Structure and Pattern

Our comprehensive guide outlines how the SAT Exam unfolds. Moreover, it delves into the nuanced types of questions present in each of the test's sections.

Pattern Highlights:

The SAT is meticulously timed, allocating specific durations for each segment. In total, the test spans three hours, distributed as follows:

SAT Structure Overview

The SAT syllabus encapsulates courses that mirror the school curriculum, ensuring students are on familiar grounds. Key components of the SAT syllabus are:

• Reading & Writing
• Mathematics

Interestingly, the SAT once separated reading and writing. However, the modern-day SAT melds them into a unified segment. While direct science questioning is absent, the reading and writing section integrates passages reflecting science concepts, offering a holistic approach.

Venturing into the future, the Digital SAT provides an integrated focus on Reading and Writing. This table outlines the key areas:

Table: SAT Reading & Writing Section Areas

The SAT Reading section is an essential part of the SAT English syllabus, highlighting evidence-based reading and comprehension skills. This segment is designed to challenge a student's proficiency in:

• Comprehension: Grasping complex ideas and nuances in the texts.
• Analytical Abilities: Deducing the underlying messages and critically evaluating the content.
• Vocabulary: Understanding and contextualising a diverse range of words.

This section includes a variety of reading passages and corresponding questions that test critical reading and analytical skills. Here's a detailed overview:

• Reading Comprehension: Involves understanding and analyzing passages from literature, historical documents, social sciences, and natural sciences.
• Evidence-Based Reading: Requires students to support their answers with evidence from the text, demonstrating critical analysis and interpretation skills.
• Data Interpretation: Some questions involve interpreting data from infographics, such as tables, graphs, and charts, within the context of reading passages.
• Command of Evidence: Focuses on identifying and interpreting evidence that supports answers or conclusions.
• Words in Context: Tests the understanding of word meanings and how word choice influences meaning, tone, and impact.

• Two from the realm of science.
• A literary passage derived from Classics or contemporary works from the US or global literature.
• Excerpts from foundational US documents or discussions on profound topics like freedom, human rights, and dignity.
• Selections from fields like Economics, Sociology, and Psychology.

The SAT Reading section focuses on comprehension, analysis, and interpretation of passages. Here's a breakdown of the types of questions you might encounter:

• Main Idea/Primary Purpose: These questions assess your ability to understand the primary focus or main idea of the passage or a specific paragraph. Example: What is the main purpose of the passage?
• Vocabulary-in-Context: These questions ask about the meaning of a word or phrase based on its usage in the passage. Example: In line 15, the word "ephemeral" most nearly means.
• Detail-oriented: These questions focus on specific details mentioned in the passage. Example: According to the passage, what did the protagonist buy from the store?
• Inference: These questions require you to make logical conclusions based on information presented or implied in the passage. Example: The author suggests that the protagonist's primary motivation for his actions is...
• Author's Tone and Style: Questions that assess your understanding of the author's attitude, tone, or rhetorical techniques. Example: Which of the following best describes the author's tone in the first paragraph?
• Analysing Data: Some passages come with tables, graphs, or charts. Questions may ask you to interpret or analyse this data in relation to the passage. Example: Based on the graph, during which year was the phenomenon most prevalent?

As another significant component of the SAT English syllabus, the Writing section gauges a student's proficiency in:

• Grammar and Usage: Tests understanding of sentence structure, conventional usage of English, and grammatical rules.
• Expression of Ideas: Involves revising and editing texts for coherence, style, and tone.
• Standard English Conventions: Focuses on punctuation, verb tense, subject-verb agreement, and parallel construction.
• Analysis of Argument: Requires students to identify and improve weaknesses in arguments within given texts.
• Data Interpretation in Context: Some questions may involve interpreting data and modifying text to accurately represent the given data.

• Improving Sentences: These questions ask you to choose the best version of the underlined portion of the sentence. Example: Climbing the mountain peak, the weather became increasingly challenging. Corrected: As they climbed the mountain peak, the weather became increasingly challenging.
• Identifying Sentence Errors: You'll be given a sentence with four underlined words or phrases, and you must identify the one that is grammatically incorrect. Example: She neither likes running nor to swim. Error: "to swim" (should be "nor swimming").
• Improving Paragraphs: These questions ask you to consider the organisation and development of a paragraph or the entire essay. Example: Which of the following sentences would be the most logical and effective to insert at the beginning of the passage?
• Standard English Conventions: These questions test your knowledge of grammar and punctuation rules. Example: If she would have known about the party, she would have come. Corrected: If she had known about the party, she would have come.
• Expression of Ideas: These questions assess your ability to organise and express ideas clearly, using evidence and reasoning. Example: To make the paragraph most logical, sentence 3 should be placed...

Though The College Board has declared the discontinuation of the SAT Essay post-2021, for reference:

The essay component, though optional in the SAT format, remains vital for certain universities. It assesses a student's reading, analytical, and writing abilities, demanding them to dissect a 650-700 word passage and analyse the author's argument within a 50-minute timeframe.

• A total of 58 questions to be solved in 80 minutes.
• 80% are multiple-choice, while the remaining 20% are grid-ins.
• For the section allowing calculators: 30 MCQs and 8 grid-in questions.
• For the non-calculator section: 15 MCQs and 5 grid-ins.
• A reference sheet with vital formulas is provided at the outset.

The SAT exam format for Math in 2024 will witness the following:

SAT Math Testing Areas

Here's an in-depth look at each maths topic and its specific focus:

The SAT Maths syllabus is meticulously designed to evaluate students' abilities to apply mathematical concepts and perform problem-solving in varied contexts. Mastery of these topics is crucial for achieving a high score in the SAT Math section.

Though The College Board has declared the discontinuation of the SAT Essay post-2021, for reference:

The essay component, though optional in the SAT format, remains vital for certain universities. It assesses a student's reading, analytical, and writing abilities, demanding them to dissect a 650-700 word passage and analyse the author's argument within a 50-minute timeframe.

Sample prompts usually ask the student to evaluate:

• The techniques used by the author to build their argument.
• The evidence provided in the text supports the claims.
• The overall effectiveness of the author's persuasion methods.