Test timer is: a) quiet, b) handy, c) lucrative

This school year's first SAT test date is less than two weeks away, and the SAT is only the beginning of the alphabet soup of standardized tests that students will be taking this fall. The LSAT, for prospective law-school students, is this Saturday. The ACT and MCAT also loom.

All of the tests put time limits on the takers. They also disallow timers that beep or ring or bleat or make any other kind of noise.

What test takers need, obviously, is a timer that makes no noise. Enter the Silent Timer, an electronic device that not only doesn't beep -- it flashes a tiny red light when time's up -- but also tells the users how much time and how much time per question they have remaining.

The Silent Timer is produced by Silent Technology, based in Austin, and it's available in local university bookstores for $29.95. Dina Kushner, marketing director for Silent Technology, said sales have tripled from a year ago.

Mary LeVesque, general books manager at the UTA bookstore in Arlington, said inquiries about the timer are picking up.

"Now everyone is asking for them," she said. "I've sold about six. Now I'm starting to order in larger quantities."

There's also an online demonstration of the timer at www.silenttimer.com.