What is the SAT?

Article Type: Connect

Be prepared. It's the motto of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts everywhere, and should be the one for SAT®-bound students. We're talking the kind of student who always carries a spare pencil, makes lunches for school the night before, and invests profits from babysitting/lawn mowing/lemonade stands in a retirement account.

No, we don't have a snazzy vest for all those badges, but the Shmoop Troop's got the inside scoop on the SAT so you're not bamboozled come Test Day. 

What is the format of the SAT?

The new SAT is 3 hours long with an optional 50-minute essay section. That's only 5 minutes longer than the old exam if you opt for writing the essay. There are fewer problems on the new reading and writing sections (yay), but more problems on the new math section (less yay). Here's how it all shakes out.

• Reading Test: 65 minutes to answer 52 multiple-choice questions based on four passages and one passage pair
• Writing & Language Test: 35 minutes to answer 44 multiple-choice questions based on four passages
• Math Test: 25 minutes to answer 20 questions without a calculator, 55 minutes to answer 38 questions with a calculator 
• Essay (Optional): 50 minutes to read a passage and write 1 essay on how the passage author supports his or her argument

If you opt for writing the essay because you just love taking standardized tests (or because a college you're applying to requires it—check the list here), that's 50 more minutes in the testing room. That's only enough time to watch one episode of The Walking Dead, though, so we think you'll live.

What does the SAT test on?

The SAT and all of its related tests are supposed to measure how well students will succeed in the real world. Memorizing the first 74 digits of pi or knowing the definition of "furciferous" may be impressive, but it won't help much in college when a professor's ranting about the Oxford comma and you have no idea what that means.

With that fact in mind, the College Board redesigned these tests to measure skills that come in handy in college and careers.

• Math Test: Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, equations, and problem-solving all make an appearance on the Math Test. Yes, calculators are allowed, but no, not the whole time. Get ready to see more word problems though rather than plain variables and numbers; you'll be demonstrating your ability to solve math problems and analyze data in everyday life.
• Reading Test: The College Board probably had the saying "read between the lines" in mind while designing this test. Show off those sweet comprehension skills while interpreting five passages, connecting them to extra-fun supplemental materials like graphs and…well, mostly just graphs. You'll read and analyze texts on a variety of subjects—key word "variety." The College Board wants to make sure students are comfortable reading everything from a political speech to a history of the hummingbird to an in-depth analysis of Justin Bieber's career.
• Writing & Language Test: Jump into the role of an editor for this test, which involves correcting four passages for grammar, style, punctuation, and other linguistic errors. You'll be editing texts, correcting grammar mistakes and making stylistic revisions to awkward sentence and paragraph constructions.
• Optional Essay: Rather than writing an argumentative piece on why you think Mr. So-and-So's quote about chocolate muffins is right or wrong, the new SAT Essay is an analytical response to a source text. Oh, and guess what? Those kind souls over in SAT-Land have already given us the prompt here. You'll be analyzing how an argument is built and what evidence is drawn upon to support that argument.

What can I expect on the Reading Section of the SAT? 

As the unlovely yet delicious refried bean has taught us, looks aren't everything. The SAT Reading Test is way prettier than refried beans, but it has so much more to offer than just its sleek new physique. It's got brains, and we like that. You'll find four passages and one passage pair, each with 10 to 11 multiple-choice questions. Passages will be pulled from the following subject areas: 

• Literary passages are prime locations to find questions about mood, tone, and characterization. Expect to see excerpts from American authors and other world literature greats like Virginia Woolf, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton, and Emily Bronte. Passages can be classic or contemporary, but don't expect anything as old as The Epic of Gilgamesh, as poetic as E.E. Cummings, or as tricky as Shakespeare. Whew. 
• Historical documents aren't just for history class anymore. Some of our great founding documents are considered as literary as Shakespeare himself, and they feature some wicked rhetoric skills. Expect speeches and texts from American and British politicians, historians, influencers, and thinkers. 
• Social science passages cover the social habits, interactions, and historical behaviors of various groups of people. This one includes a lot of subcategories, though. The subject area ranges from anthropology, the study of societies and cultures, to economics, with a touch of everything in between: sociology, political science, psychology, archaeology, business, geography, education, and history. 
• Two natural science passages (or one passage plus another passage pair) means that the SAT wants you to be able to read not only for humanities classes; reading's important for doing well in the sciences, too. The good news is that absolutely no advanced degrees in molecular biology are required in order to handle these science passages. In fact, straight As in science class aren't even required because all the information needed is right there in the passage. Science texts focus on basic concepts and recent discoveries in chemistry, biology, Earth science, and physics. They could come from sources like these bad mama jamas right here. 

Texts range in complexity from the type often seen in ninth and tenth grade classrooms up to the kind found in beginning college-level classes—the ones the doctoral students in physics aren't taking. Expect a few technical terms, but nothing that sounds like it belongs in a dissertation. So how exactly will the test examine your abilities to read these passages? 

