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About The SAT

The Scholastic Assessment Test (commonly known as the SAT) is a standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. It assesses students’ skills in Reading. Writing and Math.

The purpose of the SAT, or any other standardized test, is to have a common metric that can be used to compare all applicants, regardless of their high school background. The alternative to the SAT is the ACT, and colleges will accept either test score.

Most students take the SAT in either Grade 11 or early Grade 12, and there is no limit to the number of times you are permitted to take the test. The SAT is usually held multiple times a year, though the test dates are a bit unpredictable in recent years due to COVID-19’s development.

From 2023 onward, the digital SAT will be offered to international candidates. US-based candidates will still be offered the paper-based test until 2024.

Do note that the Digital SAT will also be adaptive – which means students will be given different questions depending on how they perform. Read below for more details.

The Digital SAT Format

This test consists of two main sections: Reading & Writing and Math. Each section is further divided into 2 modules, to be adapted to the student’s level.

  • Module 1 (Non-adaptive) consists of a mix of easy, medium and hard questions.
  • Module 2 (Adaptive) consists of an easier variant (mix of easy + medium questions) and a harder variant (mix of medium + hard questions)

Depends on your performance in Module 1, you will be served with either the easier variant or the harder variant in module 2.

Your score range is greatly affected by which module is served in your adaptive stage.

  • If you are served with the easier module 2, your score will be in the range of ~200-600.
  • If you are served with the harder module 2, your score will be in the range of ~600-800.

Thus, if you are aiming for a high SAT score, you should aim to get almost all correct for your first module.

SectionSub-sectionDurationNo. of QuestionsType
Reading & WritingModule 132 minutes27Non-Adaptive
Module 232 minutes27Adaptive
Break (10 minutes)
MathModule 135 minutes22Non-Adaptive
Module 235 minutes22Adaptive
Total144 minutes (including break)98

Reading & Writing

This section is split into two modules:

  • Module 1 (Non-adaptive): 27 questions
  • Module 2 (Adaptive): 27 questions

In total, the Reading & Writing section is composed of 54 multiple-choice questions and the time allocated is 64 minutes.

You will be tested on the following topics:

  • Craft and Structure
    • Words in Context
    • Text Structure and Purpose
    • Cross-Text Connections
  • Information and Ideas
    • Central Ideas and Details
    • Command of Evidence (Textual, Quantitative)
    • Inferences
  • Standard English Conventions
    • Boundaries
    • Form, Structure, and Sense
  • Expression of Ideas
    • Rhetorical Synthesis
    • Transitions

Source: Reading and Writing Section Question Distribution

Math

Similar to the Reading & Writing section, this section is also split into two modules:

  • Module 1 (Non-adaptive): 22 questions
  • Module 2 (Adaptive): 22 questions

In total, the Math section is composed of 44 questions. 33 of which are multiple-choice questions and 11 are student-response questions, and the time allocated is 70 minutes.

You will be tested on the following topics:

  • Algebra
    • Linear equations in one variable /two variables
    • Linear functions
    • Systems of two linear equations in two variables
    • Linear inequalities in one/two variables
  • Advanced Math
    • Equivalent expressions
    • Nonlinear equations in one variable and systems of equations in two variables
    • Nonlinear functions
  • Problem-Solving and Data Analysis
    • Ratios, rates, proportional relationships, and units
    • Percentages
    • One-variable data: distributions and measures of center and spread
    • Two-variable data: models and scatterplots
    • Probability and conditional probability
    • Inference from sample statistics and margin of error
    • Evaluating statistical claims: observational studies and experiments
  • Geometry and Trigonometry
    • Area and volume
    • Lines, angles, and triangles
    • Right triangles and trigonometry
    • Circles

Source: Digital SAT Math Content Alignment

SAT Score Guide

The SAT does not focus on raw scores—i.e. the number of questions each student got correct. Instead, the SAT is scored on a scale of 400-1600. The scaled scores allow for consideration of the difficulty of each test, as some tests might be harder than others. Hence, the raw scores are scaled to fit a normal distribution curve, and the scores of a student thus reflect on how he/she is compared with other students who have appeared for the test.

You’ll have one score for Math, on a 200-800 scale, and one score for Reading & Writing, also on a 200-800 scale.

What is considered a good SAT score then? The answer lies pretty much on which college you are applying to. Read our SAT score guide for more insights on this topic.

Should You Take The SAT Or The ACT?

Most universities accept both SAT scores and ACT scores — there is absolutely no added advantage in taking one test over the other. The purpose of both tests is similar – to have a standardized score to measure college readiness.

Thus, when deciding which test to take, students often want to know which one is ‘easier’. This is also a trap, as both tests are designed to be tricky in their own way. The bottom line is to take the test that you are more comfortable with, and can score better in.

At Prep Zone, we recommend all students to take both a full-length diagnostic test for the SAT and ACT. After which, our trainers will review the student’s performance and recommend the appropriate test.

Prep Zone's SAT Preparation Classes

At Prep Zone Academy, we offer SAT Individual, Group, & Hybrid (Individual + Group) courses. When you register for any of the three courses, you will also receive:

  • Prep Zone Academy’s SAT Roadmap – Collection of slides used in the group classes
  • Full-length Online Practice Tests – Familiarise yourself with the SAT question formats
  • Complimentary College Admissions Consultation – Gain exclusive advices from our admissions consultants

Get Started With Us Today!

Contact us at +65 6812 9999 if you have any queries. Alternatively, you can also provide us with your contact details below & we will reach out to you.

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Our Track Record

1600

William

1600

Stella

1600

Radhika

1590

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1590

Pei Qi

1580

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1580

Alisha

1570

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1570

Toshiki

1570

Shakthi

1570

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1560

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Testimonials

"Prep Zone was an amazing experience! The teachers are very qualified and super friendly. There are so many specialized books that one can borrow. The facilities are excellent and I love the location too. What I liked the best about it was that I could drop by anytime for a practice test and get the results within a couple of days, based on which I could book personalized lessons as per my convenience!! A great place to make learning fun! Thank you so much for everything!!"

R.S.

“I loved that the instructors advised me on what to take note of during the test and provided me with extra practices after the sessions so that I can work on them more at my own time. I also loved that they provided questions that were almost similar to the question types given at the actual assessment. Overall quite helpful!”

C.G.

“Prep Zone has enabled me to perform to the best of my abilities. The friendly tutors, quality of teaching, top-notch facilities and the convenient study materials provided have produced a desirable learning environment. This has undoubtedly facilitated my process of preparing for the SAT!”

S.C.

“I took SAT prep courses here and the coaches were really sharp and helped me work on everything I was weak on, even though I gave them such a small timeframe before the test. The SAT roadmap workbook was especially helpful, and I got to practice fundamentals regularly with it.”

C.F.

“I’m certainly glad I took this course, my SAT went from a 1450 to 1530 after I tried Prep Zone. If I could change one thing, I would have made the lessons shorter and stretched them over a longer period, but no big deal, would recommend ”

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“We are very satisfied with Prep Zone’s services. Especially for SAT. Highly recommend Prep Zone!!”

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