- About the SAT®
- Test Format and Scores
- Validity and Fairness
- Fee Waivers for Low-Income Students
- Test Preparation
- Score Choice
- SAT and College Admission
- The Writing Section
About the SAT®
What is the SAT?
Created by educators to democratize access to higher education, the SAT® is a highly reliable standardized measure of college readiness used in the admission process at nearly all four-year, not-for-profit undergraduate colleges and universities in the United States. Aligned to high school curricula, the SAT tests the reading, mathematics and writing skills and knowledge students acquire during high school. The SAT also measures how well students can apply their knowledge, a factor that educators and researchers agree is critical to success in college. The SAT is consistently shown to be a fair and valid predictor of college success for all students. Studies regularly demonstrate that the best predictor of college success is the combination of SAT scores and high school grades. In addition to admission, colleges often use the SAT for course placement and scholarships. During the 2010-11 school year, the SAT was administered to nearly three million students worldwide.
Why was the SAT created?
The SAT was created to democratize access to college for all students.
The College Board was founded in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board. The founding members were concerned by the multiplicity of entrance examinations, conflicting curricula and general confusion in the process of transition from secondary school to college. The common entrance examination was seen as an efficient means of addressing all of these problems and raising the standard of instruction in secondary schools. Until 1926, the College Board operated like a members' cooperative with examinations created and graded by faculty committees of examiners. In 1926, the SAT was created and developed by staff using the relatively new science of psychometrics. With the advent of World War II, the original essay examinations were discontinued in favor of the SAT alone, and the College Board began to develop multiple-choice tests.
Following the war, the GI Bill resulted in an upsurge in the number of college applicants as returning veterans took advantage of the tuition benefits offered them. The SAT was able to accommodate this surge in applicants and expanded in use. The more general assessment afforded by the SAT also provided another benefit. Because its content transcended any specific curriculum, the SAT allowed individuals from a variety of backgrounds to prove they were ready for college, despite inconsistent high school curricular standards.
What does the SAT measure?
The SAT tests the reading, writing and mathematics skills that students learn in school, and that are critical for success in college and beyond. The SAT also shows how well students apply their knowledge — the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in college.
Why should students take the SAT?
Students and parents often ask why it is important to take the SAT. Reasons include:
- Nearly all four-year, undergraduate colleges and universities in the United States require an admission test like the SAT
- When used with high school GPA and high school transcripts, SAT scores allow colleges to fairly compare applicants
- Taking the SAT gives students access to scholarship opportunities
- The SAT provides students with the most comprehensive performance feedback of any admission test
- Many institutions require a writing assessment for admission. Students who take the SAT automatically fulfill such requirements
How many students take the SAT each year?
More than 2 million students took the SAT during the 2010-11 school year. Since its inception in 1926, nearly 100 million students have taken the SAT.
When is the SAT administered?
The SAT is administered seven times a year in the United States and six times per year internationally. See upcoming SAT test dates.
How many times should a student take the SAT?
The vast majority of students take the SAT once or twice, and the College Board does not recommend that students take the SAT more than twice. There is no evidence to support the idea that taking the SAT more than twice results in significant score gains.
Can the critical reading, mathematics and writing sections be compared?
No. Each section is a separate measure - they are not scaled to reflect one other. For example, a student who scores 510 on math is at the same 50th percentile as a student who scores a 490 on writing.
When should students take the SAT?
The College Board recommends that the majority of students take the SAT once during the spring semester of their junior year and again during the fall semester of their senior year.
Where do students take the test? How does the College Board decide on test center locations?
The SAT is administered at designated test centers throughout the world. The centers vary in size, type of location and the test dates for which they are open. They share these characteristics:
- Facilities adequate for testing groups of test-takers
- Secure area with limited access for protected storage of test materials
- Location that serves test-takers in a particular region
How much does it cost to take the test?
The registration fee to take the SAT during the 2011-12 school year is $49. Fee waivers for both the SAT and the SAT Subject Tests™ are available for high school students in the United States, U.S. territories and U.S. commonwealths who cannot afford to pay the test fees.
For more information, visit SAT services and fees.
Test Format and Scores
What types of questions are on the SAT?
The SAT includes three kinds of questions:
- Multiple-choice questions
- Student-produced responses (mathematics only)
- Essay question
What is the format of the SAT?
