SAT Test Breakdown

Almost all four-year colleges in the United States require the SAT Reasoning Test for admission. The SAT Reasoning Test was formerly known as either the Scholastic Aptitude Test or the SAT I, and is now commonly called the SAT test. The SAT test has been developed by the College Board to measure the academic skills that will be necessary for success in college.

The SAT test has three sections: Reading, Mathematics, and Writing. The Reading section lasts for 65 minutes, now as one section instead of being broken up into three sections. Students will be presented with passages of varying length, followed by multiple-choice questions. These questions will evaluate the student’s ability to complete sentences and evaluate a long passage. Analogies are no longer a part of the SAT test. Reading Practice Test

The Mathematics section lasts for 80 minutes, broken up into one 55-minute with calculator section and a 25-minute section without a calculator. Students will be presented with questions in the following content areas: number and operations; algebra and functions; geometry; and statistics, probability, and data analysis. Some of the questions will be in multiple-choice format, while others will require the student to complete the problem on a special grid. Although students will be allowed to use a calculator in one of the Mathematics sections, the test has been designed so that every problem can be completed without a calculator. Math Practice Test

The Writing and Language section is the newest addition to the SAT test, it lasts for 35 minutes with a 50-minute optional essay. The multiple-choice questions will assess the student’s ability to improve sentences and paragraphs, and identify linguistic errors. The optional essay section will assess the student’s ability to organize and express ideas, develop and support a thesis, and use language appropriately. Writing Practice Test

Besides the Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing sections, there might also be a 20-minute unscored section used to develop future versions of the exam. The multiple-choice questions in this section may pertain to any of the three content areas.

With the new changes to the SAT, the sections are no longer random, but 4 to 5 sections in the same order each time. The first section of the SAT will always be the Reading Section followed by, Writing and Language, Math without a calculator, Math with a calculator, and the last section is the optional essay. 154 of the questions on the exam will be scored; the score is the number of questions answered correctly, with no penalty for incorrect answers. This raw score will then be converted into a section score. The two math sections make up a Math sections score, and the Reading and Writing and Language make up the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section score.

Students will receive scores for each of the two sections on a scale of 200 to 800. These scores are combined to calculate the total score. The SAT test is offered around seven times every school year at locations around the country.


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SECTION
Time
Allotted
Reading65 min
Mathematics80 min
Writing and Language35 min
Essay (optional)50 min

SAT Test Directory