Reading & Writing Section
54 questions ยท 64 minutes ยท 2 modules (adaptive)
Short passages (25โ150 words each). Most passages appear individually; one paired-passage set per test.
Reading Comprehension
Information & Ideas โ 26%Tests your ability to locate and understand key information explicitly stated in a passage. Questions ask about specific details, facts, or events described in the text.
Example Question
According to the passage, what does the author identify as the primary cause of coral reef decline?
Strategy Tip
Anchor every answer in specific text evidence. If you cannot point to the exact lines that support your choice, it is likely wrong.
Command of Evidence โ Textual
Information & Ideas โ 26%Paired questions: the first asks you to draw an inference or identify a claim; the second asks which quotation from the passage best supports your answer to the first question.
Example Question
Which quotation from the passage most effectively supports the conclusion that early intervention improves long-term outcomes?
Strategy Tip
Answer the first question first without looking at the evidence options. Then find the quote that best supports your chosen answer. Do not let the evidence choices lead you to change a well-reasoned answer.
Command of Evidence โ Quantitative
Information & Ideas โ 26%Combines a short passage with a graph, table, or chart. Questions ask you to identify which data point best supports or illustrates a claim made in the text.
Example Question
The table provides data about average annual rainfall in four cities. Which city's data best supports the author's argument about drought-resistant crops?
Strategy Tip
Read the passage claim carefully before looking at the data. Match the specific claim (not the general topic) to the most relevant data point.
Central Ideas and Details
Information & Ideas โ 26%Asks about the main idea, central purpose, or most important claim of a passage. May also ask about a supporting detail's relationship to the larger argument.
Example Question
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
Strategy Tip
The correct answer captures what the whole passage is doing, not just one paragraph. Eliminate answers that are too narrow (one detail) or too broad (beyond the passage's scope).
Inferences
Information & Ideas โ 26%Asks you to draw a logical conclusion that is implied but not directly stated in the passage. The correct answer must be grounded in the text โ not just plausible in general.
Example Question
Based on the passage, what can reasonably be inferred about the scientist's attitude toward the new findings?
Strategy Tip
The correct inference follows necessarily from the text. If an answer requires assumptions beyond the passage, eliminate it.
Words in Context
Craft & Structure โ 28%Asks for the meaning of a word or phrase as used in a specific part of the passage. The answer depends on context, not the word's most common definition.
Example Question
As used in line 12, "foster" most nearly means...
Strategy Tip
Cover the answer choices, re-read the sentence, and predict your own word before looking at the options. Then eliminate by part of speech first, then by connotation (positive/negative/neutral).
Text Structure and Purpose
Craft & Structure โ 28%Asks why an author included a specific detail, paragraph, or example โ or how the passage is organized overall. Tests understanding of rhetorical choices.
Example Question
The author mentions the 1943 experiment primarily to...
Strategy Tip
Ask yourself: what work is this part doing for the argument? Does it provide evidence, illustrate a contrast, introduce a counterargument, or establish context?
Cross-Text Connections
Craft & Structure โ 28%The one paired-passage question type on the SAT. You read two short texts and answer questions about how they relate โ whether they agree, disagree, or address different aspects of a topic.
Example Question
Based on the two texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the claim made in Text 1?
Strategy Tip
Identify each author's central claim and stance before answering. Most cross-text questions hinge on relationship: support, challenge, complementary evidence, or different focus.
Rhetorical Synthesis
Expression of Ideas โ 20%Provides bullet-point notes from a student's research. Asks you to choose the answer that most effectively combines the notes into a single sentence fulfilling a stated goal.
Example Question
The student wants to introduce the topic of urban heat islands to a general audience. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Strategy Tip
The goal statement is the key โ read it carefully. The correct answer does what the goal requires and uses the most relevant note details. Avoid answers that add information not in the notes.
Transitions
Expression of Ideas โ 20%The most frequently tested grammar concept on the SAT. You must choose the transition word or phrase that correctly expresses the logical relationship between two sentences or clauses.
Example Question
The study confirmed the hypothesis. ______, the researchers noticed an unexpected secondary effect.
Strategy Tip
Identify the relationship first: addition (furthermore, moreover), contrast (however, nevertheless), cause/effect (therefore, consequently), or example (for instance). Then match the transition to the relationship.
Boundaries (Punctuation)
Standard English Conventions โ 26%Tests correct use of punctuation at clause and sentence boundaries: commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, and periods. Questions often involve avoiding run-ons and fragments.
Example Question
The committee reviewed the data for three weeks[BLANK] ultimately deciding to delay the announcement.
Strategy Tip
A semicolon joins two independent clauses. A comma alone cannot join two independent clauses (comma splice). A period ends a sentence. A comma before a participial phrase ('-ing') is correct when the phrase modifies the subject.
Form, Structure & Sense (Grammar)
Standard English Conventions โ 26%Covers grammar rules: subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement and case, verb tense and form, modifier placement, parallel structure, and possessives vs. contractions.
Example Question
Each of the participants in both studies [were/was] asked to complete a survey at three intervals.
Strategy Tip
For subject-verb agreement, strip away prepositional phrases and find the true subject. For pronoun reference, identify the antecedent. For modifier placement, the modifier should be directly adjacent to what it modifies.
Math Section
44 questions ยท 70 minutes ยท 2 modules (adaptive)
Calculator permitted for all questions. ~33 multiple choice + ~11 student-produced responses per section.
Linear Equations in One Variable
Algebra โ 35%Equations with one unknown and one solution, including equations with variables on both sides, fractions, and multi-step simplification.
Example Question
If 4(x โ 3) + 2 = 3x โ 1, what is the value of x?
Strategy Tip
Distribute first, then combine like terms on each side, then isolate the variable. Always check your answer by substituting back.
