A fulfilling career begins with deciding which college or university you want to attend. It’s not just academics but the location, the inclusivity, the cost of tuition fees, and the diversity that counts. How inclusive is the college? What is their approach towards students with special needs? Are they open to students with dyslexia? There are so many questions that go into picking the ideal college for yourself. And if the answer to all the above-asked questions is yes, then it’s time for you to prepare for the SAT exam.
The SAT, also known as the Scholastic Assessment Test, is a vital entrance exam for students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in the US and Canada. It is a standard admission test that everyone needs to take before receiving the acceptance letter from the applied institutions.
Your SAT score should meet the minimum eligibility requirement to get into these institutions. But the big question is whether SATs, like GRE and GMAT, have provisions and accommodations for students with learning disabilities. This post will discuss everything about SAT that a student with learning needs must know about. Read more below.
SAT exam: Things you must know about
Students who plan to enroll in undergraduate programs in the United States take the SAT as most institutions require the SAT score for admission. When you apply for admission to graduate courses, your SAT results are taken into account.
A written paper-pencil test assesses applicants’ language and mathematical reasoning ability. Aside from that, many colleges provide SAT scholarships to students depending on their scores.
When calculating a student’s score on the SAT, the first thing to do is to determine their raw scores for all three sections.
- Out of 2 section scores (Math and the other for Evidence-based Learning), the score should be between 400-800 for both, separately.
- Test Score for Reading should be 10-40
- Test Score for Writing and Langauge should be between 10-40
- Test Score for Math should be 10-40
- Cross-test score should be between 10-40 yet again
- And, subscores should be between 1-15
In case of a doubt or query, wards and students can fill out the inquiry form at sat.org/inquiry.
SAT relaxations are for whom?
If a student proves their disability with verified documentation, he/she will likely receive SAT relaxations from the said college/ university. A student with these disabilities falls under this category:
- Learning disorders like dyslexia
- Cerebral palsy
- ADHD
- Multiple sclerosis
- Motor impairments
- Psychiatric disorders
- Autism disorders
- Diabetes
- Blindness and other eyesight issues
SAT score requirements for students with learning disabilities
We must remember that a good SAT score varies from college to college. There is no minimum or maximum age limit to appear for the SAT exam. It is necessary to have passed high school to sit for this exam.
One can sit for the SAT as many times as they like, but the first 6 scores of an individual are generally accepted. In some college cases, all SAT scores are required to be shown. Therefore, knowledge of English is vital, along with a strong vocabulary. Students with a learning disability can equip accommodations and apply for relaxation before appearing for the exam.
Additionally, here is the scoring process for SAT:
- The total SAT score is 1600.
- The SAT syllabus comprises evidence-based reading and mathematics.
- Each subject comes with a minimum score requirement that may vastly range between 200-800.
Note: The national average score for normal students should be 1060 (ideally 800+), but students with proven disabilities, as per their college preference, may be considered.
- Then comes the cross-test score, which examines problem-solving abilities.
- A scoring bracket of 10-40 percentile is mandatory to achieve.
- The average SAT score is 1059, but for top ivy league colleges, it comes close to 1550.
- Additionally, students should aim to score 530 in Mathematics, and 480 in evidence-based writing and reading. But the score may vary from college to college for students with learning disabilities. Though a certain figure can’t be stated, one may contact the college staff and inquire about the same.
- If the student decides to take the SAT more than once, the college would consider the highest score for evidence-based reading, writing, and mathematics.
- Many colleges strongly follow a score bracket of 200 and 800 for both subjects, i.e., Math and Evidence-based Writing.
However, a good SAT score does not confirm your ticket to a good college. There are a handful of other eligibility criteria that are needed for an ideal application. Some of them are:
- Letters of recommendation
- Transcripts, and
- Admission essays
These mandatory factors can make your application stand out from the crowd.
SAT relaxations for dyslexia students
Students with reading challenges are given accommodations in the school, like
- Extra time to read assignments and provided technology’s help to read the written content better.
- Students with Dyslexia or learning disabilities also sit for the SAT exam, with some differences between the two students.
In the case of Dyslexic students, Sally Shaywitz, a professor from Yale University and the author of ‘overcoming dyslexia,’ asked the colleges to look beyond the score of the SAT. These are some of the observations that were added in concern to SAT for Dyslexic students.
- SAT exams heavily depend on reading, while Dyslexic students often have trouble reading.
- The length of the SAT is quite long, which makes it hard for a Dyslexic student to read such a long document in continuation and all the more tough to comprehend and interpret what is written in the paper.
Accommodations for dyslexia students appearing for SAT
For students with learning disabilities, many test accommodations can make testing more accessible. Like, as an aide to read questions aloud while taking the test or having a private room to write one. For Dyslexic students, the provision for accommodations is made where additional time is given to them. But for this, the students must have proper documents stating their disability under the IEP(Individual Education Program) team to be given accommodations.
Given the current scenario, institutions have become more sensitive and considerate towards aspirants with special needs. Making SAT Accommodations and relaxations for students with dyslexia easier and handier than ever.
Concluding thoughts
The college board hasn’t made a change in the way SAT is prepared. Still, with the help of IEP, dyslexic students can prepare their documents to claim accommodations at the college and get extra time for the test and supplementary to use in a while giving the SAT.SAT is considered important in colleges all over the USA. Dyslexic students, with the help of accommodations and aids, can give the SAT and score an average between 200 to 800 out of 1600, making the SAT less challenging.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,