What to Expect on the SAT

The multiple choice section of the SAT is a three-hour test made up of seven sections:

1. three verbal sections: two 30-minute sections and one 15-minute section
2. three math sections: two 30-minute sections and one 15-minute section
3. one 30-minute "equating" section, verbal or math: The equating section does not count toward your score. It is used for two different reasons. First, it helps make sure that scores on new versions of the SAT are comparable to scores on earlier versions. Second, some questions are new and may be used in future editions of the test. This helps to ensure that future tests contain the right types of questions.

Scoring -- You get one point for each correct answer. You lose a fraction of a point for a wrong answer, except on the student-produced response questions in the math section. On those questions, no points are deducted for wrong answers.

Questions -- Three types of verbal questions are used:

• Analogies (19 questions worth 24 percent of your verbal score)
• Sentence Completions (19 questions worth 24 percent of your verbal score)
• Critical Reading (40 questions worth 49 percent of your verbal score)

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