The SAT consists of 10 separately timed sections:
- Three sections test critical reading (70 minutes total)
- Three sections test mathematics (70 minutes total)
- Three sections test writing (60 minutes total)
- One variable (unscored) section tests critical reading, mathematics or writing (25 minutes total)
| Minutes | Total Time | Content | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing (essay) | 25 | 60 minutes | The essay measures a student's ability to develop and express a point of view on an issue. |
| Writing (multiple choice) | 25 | The multiple-choice questions ask students to:
| |
| Writing (multiple choice) | 10 | ||
| Critical reading (multiple choice) | 25 | 70 minutes | The questions assess students' reading skills, such as:
|
| Critical reading (multiple choice) | 25 | ||
| Critical reading (multiple choice) | 20 | ||
| Mathematics (multiple choice and student-produced response) | 25 | 70 minutes | The questions require students to apply mathematical concepts and to use data literacy skills in interpreting tables, charts and graphs. They cover skills in four major areas:
|
| Mathematics (multiple choice) | 25 | ||
| Mathematics (multiple choice) | 20 | ||
| Variable (unscored, multiple choice) | 25 | 25 minutes | This section may have critical reading, mathematics or multiple-choice writing questions. It does not count toward the final score. |
How long does the SAT take to complete?
The SAT takes 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Since the addition of a writing section in 2005, has performance been adversely affected by the increased test length?
We have studied this question very carefully and have found that students answer questions just as successfully at the beginning of the test as at the end. Results of a study of 700,000 SAT takers in the spring and fall of 2005 suggest that student performance did not decline because of fatigue. There was no difference in the number of items correct or omitted when sections appeared early or later in the test.
What is the highest possible SAT score?
2400 (800 in critical reading; 800 in mathematics; 800 in writing)
How many students achieve the highest possible score (2400)?
The College Board views the critical reading, math, and writing scores separately. The chart below shows the number of top scores on each section of the SAT from 2007-2011:
| Number of Students Who Achieved Highest Possible Score on the SAT (by subsection and entire test) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total SAT Takers | 800 Critical Reading | 800 Mathematics | 800 Writing | Entire Test 2400 | ||
| 2011 | Total | 1,647,123 | 8,114 | 13,803 | 6,422 | (0.023%) 384 |
| 2010 | Total | 1,597,329 | 8,848 | 12,517 | 5,026 | (0.024%) 384 |
| 2009 | Total | 1,573,110 | 8,989 | 10,883 | 5,026 | (0.019%) 303 |
| 2008 | Total | 1,563,272 | 8,008 | 9,856 | 5,391 | (0.019%) 297 |
| 2007 | Total | 1,534,457 | 8,693 | 10,293 | 4,480 | (0.018%) 273 |
How is the test scored?
Scoring is a two-step process.
First, a raw score is calculated.
- One point is added for each multiple-choice question answered correctly
- For multiple-choice questions answered incorrectly, 1/4 point is subtracted
- No points are subtracted for incorrect answers to the mathematics questions requiring student-produced responses
- No points are subtracted for omitted questions
- The point total for incorrect answers is subtracted from the point total for the questions answered correctly. If the resulting score is a fraction, it is rounded to the nearest whole number — 1/2 or more is rounded up; less than 1/2 is rounded down
- Questions in the SAT equating section do not count toward the score
Second, the raw score is converted to the College Board 200- to 800-point scaled score by a statistical process called "equating."
- Equating adjusts for slight differences in difficulty between test editions, and ensures that a student's score of, say, 450 on one edition of a test reflects the same ability as a score of 450 on another edition of the test
- Equating also ensures that a student's score does not depend on how well others did on the same edition of the test
How is the essay scored?
The essay is scored holistically, for the total impression it makes. Holistic scoring recognizes that the real merit of a piece of writing cannot be determined simply by adding together values assigned to separate factors such as development, word choice, organization and adherence to the conventions of written English. It is how these separate factors blend and become the whole that is important.
The essay is scored by two readers who independently review and score each essay on a scale of 1 to 6. The two scores are added together for a total score of 2 to 12. If the readers' scores vary by more than one point, a third reader, who is a scoring leader, scores the essay.
How do colleges compare SAT scores to ACT scores?
Admission officers receive SAT scores from some applicants and ACT scores from others and need a way to compare the two. College Board and ACT looked at the scores of hundreds of thousands of students who had taken both tests, and determined what ACT score was earned by most students with a given SAT score, and vice versa. The result of this comparison is the SAT/ACT Concordance Table you see here.
Validity and Fairness
Is the SAT valid?
The SAT is consistently shown to be a valid predictor of college success. Two recent studies, both of which included more than 150,000 students from 110 colleges, demonstrate that SAT scores are just as effective as four years of high school grades in predicting first-year college GPA. SAT and high school grades assess complementary, but somewhat different, capabilities of a student. When combined, the predictive value is at its strongest. (See Chart)
SAT scores provide a national, standardized, fair benchmark; whereas grades, grading practices, and curricula can vary widely between teachers and high schools.
