SAT

The digital SAT is composed of two sections: Reading and Writing and Math. Students have 64 minutes to complete the Reading and Writing section and 70 minutes to complete the Math section for a total of 2 hours and 14 minutes. Each section is divided into 2 equal length modules, and there is a 10-minute break between the Reading and Writing section and the Math section. The first module of each section contains a broad mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. Based on how students perform on the first module, the second module of questions will either be more difficult or less difficult.

​It is extremely important to find out about the recognition of the SAT (specially if you are applying to colleges/universities outside the USA).

You can sit for these test more than once. Our recommendation is to sit for it (for the first time) in the second term of Grade 11, and for a second time at the beginning of grade 12 (if necessary).

Students are responsible for sending standardised testing scores directly from the testing agency. VIS will not send these materials as part of the supporting documents.

VIS is a test center for SAT (only for the May session). To see international dates and deadlines, to find SAT centers, to find useful information and register, please click on the buttons below: 

Digital SAT

The SAT is now digital. This is what to expect:

For more information you can access the following website:

SAT recognition

Examples of some universities outside the USA that will accept/request the SAT:

• Australian universities: For students applying with a VIS High School Diploma: Most Australian universities will require SAT. 

• Some Austrian universities (for student pursuing the VIS high school diploma): Students can benefit from presenting the SAT.

• Bocconi (Italy): Students can either present the SAT or take the university’s entrance exam.

• Some Canadian universities (for scholarships): Students can benefit from presenting a high score in the SAT.

• ESADE (Spain): Students can either present the SAT or take the university’s entrance exam.

• IE University (Spain): Students can present the SAT (or ACT/LNAT - if applicable) or  take the university’s entrance exam.

• Irish universities: Minimum matriculation is award of a US High School Diploma. For students applying with a VIS High School Diploma: To attain a score over 400, applicants must present additional examinations. SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate standalone subjects and third level can be taken into account.

• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany): Students need to present the SAT. 

• Luiss University of Rome (Italy): Students can present the SAT or full IB Diploma (with certain number of points) for direct entry.

• SciencesPo (France): Students can present the SAT as an additional supporting document.

• Stockholm School of Economics (Sweden): Students need to present the SAT (or ACT/TSA).

​Higher Education Recognition of the SAT (excluding USA) for admissions and/or advanced standing:

NOTE: Please be aware that sometimes the SAT is shown as required, but it only applies to students that are pursuing an American High School Diploma, rather than following the IB Curriculum; But it helps to check which universities state they require it and then check whether it applies to IB students. The best source of information will be the university's admissions office.

Scholarship and Financial Aid:

To check possible scholarships and Financial Aid, please visit: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/

Institutional financial aid for international students:

NOTE: Please be aware that this list can be useful to then check if they require SAT for students following the IB programme.

College Board's official website

SAT test preparation

Start early.

People think test prep is a horrendous, stressful process. It’s not – if you start early. If you start studying a month before your test, it’s going to be stressful, and you won’t be able to leverage your brain’s preference for absorbing information over the long-term. If you start months in advance, you can put in 20-40 minutes a day (split into small sessions of 10-20 minutes each) and get way higher scores.

You’ll get a much higher score and the entire process will be way easier. As a bonus, you won’t need to derail any of your other activities – even if you’re in the debate club, on varsity soccer, and dealing with a challenging course load, you can easily find the time to study for 15 minutes in the morning and another 15 minutes in the afternoon. Why wouldn’t you?

Decision made! You’ve already made a huge step toward test prep success!

​Some aspects to take into account

Standardised tests seem to be more objective to both colleges and students because they are independent of the varying grading standards of high schools. But these tests are also criticized, colleges are wary of relying too heavily on them because of doubts about what they really measure and the concern of the growth of test prep industry that often “guarantees” significant score improvement for students who take special courses that can cost hundreds of dollars or more. 

Test developers know that a person’s score on a given test is based on three factors:

* The knowledge you have on the subject matter being tested.

* Test-taking skills you possess.

* A random component, which is luck, as no exam can exhaustively test your knowledge.

Good preparation for the SAT should focus on both, subject matter and test-taking skills. You need to be motivated (you might even consider getting together with other students who are facing the same challenge, and work as a team), you need enough time to absorb the lessons, and you need to study relatively close to the date of the test.

A point you should have clear in mind, is that the shorter the prep program is, the greater its emphasis is on test-taking skills, as subject matter preparation generally takes longer.

It is debatable to determine what type of test prep works best (as long as similar content is studied), but surely a very relevant factor is your commitment (time and effort) to study the whole program and to take the practice exams.

You need to assess yourself honestly, if you are motivated to work from a book, software program or free online resources in a timely manner, you can save yourself much money, and get results similar to those you would have obtained from a course or tutor. The course or tutor has the advantage of providing a structure for you (and sometimes a personalised instruction).

Remember that your test prep should be reasonable; it shouldn’t disrupt your schoolwork and extracurricular activities. As with all other aspects of college admissions, you should stay balanced, and keep things in perspective.

Some resources you can use to prepare for this test