/sat-test-faq-frequently-asked-questions\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"webpage\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/sat\/sat-test-faq-frequently-asked-questions\/\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/sat\/sat-test-faq-frequently-asked-questions\/\",\"name\":\"sat test faq: most frequently asked questions - 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