- Describe the SAT's sections, modules, number of questions and timing
- Understand how the adaptive modules work
- Know the score scale and that wrong answers are not penalized
- Enter your own math answers in the accepted format
Imagine Aysel wants to study at a university in the USA and needs an SAT score. Her first question is: “How long is this test, and what will I face?” Good news: the SAT is now taken on a computer, it is shorter than it used to be, and its structure is completely predictable. A student who knows the structure in advance is never surprised on test day and spends time wisely.
Two sections, four modules
The SAT is delivered in College Board's Bluebook app on your own laptop (Windows or Mac), an iPad or a school-managed Chromebook. It has two sections: first Reading and Writing, then, after a 10-minute break, Math. Each section is split into two equal, separately timed modules. Total testing time is 2 hours 14 minutes.
| Section | Modules | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | 2 × 27 questions | 54 | 2 × 32 min = 64 min |
| Math | 2 × 22 questions | 44 | 2 × 35 min = 70 min |
| Total | 4 modules + 10-min break | 98 | 2 h 14 min |
In each section, Module 1 gives a broad mix of easy, medium and hard questions. Based on how you do in Module 1, Module 2 is on average either harder or easier. The number of questions and the time are the same either way.
Inside a module you can move back and forth between questions and use Mark for Review to return later. But once time runs out or you move on, you cannot go back to the previous module. In Math modules questions go from easiest to hardest; in Reading and Writing, questions that test the same skill are grouped together.
What is in each section?
In Reading and Writing, every question is about one short passage of 25–150 words (sometimes with a table or graph) and has 4 answer choices. The questions come from four domains. In Math, about 75 percent of the questions are multiple choice with 4 options and about 25 percent ask you to type your own answer (student-produced response, SPR).
| Domain | What it tests | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Craft and Structure | words in context, purpose and structure, connections between two texts | ≈28%, 13–15 questions |
| Information and Ideas | central ideas, evidence (textual and quantitative), inferences | ≈26%, 12–14 questions |
| Standard English Conventions | punctuation, sentence structure, grammar agreement | ≈26%, 11–15 questions |
| Expression of Ideas | transitions, building a sentence from notes for a goal | ≈20%, 8–12 questions |
A calculator is allowed on every Math question: the Desmos graphing calculator is built into Bluebook, and you may also bring your own approved calculator. A reference sheet is available on screen too: area and volume formulas, the Pythagorean theorem, special right triangles, and the facts that a circle has 360° and 2π radians.
How is the SAT scored?
Scores come in 10-point steps: for example, 650 + 700 = 1350.
Your score is not just the number of correct answers. College Board uses Item Response Theory, which also takes question difficulty into account, so two students with the same number of correct answers can get different scores. The most important rule: wrong answers cost you nothing.
Typing your own answer: SPR rules
- 1Length limit
You can enter up to 5 characters for a positive answer and up to 6 (including the minus sign) for a negative one.
- 2A fraction that does not fit
If a fraction does not fit, enter its decimal; if the decimal is too long, truncate or round it at the fourth digit.
- 3No mixed numbers
Enter 3½ as 7/2 or 3.5. Remember that Bluebook uses a decimal point.
- 4No symbols, one answer
Do not type %, $ or commas. If you find more than one correct answer, enter only one.
Your answer to an SPR question is 2/3. Which of these entries are accepted: 2/3, .6667, 0.666, 0.67, .66?
Show solutionHide solution
.6667 — rounded at the fourth digit (5 characters): accepted.
0.666 — 5 characters, all the space is used: accepted.
0.67 and .66 — rounded too early although there was room for more digits, so they are not precise enough: not accepted.
Rule: if you enter a decimal, fill all the available space.
Key points
- Two sections: Reading and Writing (54 questions, 64 min) and Math (44 questions, 70 min), with a 10-minute break.
- Each section has 2 modules; the difficulty of Module 2 depends on your Module 1 performance.
- Total score 400–1600, each section 200–800; wrong answers are not penalized.
- In Math, the Desmos calculator and the reference sheet are available the whole time.
- SPR answers: 5 characters (6 if negative), no mixed numbers and no symbols.
Check yourself
10 questions. Every correct answer earns XP.