The Scholastic Aptitude Test, also known as the SAT, is an international standardized test that assesses high school graduates’ abilities in math, writing, and reading. The test determines if high school students are prepared to be admitted to the best overseas universities. It assists institutions in evaluating candidates for a certain undergraduate course by gauging a student’s excitement and academic scepticism. For high school graduates attempting to enroll in various college programmes and degrees abroad, SAT exam eligibility and results are essential.
SAT Eligibility
Although the College Board has not established any eligibility requirements for the SAT Tests, candidates should appear for their exams during their 11th or 12th grade. The SAT Exams are used for the admission of international students to undergraduate programmes. There is no set upper age limit for students taking the SAT exam, although between the ages of 17 and 19 there has been the largest turnout. The USA, Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and many other nations accept the SAT scores and its outcomes in large numbers.
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SAT Syllabus and Pattern
Three tests—the Reading Test, the Writing and Language Test, and the Arithmetic Test—make up the three-hour SAT. The SAT offers 43% more time per question than the ACT does.
| Component | Time Allotted in Minutes | Number of Questions |
| Reading | 65 | 52 |
| Writing and Language | 35 | 44 |
| Math | 80 | 58 |
| Total | 180 | 154 |
The majority of the questions are multiple choice, however some of the math ones need you to type in the response rather than choose it. There is no deduction for guessing on any of the questions; it is preferable to guess than leave the response blank if you are unsure of the answer.
The SAT Reading Test
In the Reading Test, there are five reading passages that are followed by multiple-choice questions. There are 52 questions in total on this test, which you have 65 minutes to finish. The Reading Exam consists of five passages, four of which are stand-alone and one of which is a pair that you must read collectively. Each of the individual passages and the paired set contains 500–750 words. The texts are from the following categories of documents:
- 1 literary passage from a work of fiction.
- 1 or 2 passages from a U.S. founding document or a text in the Great Global Conversation they inspired. An example of a founding document would be the U.S. Constitution. The Great Global Conversation refers to works from around the world that focus on topics such as freedom, justice, or human dignity. A speech by Nelson Mandela would be an example.
- 1 passage from a work of economics, psychology, sociology, or some other social science.
- 2 passages from scientific works that examine foundational concepts and developments in Earth science, biology, chemistry, or physics.
SAT Vocabulary
To do well on the SAT, you don’t need to study many odd or challenging vocabulary words. Instead, the terms you’ll be quizzed on are ones that are frequently used in professional and college-level reading.
Also, the SAT doesn’t ask you to define a word without any context to help you. You can utilize context cues to help you determine the right response because all of the terms you’ll be questioned about are ones that are used in the context of reading passages.
But, it’s still important to spend some time learning the definitions and appropriate uses of the words that are most frequently used in college-level assignments in order to expand your vocabulary. If you do, the test will go lot more smoothly for you because you won’t have to waste time figuring out what a term might mean based on its context. You will read passages more quickly and with greater assurance as a result of your improved sight recognition of vocabulary words.
SAT – The Writing and Language Test
You read passages on the multiple-choice Writing and Language test to identify errors and weaknesses. This 35-minute section of the SAT consists of 44 multiple-choice questions and 4 passages. The 4 passages on the test are each 400–450 words. The complexity of the passages varies: some are more challenging and others more straightforward.
The passages are about a variety of topics, including careers, science, the humanities, and history and social studies.
- At least 1 is a narrative, meaning it describes events in a story like way. This passage is not a work of fiction, but it could be a nonfiction account of an historical event, or it might describe the sequence of events in a scientific experiment.
- The other passages are either argumentative, meaning they try to convince or persuade the reader of something, or else informative and explanatory.
SAT – The Math Test
The Math Test focuses on the mathematical topics that are most important for success in college and in the workplace:
- Heart of Algebra, which focuses on the mastery of linear equations and systems.
- Problem Solving and Data Analysis, which is about being quantitatively literate.
- Passport to Advanced Math, which features questions that require the manipulation of complex equations.
The most important geometry and trigonometry for preparing for college and a profession are drawn from Extra Topics in Math for the Math Test. Two sections make up the math test: one that requires no calculator and one that does. The majority of the questions in both halves of the test are multiple choice, however some of the final questions (known as “grid-ins”) require you to write the answer. You can use the provided daily formulas.
