SAT Guide

A milestone for college-bound high school students, the SAT is one of the most common standardized tests in the world. Most colleges and universities accept SAT scores as a means of assessing applicants’ potential to succeed in an undergraduate program in virtually any major. Administered by the College Board, the SAT comprises two sections: math and evidence-based reading and writing. Students may also opt to complete an additional essay section. The College Board lets students select up to four schools to automatically receive their SAT. For students who opt to take the essay portion of the SAT, those scores are sent separately from other sections.

The College Board lets students select up to four schools to automatically receive their SAT

Many undergraduate programs require SAT scores as part of the application process. Schools may grant or deny admission based on an these scores along with other factors, including an applicants’ high school GPA, prior coursework and experience, and letters of recommendation. Test-takers may complete the test on paper or on the computer, though the computer option is only available in select states. The SAT comprises multiple-choice questions for the math and reading and writing sections, ideal for aspiring teachers of all subjects and grade levels.

SAT Subject Tests

Undergraduate programs often require applicants to submit their general SAT scores, but some also require (or recommend) that applicants submit scores from SAT Subject Tests. Subject tests are available in 20 specific subjects across five primary categories: languages, math, science, English, and history. Subject tests evaluate students’ aptitude in a particular discipline at the high school level, indicating their potential for higher learning in that area. Each subject test comprises multiple-choice questions, takes an hour to complete, and yields a score between 200 and 800 points. The College Board administers subject tests approximately six times per year, at the same dates and sites as the general SAT, though not all subject tests are available on each date. Students may not take the general SAT and a subject test on the same day. Registration costs $26 and includes one to three subject tests on the student’s scheduled test date.

What Does the SAT Look Like?

Since a comprehensive overhaul of its design in 2016, the “new” SAT incorporates several major changes to its structure, timing, and scoring process. The test includes two primary sections — evidence-based reading and writing and math — plus an optional essay section. The evidence-based reading and writing section includes two subsections: a reading test and a writing and language assessment. Test-takers may skip tougher questions in these subsections and come back to them later, and they will not be penalized for guessing if they do not know the correct answer.

The SAT always presents its main sections in the same order: reading, writing and language, math without a calculator, and math with a calculator. All questions are multiple-choice. Students have three hours to complete all four sections of the SAT. The exam’s main sections go as follows: Reading takes 65 minutes; writing and language takes 35 minutes; math (no calculator) takes 25 minutes; and math (calculator) takes 55 minutes. Test-takers may add the optional essay section after completing the mandatory sections, adding an additional 50 minutes to respond to one writing prompt. Schools receive these essay scores separately from other section scores.

The SAT Going Online

In 2017, the College Board partnered with AIR Assessment to begin rolling out a digital version of the SAT. This transition is still in its early stages, so the College Board allows each school district the choice of whether or not to adopt online delivery of the SAT. Most districts still offer the test in hard copy only, but taking the SAT online will most likely grow in popularity as technology continues to evolve and improve. For this reason, test-takers should prepare for SAT to go fully online. Many big names in SAT test prep, such as Khan Academy, offer online study guides and even allow students to test drive the digital SAT.

How Does the Online SAT Work?

Multiple servers protect test-takers from network overload, sending responses directly to scorers before removing them from the servers

Students taking the SAT online encounter the same sections and content as the paper-delivered test; they simply submit their answers and essays through a digital platform instead of with pencil and paper.

Administered by AIR Assessment, the online SAT incorporates customized software designed for security and accessibility in the virtual testing environment. The digital SAT provides students with “virtual scratch paper,” the option to digitally “cross off” answers, and timed breaks, just like on the paper test.

Students’ answers on the online SAT are encrypted using a built-in proprietary browsing feature and diagnostic tool, unique to the AIR Assessment software. Multiple servers protect test-takers from network overload, sending responses directly to scorers before removing them from the servers. Students must take the computerized test in a controlled setting, at an approved testing site in their area — not at home on their personal computer. Test-takers pay the same fee for the online and paper SAT.

The Evidence-Based Reading Section

The Evidence-Based Writing and Language Section

The Math Section

The Essay Section

How is the SAT Scored?

Students earn points within a set range for each section of the SAT, including additional points for the optional SAT essay. Once a student’s scores for each section are added together, test-takers can earn a total score of between 400 and 1600 points. Evidence-based reading and writing and math each encompass 200 to 800 possible points. Students also receive three separate scores for each of the reading, writing and language, and math sections.

The SAT also includes “cross test” scores, which measure students’ analysis and problem-solving skills in all multiple-choice sections, and “subscores,” which measure proficiency in specific reading, writing, language, and math concepts.

Two scorers rate the optional essay, each assigning one to four points for each of the three dimensions of work: analysis, reading, and writing. The two scores for each dimension are then combined, totaling between two and eight points. The essay section alone does not yield a composite score or percentile rank.

What’s the Difference Between Score Ranges, Average Scores, College Readiness Benchmarks, and Percentile Ranks?

Beyond simply assigning a score to represent test-takers’ performance, the SAT measures how their scores compare to other test-takers’. First of all, scorers account for “wiggle room,” assuming most test-takers’ scores would vary slightly if they took the test again; this is why the SAT provides a score range. SAT scores also include students’ percentile rank, which measures how their score compares to their counterparts in a controlled group.

While the College Board provides both your scores per section and your total SAT score, individual schools may choose which ones they prefer to give the most attention. The SAT also places your score in the context of average SAT scores and college readiness benchmarks, enabling students to check their performance against the average scores of their peers, and measure their aptitude for college-level coursework, respectively.

What’s an Average Score on the SAT?

How Do You Register for the SAT?

The SAT registration process begins with creating a College Board profile, where students can designate university recipients, cancel or reschedule the test, and view their scores. Students must decide whether they will take the optional essay portion of the test at registration. They may also choose to answer additional questions about themselves to help colleges and potential fellowships find their profiles through the College Board’s student search tool. Most students can register online, but some — including those paying by check or money order, requesting a Sunday test date, or who are younger than 13 years old — must complete their registration by mail. Start your online registration here.