Editing SAT (section)

==Structure<!-- The structure described in the subsections below is inaccurate as of the introduction of the Digital SAT worldwide in 2024. -->==
{{Update|part=section|date=May 2025|reason=New digital SAT format}}
The current digitally-administered SAT has two main sections: [[Reading (process)|Reading]] and [[Writing]], and [[Mathematics|Math]]. Each of these sections is further broken down into two equal-length "modules". (Until the summer of 2021, the test taker was also optionally able to write an essay as part of an additional test section. The essay was dropped after June 2021, except in a few states and school districts.<ref name=SorensenUSNews>{{Cite web |last=Sorensen |first=Tiffany |title=The Optional SAT Essay: What to Know |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-admissions-playbook/articles/what-to-know-about-the-optional-sat-essay |archive-date=January 26, 2023 |access-date=October 2, 2023 |website=[[U.S. News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126053717/https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-admissions-playbook/articles/what-to-know-about-the-optional-sat-essay |url-status=live }}</ref>) The total time for the scored portion of the SAT is two hours and 14 minutes.<ref name="HowStructured" />

A score for each section is reported on a scale of 200 to 800, and each section score is a multiple of ten. A total score for the SAT is calculated by adding the two section scores, resulting in total scores that range from 400 to 1600. In addition to the two section scores, several subsection "performance" scores (example subsections: "Craft and Structure" in Reading and Writing, and "Algebra" in Math) are also reported for each section. There is no penalty or negative marking for guessing on the SAT: scores are based on the number of questions answered correctly.<ref>{{cite web |title=SAT Weekend Understanding Scores |url=https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/sat-understanding-scores.pdf |website=College Board |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-date=March 23, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250323031659/https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/sat-understanding-scores.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=What Is Digital SAT Adaptive Testing? |url=https://blog.collegeboard.org/what-digital-sat-adaptive-testing |website=College Board |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-date=January 24, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124102837/https://blog.collegeboard.org/what-digital-sat-adaptive-testing |url-status=live }}</ref>

The essay, if taken as part of an SAT School Day administration, is scored separately from the two section scores.<ref>{{cite web |title=SAT School Day Essay |url=https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat-school-day/taking-the-test/essay |website=College Board |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-date=January 24, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124192124/https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat-school-day/taking-the-test/essay |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="sat-educ-guide">{{cite web |title=The SAT and SAT Subject Tests Educator Guide |url=https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sat-educator-guide.pdf |publisher=College Board |access-date=July 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018203516/https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sat-educator-guide.pdf |archive-date=October 18, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Two people score each essay by each awarding 1 to 4 points in each of three categories: Reading, Analysis, and Writing.<ref>{{cite web |title=SAT Essay |url=https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/inside-the-test/essay |website=CollegeBoard |date=December 3, 2014 |access-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-date=April 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418044249/https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/inside-the-test/essay |url-status=live }}</ref> These two scores from the different examiners are then combined to give a total score from 2 to 8 points per category. Though sometimes people quote their essay score out of 24, the College Board themselves do not combine the different categories to give one essay score, instead giving a score for each category.

The optional essay was last featured nationally in the June 2021 administration.<ref name="College Board-2021" /><ref name="Hartocollis-2021" /> College Board said it discontinued the essay section because "there are other ways for students to demonstrate their mastery of essay writing," including the test's reading and writing portion.<ref name="College Board-2021" /><ref name="Hartocollis-2021" /> It also acknowledged that the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] had played a role in the change, accelerating 'a process already underway'.<ref name="Hartocollis-2021" />

=== Reading and Writing ===
The reading and writing section consists of two equal modules. Each module is 32 minutes long with 27 questions.<ref name=":0" />There are short reading passages, and students answer questions about them. This part also includes vocabulary, grammar and conventions. The passages are 25-100 words long.

=== Mathematics ===
[[File:SAT-Grid-In-Example.svg|thumb|right|An example of an SAT "grid-in" math question and the correctly gridded answer]]
The [[mathematics]] portion of the SAT is divided into two modules, each with 35 minutes and 22 questions. The topics are algebra, advanced math (high school), geometry, trigonometry, and analysis. Calculators are permitted on all questions and are built in to the software.

Calculator use on SAT I: Reasoning Test math scores. The study found that performance on the math section was [[Association (statistics)|associated]] with the extent of calculator use: those using calculators on about one third to one half of the items averaged higher scores than those using calculators more or less frequently. However, the effect was "more likely to have been the result of able students using calculators differently than less able students rather than calculator use per se."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://research.collegeboard.org/publications/content/2012/05/calculator-use-and-sat-i-math|title=Calculator Use and the SAT I Math|publisher=The College Board|first1=Janice|last1=Scheuneman|first2=Wayne|last2=Camara|access-date=April 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403142301/http://research.collegeboard.org/publications/content/2012/05/calculator-use-and-sat-i-math|archive-date=April 3, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> There is some evidence that the frequent use of a calculator in school outside of the testing situation has a positive effect on test performance compared to those who do not use calculators in school.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ti-researchlibrary.com/Lists/TI%20Education%20Technology%20%20Research%20Library/Attachments/37/RN2%20-%20GC%20on%20important%20tests.pdf|title=Should graphing calculators be allowed on important tests?|publisher=Texas Instruments|access-date=April 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422040211/http://ti-researchlibrary.com/Lists/TI%20Education%20Technology%20%20Research%20Library/Attachments/37/RN2%20-%20GC%20on%20important%20tests.pdf|archive-date=April 22, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Style of questions ===
Most of the questions on the SAT, except for the student-produced responses (SPR) in the math section, are [[multiple choice]]; all multiple-choice questions have four answer choices, one of which is correct. About 25% of the math section is SPR. They instead require the test taker to enter in a number.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Student-Produced Responses – SAT Suite {{!}} College Board |url=https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/whats-on-the-test/math/student-produced |access-date=2025-04-29 |website=satsuite.collegeboard.org |language=en}}</ref>

Not all questions on each section of the SAT are weighted equally, harder questions are weighted less and easier problems are weighted more.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ins and Outs of the Digital SAT {{!}} Scoir |url=https://www.scoir.com/blog/the-ins-and-outs-of-the-digital-sat |access-date=2025-04-29 |website=www.scoir.com |language=en-us}}</ref> There are experimental problems which are used by College Board to test future test questions. Answering experimental questions, either correctly or incorrectly), does not impact the test score.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laszlo |first=Sara |date=2025-03-19 |title=Your Guide to the Digital SAT |url=https://testinnovators.com/blog/digital-sat-guide/ |access-date=2025-04-29 |website=Test Innovators |language=en-US}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
 ! Section<ref>{{Cite web |title=How the SAT Is Structured – SAT Suite {{!}} College Board |url=https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/whats-on-the-test/structure |access-date=2025-04-29 |website=satsuite.collegeboard.org |language=en}}</ref>!! Average score 2024 (200–800)<ref name="test takers" /> !! Time (minutes) !! Content
 |-
 | Reading and Writing || 519 || 32 per module
64 in total
| [[Vocabulary]], [[Critique|Critical]] [[Reading (process)|reading]], [[Sentence (linguistics)|sentence]]-level reading, [[Grammar]], [[usage]], and [[diction]]
 |-
 | Math || 505 || 35 per module
70 in total
| [[Number]] and [[Operation (mathematics)|operations]]; [[algebra]] and [[Function (mathematics)|functions]]; [[geometry]]; [[statistics]], [[probability]], and [[data analysis]]
 |}