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The SAT is a standardized test that colleges use to evaluate
candidates. The test measures a student's ability to understand
and process elements of mathematical and verbal reasoning.
SAT scores are calculated based on a student's performance
relative to other test-takers, and have proven to be an
indicator of collegiate success.
The SAT consists of ten sections:
- 3 writing sections—one 25 minute student-written
essay, one 25 minute grammar section and one 10 minute
grammar section
- 3 math sections—two 25 minute sections and one
20 minute section
- 3 critical reading sections—two 25 minute sections
and one 20 minute section
- 1 "experimental" section—an additional
25 minute section (unscored)
There are short breaks every hour.
The Writing Section
The writing section measures a student’s ability
to recognize and conform to the conventions of standard
written English. This section consists of one student-written
essay and multiple-choice questions. The multiple-choice
questions carry a .25-point penalty for incorrect answers.
The writing section contains three types of multiple-choice
questions:
- Identifying Sentence Errors
- Improving Sentences
- Improving Paragraphs
The format of the two multiple choice sections is:
- 25 minutes: 11 Improving Sentence questions, 18 Identifying
Sentence Error questions, and 6 Improving Paragraphs questions
- 10 minutes: 14 Improving Sentence questions
Math Section
The math sections measure a student's ability to reason
quantitatively, solve mathematical problems, and interpret
data presented in graphical form. These sections focus on
four areas of mathematics that are typically covered in
the first three years of American high school education:
Arithmetic, Algebra and Functions, Geometry, and Data Analysis.
The Algebra section was recently expanded to include basic
College Algebra. To test these skills, the SAT employs two
different question types:
The multiple-choice questions carry a .25-point penalty
for incorrect answers. The grid-in questions carry no penalty
for wrong answers, because the likelihood of guessing the
correct answer is negligible.
The format of the three sections is:
- 25 minutes: 20 Multiple Choice questions
- 25 minutes: 8 Multiple Choice questions followed by
10 Grid-ins.
- 20 minutes: 16 Multiple Choice questions
Critical Reasoning Section
The Critical Reasoning section of the SAT measures a person's
ability to understand and analyze written material. The
questions carry a .25-point penalty for incorrect answers.
The Critical Reading Section consists of two types of questions.
- Reading Comprehension—this includes both long
and short reading passages
- Sentence Completion
The format of the three sections is:
- 25 minutes: 8 Sentence Completion questions followed
by 16 Reading Comprehension questions
- 25 minutes: 5 Sentence Completion questions followed
by 19 Reading Comprehension questions
- 20 minutes: 6 Sentence Completion questions followed
by 13 Reading Comprehension questions
The Experimental Section
The experimental section of the SAT is an additional 25-minute
section. It can be a math, critical reading, or grammar
section. It does not count towards the examinee's score.
The inclusion of this section within the SAT ensures a more
fair and balanced scoring method, and allows the College
Board to compile data on previously unreleased questions.
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