UNDERSTANDING THE SAT
Quick Tips for Success
TEST RULES
• No scratch paper allowed
• You MUST write on the test
• Scientific or graphing calculators are permitted
• Cannot spend more time in a section than
allowed
• Can move around within each section between
question types
ORDER OF DIFFICULTY
• Sentence completion, identifying sentence errors,
improving sentences, math mutliple-choice, and math
grid-ins go from EASY TO DIFFICULT
• Concentrate on the first 12 questions and getting those
first 12 correct
• Passage-based questions, critical reading and
improving paragraphs do not have an order of
difficulty to them
SAT SCORING SYSTEM
+1 for all correct answers
0 points for unanswered questions
0 points for incorrect grid-in math
questions
-0.25 point for every multiple choice
question missed
WHAT SCORE SHOULD I SHOOT FOR?
• Most colleges look for students to break 1000
out of 1600 possible points with the critical
reading section and the math section.
• To reach a score of 500 in math, you only have
to answer 26 out of 54 questions correctly
• To reach a score of 500 in critical reading, you
only have to answer 29 out of 67 questions
correctly
SET-UP OF THE TEST
Critical Reading
# of questions
Sentence Completion
19
Passage-Based Reading
48
Total Questions
67
Time Allotted: 70 minutes (two 25 minute sections and one 20-minute section
Math
# of questions
Multiple-choice
44
Student-produced response (grid-in)
10
Total Questions
54
YOU START THE TEST WITH THE ESSAY…
Writing
# of questions
Identifying Sentence Errors
18
Improving Sentences
25
Improving Paragraphs
6
Written Essay
1 essay
Total questions
49+1 esssay
GUESSING ON THE SAT
• If you have no clue how to answer the
question, then definitely skip it.
• If you can eliminate only one or two wrong
answers, think twice before guessing
• If you can eliminate three wrong answers,
then definitely guess.
STRATEGIES
• Think with your pencil
• Work the entire time—do not get
frustrated and give up.
• NO RANDOM GUESSING