SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test)
About SAT :
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test that assesses the critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills that students need to be successful in college. Each of the three sections that comprise the SAT Reasoning Test has a possible score of 800 points. Prior to 2005, the SAT test included only two sections, the verbal section (now referred to as the critical reading section) and the math section, each having possible scores of 800 points. SAT test results represent one factor considered by many colleges and universities in making admissions decisions.
Today, the SAT is the benchmark standardized assessment of the critical reading, mathematical reasoning, and writing skills students have developed over time and that they need to be successful in college. Each year, more than two million students take the SAT. Nearly every college in America uses the test as a common and objective scale for evaluating a student's college readiness.
• The most researched standardized admissions test
• The standard in reliability and validity
• An internationally recognized, accurate measure of college readiness and scholarship potential
The SAT is offered seven times a year in the United States and six times at international sites. The test:
• Takes three hours and 45 minutes
• Consists of 10 separately timed sections:
• Three sections test critical reading (70 minutes total)
• Three sections test mathematics (70 minutes total)
• Three sections test writing (60 minutes total)
• One variable (un scored) section tests critical reading, mathematics, or writing (25 minutes total)
• Assesses subject matter learned in high school and problem solving skills in three areas:
• Critical reading
• Mathematics
• Writing
• Includes three kinds of questions:
• Multiple-choice questions
• Student-produced responses (mathematics only)
• Essay question
• Is machine-scored, except for the essay
Why should students take the SAT?
Students and parents often ask why it is important to take the SAT. Reasons include:
• All colleges accept the SAT as an objective measurement of students' college readiness.
• Used with GPA and high school transcripts, SAT scores allow colleges to fairly compare applicants.
• Taking the SAT gives students access to scholarship opportunities.
• Most colleges require an admission test like the SAT.
• The SAT provides students with the most comprehensive performance feedback of any admission test.
Many institutions require a writing assessment for admission. Students who take the SAT automatically fulfill such requirements.
Learn more about the scholarship search tool in the student area of our site.
How difficult is the SAT?
The SAT is developed to reflect accepted educational standards. The data show that the material on the SAT and the time allocated to each section are appropriate for the intended test-taking population:
• On average, students answer 50 to 60 percent of questions correctly.
• 80 percent finish nearly the entire test.
• Almost all students complete at least 75 percent of the questions.
Encourage your students to become familiar with the test before they take their first SAT. (The following link takes you to the student area of this site.) The SAT practice section offers:
• Sample questions
• Answer explanations
• Official SAT practice test
• Personalized score report
Critical reading
The critical reading questions are all multiple choice. They can have one of two formats:
• Sentence completion
• Passage-based reading with long and short excerpts from works in natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and literary fiction
The questions assess students' reading skills, such as:
• Identifying main and supporting ideas
• Determining the meaning of words in context
• Understanding authors' purposes
• Understanding the structure and function of sentences
Mathematics
The mathematics section has two types of questions:
• Multiple-choice questions
• Student-produced responses
The questions require students to apply mathematical concepts and to use data literacy skills in interpreting tables, charts, and graphs. They cover skills in four major areas:
• Numbers and operations
• Algebra and functions
• Geometry and measurement
• Data analysis, statistics, and probability
Writing
The writing section consists of two types of questions:
• An essay
• Multiple-choice questions
The multiple-choice questions ask students to:
• Recognize sentence errors
• Choose the best version of a piece of writing
• Improve paragraphs
SAT® section by section
The SAT is three hours and 45 minutes long. It is broken into 10 sections:
• Three writing
• Three critical reading
• Three mathematics
• One variable (un-scored)
The first section is always the essay, and the last section is also a writing section. In between, the academic content areas can come in any order.
Content Minutes Total Time
Writing (essay) 25 60 minutes
Writing (multiple-choice) 25
Writing (multiple-choice) 10
Critical reading (multiple-choice) 25 70 minutes
Critical reading (multiple-choice) 25
Critical reading (multiple-choice) 20
Mathematics (multiple-choice and student-produced response) 25 70 minutes
Mathematics (multiple-choice) 25
Mathematics (multiple-choice) 20
Variable (un-scored, multiple-choice) 25 25 minutes
The un-scored section
One of the 25-minute sections is un-scored. This "variable" or "equating" section may have critical reading, mathematics, or multiple-choice writing questions. It does not count toward the final score but is used to try out new questions and to ensure that scores on new editions of the SAT are comparable to scores on earlier editions.
Test book variations
Test-takers sitting next to each other in the same testing session may have test books with an entirely different sequence of the 25-minute and 20-minute sections.
SAT Study Plan
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