The SAT test is also referred to as the SAT Reasoning Test, and is used for college admissions in the United States. The test measures critical thinking skills, problem solving, and knowledge. The three major sections in the exam are: Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing. The test takes about 4 hours to complete. Each section is scored separately, and you can receive a score between 200 – 800 points for each section. The score for each section can be added together to give your composite. The highest possible composite score for the exam is 2400.
The exam will be split into 10 sub-sections. There will be 3 sub-sections of Critical Reading, 3 of Mathematics, and 3 of Writing. The 10th sub-section on the exam is an experimental one that is not included in your score for the exam. It will be an extra set of questions for one of the 3 major sections (Reading, Mathematics or Writing). It is used by the College Board to test new questions. You will not know which section is the experimental one, so you will want to do as well as you can on all sections. Occasionally students do find that the experimental section is more confusing or different than the other sections. So, while this may give you a clue that it is the experimental section you will not know for sure.
Many of the sections on the exam are multiple choice. For multiple choice sections, you will receive 1 point for every correct answer and 0 points for any question that is not answered. For questions that are answered incorrectly, you will LOSE ¼ of a point. So it is important that you have high confidence in any answer that you choose to make.
Critical Reading
The Critical Reading section of the exam consists of completing sentences, reading comprehension and critical reading of paragraphs. The 3 subsections consist of two 25 minute sections and one 20 minutes section. Each section has various types of questions, starting with sentence completion and continuing with questions about reading passages. In general, questions at the beginning of the sections are easier than those later on. All questions in this section are multiple choice.
Mathematics
The Mathematics section of the exam tests the student’s knowledge of algebra and functions, statistics, probability and data analysis, and geometry. There are 3 sub-sections in the Mathematics area: One 25 minutes section that is entirely multiple choice, one 25 minute section that contains 8 multiple choice questions and 10 grid-on questions, a third section that is 20 minutes and consists of all multiple choice questions. Calculators are allowed to be used on the exam. Graphing calculators or scientific calculators would be the most useful, but it is important that the test-taker have working knowledge of the calculator before entering the testing site.
Writing
The Writing section tests knowledge of grammar, usage and word choice. There is also an essay sub-section that is 25 minutes long and is usually the first section of the test. All essays are written as a response to a given prompt. The other two subsections in Writing are multiple choice questions that can include identification of errors and improvement of sentences or paragraphs.
Tips for the SAT Exam
- Familiarize yourself with the format of the exam.
- Allow about 4-6 months to prepare for the exam.
- To improve your reading comprehension skills, practice reading any type of English material available to you, such as newspapers and books. Listening to spoken English, such as on a podcast can also be helpful.
- Take as many practice exams as possible. Take the practice tests as if you were actually taking the exam.
- Look at examples of all sections of the exam. Familiarize yourself with the instructions for each section so you do not spend too much time during the exam figuring out what is being asked of you.
- Practice writing by keeping a journal or writing essays on various topics.
- Take time to read all questions on the exam carefully.
- For each sub-section the easier questions will be first. As you move through each section, the questions will get harder. So concentrate on answering the questions at the beginning correctly. For most people a good score on the exam is not determined by how many questions you answer, but by how many you answer correctly.
- Practice skipping questions that are difficult and/or may take too much time to complete. Every question is worth the same number of points, so do not spend time on more difficult questions until you have completed all the easier ones.
- If you are planning to use a calculator in the exam, take time to familiarize yourself with its operation. You want to learn how to use the features of your particular calculator before you take the test.
If you are looking for help with your SAT Exam preparation, I do offer private tutoring services. I am a private SAT Tutor and have successfully coached many English learners.
