An Overview of the SAT Structure

An Overview of the SAT Structure:

The SAT is a standardized test that is needed to apply to undergrad programs abroad. The SAT exam pattern serves as both a measure of students’ college readiness and as a valid and reliable predictor of college outcomes. It is a college entrance exam having four tests, Reading, Writing & Language, Math and the Essay (which is optional but some colleges may ask for an Essay score also).

Let’s have a better understanding of the pattern of the test. The composite SAT score ranges from 400 – 1600 and is a sum of the Evidence-based Reading & Writing score (200-800) and the Math score (200-800). The total duration of the test if you choose to attempt the Essay section is 4 hours, 5 minutes (with breaks).

SAT Structure:

Order of the Sections:

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Section:

• The Evidence-Based SAT Reading and SAT Writing section has 96 questions to answer in 100 minutes which is divided into two tests – The Reading test and the Writing & Language test.
• The section score of Evidence-Based Reading and Writing is calculated from the reading test and the writing test scores. The EBRW section score ranges from 200 to 800.
  

  SAT Reading Test:

  • SAT reading is the first and longest test in the SAT – 52 questions in 65 minutes.
  • There will be 5 passages and each passage will be followed by a series of multiple-choice questions.
  • A few passages may have a graph or a chart related to the content in the passage.
  • The passages will be from previously published works in the area of world literature, history/social studies, and Science.
  • The main goal of the reading test is to measure a student’s ability to understand words in context and find and analyze evidence.

  SAT Writing and Language Test:

  • SAT Writing and Language Test is the second test in the SAT – 44 questions in 35 minutes.
  • This test has 4 passages and each passage will be followed by 11 multiple-choice questions.
  • Graphs and charts are incorporated in the writing section too with at least two passages having a pictorial representation of the textual content.
  • The questions are formulated in a way that they test the grammar, usage, rhetoric, and style of the English language.

SAT Math Section:

• SAT Math section has 58 questions to be answered in 80 minutes which is divided into two parts – Math No-Calculator and Math Yes-Calculator.
• Math section score is calculated from these two tests and the score ranges from 200 to 800.
• While most of the questions in the math section are multiple-choice questions, there is also a handful of Grid In questions where students need to enter their own answers.
• The four main areas tested in the math section are Heart of algebra, Problem Solving, and Data Analysis, Passport to Advanced Math and Additional Topics in Math.
• Additional math topics included Geometry, Trigonometry, and Complex Numbers.
  

  Math No-Calculator Section:

  • The test-taker is not allowed to use a calculator in this 25-minute long section which has 20 questions.
  • Out of these 20 questions, 15 are multiple-choice questions and 5 are Grid In questions.
  • This section has questions from all the four main areas except problem-solving and data analysis.

  Math with Calculator Section:

  • The test-taker is allowed to use a calculator to answer the 38 questions in this 55 minute section.
  • Of the 38 questions, 30 questions are multiple-choice and the remaining 8 are Grid-in questions.
  • The student has to bring a calculator; scientific calculators and some graphing calculators are allowed for this section; a calculator in the mobile is not allowed.
  • Though a calculator is allowed, not all the questions in this section need a calculator.

SAT Essay Section:

• SAT essay section is optional and students have 50-minutes to write the essay.
• The task requires the test-takers to read and understand a commentary or speech and evaluate the language, reasoning, and rhetoric exercised by the author.
• The response has to be an analytic evaluation of the given text.
• The Essay score will be presented as three area scores for Reading, Writing, and Analysis, each ranging from 2 to 8.