Most colleges and institutions base their admissions decisions on the SAT entrance exam. The College Board developed and delivers the SAT, a multiple-choice test that is taken on paper and pencil.

The SAT is used to assess a high school student’s preparation for college and to give universities a single piece of comparative information with which to evaluate all candidates. Standardized test results will be compared to your high school GPA, courses you took, letters of recommendation from teachers or mentors, extracurricular activities, admissions interviews, and personal essays by college admissions officers. The weight that SAT scores are given during the college application process varies depending on the institution.