What is the test good for?

What is it like?

How is this test administered in Romania?

How much does the test cost?

How do I register for the test?

When do I get the official scores?

How do I request additional score reports?

How long are scores valid?

How can I prepare for the test?

What is the test good for?
The SAT is one of the admission requirements to an undergraduate program in the U.S., for American and international students alike.
The SAT assesses your reasoning abilities and academic strengths. The SAT scores help U.S. admissions officers compare your reasoning abilities and academic strengths with those of more than 2 million students who take these tests each year.

What is it like?

SAT actually represents two distinct tests: SAT Reasoning Test, also known as SAT I, and SAT Subject Tests, commonly referred to as SAT II.

SAT Reasoning Test

According to the official website www.collegeboard.com the SAT Reasoning Test measures the critical thinking skills you'll need for academic success in college.

The three sections of the SAT Reasoning test are:

• critical reading which has sentence completion and passage-based questions;

• mathematics which requires math skills that students typically acquire during their first three years of high school (arithmetic, algebra, geometry). Every question on the SAT Reasoning Test can be solved without a calculator; however, a calculator on some questions may be helpful to you. A scientific or graphing calculator is recommended.

• writing which involves multiple-choice questions and a written essay.

In addition, there is one unscored section, known as the variable section. This unscored section may be either a critical reading, mathematics, or writing multiple-choice section. According to the information posted on the official website, this unscored section doesn’t count toward the final score, but it is used to try out new questions for future editions of the SAT.

The essay will always be the first section of the SAT, and the multiple-choice writing section will always be the final section. All the other sections can appear in any order. Test takers sitting next to each other in the same testing session may have test books with entirely different sections.

The test is administered in the paper and pencil format and is about 4 hours long.
Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800, with two writing subscores in the Writing section for multiple-choice questions and the essay.

Subject Tests

Subject Tests measure your knowledge of particular subjects (literature, history, foreign languages, math, physics etc.) and your ability to apply that knowledge. Many U.S. colleges require or recommend one or more Subject Tests for admission or placement.

Colleges which don’t require Subject Tests will still take them into consideration, since the tests offer a better picture of your academic abilities.

Subject Tests are also administered in the paper and pencil format. They contain multiple-choice questions and take one hour to complete.

Each test is scored on a scale of 200-800.

Acceptable Equipment for some Subject Tests (information available in the bulletin and on the official website):

If you take Mathematics, College Board requires that you use a scientific or graphing calculator for the SAT Subject Tests in Mathematics. No calculators allowed for all the other Subject Tests.

If you take a Language Test with Listening, you will need to bring a portable battery-operated CD player, equipped with earphones. Further details about the CD player policy are available at http://www.collegeboard.com

How is this test administered in Romania ?

The SAT is administered six times a year in Romania at test centers located in Bucharest, Arad, Baia Mare, Cluj Napoca and Iasi. Please check the official website to see if the test can be taken at your choice center on the dates announced in the information bulletin and posted on the official website.

According to the information available on the official website www.collegeboard.com in December 2009, in Bucharest the SAT can be taken at three test centers:

• Fulbright Educational Advising Center;

• American International School of Bucharest, Sos. Pipera-Tunari 196, Comuna Voluntari-Pipera; phone: 021 204 4300;

• Bucharest Christian Academy, Str. Vasile Voiculescu nr. 26, sector 3, Bucuresti 031236; phone: 021 323 5887, 021 323 5408.

You can take either the SAT Reasoning Test or up to three Subject Tests on a given test date.

How much does the test cost?

According to the information available on the official website www.collegeboard.com for 2008-2009 academic year:

• SAT Reasoning Test costs 71 USD (45 USD = Reasoning Test + 26 USD = International Processing).

• SAT Subject Tests cost 20 USD (Basic Registration Fee) plus 26 USD (International Processing). On top of this you’ll add 20 USD if you plan to take a foreign language test with a listening section, or 9 USD for all the other subjects.

The test fee entitles you to one score report, plus up to four official score reports that College Board will send directly to the institutions you designate when you register. For each institution you select after the test, you will have to pay a $9.50 fee. According to the information available on the official website and in the Registration Bulletin, College Board mails the score record to you and to your designated institutions approximately 5 weeks after you take the test.

How do I register for the test?


First you pick a test date - see information on available test dates posted on the official website www.collegeboard.com or on cover IV of the registration bulletin, then decide on the payment type (by credit/debit card or by bank check). Note: the card doesn’t need to be in your name, so you can use the cards of family or friends.

If credit/debit card (Visa, Master Card, discover, American Express) is available, you can register online at www.collegeboard.com. Go to the section “Register now”, sign in, then follow the steps. You can print your Admission Ticket from your College Board account.

If credit/debit card is not available, then you can pay by bank check and you register by mail.

• In order to be issued a bank check you can approach any bank that conducts hard-currency transactions and pay the fee. The beneficiary of your bank check will be the SAT Representative for Europe announced on page 4 in the registration bulletin. According to the information available on this page, do not make checks made payable to the SAT Program or The College Board. Credit card payments are not accepted by SAT Representatives if you register by mail.

• You fill in the “Registration Form 2008-09” available in the bulletin. Then you mail the registration form with the bank check to the SAT representative for Europe. When filling out the registration form, you need to use black or blue ink. Do not use a pencil!

Useful tips:

• Photocopy the registration form as well as the bank check and keep the copies for reference.

• Send your test registration by registered mail (scrisoare recomandata cu confirmare de primire). If the early registration is approaching, you may like to send it by courier service to meet the deadline!

• As a rule, information regarding the test date and location - the coordinates of the testing center - is mailed with your Admission Ticket.

• If you don’t receive the Admission Ticket by mail at least a week prior to the test date, you must call College Board in the United States. Refer to the bulletin for contact information of College Board Customer Service.

YOU CANNOT REGISTER BY PHONE, FAX OR E-MAIL!

SAT registration bulletins are available only in printed form, they can’t be downloaded from the official website.

You can pick up the registration bulletin, free of charge, from the Fulbright Educational Advising Center, during public hours.

If you live outside Bucharest you can send the Fulbright Educational Advising Center a self-addressed stamped envelope (A4 size) with a note in which you mention the registration bulletin you need. You will receive it promptly.

Pay attention to registration deadlines!

• According to the information available on page 4 in the registration bulletin: “If registering through an SAT Representative, you must submit your paper registration with full payment by the early registration deadline.”

• If you miss the registration deadline, you can try to take the test as a STANDBY. A test center will accept standbys in the order of their arrival, only if there is sufficient space, test materials and staff. So you need to show up at the test center early. Further instructions on how to take the test as a standby is available in the SAT registration bulletin. Mind that you will have to include payment for the test fee plus the additional standby fee ($38 in the academic year 2008-2009).

When do I get the official scores?

According to the information on the official website, scores are available online and by phone three weeks after the test date. The official score reports will be mailed to you and your designated institutions about 5 weeks after the test.

How do I request additional score reports?

You can request additional scores online or by mail. You will be charged $9.50 fee for each institution you want scores to be sent to.

The fastest and easiest way to send additional scores is online. You will pay by card.

If you order scores by mail, you need to complete the “Additional Score Report Order Form” (available from the College Board website) and send it with the bank check to the College Board in the United States.

Further instructions on how to request additional score reports online or by mail is available on the official website www.collegeboard.com

How long are scores valid?

The SAT scores are valid for 5 years.

How can I prepare for the test?

To see what SAT books are available at our center please check the section Test preparation.