The SAT Exam

The SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Created by the College Board, the SAT is designed to provide colleges and universities with a standardized measure of a student's readiness for undergraduate education. It serves as an essential component of the college application process, along with other factors like high school GPA, extracurricular activities, and personal essays.

The digital SAT is a computer-based version of the SAT that was first offered in March 2021. It is a significant change from the paper-based SAT, with a shorter test time, a different question format, and a new scoring system.

The digital SAT is 2 hours and 14 minutes long, compared to 3 hours for the paper-based SAT. It uses a new question format with shorter passages and more interactive questions. The scoring system for the digital SAT is also different, with a scaled score of 400 to 1600, compared to 200 to 800 for the paper-based SAT.

If you are planning to take the digital SAT, you will need to bring your own device to the test center. You will also need to download the Bluebook app, which is the digital testing application that you will use to take the SAT. It is important to practice on a digital device before you take the test, as the digital SAT is a different experience from the paper-based SAT.

To learn more about the Digital SAT, you can visit the official SAT websites:

Tips for the SAT Math Exam

Take advantage of the no-penalty policy for wrong answers


Make sure to answer every question and avoid leaving anything unanswered.




Familiarize yourself with the rules for the student-produced response questions

Understand how to format your answers and provide clear and concise answer.




Avoid saving the student-produced response questions until the end

Since you cannot guess the answers, it's better to tackle them earlier to allocate sufficient time for thoughtful responses.


Practice the skill of eliminating answer choices as you read the question

After each step of the solution, continue to look for opportunities to eliminate incorrect options and narrow down your choices.


Develop proficiency in using the calculator effectively


Understand its functions and features to leverage it as a helpful tool during calculations.


Ensure you have a strong grasp of all the concepts relevant to the SAT test

Study and review the essential mathematical topics that are frequently assessed.


Recognize that topics are tested in a unique way on the SAT


Practice solving questions structured like those found on the SAT to enhance your familiarity and performance.

Tips for the SAT English Exam

Save time on easier questions

You’ll find that some questions on the test require more reading than others, which can be a slow process. You may also find that while you can answer some question types quickly and easily, others consistently take you more time. If you can work quickly on the questions that feel easier, you can save more time for when you need it!




Make predictions

Whenever you can, you should come up with a prediction in your mind for the correct answer before you look at the answer options. Then select the choice that best matches your prediction. This will help you avoid spending too much time reading through the choices and comparing them against one another. This is the biggest time-saver for most Reading and Writing questions—and it can greatly improve your chances of getting the question right!>


Use the process of elimination

When you can’t make a prediction, or you can’t find a choice that matches your prediction, you should read the choices and rule them out one by one. If you can’t eliminate three choices, take your best guess between what’s left.






Don’t second-guess yourself!


Go with your gut. Don’t worry if a question seems “too easy” or “obvious”. Your first instinct is usually correct—especially if you’ve been studying and doing plenty of practice questions!







Leave time at the end of each module to review your answers

If you find yourself stumped on a question or stuck between two or more choices, just take your best guess, and mark it for review. This should leave you time to come back to the question later, once you’ve finished the rest of the module.





Mark questions you’re not sure about for review.

The test contains a tool that lets you mark the question you’re on for review. This option appears right next to the question number. When you get to the end of the module, you’ll see a review page, and the questions you marked for review will be flagged. A good way to review Reading questions in particular is to go back to the passages and make sure there is evidence to support your answer.


Take advantage of the no-penalty policy for wrong answers

The SAT doesn’t penalize you for wrong answers, so no matter how stumped you feel on a given question, you should always take a guess. You should select a choice the first time you encounter the question, even if you mark it to come back to later—just in case you run out of time before you get back to it.



Don’t start the second module early on your practice tests!

The practice tests give you the option to start the second module before the time allotted for your first module is up. However, on the real test, you won’t get this option—you’ll have to wait until those 32 minutes are over. So, when you finish the first module on your practice tests, we recommend that you use any leftover time just like you would on the real test: to review the questions you’re not sure about.

Test-Taking Strategies

The SAT math exam covers approximately 300 objectives, but only around a hundred are tested in each exam. This means that thorough preparation is crucial to avoid being caught off guard by rarely tested objectives. For example, certain topics may only appear once every four exams, such as percentage solution mixture or proportions in right triangles. The following are some tips that you can remember during your preparation for the exam:

Learn the Structure of the Exam

To perform well on the SAT, it is important to be familiar with the test structure, the time allotted for each section, and the breaks provided. The SAT Math section consists of two modules, each containing 22 questions, including pretest questions. Both sections include multiple-choice questions as well as student-produced response questions. The scores from these sections are combined to determine the math score, which ranges from 200 to 800.
Keep in mind that the time between sections is not transferable. If you finish a section early, you cannot proceed to the next section or review previous sections. If you have extra time within a section, be sure to use it to review your answers and ensure they are entered correctly.


The SAT is an Adaptive Test

Remember that the SAT is an adaptive test. The difficulty level of the questions you receive in the second module depends on how you performed in the first module. If you score perfectly on the first module but answer two questions incorrectly in the second module, you will receive a higher score than someone who answers two questions incorrectly in the first module but scores perfectly in the second module, even if both candidates end up with the same number of wrong answers.