SAT

Hi Dhruv, start taking mock tests regularly now, its very essential and will help you understand where you need to improve more and wil give you an idea where you stand.
Good Luck

Hi
Higher the score, better are the chances of getting a good university. With new SAT in place, your score upto 1000 is average and anything around 1280 is high score out of 1600.

Here are a few good resources for SAT preparation
https://studyabroad.shiksha.com/exams/sat/best-books-and-resources

Hi Kshitij, you have to apply to the universities separately. CommonApp is the admission portal used to apply to US universities. Your SAT scores will be sent to four universities free of cost as per your choice,you can choose more universities at an additional cost. However you still have to apply using commonapp, wherein you must state your high school grades, attach your school reports, personal statement, LORs and so on. Here is the website, please take a look and get yourself familiarize with it.
www.commonapp.org
www.collegeboard.org
Hope it helped

You should try it as the application process for admissions starts in fall mostly and u hv chance of taking it twice to make your score better. SAT score is valid for 5 years though.

So the obvious answer is - No, you cannot pursue higher studies in US without SAT. Additionally you must also take TOEFL. There are no relaxation in case of SAT requirements.

Hi Himanshu,
To appear for the SAT, you must register firstly through the SAT official website:
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat
Start preparing if you haven't. You will find all available test dates on the website.

Hi
SAT and ACT are both the standardized test for admission in US. While SAT is more famous in India, ACT is actually better to score high provided you prepare well for it. You may choose one or both as the colleges in USA pick up your score directly from the organisation.
I would suggest you to take a mock test for both and then decide.