The SAT is a reasoning test, which means it measures your ability to solve problems by choosing the correct answer when presented with multiple options in the areas of critical reading, mathematics and writing. High school juniors and seniors take the SAT as a part of preparing for college admissions since most American colleges and universities accept the SAT, along with your high school transcript, extra- and co-curricular achievements, letters of recommendation, and essays.
What Does the SAT Reasoning Test Cover?
Administered by the College Board, this exam (formerly known as SAT I) underwent significant changes in March of 2005 when it received a new writing section and a higher maximum score. According to The College Board, “the SAT tests the subject matter learned by students in high school and the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in college”.
The test takes approximately three hours and 45 minutes to complete. There are three sections on the test: critical reading, math and writing. Each of the three sections uses a 200-800 score range, with a maximum score of 2400.
Critical Reading
This section includes short reading passages (about 100 words) and long reading passages (500-800 words) from a variety of texts as well as sentence completion questions. There are a total of 78 multiple choice items in this section.