What Should a Student Bring to the SAT on the Day of the Test?

Scholastic Assessment Test, popularly known as SAT tests are very crucial to the admission of a student to college. Students who intend to do the test need thorough preparation to succeed in this test.

When planning for the test day, you must understand the importance of getting prepared for this exam. It determines your college admission and some top universities may not admit you if you don’t pass to the required level. The degree of preparedness is measured by your ability to bring what is needed in the exam. If you want to read ACT vs SAT: Ultimate Guide, you could check here.

What Should You Bring to the SAT Test?

Students must know exactly what to bring on SAT test day. There are things to bring for SAT that are needed to make your test experience smooth. Failing to bring them means that you risk your chances of passing this precious test. This is why we will explore what to bring to SAT test.

You need to have a checklist to ensure that everything we list here will appear on the test day so that you don’t mess up that day. Given the expensive nature of the test, you don’t want to redo it because you forgot to bring something important.

Your admission ticket

The first thing what can you bring to the SAT test is an admission ticket. Just like any other professional exam, you must register for an SAT. When you register, you get an admission ticket. It is a unique identifier that you need to do the exam. You can always download it from your college board account. Don’t assume that you will be admitted with a soft copy; print it out. Magoosh SAT reviews provides an excellent analysis of the new adaptive ACT test, including what is tested, how the questions are constructed, and elements of the test that can be improved in the future.

Accepted photo of school ID

The examiner will also check your school ID. You need to ensure that you have a physical copy of your school ID. You will be turned away if you did not bring this important document. The test proctors check if the school ID matches the information on the admission ticket. This confirms the identity of the person doing the exam. The names need to be consistent on both documents for you to do the test.

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An approved calculator

There will be some math tasks that might require the use of a calculator. A calculator is one of the things to bring for SAT. You must bring an approved calculator and not any other type. And if you wonder whether can you bring more than one calculator to the SAT. Check on the website to know what type of calculators are approved.

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Most of the math questions don’t require calculators, though students need them to speed up calculations. You should test the calculator and ensure that it works before you go ahead with the test. Most students ask “how many calculators can I bring to the SAT?” Well, you just need one, not unless you are worried that it might malfunction.

2 Pencils with erasers

You need to bring 2 pencils and if you are asking “can you bring an eraser to the SAT?” the answer is yes, an eraser can be useful during the exam. The reason why you are bringing two pencils is to help you move with speed in case one is broken. An eraser will help you correct your responses if you want to. You shouldn’t have to worry about a sharpener if you have two pencils.

Also read: how to cancel SAT registration

A watch without an audible alarm

You also need to time yourself without distracting others. Bringing a watch that doesn’t have an alarm will help you keep track of the time that you have spent on the test. Just like the calculator, you need to ensure that your watch is working before you get in; otherwise, it can be a real letdown.

Face masks

The pandemic has changed the way we operate in exam centers. Amongst the things to bring for SAT are face masks. The Covid-19 regulations require that you wear a face mask when out of your home. Since you will be sharing social space with other people, you need to observe the health protocols put in place.

Drinks and snacks

You will have 5 to 10 minutes breaks during the exams. You might need some drinks and snacks to keep you fit and alert. Some people are comfortable with mint gum during the test, which is also allowed.

Other Things That Might Come in Handy

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What we have covered above are the things that you must bring to the test. Other things might also be helpful for you during the test. Here are a few things that we find helpful for students sitting this special exam. Our list is populated based on the past experiences of other students who needed these extra items during their exams.

Extra batteries

While batteries are not on the list of SAT things to bring, they can be very useful if your calculator or watch needs them. Even when you have practice tests at home, you can’t know if your calculator’s batteries will be dead the following day. Some people carry them as a precautionary step to avoid missing a calculator during the exam. You can bring more than one calculator to the SAT if you don’t want to carry extra batteries.

A bag or backpack

For you to stay organized, you can bring a backpack to the SAT where you will keep everything intact. This is just a way of keeping your items organized so that you don’t lose or misplace some of the essentials that are needed for the test.

Earplugs

You are allowed to bring an earplug to keep concentration. Remember, electronic devices are not allowed. The earplugs should not be connected to any device.

What You Should NOT Bring

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There are items that you are not allowed to bring to a college board SAT test. Here are the things that may lead to your automatic disqualification if you bring them:

Any electronic device

Can I bring my phone to the SAT? This is a question that most students ask. A quick and final response to this question is NO. You cannot bring a phone or any other electronic device to the SAT. Calculators and watches are the only electronically charged devices that can be allowed in. even so, avoid calculators that are not approved. For example, you can’t bring a graphic calculator to the SAT if it is not allowed.

Notebooks, cheat sheets, scratch paper books

You don’t need any writing place for the writing materials will be provided in the test. You will be assumed to be cheating when you have an extra paper or writing pad that you brought to the test.

Color pens, highlighters, and colored pencils

You are only allowed to bring the recommended plain pencils and not any colored writing items. Can you bring mechanical pencils to the SAT? No, avoid them as well. You just need a plain pencil only.

Dictionaries

You don’t need dictionaries as they will aid your English test. You need to know SAT subject test what to bring and what not to bring.

Protractors, compasses, or rulers

You also don’t need these math aids in the test. But you can bring an eraser and a pencil to the exam.

A Few More Tips for SAT Test

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Now that you know what to bring and what to avoid, you also need to learn a few things about the SAT test itself and how to maximize your time. Follow these simple tips on how you can improve your results.

• The morning of the test

On SAT test day, you should be mentally prepared to do the exam. You need to wake up early and check your backpack against the checklist to ensure that everything is in order. The top things that have been highlighted above should be in your backpack. Have one copy of the SAT admissions ticket in your bag and one with you at hand.

• Breakfast before the test

You should have a heavy breakfast before you go to the test. This will keep you fit and alert during the test.

• Check the test center closings

You also need to check the details of your test center, especially regarding the opening and closing times. You don’t want to be late for the test thinking that you are on time.

• Make most of your break

There will be breaks in between the tests. You should make the most of them by relaxing and checking out a few things that you might need to know. Also, chat with fellow students.

You are now ready to face the SAT test and pass it well.