What is the SAT?
The SAT is a college admissions test designed to be taken during high school in the U.S. If you want to go to school in the U.S. as an international student, you pretty much have to take it. If you're studying in Dubai, many schools use it as an entry exam or to exempt you from taking certain courses like college algebra.

Who makes the SAT?
It is made by a company called the Educational Testing Service and administered through the College Board. Keep in mind, these guys do nothing but make tests. They also make the TOEFL and SAT subject tests.

What's on the SAT?
For the best overview of the SAT, check out the College Board website. Basically, the content is split into three parts: reading, writing, and mathematics. These subjects are tested over 10 sections.

For the reading, there are three sections that include sentence completions (fill in the blank), short reading passages, and long reading passages. For the writing, you have to write an essay and answer prove you've got good grammar on improving sentences, improving paragraphs, and error identification questions. The mathematics tests arithmetic, algebra, and geometry.

How is it scored?
Scoring can get pretty complicated, so all you need to know is that you get a score from 200 to 800 in reading, writing, and mathematics. Your total possible score is 2100.

What's a good score?
Figure out where you want to go to school and then figure out the school's required (or average accepted)score...that's a good score. Here's a secret your parents and test prep companies don't want you to know: getting into a college or university is about more than your SAT score. Get the best one you can and move on. More on this later.

What else do I need to know?
If you are taking the SAT, use the College Board website to register for the test, download the bulletin, and take a free practice test. Read my post on FREE SAT practice tests to find more test online.

How do I prepare for the SAT?
If you're in Dubai or the UAE, email me at dubaitutor@live.com for private tutoring. Get two friends and I'll teach you as a group. Not in the UAE but in the Middle East, email me and find out where I'm willing to travel.