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Taking the Tests:
   » Meet the SAT & SAT II

The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)

A Three-Hour Tour
The SAT is a three-hour test that measures verbal and mathematical reasoning skills students have developed over time and skills they need to be successful academically. Many colleges and universities use the SAT as one indicator among others-class rank, high school GPA, extracurricular activities, personal essay, and teacher recommendations-of a student's readiness to do college-level work. SAT scores are compared with the scores of other applicants, and the accepted scores at an institution, and can be used as a basis for awarding merit-based financial aid.

The SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800 and is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. The test is administered several times a year.

Below are some basic facts about the SAT I: Reasoning Test.

SAT Question Types
Each edition of the SAT includes a Verbal and Math section, with a specific number of questions related to content. The question types and number of questions in each section are listed below.

Verbal (3 sections)
Tests ability to:

• Understand and analyze what you read
• Recognize relationships between parts of a sentence
• Establish relationships between pairs of words

Other Verbal facts

• 78 questions, 35 minutes
• Two 30-minute sections, plus one 15-minute section

Math (3 sections)
Solve problems involving:

• Arithmetic
• Algebra
• Geometry

Other Math facts

• 60 Questions, 75 minutes
• Two 30-minute sections, plus one 15-minute section
• Calculator use permitted but not required

The Unscored Section (1 section)
In addition, there is one 30-minute section that may be either a verbal or math section. This "equating" section does not count toward the final score, but is used to ensure that scores on new editions of the SAT are comparable to scores on earlier editions of the test and to try out new questions for future editions of the SAT.

Test Order
The first five (30-minute) sections can appear in any order, as can the two 15-minute sections. Test takers sitting next to each other in the same testing session may have test books with entirely different sections.

How many questions do I have to answer correctly to get an average score?
The average score on the SAT is about 500 on the verbal portion and 500 on the math portion. Some of the questions are easy, and some are hard, but the majority are of medium difficulty. Medium-difficulty questions are answered correctly by about one-third to two-thirds of students.

The SAT is designed so that a student who answers about half the questions correctly will receive an average score.

SAT II: Subject Tests

Subject Tests, one-hour, mostly multiple-choice tests, measure how much students know about a particular academic subject and how well they can apply that knowledge.

The 22 Subject Tests include: Writing (with an essay), Literature, U.S. History, World History, Math Level IC, Math Level IIC, Biology E/M, Chemistry, Physics, French Reading, French Reading with Listening, German Reading, German Reading with Listening, Spanish Reading, Spanish Reading with Listening, Modern Hebrew Reading, Italian Reading, Latin Reading with Listening, Japanese Reading with Listening, Korean Reading with Listening, Chinese Reading with Listening, and the English Language Proficiency Test.

Many colleges require or recommend one or more of the Subject Tests for admission or placement. Used in combination with other background information (your high school record, scores from other tests like the SAT I, teacher recommendations, etc.), they provide a dependable measure of your academic achievement and are a good predictor of future performance.

Subject Test Descriptions
Subject Tests fall into five general subject areas. Click on any test area below for more information.

English
Literature: The Literature test is designed to assess how well you read literature. The test requires a high level of verbal ability, the ability to read poetry and prose from different periods, and a working knowledge of basic literary terminology. There are six to eight sets of questions on the test, each based on a different literary text. The test usually contains about 60 multiple-choice questions, and is an hour long.

Writing: The Writing test measures your ability to express ideas effectively in standard written English, to recognize faults in usage and structure, and to use language with sensitivity to meaning. Standard written English follows rules of grammar and structure according to English grammar handbooks. The Writing test is an hour long, and includes a 20-minute essay on an assigned topic that does not require specialized knowledge in any particular academic discipline, and 60 multiple-choice questions.

Mathematics
Mathematics Level IC: The Mathematics Level IC test is designed to assess your understanding of the mathematics commonly taught in American high schools in three years of college preparatory mathematics (two years of algebra and one year of geometry). The test requires knowledge of algebra, geometry (plane Euclidean, coordinate, three-dimensional), basic trigonometry, algebraic functions, elementary statistics, and some miscellaneous topics. The test is developed with the expectation that most students are using graphing calculators so a scientific or graphing calculator is required. The Math Level IC test is an hour long and has 50 multiple-choice questions. A calculator is required for the Math Level IC test.

Mathematics Level IIC: The Mathematics Level IIC test is designed to assess your understanding of the mathematics commonly taught in American schools in more than three years of college preparatory mathematics (two years of algebra, one year of geometry, and precalculus and/or trigonometry). The test requires knowledge of algebra, geometry (coordinate, three-dimensional), trigonometry, functions, statistics, and some miscellaneous topics. The test is developed with the expectation that most students are using graphing calculators so a scientific or graphing calculator is required. The Math Level IIC test is an hour long and has 50 multiple-choice questions. A calculator is required for the Math Level IIC test.

