SAT exam is a type of standardised test conducted by the College Board for students who wish to pursue undergraduate programs in their desired colleges. SAT, also known as the Scholastic Assessment Test or the Scholastic Aptitude Test, is a college admission test designed to test the verbal, written, and mathematical skills of those contesting for the exam. The SAT Score is required for college admissions in most colleges in the United States. A good SAT score can also be used to apply for scholarships that offer financial assistance to students based on their SAT test scores. Check out this Leap Scholar blog to know all the other possible exams you need to write to get admission as an international student. In this article, we will look into SAT score validity, SAT exam result validity in different colleges, and how to use your old SAT test scores to apply for college admissions.
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SAT Exam Validity for Indian Students
Technically the validity of the SAT score does not have an expiration date. You can use your old SAT exam score to apply for college admissions. However, the exam pattern for SAT, the number of questions, etc., have changed and may continue to change in the coming years. Hence, even though the validity of the SAT exam still exists, it may not be up to date with the latest standards and may be considered less valuable than the recent scores. The College Board states that the official score reports sent to colleges five or more years later than the test date will be accompanied by a message explaining that the test score will be a less valid predictor of college academic performance.
SAT Exam Score Validity Differs in Different Colleges
Despite the general SAT validity having no expiry date, certain colleges impose an SAT validity period after which you may not be able to apply for the course with your old scores and have to retake the SAT exam. One of the main reasons is the change in the SAT exam pattern, score range, etc. Before 2005, the maximum score was 1600 and involved a lot of analogy questions. In 2016, the maximum score was changed to 2400 from 1600. The SAT test omitted analogy questions and included a mandatory SAT essay section and new math concepts. In 2016, the College Board changed the maximum score to 1600 and made the SAT essay section optional. The constantly changing pattern and section scores test different abilities and skills of the candidate. Hence most colleges accept an SAT score validity for up to 5 years. If you have an SAT score older than five years, you can still apply to some colleges. The process for doing so is discussed in the next section.
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Application Process for Colleges Using Old SAT Scores
After a year or so of taking up the SAT exam, your SAT scores and response to the SAT questionnaire are archived. You can gain access to the archived test scores by following the steps below:
Fee Payment
The first step to getting your SAT score from the College Board is to pay its fees. There are two ways to order the scores through the College Board:
- Regular Score Reports: The regular SAT score usually costs USD 12 for a report. Older archived scores require an additional USD 31 to gain access to it, even if your SAT exam validity exists. The total fee comes to around USD 43 for the old score.
- Rush Reports: If you want to submit an old SAT score faster, you can use rush reports to gain access to the score quicker. This method requires you to pay an additional USD 31. It makes a total of USD 74 to be paid as a fee to submit the score to the college.
SAT Score Reporting Method
After choosing a score report, you can choose to request the order of SAT score from two options: Through Mail If you want to order your SAT score through the mail, you need to follow the steps below:
- Visit the College Board website
- Download the Archived Score Report Order Form
- Fill in all the sections in it completely
- Fill in the exact test date and registration number. You can find the details of this information in the SAT admission ticket.
- If you do not have your SAT admission ticket, you can order your score report using the other method
- Send the filled form and payment to the College Board address through mail
Through Phone If you want to order your SAT score by phone, you need to follow the steps below: Call the College Board customer service number using the phone number mentioned for your particular region on the College Board website. The College Board usually requires the following information to retrieve your SAT scores:
- Your name and current residential address
- Test date and registration number if it is available
- Your name and resident address at the time you took your test
- Your credit card number and its date of expiration
- The score recipient’s college and scholarship program codes
- Ordering the score report requires a fee of USD 15
- While ordering your score reports, you can choose to compare your scores from different test dates and choose the best one to send to the college
- The College Board sends an electronic copy of the score to the college, where it is stored along with other application materials
Conclusion
SAT exam validity does not expire and can be used for a long time. However, it is recommended that you do not use an SAT score older than five years since the College Board sends it along with a message to the college with a message stating that it is a less valid predictor of college. Hence in such cases, it is better to retake the SAT exam, which occurs in March, May, August, October, and December each year. Check out this Leap Scholar blog to gain clarity on the SAT exam details, exam patterns, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any recent updates to the SAT exam in 2022?
Earlier, high school students were required to take two different types of SAT exams: SAT 1 and SAT 2. SAT 1 is a general reasoning test that is used to evaluate the written, verbal, and mathematical skills of students, and SAT 2 is a subject test that focuses on specific subjects for students who want to pursue a particular subject course, including Language such as English, Korean, French, etc., History, Science, Maths, etc.
As of June 2021, the College Board has discontinued the SAT Subject Tests, and students need to take the SAT Reasoning Test, which includes, Maths, EBRW (Evidence-based Reading and Writing), Language, and an optional essay. You can check out the latest details on the SAT exam here.
Can you take up the SAT exams digitally?
As of 2022, the SAT exam is conducted on paper, where the students need to fill in the bubbles of multiple-choice questions using a pencil. From early 2023, the College Board plans to take SAT exams to go digital for international students in countries such as India, the UK, and Australia. High School students in the USA will be able to take the digital exam from 2024. Additionally, the length of time for the exam is also reduced from 3 hours to 2 hours.
What is a good SAT score?
How good an SAT score depends on the college and course you are applying to. It is always better to check the score range required by your desired colleges and the particular course you are applying for. In general, an average score of 1000 is considered acceptable, and anything above 1200 is acceptable as a good score.
