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The SAT Reasoning Test is a measure of the critical thinking skills you'll need for academic success in college. The SAT assesses how well you analyze and solve problems—skills you learned in school that you'll need in college.
Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800, and the writing section will contain two subscores. The SAT is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. It is administered seven times a year in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Territories, and six times a year overseas.
Each edition of the SAT includes a Critical Reading, Math, and Writing section, with a specific number of questions related to content.
Critical Reading Section
The critical reading section, formerly known as the verbal section, will include short reading passages along with the existing long reading passages. Analogies have been eliminated, but sentence-completion questions and passage-based reading questions remain.
The Critical Reading Section measures:
- Sentence Completions
- Passage-based Reading
Mathematics Section
The SAT will include expanded math topics, such as exponential growth, absolute value, and functional notation, and place greater emphasis on such other topics as linear functions, manipulations with exponents, and properties of tangent lines.
Important skills formerly measured in the quantitative comparison format, such as estimation and number sense, will continue to be measured through the multiple choice and student response (grid-in) questions.
Students can use a four-function, scientific, or graphing calculator. The College Board recommends that students use a calculator at least at the scientific level for the SAT, although it's still possible to solve every question without a calculator.
The Math Section has two types of questions:
- Multiple Choice
- Student-Produced Response Questions
Writing Section
The short essay measures your ability to:
- Organize and express ideas clearly
- Develop and support the main idea
- Use appropriate word choice and sentence structure
You'll be asked to develop a point of a view on an issue, using reasoning and evidence — based on your own experiences, readings, or observations — to support your ideas.
The essay will be scored by trained high school and college teachers. Each reader will give the essay a score from 1 to 6 (6 is the highest score) based on the overall quality of the essay and your demonstration of writing competence. |
