About the SAT Exam
What you should know about the SAT
The SAT exam is the most popular college entrance exam. Millions of students are tested every year, and colleges take a close look at your scores when deciding whether or not you will be admitted. The maximum score on the SAT exam is a 2400, with a 1500 considered "average."
The SAT exam is divided into ten sections testing three content areas:
Math |
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| How many questions? |
3 sections -70 minutes total |
What do they test? |
Number and Operations |
| How do I answer? |
Multiple-Choice |
What's my score? |
200-800 |
Critical Reading |
|
|
|
| How many questions? |
3 sections -70 minutes total |
What do they test? |
Sentence Completion |
| How do I answer? |
Multiple-Choice Only |
What's my score? |
200-800 |
Writing |
|
|
|
| How many questions? |
3 sections - 60 minutes total |
What do they test? |
Writing Skills: Style, Clarity and Fluidity, |
| How do I answer? |
Original Essay |
What's my score? |
200-800 |
Unscored? |
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The tenth section of the SAT is the unscored section. On every exam, the test writers include one extra, unscored section where they try out new questions. It could cover Math, Critical Reading, or Writing. First of all, don't be scared if your test has extra questions in your weakest subject area. Every test is scored on the same number and distribution of questions. That said, do not, under any circumstances, leave a section blank because you think it's the unscored section. It's not worth the risk of leaving a scored section blank just to give your hand a rest. |
