The international test and registration fee is USD 81 (as of May 2013). The fee is payable online at the time of booking by credit card.
For more information on additional fees and score services, see International Services & Fees.
You can take the SAT as many times as you like and choose the scores that you want to submit to colleges. In the absence of Score Choice, all of your scores will appear on the official results.
You can register over a month before the test. The test registration usually closes three weeks before the test-taking date.
There are about six test centres in Singapore:
- Anglo Chinese Junior College
- Anderson Junior College
- St Francis Methodist School
- Hwa Chong Institution College
- Singapore Reg Language Centre
- Starhub Centre
There are 3 sections. Math, Critical Reading and Writing, each on the scale of 200-800. The entire score is out of 2400.
- The Math Section includes questions on algebra, arithmetic operations, geometry, probability and statistics. There are two kinds of questions: the multiple choice questions, which ask you to solve a problem and select the best possible answer, and the open questions, which ask you to solve the problem and write yo answer inside a grid on the answer sheet.
- The Reading Section includes reading passages and sentence completions. Passage-based questions relate to short and long exerpts on social sciences, humanities, physical sciences, or personal narratives and test your comprehension of what is stated in or implied by the passage. Sentence completion questions test your vocabulary and understanding of sentence structure.
- The Writing Section consists of a short essay and multiple-choice questions. The test begins with an essay question that ask you to present and support a point of view on a specific issue. The multiple-choice questions ask you to identify sentence errors, improve sentences and paragraphs. They test your ability to recognize or correct faults in grammar, usage and sentence structure as well as to revise sentences in the context of a paragraph or the entire essay.
Your scores can be seen online about three weeks after the test date. They will also reach you by mail within 6 weeks.
SAT is a paper and pencil test.
It consists of three major sections: Mathematics, Critical Reading and Writing. Each of them is divided into three sub-sections. Additionally, each SAT exam includes an extra 25-minute experimental sub-section that may be in any of the three major sections. It does not count toward your score. The extra subsection is used to try out new questions for future exams.
The total test time is 3 hours and 45 minutes. It includes a 25-minute essay, six 25-minute sections (mathematics, critical reading and writing), two 20-minute sections (mathematics and critical reading ) and a 10-minute multiple-choice writing section. There are also three short breaks during the testing.
If you plan to apply to American universities and colleges, it is most likely required. Check the school’s websites for more information. In Singapore, Singapore Management University requires SAT from its international applicants.
The validity period of your SAT score is five years.
You can use the Score Choice option with Collegeboard (the SAT test administrators) to send a score of your choice on one test date for the SAT. You cannot mix sectional scores on different test dates. For example, if you scored higher on the verbal on one test date and higher on the math on another test date, you cannot mix those scores. You can only choose scores from a single test date.
There are a few universities that ask students not to use Score Choice. Usually, they say that they only consider the highest score, but in reality, of course they’re going to see all of them.
There is normally no minimum score requirement set by universities in the USA. This is because US universities, on the whole, endeavor to evaluate applications holistically, taking into account the resume, essays, recommendation letters, interview, socioeconomic background, etc.
However, many universities make publically available average SAT scores of their entering classes. Of course, the average depends on what you mean by “top schools”, we recommend that students aim for an SAT score above 2200 if they are looking to gain entrance into an Ivy League school.
Prepare so that you complete your first SAT attempt in Year 11 (JC 1). This way, it is not too late if you need to attempt the exam again (it is common to take the SAT two or three times).
However, taking the SAT when you are too young is not advisable. By studying in school and getting older, your mind develops, and your SAT score rises. This is why you do not want to take the SAT in Secondary 2, even though your score is valid for 5 years. By simply waiting and focusing on your school studies, your score will rise.
Give yourself a couple of months to study, but do not wait for too long as you might forget all of the things you learned from school which might help you on the exam.
If you use Score Choice, this has no impact. If you apply to a school that asks you not to use Score Choice, it will alert admissions officers if you have taken the test too many times. In general, taking the SAT two or three times is not an issue.
Check with the institutions you are applying to - in many cases, the TOEFL or IELTS can be waived if the applicant has taken a higher level English course, studied in an environment where English is the medium of instruction for at least 10 years, or reached a certain score on the SAT critical reading section. If you are an American citizen, this is not required.
