SAT Test Overview

 

SAT Section Comparisons

  Section # Of Questions Time Allowed Details Score Range  
  SAT Writing 49 + 1 Essay Two 25 min sections and One 10 min section Improving Sentences (25 questions), Identifying Sentence Errors (18 questions), Improving Paragraphs (6 questions), Essay (1) 200-800  
  SAT Critical Reading 67 Two 25 min sections and One 20 min section Sentence Completion (19 questions) and Passage-based Reading (48 questions) 200-800  
  SAT Math 54 Two 25 min sections and One 20 min section Multiple Choice (44 questions), Grid-in (10 questions) 200-800  
  Totals   3 Hours and 45 Minutes   600-2400  
 

SAT Critical Reading

 

The Critical Reading section of the SAT is divided between two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. There are two general types of questions that appear in the Critical Reading section: sentence completion and reading/response. Sentence completion questions test student vocabulary, organization and syntax.  The Critical Reading is made up of three scored sections, two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section, with varying types of questions, including sentence completions and questions about short and long reading passages. Critical Reading sections normally begin with 5 to 8 sentence completion questions; the remainder of the questions are focused on the reading passages.

This Section Tests:

  • Critical Reading
  • Analysis
  • Reasoning

SAT Writing

 

The writing section of the SAT, based on but not directly comparable to the old SAT II subject test in writing, includes multiple choice questions and a brief essay. The multiple choice questions include error identification questions, sentence improvement questions, and paragraph improvement questions.The essay section is always administered as the first section of the test. All essays must be in response to a given prompt. The prompts are broad and often philosophical and are designed to be accessible to students regardless of their educational and social backgrounds. This Section Tests:

  • Knowledge of grammar
  • Rhetorical skills
  • Organization

SAT Mathematics

 

The Mathematics section of SAT is widely known as Quantitative Section. Mathematics section consists of three scored sections. There are two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section.

  • This Section Tests
    •     Arithmetic (8-10 Questions)
    •     Algebra (20-22 Questions)
    •     Geometry (15-17 Questions)
    •     Other Mathematical Concepts (3-5 Questions)