Is the SAT fair?
The SAT is the most rigorously researched and designed test in the world, and is consistently shown to be a fair and valid predictor of first-year college success for all students, regardless of gender, race or socioeconomic status.
The idea that differences in test scores among different groups of students is somehow the result of testing bias is an idea that is largely rejected within mainstream psychology. As stated by NACAC's Report of the Commission on the Use of Standardized Tests in Undergraduate Admission: "A substantial body of literature indicates that test bias has been largely mitigated in today's admission tests due to extensive research and development of question items on both the SAT and ACT."
How does the College Board ensure that the SAT is fair?
Every SAT question goes through an extensive review with diverse groups of educators from around the country to ensure that each question tests the material taught in high school classrooms. In addition, every SAT question undergoes thorough pretesting as well as analysis for race and gender subgroups populations. Any question that doesn't pretest fairly across all groups is removed from the pool and never makes it to an official scored exam.
If the SAT is fair, why don't some minority students do as well on the SAT as white students? Why can performance vary by family-income groups?
The disparity in average scores among some student subgroups reflects the unfortunate reality that there is a great disparity in educational opportunities for students across the United States. These inequities are reflected in all standardized test scores, regardless of which test is administered.
If a fair national benchmark such as the SAT reveals disparate score averages, this is a call to take action to ensure equal opportunity and access to education for all students.
The College Board is very concerned about equity and is committed to improving educational access for all students. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students make a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness, connection and success — including the SAT and the Advanced Placement Program®. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools.
The College Board established the Advocacy & Policy Center in 2010 to ensure that students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to succeed in college and beyond. Through initiatives aimed at policy, research and real-world practice, the center addresses the broad needs of our membership of education professionals from more than 5,700 institutions. Priorities include college preparation and access; college affordability and financial aid; and college admission and completion.
Fee Waivers for Low-Income Students
Does the College Board offer help to students who can't afford to pay test fees?
In keeping with its mission to connect students to college success and opportunity, the College Board provides SAT fee waivers to low-income students for whom exam fees would present an unnecessary barrier in the college-going process.
How many students receive fee waivers?
More than 20 percent of students in the 2011 cohort who took the SAT utilized fee waivers, and the College Board granted more than $37 million in fee waivers and related services to qualifying students in during the 2010-11 school year.
How does the SAT Fee-Waiver Service Work?
Fee waivers for both the SAT and the SAT Subject Tests are available for high school students in the United States, U.S. territories and U.S. commonwealths who cannot afford to pay the test fees. Fee waivers for the SAT are available for juniors and seniors only, while eligible high school students in any grade qualify for SAT Subject Test fee waivers.
Eligibility is based on the USDA income guidelines for the federal free and reduced-price lunch program/National School Lunch Program.
For more information, visit SAT fee waivers.
Test Preparation
What is the best way to prepare for the SAT?
The SAT measures what students have learned in school and their ability to succeed in college-level courses. The best way to get ready for the SAT is to do well in school, take challenging courses, study hard and read as much as possible. There are no tricks or shortcuts to preparing for the SAT.
Research continues to show that short-term, for-profit test-prep courses don't increase test scores significantly, and such courses can't replace years of solid work in the classroom. The best way for students to get ready for the SAT is to take rigorous, challenging courses in high school and to become familiar with the test.
We offer free and low-cost tools that will help students familiarize themselves with the test format and question types.
Test-prep companies claim that they can help students dramatically increase SAT scores. What is the College Board's reaction to these claims?
The College Board is an educational nonprofit, not a test-prep company, and we do not endorse the use of expensive test-prep courses.
Repeated studies show that test prep increases SAT scores by about the same amount as taking the test a second time. For instance, the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) released an analysis in 2009 that showed that test-prep courses had minimal impact on improving SAT scores - about 10-20 points on average in mathematics and 5-10 points in critical reading. View the NACAC research.
Does the College Board license test materials to the test-prep companies?
We do not license our test materials. In order to help students become familiar with the test, we use our retired test content to create numerous free and low-cost practice tools that are available on the SAT student website. Test-prep companies cannot use our retired test content in their materials.
Can test-prep companies access official SAT questions?
Just like any student, they can access our free materials or purchase our low-cost products. However, these items cannot be used in their materials per our copyright policy.
SAT – Score Choice™
What is Score Choice?
Score Choice™ is a feature that allows students to select which SAT scores they send to colleges. With Score Choice, students have the option of submitting all their scores or submitting scores from a particular test day or "test sitting." It is available free of charge to students.
Colleges — not the College Board — set admission policies, and students should check with colleges directly about their particular requirements before applying. As a matter of integrity, students must follow all admission policies, including SAT reporting requirements, set by the colleges.
