SAT Format and Syllabus

SAT is conducted multiple times every year by the College Board with the intent of measuring what a student has learned in school and what they will need to succeed in college/university. They believe that memorizing words and facts is not the right way to go about measuring skills. Due to this, they have accumulated topics that are relevant from the high school syllabus to assess the degree to which one has grasped these basic concepts.

The format and syllabus of the test have undergone various changes in the past few years. In 2021, College Board decided to do away with the Subject Tests and the Optional Essay test. In 2024, SAT will undergo further changes which include conducting the test exclusively online. Presently, the SAT is divided into three main sections. The first two sections of the test are based on English Language and the third is based on Mathematics, thereby condensing a lot of topics into what is seemingly relevant for higher education. It is not a test measuring IQ but is a standardized test focusing only on giving colleges insight into a student's capabilities.

The test pattern and syllabus have been explained in detail on this page to help students understand what they need to know before taking the test.

SAT Structure

The test is conducted both in paper-pencil and online format. The administration in the online format is subject to the availability of a computerized facility where the exam is being held. The test is 3 hours long. Each section is provided a stipulated amount of time within which, and only within which, they are allowed to attend the questions in that section. Candidates are NOT permitted to jump across sections. The SAT has 3 sections-

1. Reading Test
2. Writing and Language Test
3. Math Test

There is an additional 15-minute break time included in between the test, which is broken down into two parts. The first break is after the Reading Test. The break is 10 minutes long. The second break is 5 minutes long and is after the Math calculator part.

SAT Content

The 3 sections will always be presented in the order of Reading, Writing and Language, and Mathematics. The Mathematics section is technically divided into 2 sections- one where candidates can use a calculator and one where the use of a calculator isn’t permitted.

Section	Content	Number of Questions	Time Allotted
Reading Test	Literary passage from a fictional work U.S Founding Document or a text from the Great Global Conversation Passage from Economics, Psychology, Social Science, Sociology, etc. Scientific passage based on Physical Science	52	65 minutes
Writing and Language Test	Narrative non-fiction passage Argumentative Passage Informative/Explanatory passage	44	35 minutes
Math Test	Heart of Algebra Problem Solving and Data Analysis Passport to Advanced Math Additional Topics	58	80 minutes

Reading Test

There are 5 passages in this section and each is 500-750 words long. There are 4 individual passages and 1 pair of passages. There are a total of 52 questions in this section and the time allotted is 65 minutes, which means that the students have about a minute to answer each question. These are multiple-choice questions with four options.

Although there is no way to predict the passages that might be a part of the test, College Board specifies the genres of these passages. As mentioned in the table above, the passages will be from any of the above categories with at least one passage from the US literary works, one passage on the US founding document, and 2 on science. The others including the paired passages can be a mix and match in any of the above categories.

Students are only required to base their answers on the evidence provided in the passages. There will be 10-12 questions on each passage. Some passages will also have a graph or a chart related to the passage and there will be data interpretation questions based on this information. The types of questions that are asked can be divided into the following categories:

1. Deciphering the main idea of the passage. Students will have to choose the option that best describes the main idea of the passage or select the appropriate title of the passage.
2. Interpreting the data given in the graphs/charts associated with the passage. The passages that have graphs and charts will have questions about analyzing the information hidden in them.
3. Figuring out the tone and/or mood of the passage. Students will have to select the option that best describes the author's mood or tone in the passage.
4. Implication of a line or couple of lines in the passage. The students might be asked what the author means or implies by the given set of lines in the passage.
5. Meaning of a certain word in the passage. Students will have to select the option that describes the meaning of a word in the passage. The word can have multiple meanings, but students have to select the meaning that describes the meaning in the passage.
6. Finding out the supporting details in the passage. Students will have to find supportive ideas that support the main idea of the passage.

Writing and Language Test

The writing and language section of the SAT has 4 passages that are each 400-450 words long. Each passage has 11 multiple-choice questions for a total of 44 questions and students have 35 minutes to finish this section. This means that there are approximately 35 seconds to answer a question. Some passages are easy while others are tougher to understand. It is important to manage time in this section and work on the easier questions first.

The genres of the passages are listed in the table above. College Board states that there will be at least one non-fiction narrative passage and others will be based on the other categories listed above, like argumentative passages, informative passages, and persuasive passages. The topics of the passages can range from history, social studies, science, career, etc.

