Scholastic Assessment Test or simply known as SAT is a regular test widely used for college admissions in the United States. First introduced in 1926 and its name and scoring have changed many times, being originally called as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, then the Scholastic Assessment Test, then the SAT Reasoning Test, and now simply the SAT. SAT is like any other test. If you prepare for it, you'll get a better score. To do well on the SAT you must take preparation for it. But don't try to organize for the SAT on your own. Studies show that students who register in SAT preparation courses or hire private SAT coaches dramatically increase their scores nearly 80 points while test takers preparing on their own increase their score only 40 points.
The well acknowledged SAT preparation courses, such as Kaplan and the Princeton Review, states that an average increase of 120 and 140 points. The information is that intensive short-term coaching can significantly raise your SAT score. At some universities a score increase of that size could easily mean the difference between denial and an offer of admission. An additional advantage of taking an SAT preparation course is the chance to practice answering questions that appear on the actual test. Full SAT exams are often use again in order to keep test-development costs down. The SAT preparation companies take advantage of this practice and can often interpret which tests are candidates for reuse. By enrolling in a test-prep classes you can benefit by seeing real SAT questions that may give the idea on your test.
Only two groups benefit much from raising their scores. One is the group targeting at the most selective colleges; near-perfect scores can make the difference between approval and rejection. To be in the running for these schools, however, students have spent the past decade developing academic skills; test preparation gives a reasonably small boost.
Full story at http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/12/04/why-should-sats-matter/who-benefits-most-from-sat-prep
Related Articles:
http://info.methodtestprep.com/blog/bid/102225/3-Benefits-of-SAT-Prep-Programs-Online
http://www.university-insider.com/students/sat_preparation.php
https://sat.collegeboard.org/about-tests
