My SAT Online Score Report
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Help your child prepare with the only SAT practice materials created by the test maker. Affordable, comprehensive preparation, for online or offline study.
Meet the SAT®
What It Means for Your Child
The SAT is a 3-hour-and-45-minute test that measures students’ basic knowledge of subjects they have learned in the classroom — such as reading, writing and mathematics — in addition to evaluating how they think, solve problems and communicate.
Many college admission officers use SAT scores to help them assess a student’s academic preparedness for college. However, the most important factor in college admission is your child's high school transcript — both the grades received and the rigor of the courses. SAT scores are intended to supplement your child's record and other information, such as extracurricular activities and letters of recommendation.
What the Test Is Like
The test's three sections are divided into nine separately timed subsections, including a 25-minute student-written essay.
| Section | Tests Ability To |
|---|---|
| Critical reading (3 sections) |
|
| Mathematics (3 sections) |
Solve problems involving:
|
| Writing (3 sections) |
|
There are three breaks during the test. During these breaks, your child is welcome to eat or drink any snacks that were brought.
Most tests include an additional 25-minute subsection, called the “equating” section, which can be a critical reading, mathematics or multiple-choice writing subsection. It does not count toward the student’s score; it is used to test new questions and for making sure different versions of the test are comparable.
The Scoring
Each SAT section is scored on a scale of 200-800. The SAT is designed so that a student who answers half the questions correctly receives an average score. The average score is approximately 500 for each section. Some of the questions are easy and some are hard, but the majority are of medium difficulty. The SAT is designed so that a student who answers about half the questions correctly receives an average score.
Preparing for the SAT
The best way to prepare for the SAT is to take challenging courses, read and write as much as possible, and study hard in school. It’s also a good idea to practice with real test items to become familiar with the test experience and build confidence. Your child can use our free and affordable resources to practice for the SAT.
Taking the SAT
Most students take the SAT during their junior or senior year in high school. However, students can test at any age or grade. Some restrictions apply to adult test-takers over 21 years of age.
At least half of all students take the SAT twice — in the spring of junior year and in the fall of senior year. Students usually improve their scores when they take the SAT for the second time. However, research shows that taking the test more than twice is unlikely to significantly improve a student's score.
Score Reports
The online score report and the report sent to your child's high school (if the high school code was provided) show your child’s current test score in addition to scores for up to six SAT and six SAT Subject Tests™ administrations.
The scores of younger test-takers who are not yet in the ninth grade are not stored as part of their permanent record unless they specifically request that we keep the scores.
Score Choice™
Students have the option to choose which scores (by test date for the SAT and by individual test for SAT Subject Tests) to send to colleges — in accordance with an institution's stated score-use practice. They can choose scores from one, several or all SAT test dates. Learn more about Score Choice.
Get answers to more of your frequently asked questions about the SAT.
