The SAT contains three sections; Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing.

Critical Reading: This is a 70-minute exam with two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. It is passage-based reading and sentence completion that gives you a chance to show how well you understand what you read. Score ranges from 200-800.

Mathematics: The math section of the exam is 70 minutes long and includes two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. It is made up of multiple-choice questions and student-produced responses. The questions require students to apply mathematical concepts and to interpret tables, charts and graphs. They cover skills in four major areas; numbers and operations; algebra and functions; geometry and measurement; and data analysis, statistics and probability. Scores range from 200-800.

Writing: A relatively new part of the exam, this section is 60 minutes long and includes two 25-minute sections and one 10-minute section. There are multiple-choice questions (35 minutes) and a student-written essay (25 minutes) where you will be asked to present and support a point of view on a specific issue. Because you only have 25 minutes, your essay is not expected to be polished — it is meant to be a first draft. Score range is 200-800.

In addition to the Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing sections, there is a 25 minute unscored section of the SAT test. This “experimental” section may have critical reading, mathematics or multiple-choice writing questions. It does not count toward the final score, but it is used to try out new questions and to ensure that scores on new editions of the SAT are comparable to scores on earlier editions.