Structure of the SAT Exam
Getting good grades in high school should be a high priority. However, it should not be the only thing you focus on. You should also devote as much time and energy as possible to preparing for the SAT. Of course your grade point average is important when applying for college, but you may not realize that SAT scores are just as important. Colleges take the SAT scores they receive very seriously. Your scores can determine where you spend four years of your life.
You should know the format of the SAT. This will help you with your SAT prep. The format of the SAT is as follows: one essay topic, 49 writing questions, 67 critical reading questions and 54 math questions. These 170 questions are very important in determining where you will attend college.
Now that you know the basic breakdown of the test, here is a more in-depth picture of how the test is structured.
The essay question will be 25 minutes long. It can be on any given topic. It is important for you to know how to write a coherent essay. It should have an introduction, body and a conclusion. The introduction should be relevant to the topic. Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence. The other sentences in the paragraphs should relate to the topic sentence. Finally, the conclusion should recap your main idea and major points.
The writing section consists of two multiple-choice sections. The first lasts 25 minutes and the other lasts 10 minutes. There are 49 questions in this section. The first section has 25 questions. These questions test your ability to improve sentences. It is a good idea to know all the parts of a sentence. You should also know what makes a good sentence.
The writing section also includes 18 questions on identifying sentence errors. Each sentence in this section will have four sections underlined. The you will have to determine which sections have grammar and usage errors.
The improving paragraph part of the writing section consists of six questions which require students to correct errors in a given passage. They should be able to edit sentences. They also need to organize and develop paragraphs. Doing a lot of reading and identifying the parts of the sentences and paragraphs will help.
“The Critical Reasoning section tests your ability to understand and analyze written material. The questions carry a .25-point penalty for incorrect answers. The Critical Reading Section consists of two types of questions. These are reading comprehension and sentence completion.
The format of the three sections is:
· 25 minutes: 8 Sentence Completion questions followed by 16 Reading Comprehension questions
· 25 minutes: 5 Sentence Completion questions followed by 19 Reading Comprehension questions
· 20 minutes: 6 Sentence Completion questions followed by 13 Reading Comprehension questions”
Again, a thorough knowledge of how language works is important for this section. So do a lot of reading.
The math section covers arithmetic, algebra and functions, geometry and data analysis. These topics are usually covered in freshman year through junior year of high school. The SAT tests these skills through multiple-choice and grid-ins.
“The multiple-choice questions carry a .25-point penalty for incorrect answers. The grid-in questions carry no penalty for wrong answers, because the likelihood of guessing the correct answer is negligible.
The format of the three sections is:
· 25 minutes: 20 Multiple-Choice questions
· 25 minutes: 8 Multiple-Choice questions followed by 10 Grid-ins.
· 20 minutes: 16 Multiple-Choice questions”
To prepare for this section, you should review the math you learned during high school. You should also time yourself. Make sure you know the process of coming up with the answers so that you can complete the questions quickly.
The final section of the SAT is the experimental section. It is 25 minutes long. It does not count against your score. It can include math, writing or critical reasoning. It is included to ensure that the test is balanced and fair.
The structure of the SAT is pretty simple. It tests three categories; math, writing and critical reasoning. These areas are broken down into sub-categories. Knowing the format can make preparing for it much simpler.
You should know the format of the SAT. This will help you with your SAT prep. The format of the SAT is as follows: one essay topic, 49 writing questions, 67 critical reading questions and 54 math questions. These 170 questions are very important in determining where you will attend college.
Now that you know the basic breakdown of the test, here is a more in-depth picture of how the test is structured.
The essay question will be 25 minutes long. It can be on any given topic. It is important for you to know how to write a coherent essay. It should have an introduction, body and a conclusion. The introduction should be relevant to the topic. Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence. The other sentences in the paragraphs should relate to the topic sentence. Finally, the conclusion should recap your main idea and major points.
The writing section consists of two multiple-choice sections. The first lasts 25 minutes and the other lasts 10 minutes. There are 49 questions in this section. The first section has 25 questions. These questions test your ability to improve sentences. It is a good idea to know all the parts of a sentence. You should also know what makes a good sentence.
The writing section also includes 18 questions on identifying sentence errors. Each sentence in this section will have four sections underlined. The you will have to determine which sections have grammar and usage errors.
The improving paragraph part of the writing section consists of six questions which require students to correct errors in a given passage. They should be able to edit sentences. They also need to organize and develop paragraphs. Doing a lot of reading and identifying the parts of the sentences and paragraphs will help.
“The Critical Reasoning section tests your ability to understand and analyze written material. The questions carry a .25-point penalty for incorrect answers. The Critical Reading Section consists of two types of questions. These are reading comprehension and sentence completion.
The format of the three sections is:
· 25 minutes: 8 Sentence Completion questions followed by 16 Reading Comprehension questions
· 25 minutes: 5 Sentence Completion questions followed by 19 Reading Comprehension questions
· 20 minutes: 6 Sentence Completion questions followed by 13 Reading Comprehension questions”
Again, a thorough knowledge of how language works is important for this section. So do a lot of reading.
The math section covers arithmetic, algebra and functions, geometry and data analysis. These topics are usually covered in freshman year through junior year of high school. The SAT tests these skills through multiple-choice and grid-ins.
“The multiple-choice questions carry a .25-point penalty for incorrect answers. The grid-in questions carry no penalty for wrong answers, because the likelihood of guessing the correct answer is negligible.
The format of the three sections is:
· 25 minutes: 20 Multiple-Choice questions
· 25 minutes: 8 Multiple-Choice questions followed by 10 Grid-ins.
· 20 minutes: 16 Multiple-Choice questions”
To prepare for this section, you should review the math you learned during high school. You should also time yourself. Make sure you know the process of coming up with the answers so that you can complete the questions quickly.
The final section of the SAT is the experimental section. It is 25 minutes long. It does not count against your score. It can include math, writing or critical reasoning. It is included to ensure that the test is balanced and fair.
The structure of the SAT is pretty simple. It tests three categories; math, writing and critical reasoning. These areas are broken down into sub-categories. Knowing the format can make preparing for it much simpler.