The SAT Reading Test assesses literacy and analysis skills in three major content areas: 

• Information and Ideas, focuses on interpreting the information in a text and drawing conclusions from it. Questions in this content area may ask for participation in any of these delightful literary activities. 
• Rhetoric, the second content area, analyzes aspects of a text to determine how effectively the author communicates the information. Questions in the Rhetoric content area demand analysis of…nearly everything. 
• Finally, the Synthesis content area combines analysis from multiple sources—either two texts or a text and a chart—to produce new conclusions and generalizations. Questions in this content area want us to analyze multiple texts to draw conclusions and make inferences. Synthesis is our favorite content area because it has pictures. Don't tell the other content areas; they get jealous. 

Super fun bonus time! Two of the passages also contain pictures, which we love, although they aren't pictures like the ones your little sister puts on the refrigerator. These are charts, graphs, and tables that supplement the information in the text. 

What can I expect on the Writing and Language Section of the SAT?

Theatrics aside, students do not hold a lot of power here. In fact, there is no actual writing on the SAT Writing Test. All of the questions are focused on editing someone else's work. Students read four passages and answer 11 questions about each passage. With 35 minutes to answer all 44 questions on the test, that leaves less than a minute to work on each multiple-choice question. That doesn't include the time it will take to read the passage. 

However, some questions you'll be able to answer in just fifteen seconds—they may be as simple as adding a comma here or there. Other questions you may have to linger over for a minute or two, because they'll be testing your sense of what fits best in the context of a longer passage.

Here are the types of passages you'll see on the exam:

• Careers. While it may not be as hands-on as trying on a firefighter's gear or checking a patient's heartbeat with a doctor's stethoscope, the Careers passage is the next best thing to a job fair. This passage usually covers trends or debates in popular career fields like technology or health care.
• History/Social Studies. It seems like people are always asking about our plans for the future, so the History/Social Studies passage is a welcome break to reflect on the past. Topics for this passage on the Writing Test cover history (duh), but also a variety of other areas.
• Humanities. Oh, the humanities! The humanities are another broad topic, covering both literature and fine arts: music, dance, philosophy, language, and theatre. This passage could be anything from a biography on Beethoven to an expository essay on the history of tap dancing.
• Science. If the other passages don't light your Bunsen burner, the science passage might do the trick. This passage covers Earth science, biology, chemistry, or physics. Don't be intimidated by unfamiliar scientific jargon—questions on the Writing Test assess editing skills, not one's ability to define "lepidopterist."

One minute per question might not sound like much, but all of the questions are multiple-choice, so it's not like we're flying without a safety net. Most questions give us four options to correct an underlined portion of the passage, and they're all multiple choice. These aren't too hard, in fact, the right answer, is always in front of us.

A. NO CHANGE
B. too hard; in fact, the right answer
C. too hard; in fact the right answer
D. too hard in fact, the right answer

Look at that. The SAT does some of the heavy lifting with that NO CHANGE option. The choice isn't offered every time, but it pops up pretty often throughout the test, and should help cut down on time spent per question.

In the example above, there are way too many commas, so something is clearly wrong. Before we even look at the other answer choices, we can eliminate "NO CHANGE" (A). Now there's a one-in-three shot of choosing the correct answer, which happens to be the semicolon + comma combo (B).

The Writing section of the SAT also will test your skills in these areas: 

• Development. How should a writer support his or her argument? How does the writer provide evidence for a conclusion?
• Organization. Does the order of ideas in the text make sense? Are all ideas connected to one another?
• Effective language use. Does the author choose the right words? Does one sentence harmonize with the next one in terms of style?
• Sentence structure. Are sentences properly formed and easily understood?
• Conventions of usage. Are there any grammar errors evident?
• Conventions of punctuation. Are all the punctuation marks in the right place? Are there any that are missing or incorrectly used?

What can I expect on the Math Section of the SAT?

The redesigned SAT contains 58 math questions total, and students have 80 minutes to complete the math test. The test is split into a calculator and a non-calculator section. The calculator section includes 38 questions that must be completed in 55 minutes, and the non-calculator section has 20 questions that must be completed in 25 minutes.

Depending on testing location, calculators may be collected for the non-calculator section and then returned later, or the test proctor may simply instruct students not to use the calculator for certain sections. Once a section is completed, you can't return to that section, so be sure to answer every question before leaving the section.

In broad terms, here's what's covered under each content area.

• Problem Solving and Data Analysis: This section teaches students how to summarize and analyze qualitative and quantitative data. Start by understanding ratios, proportions, percentages, and units, as well as how and when to convert between units. Apply these relationships to data, graphs, tables, and charts in order to describe relationships. Use statistics and probability to draw inferences and conclusions, and make predictions based on the findings.
• Passport to Advanced Math: This section is similar to the Heart of Algebra but deals with non-linear equations. In addition to the Heart of Algebra topics applied to non-linear equations, students create, analyze, and solve quadratic equations, higher-order polynomials, rational expressions, expressions with rational exponents and radicals, and exponential functions. Special attention is paid to features of graphs, such as roots of polynomials, and how they relate to equations.
• Additional Topics in Math: In this section, parts of geometry and trigonometry are introduced. Volume formulas, the Pythagorean theorem, trigonometric ratios, complex and imaginary numbers, circle theories and the unit circle, similarity and congruence, and other select theories are included here.

