SAT Programme
The SAT is a standardised test administered by the College Board, required of students seeking admission to undergraduate schools. Its full form is the Scholastic Assessment Test, earlier known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test.
The SAT evaluates the written, verbal and mathematical skills of candidates. It is a pencil-and-paper test taken by those who aspire to pursue undergraduate courses, particularly in the US and Canada. Students who wanted admission to a particular course earlier needed to take the SAT Subject Test, but subject tests were discontinued by the College Board in June 2021.
Why SAT?
Students looking to enrol in undergraduate programmes in the US appear for the SAT, and most colleges there require it for admission. Many schools also offer scholarship money to students based on their SAT result.
Types of SAT
SAT 1, commonly referred to as the Scholastic Assessment Test, is a general test developed to evaluate written, verbal and mathematical skills. SAT 2 was more subject-focused: students seeking admission to a particular course took it to demonstrate their knowledge of that subject. Since subject tests were discontinued in June 2021, aspirants now take only the SAT for admission to their desired undergraduate course.
Exam pattern
The SAT comprises two major sections — Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and Math — plus an optional essay. Both sections are scored on a range of 200 to 800. Although optional, the essay score is required by a number of colleges during the application process, and is scored from 2 to 8.
- Both sections of EBRW questions are multiple choice.
- Math is divided into two sets of questions — one to be attempted without a calculator and one with a calculator.
- Most mathematics questions are MCQs; some are grid-ins, where students solve and fill in the answer on the bubble sheet.
- The exam is 3 hours long. The SAT with Essay is 3 hours and 50 minutes.
- There is a time limit of 100 minutes for EBRW and 80 minutes for Math.
Exam pattern highlights
| Detail | Description |
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| Number of sections | 4 (2 EBRW, 2 Math) |
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| Duration | 180 minutes without the essay |
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| Number of questions | 154 |
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| Score range | 400 – 1600 |
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| Language | English |
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| Mode | Pencil and paper |
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| Negative marking | None |
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Note. The score is valid for five years, and the SAT is administered five times a year.
Section-wise structure
| Section | Sub-section | Questions | Time (min) | Score range |
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| Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Reading Test | 52 | 65 | 200 – 800 |
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| Writing and Language Test | 44 | 35 | |
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| Mathematics | Math without a calculator | 20 | 25 | 200 – 800 |
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| Math with a calculator | 38 | 55 | |
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| Essay (optional) | 1 prompt | 1 | 50 | 2 – 8 |
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| Total | | 154 (155 with essay) | 180 (230 with essay) | 400 – 1600 |
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Order of the sections
This section has 96 questions to answer in 100 minutes, divided into the Reading test and the Writing and Language test. The section score is calculated from both tests together and ranges from 200 to 800.
- Reading is the first and longest test in the SAT — 52 questions in 65 minutes.
- There are five passages, each followed by a series of multiple-choice questions.
- A few passages may include a graph or chart related to the content.
- Passages are drawn from previously published works in world literature, history and social studies, and science.
- The goal is to measure a student’s ability to understand words in context, and to find and analyse evidence.
- The second test in the SAT — 44 questions in 35 minutes.
- Four passages, each followed by 11 multiple-choice questions.
- Graphs and charts appear here too, with at least two passages carrying a pictorial representation of the text.
- Questions test grammar, usage, rhetoric and style in English.
- 58 questions in 80 minutes, split into Math No-Calculator and Math With-Calculator.
- The section score is calculated from both tests and ranges from 200 to 800.
- Most questions are multiple choice, with a handful of grid-in questions where students enter their own answers.
- The four main areas tested are Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, Passport to Advanced Math, and Additional Topics in Math.
- Additional topics include geometry, trigonometry and complex numbers.
- 25 minutes, 20 questions, no calculator allowed.
- 15 are multiple choice and 5 are grid-in questions.
- Covers all four main areas except problem solving and data analysis.
- 55 minutes, 38 questions, calculator allowed.
- 30 questions are multiple choice and the remaining 8 are grid-ins.
- Students must bring their own calculator. Scientific calculators and some graphing calculators are allowed; a calculator on a mobile phone is not.
- Although a calculator is allowed, not every question in this section needs one.
- Optional, with 50 minutes to write the essay.
- The task requires you to read and understand a commentary or speech and evaluate the language, reasoning and rhetoric used by the author.
- The response must be an analytic evaluation of the given text.
- The essay score is presented as three area scores — Reading, Writing and Analysis — each ranging from 2 to 8.