Do students have to use Score Choice?
SAT Score Choice is an optional feature. If a student does not proactively select "Score Choice," all scores will automatically be sent to colleges.
What is the college's role in Score Choice?
The College Board does not release SAT scores without a student's consent, which means that colleges and universities will receive only the scores that students choose to send. Colleges do not "use" Score Choice or opt in or out of Score Choice. Colleges set their SAT test score-use practices, and Score Choice is used by students to send the scores that they believe best represent them, according to the requirements of the colleges.
The College Board has gathered information about SAT admission requirements directly from colleges, and this information is posted on our website. More than 1,300 colleges' SAT requirements are now posted on the site. We began posting this information earlier this year when we put our Score Choice option in place, and we hear from students and parents that it has helped them quickly get a better sense of different colleges' SAT score use policies. This information is available in College Search.
The majority of colleges report to us that they consider only a student's best SAT scores, but that's not the case with all colleges.
Access an online guide about Score Choice.
SAT and College Admission
How do colleges use the SAT in admission practices?
Nearly all four-year, undergraduate colleges and universities in the United States accept and use the SAT as a valuable and reliable measure of college readiness. Research studies consistently show that the SAT is an excellent predictor of college success. The SAT also serves the important function of guarding against grade inflation at the high school level. The best use of the SAT in the admission process is in combination with high school grades. The SAT and high school grades are both very predictive of first-year college success and, because they are slightly different measures, together they are extremely powerful.
The SAT is an integral part of the admission process at many institutions, and the colleges and universities that most that require the submission of SAT scores do so because they know they can make better admission decisions if they have as much data as possible about every student applicant.
How do students send their score to colleges?
Most colleges and universities require official score reports sent from the College Board (rather than copies of online score reports or score report labels on transcripts). Every time students register for the SAT, they can send up to four free score reports to colleges or scholarship programs. Additional score reports can be ordered online, by mail or by phone.
What about low-income students who can't afford these additional fees?
Fee-waiver-eligible students can send up to four additional flexible score reports at no charge as part of the SAT Fee-Waiver Service. These flexible score reports can be ordered at registration or at any time after a student takes an SAT Program test, and can be used by eligible students even if they previously registered for the SAT or SAT Subject Tests without using a fee waiver.
Is there a growing trend in college admission toward SAT optional admission policies?
The test-optional trend is frequently overstated. More than 95 percent of four-year, academic, not-for-profit colleges and universities in the United States require a standardized college entrance exam for admission. Only a small number of colleges have adopted test-optional policies, and virtually all of these institutions still consider standardized test scores when students submit them. Many test-optional schools still use SAT scores for placement, scholarship and research purposes.
The SAT provides a fair, standardized national benchmark that colleges can use to evaluate their applicant pool. It is an especially important tool in a time when grade inflation appears to be increasing and academic standards vary across our nation's high schools.
The Writing Section
What does the writing section of the SAT measure?
The SAT writing section measures a student's ability to develop and express ideas clearly and effectively. It consists of multiple-choice questions and a student-written essay. The multiple-choice section counts for approximately 70 percent and the essay counts for approximately 30 percent of the total raw score, which is used to calculate the 200- to 800-point score for the writing section.
The multiple-choice section measures students' ability to use language in a clear, consistent manner, and to improve a piece of writing through revision and editing. Questions ask students to recognize sentence errors, to choose the best version of a piece of writing and to improve paragraphs. The essay measures a student's skill in developing a point of view on an issue.
How is the essay scored?
The essay is scored holistically, for the total impression it makes. Holistic scoring recognizes that the real merit of a piece of writing cannot be determined simply by adding together values assigned to separate factors such as development, word choice, organization and adherence to the conventions of written English. It is how these separate factors blend and become the whole that is important.
The essay is scored by two readers who independently review and score each essay on a scale of 1 to 6. The two scores are added together for a total score of 2 to 12. If the readers' scores vary by more than one point, a third reader, who is a scoring leader, scores the essay.
Essay readers hold a bachelor's degree or higher and currently teach, or have recently taught, a high school or college-level course that requires a substantial amount of writing. All readers complete a rigorous training course that familiarizes them with the principles of holistic scoring and teaches them to evaluate essays according to agreed-upon standards.
Why did the College Board change the SAT in 2005 to include a required writing section?
Writing is a critical skill for success in college, no matter what field of study the student is pursuing. We added a writing section in order to give colleges even more information about potential students. Our research shows that since the introduction of the writing section to the SAT, high schools are placing a greater emphasis on writing instruction, helping to better prepare students for college success.