All sections emphasize real-world contexts because fake-world contexts aren't particularly useful.

The non-calculator portion contains 15 multiple-choice questions and 5 grid-in questions to make up its 20 total questions.

• 8 questions from the Heart of Algebra content area (40%)
• 9 questions from the Passport to Advanced Math content area (45%)
• 3 questions from the Additional Topics in Math content area (15%)

The calculator-allowed section contains 30 multiple-choice questions and 8 grid-in questions to make up its 38 total questions. Here's the break down of the different content areas:

• 11 questions from the Heart of Algebra content area (29%)
• 17 questions from the Problem Solving and Data Analysis content area (45%)
• 7 questions from the Passport to Advanced Math content area (18%)
• 3 questions from the Additional Topics in Math content area (8%)

There aren't any questions from the Problem Solving and Data Analysis content area in the non-calculator section because it's pretty hard to process data without a calculator.

Reference items, such as certain area and volume formulas, are included on the test.

There are two main question types on the test. Most questions are multiple-choice, with four choices labeled A, B, C, or D. The other question type is the student-produced response (SPR), or "grid-in." For multiple-choice questions, simply fill in the circle corresponding to the correct letter choice. Grid-ins may look tough and intimidating, but they're actually very straightforward as well. For grid-ins, there are four columns including the numbers 0-9, a decimal point, and a slash to indicate a fraction. (The first column has no 0 or slash.) Students indicate their answer by filling in the circle corresponding to the number. For example, if the answer is 0.667, the first column contains the decimal point, the second and third columns contain sixes, and the fourth column contains a seven.

Students enter their answer in a grid using a #2 pencil (no mechanical pencils or pens). There's a space to write in the answer above each column as a double check, but credit is only given for the filled-in circles.

If there are any questions about the format or what can be brought to the test (pen, pencil, the type of calculator, Stephen Hawking, etc.), consult the College Board website for the final word. All of those things should be allowed except calculators that require power cords, "calculators" that are basically computers, and, unfortunately, Stephen Hawking.

What can I expect on the SAT Essay Test?

Because the Essay is now an optional part of the SAT, it's given at the end of the exam. Students who aren't taking the Essay portion of the exam have the chance to leave. But you should resist the urge to sneak out with the crowd. You can do this. 

Even the type of essay has changed on the new SAT. The persuasive or narrative essays of yesteryear have been replaced with an expository essay—more specifically, an analysis of a source text. The expository essay is like P90X for the brain: It stretches a student's muscles in not one, not two, but three key areas: reading, analysis, and writing.

While the actual source text is guarded with more secrecy than the Coca-Cola recipe, we do know this: Every passage is a persuasive article or essay, and students must analyze how the author constructs his or her argument. 

To clarify, the College Board isn't handing out answer keys or anything, but the board did design a common prompt for the essay. No matter when, where, or how students take the SAT, every version of the exam will have one thing in common: the format and wording of the essay question.

Here's what that common prompt will look like:

Read the passage below, carefully considering how Secretary Burwell uses

• evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.


• reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.


• stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.

[Source Text Will Appear Here]

Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [his/her] audience that [author's claim]. In your essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the features listed above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of [his/her] argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant aspects of the passage.

Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author's] claims, but rather explain how the author builds an argument to persuade [his/her] audience.

There may be more brackets in that prompt than a March Madness tournament, but the information inside those brackets is the only thing that will change on different versions of the SAT. The rest of the question will stay the same.

The Essay portion needs at least a little mystery, so there's no way of knowing what the source text will be. However, students can start practicing their analytical skills in advance. As luck would have it, we're covering exactly how to do that in the rest of this guide, and Shmoopers everywhere will walk into Test Day with a newfound glow of confidence.

How is the SAT scored?

After years of going against the grain, the College Board has reverted back to the old 400-1600 score for the new SAT. Each score for the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and the Math section ranges from 200-800, while the essay is scored on a scale from 2-8. The essay score is reported separately and isn't a part of your 400-1600 SAT score for the other two sections.

But, that's not all! The SAT offers subscores that give you much more information about how you performed on the test. We love a good chart as much as the next visual learner, but here's a verbal breakdown of these fancy new subscores.

The testee is given a test score for the Writing and Language Test on a scale of 10-40, which is then combined with the Reading Test score (also graded on a scale of 10-40) to give a section score on a scale of 200-800, which is then combined with the Math Test section score to provide an overall score between 400-1600. Phew. This scoring process occurs through some sort of occult, alchemical catalysis that can only be understood by one willing to peer into the dark otherworld where standardized tests are spawned.

Instead of performing the arcane rites required to obtain this knowledge, let's skip right to the question of the hour: "What do I need to do to pass this test?" For goal-driven students who feel lost without a target score, the College Board does at least offer a little something. They've identified a "benchmark score" of 500 for both sections of the SAT. Students who hit that mark have a 65% chance of earning at least a B- average during their freshman year of college.

SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

•  Back
• More