SAT Exam Syllabus and Pattern: What the Digital SAT Tests

SAT exam syllabus and paper pattern at a glance

A few questions in each module are unscored pretest items (2 per module), so 90 of the 98 count towards your score. You cannot tell which ones they are, so give every question your full effort.

The test is section adaptive. The first module of each section mixes easy, medium and hard questions. How you do there decides whether your second module is harder or easier, and a harder second module unlocks the highest scaled scores. You can move back and forth inside a module but cannot return to a finished one.

SAT English syllabus: the Reading and Writing section

Every question has its own short passage of 25 to 150 words, drawn from literature, history, social studies, the humanities and science. All 54 questions are four-option multiple choice.

For many Indian students the grammar is familiar from school English, but the vocabulary in context and the paired passage questions take practice, because the options are close and only one is fully supported by the text.

Math section syllabus

About three quarters of Math questions are multiple choice and one quarter are student-produced responses, where you type your own answer. A reference sheet of formulas and a built-in graphing calculator are available throughout, and you may bring an approved calculator.

Algebra (about 35%, 13 to 15 questions)

• Linear equations and inequalities in one and two variables
• Linear functions and their graphs
• Systems of two linear equations

Advanced Math (about 35%, 13 to 15 questions)

• Equivalent expressions and nonlinear equations
• Quadratic, exponential, polynomial, rational and radical functions
• Nonlinear equations in one variable and systems in two variables

Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (about 15%, 5 to 7 questions)

• Ratios, rates, proportions, units and percentages
• One and two variable data, scatterplots and models
• Probability, sample statistics, margin of error, and evaluating statistical claims

Geometry and Trigonometry (about 15%, 5 to 7 questions)

• Area and volume; lines, angles and triangles
• Right triangles and trigonometric ratios
• Circles, arcs and equations of circles

None of this goes beyond what CBSE students meet by class 10 and early class 11. The challenge is speed and accuracy with word problems, so the class 10 maths syllabus is a fair reference for the base level.

SAT marking scheme and scores

• Each section is scored from 200 to 800 in steps of 10, and the two add up to the total of 400 to 1600.
• A wrong response scores the same as a blank one, zero, so always pick an option.
• Your raw count of correct answers is converted to a scaled score that also takes into account the difficulty of the questions you were given, which is why the adaptive second module matters.
• There is no essay in the current SAT.

Syllabus of SAT exam: where to focus first

Algebra and Advanced Math together make up roughly 70 percent of the Math section, so fluency with linear equations, quadratics and functions pays off more than geometry. In Reading and Writing, Standard English Conventions is the quickest domain to improve because the rules are finite. Words in context and inference questions improve more slowly, through regular reading of varied nonfiction.

Use the official full-length practice tests on the College Board's own test app; they are adaptive in the same way as the real exam and give the most realistic score estimate.

A 12-week plan for a class 11 or 12 student

1. Weeks 1 and 2: take one official practice test cold, then list your weak domains from the score report.
2. Weeks 3 to 6: grammar rules and transitions four days a week; Algebra and Advanced Math drills the other days. Read one opinion or science article daily.
3. Weeks 7 to 9: data analysis, geometry and paired passage questions; one timed module a day.
4. Weeks 10 to 12: a full adaptive test every weekend, and two days after each one reviewing every miss.

If you are also weighing study abroad tests, compare the IELTS syllabus and TOEFL syllabus for English proficiency, or see all options in the entrance exams section.