The number of competitive exams is on the rise, and one of the top ones is the exam of the SAT. Abbreviated for Standardized exams, SAT is required by most universities in The U.S.A along with Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. And for people based in the Middle East, cracking SAT UAE is imperative for future success!

History of SAT

College Board started the SAT exam way back in 1926 and at that time it was referred to as the Scholastic Aptitude Test. In 1990, the SAT was given a new name — Scholastic Assessment Test. It was further changed to SAT I: Reasoning Test but the Roman numeral was eventually dropped. And now, it is just called the SAT.

What SAT does?

The exam is conducted to assess the candidate’s profile. Post the exam, the score is generated and is used to evaluate their academic potential in comparison with the rest of the program’s applicant pool.

The core section categories are:

• Verbal
• Math
• Critical reading

Candidates are scored on a range of 200-800. One can also select an optional essay section. Doing so permits the candidates to demonstrate their writing and analytical proficiency.

IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that this “Optional” of SAT may be mandatory for applicants of top tier college programs. It is advised that you check the same before preparing and applying for the test.

Let’s take an overview of how to practice for the SAT and what is required from your end?

SAT Fundamentals

As mentioned above, the SAT is a standardized test which measures the skills of the candidate based on the above three sections.

Who can appear for the exam?

Students in grades 11 and 12 are eligible to take the SAT. They can then submit their scores to colleges as part of the college application process.

What is the SAT Format?

Math, Evidence-Based Reading, and Writing are the three main sections of the SAT. The time for the optional essay is 50-minutes while the total testing time with the essay is 3 hours and 50 minutes. Here’s the breakdown of the same:

Verbal	Reading	65 mins	52 questions
	Writing & language	35 mins	44 questions
Math	Without calculator	25 mins	20 questions
	With calculator	55 mins	38 questions
Essay	Optional	50 mins	1 essay
Overall	Total with essay	3 hrs 50 mins	154 questions

Tip: When taking the SAT UAE, don’t forget that there are various other crucial aspects of a college application you should pay attention to. These include your high school GPA, academic transcript, letters of recommendation and personal essays.

How to practice for SAT?

There are multiple ways to prepare for any exam. But when you practice for SAT test, a trick that always works for students is:

• Start preparing early
• Find a tutorial
• Do one full-length practice test
• Pay attention in your high school classes
• Be careful of your expectations on test day

Start early

When you start early, you get more practice. And it also helps you identify and sort out the core areas that you need to work on. For example, for some it could be math while for others, it could be verbal.

The luxury of time is not something that you would want to make the most of during your high school days especially if you are doing prep for sat along with prep for ACT, which is discussed later in the article too.

Keep in mind that your junior and senior years are packed with important events. Hence, it’s important to plan where your SAT fits in. The first thing to do is to choose a SAT date well in advance. Doing so helps you save time and gives ample room for practice.

Ideally, 2–3 months early is suggested so that you can gauge how much you need to study each week. Research has shown that students who start studying earlier do better on the SAT and have more confidence going into the test.

Find a tutorial

While there are the privileged few who can crack the SAT with least help, not everyone is that intellectual! If you are doing the SAT prep in Dubai, you can find reputed tutorials to give you the most comprehensive and official SAT study resource available.

It is advised that you find out centers that have reputed tutors and can help you practice for SAT in the given time. Do not over-burden yourself. Check for online reviews and ask other students who have taken the exam before for their advice.

Do one full-length practice test

Ideally, one full-length practice for SAT class is suggested, but you can take more if required. This honestly depends on your potential and capacity. The practice test is advised because it is one of the best ways to prepare for your SAT. There are many full-length practice tests available on the official SAT practice page.

When you do a practice run or practice for SAT, it helps you follow the same timing parameters you’ll experience on test day. Doing so gives you a strong indication of how you’ll score on the real SAT.

On the whole, research shows that an official, full-length practice test taken after studying or within a week of your test date is highly predictive of the score you’ll receive on the actual SAT. So you can see for your own that the practice test results will also provide you with insight on what you need to work on as you approach the real test.

But there’s an important thing to note when taking the SAT practice test. You should treat it the same way you would treat a regular test. For example, if you are weak in math, then SAT math test practice should be taken only when you are confident of improvement. Here are some tips:

• Follow section timing guidelines
• Take breaks
• Put away your cell phone

Benefits you get with SAT UAE practice

Prep for the SAT can help you:

• Overcome & improve areas you are struggling with
• Build your SAT test-taking confidence
• Familiarizes you with the structure of the test
• The pacing of test questions
• Understand mistakes

Paying attention in class

SAT was modified in 2016. The new SAT is more directly tied to what you’re learning in class. In simple terms, what you learn in school will be there in your SATs. If you are giving UAE SAT or from any other part of the Middle East, make sure you pay attention in class!

