Thursday, 15 January 2015

Should Indian Students Take The SAT?

Should Indians preparing for JEE take the SAT? Should they pursue undergraduate studies in US and Europe by notching up in SAT? Should you? You should. This detailed guide will tell you how to.
Before we discuss the pros and cons of SAT, let us first know what SAT is.

<b> What is the SAT? </b>

SAT stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test, an exam or let's say a ticket for you to get into US/UK universities like Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, MIT, etc. The SAT features maths, reading and writing questions. The test writers claim that the test predicts how well you do in college by measuring "reasoning ability", but all the SAT really measutes is how well you take it. It does not reveal how smart - or how good - of a person you are.

Know more about the SAT at An Indian Student's Guide To SAT.

If you are a JEE aspirant, you know bloody well how much cramming and practising you hace to make for getting a decent score. If you got the potential to distinguish between condom and condemn, and the angles of a triangle measure 180 degrees, why then, SAT is a mere cakewalk for you.
First of all, SAT is not alike JEE or any engineering exam in India. Each subject area on the SAT - Math, Writing, and Critical Reading is scored on a scale of 200-800, making 2400 the maximum total score. Maths is extremely easy, dont worry. You can solve it even if you dozed off in every Math class in 11tg grade.
Writing and Critical reading, well, is hard. You have to have a affluent knowledge of vocabulary. One low level English student cannot be sure what words to fill in the  blanks. Yes! Fill in the blanks.  But not your KG fill in the blanks. (Come on! We are talking about world class universities). There are essays too. Gone are the days when writing about the Indian Farmer earned you full marks. SAT essays are really hard and you better had be a idealist if you get 12 out of 12. They are very much like Expansion of Ideas, but here you have to take a side (Yes or No) and advocate your opinion. You can excel in SAT essays if you are an avid reader (I assure you).
Example :- 

There is a myriad of new question types for Indians on the SAT. (Questions are same, we are new to it)
There are Grid -ins, sentence completion and improving sentences and paragraphs. Algebra, Advanced Arithmetic and Geometry is in MCQ pattern mostly, with Negative marking. To sum it all, there is a high chance for you an average Indian student  to crack SAT.

<b> How to prepare for SAT? </b>

Every lock might not have a key,  but every exam has preparation material. Collegeboard itself has published an official SAT guide. Some of the best books for SAT are 
1. Collegeboard's official blue book.
2. Princeton Review.
3. Kaplan's SAT prep.
 Akash Institute also has SAT  batches.
Also, you can practise SAT questions on your android and iphone, which is highly convenient. (There are vocabulary flashcards too, check the below link).

All is said and read. Worried ? I bet you are. Let me guide you in that too.

<i> There is a big number of scholarships for Indians. There is! </i>

All you have to do is to work really hard towards perfection in SAT, and lo and behold, might be you will end up in some world class college.
There are many Indian students who are not made  for getting the 300th college in the world. Are they? With merely one hour practice a day, you can earn better anyway. Moreover, these world class colleges fancy you more if you are passionate about something. Anything. 
So brothers and sisters, register for SAT today. (The test is six times a year. Take your time :p)
Share with your friends, because sharing is sexy!

1 comment:

  1. Great information.. SAT is a globally recognized college admission test that show colleges what you know and how well you can apply that knowledge. It tests your knowledge of reading, writing and math..


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