History
United States History (formerly known as American History): The US History test is designed to assess your knowledge of and ability to use material commonly taught in U.S. history and social studies courses in high school. The test requires knowledge of U.S. history from pre-Columbian times to the present, and the ability to recall basic information in an analytical and interpretive manner. The test is an hour long and contains 90 to 95 multiple-choice questions covering political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural history, and foreign policy.

World History: The World History test measures your understanding of key developments in global history and your use of basic historical techniques. Basic techniques include the application and weighing of evidence and the ability to interpret and generalize. The test is an hour long and consists of 95 multiple-choice questions covering the entire history of the world, from ancient times to the present, including all inhabitable continents. It also covers all historical fields: political and diplomatic, intellectual and cultural, and social and economic.

Science
Biology E/M: The Biology E/M test assesses your understanding of general biology at the college preparatory level. The test is an hour long and consists of 80 multiple-choice questions -- a common core of 60 questions, plus 20 ecological or molecular questions. Special emphasis is placed on either ecology (Biology-E) or molecular biology (Biology-M), with recognition that evolution is inherent in both. You choose the area in biology for which you feel you're best prepared. On test day you'll indicate if you're taking Biology-E or Biology-M by gridding the code for the chosen test on your answer sheet. Only questions pertaining to the test code that is gridded on the answer sheet will be scored. You may not take both Biology-E and Biology-M on the same test day.

Chemistry: The Chemistry test assesses your understanding of general chemistry at the college preparatory level. The test is an hour long and consists of 85 questions. The use of a calculator is not permitted. Numerical calculations are limited to simple arithmetic. A periodic table indicating the atomic numbers and masses of elements is provided for all test administrations.

Physics: The Physics test assesses your understanding of physics at the college preparatory level. The test is an hour long and consists of 75 multiple-choice questions.

Languages (includes ELPT)
All Language tests measure students' competence in the particular language. Reading only tests (French, German, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Latin, and Spanish) assess a student's reading ability in the language. The Listening Tests (Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and ELPT™ ) require students to demonstrate an understanding of the spoken and written language, in addition to assessing reading skills.

Chinese with Listening: The Chinese with Listening test measures your ability to understand spoken (Mandarin) and written Chinese. The test contains 85 multiple-choice questions (a 20-minute listening section and a 40-minute reading section).

French and French with Listening: There are two French Subject Tests: French and French with Listening. Both tests evaluate your reading ability in French. The French with Listening test also measures your ability to understand spoken French. Both tests are an hour long and include 85 multiple-choice questions. The French with Listening test has a 20-minute listening section and a 40-minute reading section.

German and German with Listening: There are two German Subject Tests: German and German with Listening. Both tests evaluate your reading ability in German. The German with Listening test also measures your ability to understand spoken German. Both tests are an hour long and contain 85 multiple-choice questions. The German with Listening test has a 20-minute listening section and a 40-minute reading section.

Modern Hebrew: The Modern Hebrew test evaluates your competence in modern Hebrew. The test is an hour long and contains 85 multiple-choice questions.

Italian: The Italian test assesses your reading ability in Italian. The test is an hour long and contains 85 multiple-choice questions.

Japanese with Listening: The Japanese with Listening test measures your ability to communicate in Japanese in a culturally appropriate way. The test consists of 80 to 85 multiple-choice questions (a 20-minute listening section and a 40-minute reading section).

Korean with Listening: The Korean with Listening test assesses your ability to understand spoken and written Korean. The test contains 80 to 85 multiple-choice questions (a 20-minute listening section and a 40-minute reading section).

Latin: The Latin test assesses your ability to read in Latin. The test is an hour long and includes 70-75 multiple-choice questions.

Spanish and Spanish with Listening: There are two Spanish Subject Tests: Spanish and Spanish with Listening. Both tests evaluate your reading ability in Spanish. The Spanish with Listening test also measures your ability to understand spoken Spanish. Both tests are an hour long and contain 85 multiple-choice questions. The Spanish with Listening test has a 20-minute listening section and a 40-minute reading section.

English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT): The ELPT assesses both your understanding of spoken and written standard American English and how well you will function in a classroom where English is spoken. The ELPT consists of 84 multiple-choice questions (a 30-minute listening section and a 30-minute reading section). The test is intended for students whose best language is not English; who attend U.S. high schools, or who have studied in an international school where courses are taught in English; have completed two to four years of English language instruction in an English as a Second Language program or in English enrichment courses; and/or students who speak a language other than English at home or work.
Calendar

• Choose your test date and test center.
• Get immediate registration confirmation.
• Get recruited by colleges and universities.