The passages in this section are full of grammatical errors and the questions will ask students to improve the passages. Students are only required to base their answers on the evidence provided in the passages. Some passages will also have a graph or chart with additional information relating to the passage. The types of questions that are asked can be divided into the following categories:

1. Using the correct word in the passage. These questions ask the students to replace an existing word with a more appropriate word from the options given.
2. Changing the order of sentences to make the passage more effective. In these types of questions, students are required to rearrange the order of sentences to make the passage clearer.
3. Changing the format, or structure of a sentence or a group of sentences. There would be a sentence or a group of sentences that would have to be rewritten to improve the sentence format, to remove redundancy, or run-on sentences.
4. Rephrasing a sentence to reflect the intent in a meaningful manner. The options will have different ways to state the information and the student has to select the option that best describes the meaning based on the passage context.
5. Finding the errors in the passage. There will be punctuation, verbs, and other grammatical errors that the student will be asked to find in a particular part of the passage and select the option that describes it. Some questions will ask to correct the information in the passage based on the graph/chart provided with that passage.
6. Stating the evidence. Rephrasing or formatting the passage is not enough in many cases. Students will also have to select the reason why they are choosing to go with that option.

Math Test

The math section in the SAT tests students' knowledge of basic Math concepts that they will need to excel in college, irrespective of the field they choose to go in. Students have 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete the 58 questions in this section. This section has 78% multiple-choice questions and 22% grid-in questions.

The Math section can be divided based on three different criteria:

Criteria	Division	Number of Questions
Topics	Heart of Algebra	19
	Problem Solving and Data Analysis	17
	Passport to Advanced Math	16
	Additional Topics	6
Calculator Usage	Calculator allowed	38
	Calculator not allowed	20
Question Types	Multiple-choice questions	45
	Grid-in questions	13

The topics included in the Math section:

1. Heart of Algebra- covers the basic algebra concepts of linear equations and inequations. The questions will require students to create linear equations, solve them and make connections between the algebra and graphical representations.
2. Problem Solving and Data Analysis- include questions based on ratio and proportion, percentages, measurements, and conversions. In addition, there are inferencing questions based on graphs, tables, and statistics.
3. Passport to Advanced Math- has questions on advanced topics like complex linear equations, quadratic equations, solving linear and quadratic equations together, non-linear expressions, and making connections between algebra and graphical representations.
4. Additional Topics- includes all additional topics, not covered in the above topics. These include geometry and its theorems, trigonometry and ratios, calculating complex numbers, and two variable equations.

Using calculator in Math section:

The SAT Math section can be divided into two parts based on the usage of the calculator. The first part does not allow the use of a calculator. The second part allows the use of a calculator. Students have to bring their scientific calculator, there are no calculators available at the testing site. A breakdown of both parts is shown below:

Type	Number of Questions	Time Allotted
Calculator allowed	38	55 minutes
Calculator not allowed	20	25 minutes

Some tips shared by the College Board on the use of a calculator are:

• The calculator must be battery-operated. No power cords are allowed.
• The calculator should be a pocket-size calculator and should not have an unusually large display.
• Students should bring a pack of spare batteries in the off-chance that their calculator stops working.
• Students should bring the calculator they have used for SAT practice. Bringing a brand-new calculator is not recommended.
• Although the use of a calculator is permitted for certain questions, students do not have to use it for those questions necessarily. College Board recommends that students only use a calculator when absolutely needed and remember that they are on a clock.

Types of questions in Math section:

The majority of the questions in the Math section are multiple-choice questions. Only 13 out of 58 questions are grid-in questions where the student has to circle the exact answer in the grid. There are no options provided. These questions are present at the end of each calculator allowed/not-allowed part. The student has to attempt these questions before the allotted time for the particular part is over. Below is the breakdown of the number of questions:

Part	Multiple-choice Questions	Grid-in Questions	Total Questions
Calculator allowed	30	8	38
Calculator not allowed	15	5	20
Total	45	13	58

Preparing for Mathematics Section

Some Things to Keep in Mind

• There is NO negative marking for the test and the College Board encourages guessing instead of not attempting the questions.
• The test is 3 hours and 15 minutes long as there are two short breaks incorporated in between the test.
• College Board has partnered with Khan Academy to provide practice questions for the test.
• Students are not allowed to use any electronic gadgets during the breaks.
• For the Reading test and Writing and Language test, one of the answer options is "NO CHANGE" which can be selected as an answer choice if none of the other choices are applicable.
• The total SAT score will be between 400 and 1600. The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores and Math scores are combined to get this score. Each of these sections has a score range between 200-800.
• The scores of the first two sections of the SAT are clubbed together to get a combined Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score.

Find out more on SAT from SAT FAQ page.