Remember that by the time you come to junior high or senior secondary, you’ll have three and a half years of rigorous coursework under your belt to help you succeed on the SAT.

So remember that you would need a refresher to make sure you’re preparing for the right things — to get the highest SAT score. These SAT subject tests can be aced if you pay attention in class.

Being aware of expectations on test day

Finally, do remember that being aware of what to expect on test day is key. Else, you can bid farewell to a good SAT score. Yes, it is rather intimidating to take such an important test. And it is for this very reason that it is recommended that you are aware of what test day will be like.

Doing a full-length SAT practice test helps you understand the test format and timing. It is essential that you prepare yourself to be on time and well-rested for the test.

Tips to keep in mind are:

• Do check where your test centre is (generally, it is not your high school)
• Wake up on time
• Do eat a healthy breakfast
• Scout out the location in advance
• Don’t be up too late the day before the exam
• Keep a to-do list handy

ACT: All that you need to know

Like SAT, ACT too is an entrance exam. Most colleges and universities use this exam to make admission decisions. The format of the ACT is a multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper test administered by ACT, Inc.

With this exam, one can measure the high school student’s readiness for college. The ACT also provides colleges with one common data point to compare all applicants. College board ACT officers review standardized test scores alongside your:

• High school GPA
• Classes you took in high school
• Letters of recommendation from teachers/mentors
• Extracurricular activities
• Admissions interviews
• Personal essays

With good ACT and/or SAT, you have the option of getting selected in a better college.

ACT or SAT

A lot of students are unsure if they should take either SAT or ACT or both. While it is possible to take both, it is suggested that you leave time to re-take the test if you need to raise your score before you apply to college.

ACT Dubai and across the world is conducted nationally every year in September, October, December, February, April, June, and July. 

Four sections of ACT:

• English
• Reading
• Math
• Science

Like the SAT’s optional essay, there is an optional 40-minute Writing Test. Again, some colleges may make it mandatory for students to complete the ACT Writing Test.

Duration of ACT

When undertaking ACT practice test, do note that the exam duration is 2 hours and 55 minutes long. The essay test is precisely 3 hours and 35 minutes long.

Scoring of ACT

Pre ACT, do note the scoring of the exam. Sections are judged on a 1 to 36 point scale. Unlike SAT, your composite ACT score is the average of your four section scores. These too feature on a scale of 1 to 36. There’s a separate section for the writing test.

Should I take the ACT or the SAT?

Majority of the colleges and universities accept scores from either the SAT or ACT. They usually don’t favour one over the other. When doing SAT prep, you can also undertake ACT online prep. Remember, don’t favour one test over the other.

An important thing to note here is that after SAT changes made in 2016, it has become easier than ever to prep for both tests concurrently. As a result, you get dual competitive scores!

The ideal way to approach the tests is to take a timed, full-length practice test of each type. Keep in mind that the style of both the SAT and ACT is rather similar. In this reference, you should note that you have to handle time pressure.

	SAT	ACT
Why Take It	Colleges use SAT scores for admissions and merit-based scholarships.	Colleges use ACT scores for admissions and merit-based scholarships.
Test Structure	•         Reading •         Writing & Language •         Math •         Essay (Optional)	•         English •         Math •         Reading •         Science Reasoning •         Essay (Optional)
Duration	•         3 hours (without essay) •         3 hours, 50 minutes (with essay)	•         2 hours, 55 minutes (without essay) •         3 hours, 40 minutes (with essay)
Reading	5 reading passages	4 reading passages
Science	None	1 science section testing your critical thinking skills (not your specific science knowledge)
Math	Covers: •         Arithmetic •         Algebra I & II •         Geometry, Trigonometry and Data Analysis	Covers: •         Arithmetic •         Algebra I & II •         Geometry, Trigonometry, and Probability & Statistics
Calculator policy	Allowed for some math questions	Allowed for all math questions
Essays	This optional essay will test your comprehension of a source text.	This optional essay will test how well you evaluate and analyze complex issues.
How it’s scored	Scored on a scale of 400–1600	Scored on a scale of 1–36

When should you only take SAT?

There are different kinds of students in the world. Some are happy with an average SAT score, while others want excellent scores. If you want a high SAT score and are not very good at science, it is recommended to not take both the exams together.

Ideally, students who are not very good in science lean towards the SAT. But if you have a knack for science and love graphs and scientific data, you can ace the SAT subject tests and do well in ACT too. This gives you a choice to pick between both scores – or whichever is better.

However, if you are preparing for SAT UAE and have a knack for arts/commerce, then you may want to avoid taking the ACT together with the SAT.