What does SAT stand for?
SAT stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test. The SAT is also known as “board scores” because the test was developed by the College Board. The test is designed to measure a student’s aptitude in mathematical and verbal comprehension and problem solving. It is used to predict how an individual will progress in learning college-level subjects. There is much research around the pros and cons of these and other standardized tests.
Regardless, The SAT is one of the two national standardized college entrance examinations widely used in the U.S. High School Students take the SAT test in the spring of their junior year. Most universities require either the ACT or the SAT as part of an application for admission.
The SAT is administered by the Educational Testing Service (EST). The other is the ACT and acronym for American College Testing developed by ACT, Inc.
The maximum combined score for both sections of the SAT was 1600 prior to 2005. That year, the test was renamed to the "SAT Reasoning Test" with possible scores from 600 to 2400 combining test results from three 800-point sections including math, critical reading and writing.
Nothing at all. When the forerunner to today’s test was first given in 1901, it was named the “Scholastic Achievement Test” and looked very different from today’s test. It was renamed the “Scholastic Aptitude Test” in 1941 to reflect the idea that the test measured a student’s innate ability to do academic work, independent of the quality of the student’s schooling. But since you can improve your score by studying, it was questionable that the test ever really measured aptitude. In 1990, the College Board conceded the point by renaming the test the “Scholastic Assessment Test.” But this name is redundant, since an assessment is a test, so in 1994, the College Board declared that “SAT” was just the name of the test and had no particular meaning. In other words, the name “SAT” was kept because it is a familiar brand, but the College Board has distanced itself from the notion that the test measures aptitude.
