SAT Test Structure

Class Location: The Internet.

Description: This course is designed to provide students with a heads up on the overall structure of the SAT test.

Objective: Become familiar with the test layout, and what to expect on test day.

Think of all the hours and years you spend working to get good grades so you can get into the college of your choice. Then the SAT comes along, and those four hours you spend taking the test help determine where you go to college as much as those years of studying for your classes. Like it or not, colleges rely heavily on SAT scores when reviewing applications and deciding where they want to send those acceptance letters. So you need to take those hours of testing as seriously as you do everything else you need to get into college, and you must prepare as much as possible. That means you need to practice for the test, then practice some more. After that, well, you guessed it … more practice.

It would be great if you knew the questions on your SAT beforehand. That sure would make your life a lot easier. But as you can expect, SAT tests are kept strictly confidential until the moment you actually open your test booklet. That secrecy is part of what makes the SATs reliable and fair. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get an idea of what to expect on the test and prepare accordingly.

The most recent version of the SAT, instituted in March 2005, runs three hours and 45 minutes. The test includes one essay topic, 49 writing questions, 67 critical reading questions, and 54 math questions—a total of 170 questions that will help determine where you spend the next four years of your life. The test may also include a section of experimental questions, but don’t worry, they won’t count toward your score.

The various sections may appear in different orders, but you can expect each section to take a pre-set amount of time. You’ll have 25 minutes to answer your one essay question. The writing assessment includes two multiple-choice sections, one that lasts 25 minutes and another that lasts 10 minutes. The 49 writing questions consist of 25 questions on improving sentences, 18 questions on identifying sentence errors, and six questions on improving paragraphs. The critical reading portion of the test includes two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. You’ll have to answer 48 questions on passage-based reading and 19 questions on sentence completion. The math test also includes two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. Of the 54 math questions, 44 are multiple choice, and 10 will require you to come up with your own answers.

As you can imagine, it’s a long and intense four hours. But thorough practice and preparation will go a long way in getting you through the test with flying colors. Not only will practice help you get accustomed to the types of questions you will find on the test and the amount of time you have to answer them, it can also do a lot for your confidence and composure. Staying relaxed during the test will help you focus and work efficiently and calmly. With proper preparation, you can turn the emphasis colleges place on the SATs to your advantage and make your scores one of the strengths on your application.