SAT Test Sections
Each standard edition of the SAT includes critical reading, mathematics, and writing questions divided into 10 test sections. (Nonstandard editions do not include the 10th, variable, section.)
Critical reading
The critical reading questions are all multiple choice. They can have one of two formats:
- Sentence completion
- Passage-based reading with long and short excerpts from works in natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and literary fiction
The questions assess students' reading skills, such as:
- Identifying main and supporting ideas
- Determining the meaning of words in context
- Understanding authors' purposes
- Understanding the structure and function of sentences
Mathematics
The mathematics section has two types of questions:
- Multiple-choice questions
- Student-produced responses
The questions require students to apply mathematical concepts and to use data literacy skills in interpreting tables, charts, and graphs. They cover skills in four major areas:
- Numbers and operations
- Algebra and functions
- Geometry and measurement
- Data analysis, statistics, and probability
Writing
The writing section consists of two types of questions:
- An essay
- Multiple-choice questions
The multiple-choice questions ask students to:
- Recognize sentence errors
- Choose the best version of a piece of writing
- Improve paragraphs
SAT® section by section
The SAT is three hours and 45 minutes long. It is broken into 10 sections:
- Three writing
- Three critical reading
- Three mathematics
- One variable (unscored)
The first section is always the essay, and the last section is also a writing section. In between, the academic content areas can come in any order.
| Content | Minutes | Total Time |
|---|---|---|
| Writing (essay) | 25 | 60 minutes |
| Writing (multiple-choice) | 25 | |
| Writing (multiple-choice) | 10 | |
| Critical reading (multiple-choice) | 25 | 70 minutes |
| Critical reading (multiple-choice) | 25 | |
| Critical reading (multiple-choice) | 20 | |
| Mathematics (multiple-choice and student-produced response) | 25 | 70 minutes |
| Mathematics (multiple-choice) | 25 | |
| Mathematics (multiple-choice) | 20 | |
| Variable (unscored, multiple-choice) | 25 | 25 minutes |
The unscored section
One of the 25-minute sections is unscored. This "variable" or "equating" section may have critical reading, mathematics, or multiple-choice writing questions. It does not count toward the final score but 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.
Test book variations
Test-takers sitting next to each other in the same testing session may have test books with an entirely different sequence of the 25-minute and 20-minute sections.