SAT Reasoning Test
The SAT Reasoning Test is a measure of the critical thinking skills you'll need for academic success in college. The SAT assesses how well you analyze and solve problems—skills you learned in school that you'll need in college. The SAT is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors.
Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200—800, with two writing subscores for multiple-choice and the essay. It is administered seven times a year in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Territories, and six times a year overseas.
For more online sample questions and preparation materials, visit the SAT Preparation Center.
SAT Question Types
The SAT includes several different question types, including: a student-produced essay, multiple-choice questions, and student-produced responses (grid-ins). Select any section below to learn more about specific question types.
Critical Reading
Mathematics
Writing
The Unscored Section
In addition, there is one 25-minute section that is utilized to ensure that the SAT continues to be a fair and valid test. This is a common test development practice, but don't worry—this does not count towards your score. This may be a critical reading, mathematics, or writing multiple-choice section. This unscored section is used to try out new questions for future editions of the SAT. It also ensures that scores on new editions of the SAT are comparable to scores on earlier editions of the test. This helps to ensure the fairness of the SAT, which is one of our primary objectives.
Test Order
The SAT is comprised of 10 total testing sections. The first section is always a 25-minute essay and last section is always a 10-minute multiple-choice writing section. Sections two through seven are 25-minute sections. Sections eight and nine are 20-minute sections. Test-takers sitting next to each other in the same session may have test books with entirely different content orders for sections two through nine (math, critical reading, and writing).
