SAT ¶
Created by College Board, the SAT is a college entrance exam used by most US colleges to make admissions decisions. This is not to mean that only the SAT matters in your application. There’s a lot more than the SAT that is considered for admission to US colleges e.g. co-curricular activities, admissions essays, GPA and teacher recommendations.
The SAT is supposedly a test of aptitude. As of March 2016, it consists of two sections; evidence-based reading and writing, and math. The perfect score is 1600 and the lowest score is 400. It is offered throughout the year. Practice, more than intelligence, contributes to better performance on the SAT especially because the SAT is a very different exam from normal high school exams and requires a lot of timing and tact. Practice hard and be smart about it!
The optional SAT Essay and SAT Subject Tests were discontinued in Jan 2021 for US students, and in June 2021, for international students. In their place, schools use alternative signals. For example, to evaluate a student’s writing skills, schools (e.g., Princeton ) may ask the student to submit a paper that was graded by their teacher.
College Board ¶
College Board administers the SAT. You need an email account (for convenience, use Gmail) to sign up for College Board. Once you sign up for College Board, you get access to a few SAT online tests and university profiles. You also send your SAT scores to colleges via College Board, meaning a College Board account is compulsory for applying to study in the US.
College Board also offers Advanced Placement tests (APs) which are an easy way to get out of most requirements in college. APs are not offered at KCSE-oriented high schools, so to place out of requirements in your freshman year, you’ll have to take tests administered by your university once you get admitted.
Remember: Do a lot of practice on the SATs! That’s the only way to getting stellar scores.
SAT OR ACT? ¶
While either of the two can be used for college entrance, some students may score better on the SAT than the ACT and vice versa. If possible, I’d recommend that you take both. None of the tests seem to be statistically more popular than the other, as both get around an equal number of takers every year. In the case that you take both of them, colleges will focus on the one you score better in, so it doesn’t hurt to take chances and spend that extra buck. This guide will contain a number of both ACT and SAT sample tests which you can attempt before making a choice on which of the two to take.
That being said, there are differences as pertains to format and content between the two that would affect how you score in each of them: http://www.princetonreview.com/college/sat-act
Also, when trying to decide between the ACT and SAT, make up your mind early enough! Don’t switch your preference at the last minute since you won’t have enough time to prepare.
Registering for the Exams ¶
Learning and Testing Services – East Africa TAJ Tower, Upper Hill, Nairobi Email: info@lts-africa.com Phone: +254 20-233-0843, +254 20-232-5834, +254 712-135826
As of August 2016, LTS – East Africa is the only authorized body to register students for the SAT and TOEFL – avoid middlemen! The SAT is usually offered in the March, May, June, August, October, and December.
Registration deadlines for international students applying through an International Representative (LTS is Kenya’s International Representative) come sooner, so check College Board and plan to register early enough in case there are delays in receiving your online test ticket (the paper registration needs to be synced with your College Board account so ensure your identifying details are the same).
The costs, as of Dec 2022, are:
ProTips ¶
While you may be thumping your chest after conquering KCSE, we strongly discourage taking the December & January SATs. The test format and content is different. Give yourself time to prep for the SATs.
You may do the May & June SATs and if necessary retake in August or October. December is a bit too late and by then, you should be focused on application essays.
TOEFL-iBT ¶
Stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language (Internet-Based Test).
Mainly required by Canadian universities. Most American universities waive this requirement by virtue of Kenya being an English speaking country, and English being the language of instruction in Kenyan schools.
In case a school insists that you take the TOEFL, register at LTS – East Africa.
The COVID-19 pandemic made it hard to take the standardized tests. As a result, some schools have (temporarily) waived standardized testing requirements. To get the latest information, look up the school’s admissions website.
For example, searching the web for “princeton undergraduate admissions requirements” leads me to https://admission.princeton.edu/how-apply/application-checklist , which says that Princeton University will not require submission of standardized testing (SAT or ACT) for students who wish to join the school in September 2022.