What I did was take the CollegeBoard's Official SAT Study Guide's introduction to the SAT, chopped out the relatively important parts (or at least the parts I had something to say about), and then annotated it with my comments. My kid brother threw in some stuff as well. Everything that is in italics is copyrighted by the College Entrance Examination Board and Educational Testing Service.

The SAT Reasoning Test is a measure of the critical THINKING skills you’ll need for academic success.  The SAT assesses how well you apply what you’ve learned in school to analyze and solve problems, the way you’ll need to in college.

Anish:  The first sentence is true…this 4 hour exam is a test of your ability to think and solve problems.  In addition, it is an endurance test to see how long you can stay focused under pressure.  Hence, use exercises and practice tests to build up this endurance.  The second sentence is however not so clear.  You’re not applying exactly what you’ve learned in school (history, biology, math…ok, maybe math), but you’re applying what school is supposed to teach you – again, how to think.  So don’t look at a sentence completion as just memorizing vocab, think of it as a critical thinking process where you need to find a solution to a problem based on the context you’re given.  Hopefully, I didn’t make that more confusing…

Sushil:  Getting a good score on the SAT doesn’t make you a genius, and a bad one doesn’t make you a failure.  However, it is looked upon in two ways, as a score and as a statement.  Not only in academic endeavors, but also in life; a good score on the SAT shows you can apply yourself and work hard.  College does not have a math, writing, and verbal portion, but learning to sit down and study hard is essential.

Your SAT is only one factor colleges look at when they consider your application.  They also look at your academic record, your involvement in school activities, your application essay, and your letter of recommendation.

One out of every two high school students taking the SAT takes it at least twice – typically in the spring of junior year and in the fall of senior year.  The SAT is given seven times a year at thousands of testing centers (schools) around the world.

Anish:  The SAT is important but not the only thing.  And I really mean that…you can get into Stanford without a near perfect score.  But it only helps your application to have a nice, tasty SAT score. (The focus of this website is to facilitate discussion on those "other" things that get you into college)

Sushil:  I did well on the SAT (on my second try) and didn’t get into the college of my choice (I’m glad I didn’t now, it would’ve been a mistake).  There are a million other factors, but no one has ever been hurt by a good SAT score.

The SAT is a program of the College Board, a non-profit blah blah blah.

Anish:  The College Board is basically a company, a business.  They’ll say all these good things about themselves, but really they’re out to make money.  They also are responsible for the PSAT and the Advanced Placement exams.  How much money will you end up giving to the College Board by the time you enter college?  I gave $700+.

Sushil: Prices are going up too, I spent $800, and you may well have to pay more, but it’s a small price when it really comes down to it.

Anish:  The only reason I even bring this up is because knowing that the CollegeBoard and the Educational Testing Service are businesses is useful information.  For one, as a company, they have to be politically correct otherwise they’ll get sued (and they sure have been sued).  You will always find a minority reading comprehension passage.  And any passage or question on women and minorities will always be shown in a positive light.  The people who have been historically oppressed would get upset if this were not the case and then CB would get reamed for it.

Continue with the introduction (part 2) - Who writes the SAT and what does it test?