No calculator
| Time Allotted | 25 minutes |
| Total Questions | 20 |
| Multiple Choice Questions | 15 |
| Grid-in questions | 5 |
Calculator Portion
| Time Allotted | 55 minutes |
| Total Questions | 38 |
| Multiple Choice Questions | 30 |
| Grid-in questions | 8 |
The math questions are divided into four categories, with algebra being the most important.
| Type of Math | Number of Questions |
| Heart of Algebra | 19 |
| Problem Solving and Data Analysis | 17 |
| Passport to Advanced Math | 16 |
| Additional Topics in Math | 6 |
Heart of Algebra
Linear equations, systems of linear equations, and functions are the main topics in Heart of Algebra. You are required to construct equations that describe situations, resolve equations and systems of equations, and draw connections between various illustrations of linear relationships in these problems.
Heart of Algebra includes the following types of questions:
- Create, solve, or interpret a linear expression or equation in 1 variable.
- Create, solve, or interpret linear inequalities in 1 variable.
- Build a linear function that models a linear relationship between 2 quantities.
- Create, solve, and interpret systems of linear inequalities in 2 variables.
- Create, solve, and interpret systems of 2 linear equations in 2 variables.
- Algebraically solve linear equations (or inequalities) in 1 variable.
- Algebraically solve systems of 2 linear equations in 2 variables.
- Interpret the variables and constants in expressions for linear functions.
- Understand connections between algebraic and graphical representations.
Problem Solving and Data Analysis
Problem Solving and Data Analysis includes the following types of questions:
- Use ratios, rates, proportional relationships, and scale drawings to solve single- and multistep problems.
- Solve single- and multistep problems involving percentages.
- Solve single- and multistep problems involving measurement quantities, units, and unit conversion.
- Use scatterplot, linear, quadratic, or exponential models to describe how the variables are related.
- Use the relationship between 2 variables to investigate key features of the graph.
- Compare linear growth with exponential growth.
- Use 2-way tables to summarize categorical data and relative frequencies and calculate conditional probability.
- Make inferences about population parameters based on sample data.
- Use statistics to investigate measures of center of data. Analyze shape, center, and spread.
- Evaluate reports to make inferences, justify conclusions, and determine appropriateness of data collection methods. The reports may consist of tables, graphs, or text summaries.
Passport to Advanced Math
Passport to Advanced Math includes the following types of questions:
- Create a quadratic or exponential function or equation that models a context.
- Determine the most suitable form of an expression or equation to reveal a particular trait, given a context.
- Create equivalent expressions involving rational exponents and radicals, which includes simplifying or rewriting in other forms.
- Create an equivalent form of an algebraic expression by using structure and fluency with operations.
- Solve a quadratic equation having rational coefficients. The equation can be presented in a wide range of forms to reward attending to algebraic structure and can require manipulation to solve.
- Add, subtract, and multiply polynomial expressions. Simplify the result. The expressions will have rational coefficients.
- Solve an equation in 1 variable that contains radicals or contains the variable in the denominator of a fraction.
- Solve a system of 1 linear equation and 1 quadratic equation.
- Rewrite simple rational expressions.
- Interpret parts of nonlinear expressions in terms of their context.
- Understand the relationship between zeros and factors of polynomials. Use that knowledge to sketch graphs.
- Understand a nonlinear relationship between 2 variables by making connections between their algebraic and graphical representations.
- Use function notation, and interpret statements using function notation.
- Use structure to isolate or identify a quantity of interest in an expression or isolate a quantity of interest in an equation.
Additional Topics in Math (three in the no-calculator section and three in the calculator section)
Questions of this type may include the following:
- Solve problems using volume formulas.
- Use trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean theorem to solve applied problems involving right triangles.
- Add, subtract, multiply, divide, and simplify complex numbers.
- Convert between degrees. Use radians to determine arc lengths. Use trigonometric functions of radian measure.
- Apply theorems about circles to find arc lengths, angle measures, chord lengths, and areas of sectors.
- Use concepts and theorems about congruence and similarity to solve problems about lines, angles, and triangles.
- Use the relationship between similarity, right triangles, and trigonometric ratios. Use the relationship between sine and cosine of complementary angles.
- Create or use an equation in 2 variables to solve a problem about a circle in the coordinate plane.
SAT Calculator Use
Calculators are useful devices. You must understand when to use them and how to do so in order to succeed after high school. You can concentrate on complex modelling and reasoning in the Math Test-Calculator section of the exam because your calculator can help you save time.
The calculator is only as smart as the person using it, though, just like any other tool. Even though you are permitted to use a calculator on the Math Test, there are some questions where it is preferable not to. In these situations, students who use structure or their capacity for reasoning will likely complete their work before those who use calculators.
It is simpler to judge your math proficiency and your comprehension of some math concepts after taking the Math Test-No Calculator section of the test.
Work Cited
The SAT – SAT Suite | College Board. (2023, March 24). The SAT – SAT Suite | College Board. https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat


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