Overview of the SAT
What is the SAT?
The SAT is a standardized test administered to high schoolers for admission to US colleges. The SAT is composed of four sections, delivered in this order:
Reading
Writing
Math (no calculator)
Math (with a calculator)
The SAT is administered seven times annually:
August
October
November
December
March
May
June
(check out the official College Board test dates for the SATs in 2019 and 2020).
The Four Sections of the SAT
The structure of the SAT is outlined below.
The duration of the SAT itself is 3 hours (3 hours and 15 minutes, including breaks) or up to 3 hours and 50 minutes (4 hours and 5 minutes with breaks) if you opt to take the optional essay.
Section |
Duration |
Questions |
|---|---|---|
Reading |
65 min |
52 |
Writing |
35 min |
44 |
Math (no calculator) |
25 min |
20 |
Math (calculator) |
55 min |
38 |
Essay (optional) |
50 min |
1 |
How is the SAT scored?
The SAT score is a composite scale score (as opposed to the ACT’s average scaled score). This means that the “raw” number of questions you get correct is converted to a “scaled score” based off of a curve.
Combined, the Reading and Writing sections make-up your total Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score (also sometimes called your Verbal score), which is between 200-800.
The Reading section is scored from 100 to 400 points and consists of 5 passages, each containing 10-11 questions, for a total of 52 evidence-based questions in 65 minutes.
The Writing section is also scored from 100 to 400 points and consists of 4 passages, each with 11 questions, for a total of 44 in 35 minutes.
The other half of your SAT score is based on the 3rd and 4th Mathematics sections.
The third section does not allow the use of a calculator. There are 15 multiple choice questions and 5 open-ended, “grid-in” questions that are to be answered in 25 minutes.
The fourth section allows a calculator and consists of 30 multiple choice questions and 8 open-ended, grid-in questions that are to be answered in 55 minutes.
The last section is an optional essay. There are 50 minutes allotted to read a passage and explain how the author builds a persuasive argument. Several colleges require or highly recommend the essay section, so make sure to check out each college’s policy on its website.
The essay portion is scored based on 3 criteria, each on a scale of 2–8, for a total of 6–24.
According to the CollegeBoard, the average Reading & Writing score in 2018 was 536 on and the average Math score was 531, for a total of 1068.