SAT For Dummies. Ron Woldoff

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СКАЧАТЬ SAT was typically offered seven times a year, but at the time of this writing, everything is being reworked due to COVID-19. SATs are regularly cancelled and postponed, so by the time you get this book, hopefully the pandemic and quarantine will have passed, but the number of yearly exams may be different.

You can take the exam as often as you want. Ideally, you take it two or three times, but the door is open if you want another chance. Most high-schoolers follow this pattern:

       Start in the fall of your sophomore year: Here you take the PSAT/NMSQT, which is sort of a junior SAT, for the first time. Right now as a 10th grader, this exam doesn’t count for much other than a practice and eye-opener of the series of exams to come.

       Continue in the fall of your junior year: Here you take the PSAT/NMSQT again, only this time it counts. If you do well, it opens the door for several scholarship opportunities and special programs. No pressure.

       In the spring of your junior year: Take the SAT as a first run, which serves as a practice test, though you can send in your scores if you’re pleased with them. Note you can also practice with an unscored practice exam, but this experience isn’t quite the same as the real deal. Some juniors take the SAT twice during the spring.

       Again in the fall of your senior year: The SAT strikes again, but this time you’re ready, and you should do well enough to use these scores for your application. You also have the chance for a few tries. If you’re an early-decision candidate, you should take the test in October or November.

       Finally, in the winter of your senior year: You have one more chance to get it right, or if you did get it right, you have one more chance to get that scholarship. By now you’re a pro, so success should be right in your hands. There may be some juniors in the room with you.

      Everyone takes the SAT on Saturday except for those who can’t for religious reasons. If you fall into that category, your SAT may be on a Sunday or a Wednesday following a Saturday SAT day. Get a letter from your religious leader on letterhead and mail it in with your registration form.

       Register early to select a test site. When you register, you may request a test site, but if it’s filled, you get an alternate. So don’t delay — send in the form or register online as soon as you know when and where you want to take the exam. In these COVID-19 days, some exams are experimenting with home-based testing, so this may be an SAT option by the time it’s your turn. Otherwise, you’ll probably want to test at your high school, if possible, where the campus setting is familiar to you.

Special Needs Considerations

      Like many products and services, the SAT stresses fairness and equal access for all students, including those with special needs. Even if you don’t think you belong in this category, skim this section. You may discover an option that will help you “show what you know” when it matters most.

      Learning disabilities

      If you have a learning disability, you may be allowed to take the SAT under special conditions. The first step is to get an Eligibility Form from your school counselor. (Homeschoolers, call the local high school.) You may also want to ask your college counseling or guidance office for a copy of the College Board Services for Students with Disabilities Brochure. If your school doesn’t have one, contact the College Board directly or check the testing agency’s website (www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities).

Once you are certified for accommodations on any College Board test (an AP, an SAT Subject Test, or the PSAT/NMSQT), you’re certified for all the College Board tests, unless your need arises from something that is temporary. If you fall into that category, see the next section for more information.

      File the form well in advance of the time you expect to take the test. If the College Board grants you the accommodation, you’ll be eligible for extra time on the SAT, which could mean an extra 50 percent of time for each test. So if a regular test-taker has 50 minutes to write the essay, for example, an extended-timer gets 75 minutes.

      Physical issues

      At no additional charge, the SAT also provides wheelchair accessibility, large-print tests, and other accommodations for students who need them. Be sure to submit your Eligibility Form early so that the College Board can request documentation and get things ready for you. You can send paper documentation or file an Eligibility Form online. Check out www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities for details.

      If a physical issue (a broken arm, for example,) occurs shortly before your scheduled SAT and you can’t easily take the exam at a later date, call the College Board Customer Service, explain the situation, and have your physician fill out the forms requesting whatever accommodation you need.

      Questions about special needs? Your high school’s counselor or principal can help, or you can check the preceding link or email the College Board ([email protected]).

      Financial help

      If you need financial help, you can apply for a fee waiver, available to low-income high-school juniors and seniors who live in the United States, Puerto Rico, and other American territories. (United States citizens living in other countries may also be eligible for fee waivers.) The College Board also gives you four extra score reports for free, along with four request forms for college application fee waivers. The College Board does what it can.

      If you’re worried about paying for school later on, there are loans, grants, scholarships, and other programs to help you achieve success in college and hopefully your career. There are many, many opportunities and places to look, so talk to your school counselor. That’s what the counselor is for!

      You can also check with your school counselor for fee-waiver applications. (As with everything SAT, if you’re a homeschooler, call the local high school for a form.) And be careful to avoid additional fees when you can. You run into extra charges for late or changed registration and for some extras — super-speedy scores, an analysis of your performance, and the like. (See the section “Scoring on the SAT” later in this chapter for more information on score-reporting options.)

Making the SAT Work for You as a Foreign Student

      This is an opportunity for you to stand out among your high-school peers and represent with honors the country where you are a national! A high score on this exam is certainly within your reach, even if English is not your first language, if you know what to do and practice your skills.

For the SAT Reading Test, you may get stuck on some of the academic vocabulary. To work on this, as you practice SAT reading, underline and look up any word you don’t know. (More on this in Chapter 3, because every student gets stuck on this, even English-only speakers.) After a while, you’ll know enough of the words.

      For the SAT Writing and Language Test, you have probably studied СКАЧАТЬ