SAT

The SAT is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States.
Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times.
For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and had two components, Verbal and Mathematical, each of which was scored on a range from 200 to 800.
Later it was called the Scholastic Assessment Test, then the SAT I: Reasoning Test, then the SAT Reasoning Test, then simply the SAT.
The SAT is wholly owned, developed, and published by the College Board, a private, not-for-profit organization in the United States.

Test Structure

The SAT takes three hours and consists of three tests:

(1) Reading Test
(2) Writing and Language Test
(3) Math Test

Most of the questions are multiple choice, though some of the math questions ask you to write in the answer rather than select it.

On all questions, there’s no penalty for guessing: if you’re not sure of the answer, it’s better to guess than leave the response blank.

Reading Test:
The Reading Test presents five reading passages followed by multiple-choice questions about each passage.
You have 65 minutes to complete this test, which includes 52 questions total.

Writing and Language Test:
The Writing and Language test is a multiple-choice test in which you read passages and find and fix mistakes and weaknesses.
This part of the SAT is 35 minutes long, includes 4 passages, and contains 44 multiple-choice questions.

Math Test (Arithmetic, Algebra I & II, Geometry, Trigonometry and Data Analysis):

The Math Test focuses on the areas of math that play the biggest role in college and career success:

• Heart of Algebra, which focuses on the mastery of linear equations and systems.
• Problem Solving and Data Analysis, which is about being quantitatively literate.

• Passport to Advanced Math, which features questions that require the manipulation of complex equations.

The Math Test also draws on Additional Topics in Math, including the geometry and trigonometry most relevant to college and career readiness.

The Math Test is divided into two parts: a no-calculator portion and a calculator portion.
In both portions, most of the test is multiple choice, but some of the questions at the end ask you to write the answer (these are called “grid-ins”).
Everyday formulas are provided for you to use.
You are given 80 minutes for the Math Tests – 25 minutes for the no-calculator portion (20 questions) and 55 minutes for the calculator portion (38 questions).

How Scores Are Calculated:
The total score is the sum of the two section scores: (1) Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and (2) Math.
The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score is composed of the Reading Test and the Writing and Language Test, and each of those tests contributes equally to the section score.
The Math section score is made up of the Math Test only.
Each of these two section scores has a possible range of 200–800.
Your raw score in each section, which is the number of questions you got right, is converted to a scaled score between 200 and 800.

Your total score (the sum of the two section scores) is a number between 400 and 1600.

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