Linear Equations in Two Variables
Algebra โ 35%Equations of the form y = mx + b and standard form Ax + By = C. Tests slope, intercepts, parallel/perpendicular lines, and interpreting graphs.
Example Question
In the equation y = โ3x + 7, what is the slope of the line and where does it cross the y-axis?
Strategy Tip
Memorize slope-intercept form y = mx + b (m = slope, b = y-intercept). For standard form, convert to slope-intercept to read slope directly.
Systems of Linear Equations
Algebra โ 35%Two equations with two variables. You may be asked to solve for both variables, or to determine how many solutions exist (none, one, infinitely many).
Example Question
If y = 2x + 1 and y = โx + 7, what is the value of x?
Strategy Tip
Use substitution when one variable is already isolated. Use elimination when coefficients can be easily matched. Parallel lines (no solution) have the same slope but different intercepts.
Linear Inequalities
Algebra โ 35%One or two-variable inequalities. Tests solving, graphing on a number line, and interpreting solution sets. Includes compound inequalities.
Example Question
Which values of x satisfy the inequality 2x โ 5 > 3?
Strategy Tip
Solve like an equation, but flip the inequality sign when multiplying or dividing by a negative number. On a number line, open circles mean strict inequality (<, >); closed circles mean โค or โฅ.
Quadratic Functions & Equations
Advanced Math โ 35%Solving quadratics by factoring, completing the square, or using the quadratic formula. Interpreting vertex, axis of symmetry, and intercepts of parabolas.
Example Question
What are the solutions to xยฒ โ 7x + 12 = 0?
Strategy Tip
Try factoring first. Look for two numbers that multiply to c and add to b. If factoring is difficult, use the quadratic formula: x = (โb ยฑ โ(bยฒโ4ac)) / 2a.
Polynomial Expressions & Functions
Advanced Math โ 35%Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing polynomials. Interpreting the meaning of coefficients and roots. May include the Remainder Theorem.
Example Question
What is the product of (x + 3)(xยฒ โ 2x + 1)?
Strategy Tip
Use FOIL or the distributive property carefully. For polynomial division questions, the remainder when dividing by (x โ a) equals f(a).
Exponential Functions
Advanced Math โ 35%Exponential growth and decay. Interpreting parameters in equations of the form f(x) = abหฃ. Comparing exponential and linear growth.
Example Question
A population of bacteria doubles every 3 hours. If the initial population is 500, what is the population after 12 hours?
Strategy Tip
For growth/decay, identify the initial value and growth factor. In f(x) = ab^(x/c), b is the growth factor, c is the period, and a is the initial value.
Rational & Radical Expressions
Advanced Math โ 35%Simplifying, adding, subtracting, and multiplying rational expressions. Solving equations with radicals and checking for extraneous solutions.
Example Question
If โ(2x + 3) = 5, what is the value of x?
Strategy Tip
To solve radical equations, isolate the radical then square both sides. Always check solutions in the original equation โ squaring can introduce extraneous solutions.
Ratios, Rates & Percentages
Problem-Solving & Data Analysis โ 15%Unit conversions, proportional relationships, percent increase/decrease, and percent of a quantity. Also covers part-to-whole and part-to-part ratios.
Example Question
A store sells a jacket for $120, which is 20% more than the wholesale price. What is the wholesale price?
Strategy Tip
For percent problems, translate: 'percent' = รท100, 'of' = ร, 'is' = =. For 'X% more than Y', set up: X = 1.XX ร Y, so Y = X รท 1.XX.
Statistics & Data Interpretation
Problem-Solving & Data Analysis โ 15%Mean, median, mode, range, and standard deviation. Reading and interpreting bar graphs, histograms, scatterplots, and two-way tables. Evaluating claims from data.
Example Question
The scatterplot shows a positive correlation between study hours and test scores. Which of the following best describes the relationship?
Strategy Tip
Distinguish between correlation and causation โ the SAT tests this frequently. Mean is affected by outliers; median is not. In two-way tables, be careful about whether a percentage should be from the row total or column total.
Probability
Problem-Solving & Data Analysis โ 15%Basic probability rules, including conditional probability and using two-way frequency tables to find probabilities.
Example Question
A bag contains 4 red marbles, 3 blue marbles, and 5 green marbles. If one marble is drawn at random, what is the probability it is not green?
Strategy Tip
P(event) = favorable outcomes รท total outcomes. P(A and B) = P(A) ร P(B) for independent events. P(not A) = 1 โ P(A). For two-way tables, identify the appropriate row or column before calculating.
Area, Volume & Geometry
Geometry & Trigonometry โ 15%Area and perimeter of triangles, quadrilaterals, and circles. Surface area and volume of 3D shapes. The Pythagorean theorem and distance formula.
Example Question
A cylinder has a radius of 3 cm and a height of 10 cm. What is its volume?
Strategy Tip
Key formulas: area of circle = ฯrยฒ, volume of cylinder = ฯrยฒh, volume of sphere = (4/3)ฯrยณ. The SAT provides a reference sheet of formulas โ know where each formula is so you can use it quickly.
Trigonometry
Geometry & Trigonometry โ 15%Basic right-triangle trigonometry using sine, cosine, and tangent. The unit circle. Radian measure and co-function identities (sin ฮธ = cos(90ยฐโฮธ)).
Example Question
In a right triangle, the side adjacent to angle ฮธ is 5 and the hypotenuse is 13. What is sin ฮธ?
Strategy Tip
Remember SOH-CAH-TOA: Sin = Opposite/Hypotenuse, Cos = Adjacent/Hypotenuse, Tan = Opposite/Adjacent. The co-function identity sin(x) = cos(90ยฐโx) appears frequently.
See These Question Types in Action
Practice with realistic sample questions โ with full explanations for every answer.