SAT Information and Resources

While high school grades are a very useful indicator of how students will perform in college, there is great variation in grading standards and course rigor within and across high schools.  More than 80 years ago, the College Board created the first standardized college entrance test to help colleges and universities identify students who could succeed at their institutions and to connect students with educational opportunities beyond high school.

Today, the SAT is the benchmark standardized assessment of the critical reading, mathematical reasoning, and writing skills students have developed over time and that they need to be successful in college and career.  Each year, more than two million students take the SAT.  Nearly every college in America uses the test as a common and objective scale for evaluating a student's college readiness.

SAT Balanced Assessment System (BAS) Model

General Overview

• Students tested: Once in High School
• Test name: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
• Accommodations/Assistance: Appendix D1 SAT College-Board Approved Accommodation Form  For technical assistance: Accommodations for test takers with disabilities
• Test date: Spring of each year
• Scoring: Students receive their individual scores from College Board. Scores include subscores and cross-test scores. With these types of scores, the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9 provide insight into specific strengths and weaknesses, helping students and educators see where students can improve and supporting teachers as they adjust instruction.
• Test provider: College Board
• Test type: Each assessment in the SAT Suite of Assessments — the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9 — includes a Reading Test, a Writing and Language Test, and a Math Test.