Standardized tests like the SAT exam give universities a way to evaluate applicants against one another. With such aggressive competition for university acceptance, international students sometimes face certain challenges in preparing for the SAT.
There are 4 challenges that international students may face in successfully preparing for the SAT exam:
1. What is the SAT? It helps if you know what to expect in taking the SAT exam—how much time you have, what’s going to happen when and how scoring works. Timed practice helps a lot.
2. How is the U.S. education system different? Each country's educational system is unique. To get your best score, you may need to know where you have holes in your knowledge compared to what the SAT expects you to know.
3. How much should you practice? You may need practice with similar test questions so you are comfortable and prepared for the real test.
4. What if English is your second language? If you are not a native English speaker, you may need more work on the Written English section of the SAT test, particularly the essays.
What is tested on the actual SAT exam | ||
SAT |
What to Expect |
How MyMaxScore Can Prepare You For the SAT Test |
Math |
70 minutes 54 questions |
MyMaxScore will help you study for all concepts tested on the SAT including geometry, basic statistics and more. If your knowledge of equations is strong but you need more help studying charts and graphs, MyMaxScore online SAT will show you what you need to study in order for you to increase your knowledge and answer more questions correctly on the real test. |
Reading |
70 minutes 67 questions |
With MyMaxScore you will learn sentence completion and reading comprehension strategies. You will also learn how handle fill in the blank questions, how to answer reading comprehension questions more effectively, and how to handle a question when you are in doubt. |
Writing |
60 minutes 50 questions |
Learn vocabulary, practice English grammar, and learn important tips on how to write the best essay. You will also be able to send in written essays to our professional graders! You will receive feedback on what your approximate score would be and what you can do to improve. |
What does the SAT exam expect you to know?
Before taking the test you will want to make sure you understand all concepts related to mathematics, reading comprehension and writing. MyMaxScore actually helps you discover what material your need to learn so you can improve your score. After every question, the program finds your areas needing improvement and immediately connects you to strategies and refresher material to help you learn the necessary concepts. Through MyMaxScore you will know what you still need to study based on what the SAT expects you to know.
Timed practice sessions will help you prepare
The best way to know what is expected of you the day of the real test is to practice with test questions that are similar to those seen on the actual SAT exam. MyMaxScore offers 1,600 practice questions that are similar to those seen on the SAT. The practice questions in this program are also timed so you can see the amount of time you are spending in each section. Through our online program you will be able to see the number of questions you answer correctly, the amount of time you spend in each section, and where you need to improve to get your top score.
Practicing the written essay
The essay portion of the SAT exam is worth 1/3 of your total writing score. It is a very important part of the SAT exam, and if the English language is not your first language you may need some assistance in practicing for this section of the test. The MyMaxScore online SAT program allows you to practice writing up to 5 essays for review! Write your essay, submit it to our professional graders through our online program, and you will receive feedback telling you your score and how to improve. The best way to know if you are prepared for this section of the test is to practice.