Visa, MasterCard, Discover, JCB or American Express are required to complete your SAT registration.

You cannot register online if:

• You are registering for the first time for Sunday testing.
• You are testing in Kenya.
• You are younger than 13 years old at the time of registration (applies primarily to Talent Search).
• You are registering for School-based ELPT.

Registration by Mail: To register by mail, you need a Registration Bulletin which is available at your school counselor's office. The Registration Form and return envelope are included in the Registration Bulletin. Your completed registration form must be returned in the envelope provided with proper payment.

The Registration Bulletin contains test dates, registration deadlines, fees, instructions, test center codes, and other registration-related information.

If you need more detailed information or a complete list of test centers ask your school counselor or librarian for the School Reference Copy of the Registration Bulletin.

Re-registration by Telephone: You can re-register by phone if you wish to register for the SAT or SAT Subject Test again. Please note that you cannot register for the SAT by phone the first time you register. The additional fee for telephone re-registration is $10. Credit card required (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or JCB).

Call to re-register
If you are currently in high school and you've previously registered for an SAT or Subject Test, you can re-register by phone:

• If you have a touch-tone phone, a valid credit card, and do not need customer service assistance, use the automated, toll-free number (available from 7am to midnight Eastern time): (800) SAT-SCORE (800-728-7267) or (609) 771-7600.
• If you need assistance, you can speak to a customer service representative by calling (609) 771-7600 between 8 a.m. and 8:45 p.m., Monday through Friday, ET.
• The TTY number is (609) 882-4118, available at any time.

When you call, you will need to provide the following information (a good idea to write some of this down before you call):

• Your name, date of birth, sex, social security number (optional)
• Two-digit test codes (when registering for SAT II: Subject Tests)
• Five-digit test center codes
• Four-digit college or scholarship program codes
• Credit card number with month and year of expiration

You cannot use Telephone Re-registration if you are:

• Using a fee waiver for payment
• Requesting testing closer to home
• Testing in Kenya
• Taking the school-based ELPT™ in April

SAT Scores
Your official printed score report will be mailed to you, your high school, and to colleges and scholarship programs designated on your Registration Form about three weeks after the test. Some scores may take longer to report because of such problems as late receipt of answer sheets or inconsistent identification.

Understanding Your Scores
Colleges use more than your SAT scores when making admission decisions. Your high school record is most important, and colleges may also consider essays, recommendations, interviews, and your involvement in extracurricular activities. Because no single score can tell everything about how you performed on the test, the score reports also include percentiles and score ranges. Admission staff use these tools to evaluate the scores.

SAT I: SAT scores are reported on a scale from 200 to 800. Your scores tell college admission staff how you did compared with other students who took the test. For example, if you scored close to the mean or average-about 500 on SAT verbal and 500 on SAT math-admission staff would know that you scored as well as about half of the students who took the test.

SAT II: Subject Test scores are reported on a scale from 200 to 800, with the exception of the ELPT™ (English Language Proficiency Test™ ), which is reported on a scale from 901 to 999. Subject Test subscores are reported on a scale from 20 to 80. ELPT subscores are reported on a scale from 1 to 50. Reading and listening subscores are reported for all Language Tests with Listening, and a usage subscore is also reported for the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean tests. Your scores tell college admission staff how you did compared with other students who took the test.
Sending SAT Scores
In addition to the score reports you chose to send when you registered for the SAT, you can send scores to additional colleges and scholarship programs for $6.50 each by visiting SAT Status! You must have a user name and password to use this feature.

• Only score reports from completed and scored tests will be sent. You can only send scores that appear next to test dates on your SAT Status page. Scores from future tests for which you have registered, but have not yet completed, will not be included.
• Scores are mailed approximately three weeks after you submit your request.
• All available scores will be sent, including those from previous test administrations. You cannot send only your latest or highest SAT I scores, or separate scores for verbal or math, or only SAT I or only SAT II scores.
• Rush reporting is available for an additional $23. Rush scores are sent two business days after your request is received.
• Remember, most colleges and universities require official score reports sent from the College Board.

For more information, please visit: www.collegeboard.com/testing

Taking the Tests

Standardized Testing: The Big Picture

» Meet the SAT & SAT II

Meet the ACT & AP Exams

Meet the PSAT/NMSQT

Meet the CLEP

Test Day

The White House Initiative gratefully acknowledges collegeboard.com for providing the content found on this page.