SAT Exam Pattern 2024: Section-wise Exam Pattern for SAT Reading, Writing and Language, and Math Tests

SAT Exam Pattern 2024: The SAT exam pattern is provided by the College Board on its official website - collegeboard.org. The test consists of two sections: reading and writing, and mathematics. For the digital format, the duration of the examination is 2 hours 14 minutes. Most of the questions in SAT are multiple-choice based. However, some of the questions in Maths require the candidate to write the answer instead of selecting the correct option. There is no negative marking in the test.

The College Board specifies the types of questions, number of questions, allotted time, and exam duration for each component. Knowing the SAT exam pattern is useful for SAT exam preparation. 

Students who aspire to study abroad after completing high school can appear in the SAT exam. The SAT test is usually taken by candidates seeking admission to undergraduate courses at colleges in the United States and Canada. Candidates preparing for SAT exam are advised to check the exam pattern as they will get an understanding of the question paper content and structure, exam duration, and other crucial information. 

SAT Exam Pattern 2024

The SAT exam pattern gives an overview of the structure of the test in terms of sections, types of questions, number of questions, and allotted time. Students are encouraged to check the exam pattern of SAT test to create an informed preparation strategy for themselves. Most of the questions in the test are multiple-choice ones, except the grid questions in the math test. 

Digital SAT Exam Pattern 2024

• The Digital SAT exam consists of two sections: 

1. Reading and Writing Section
2. Math Section

• Students are allotted 64 minutes to complete the Reading and Writing section.
• Students need to complete the Math section in 70 minutes. 
• Each section has two modules. Module 1 consists of questions that are of varying difficulty levels. Module 2 questions are tailored according to the student’s specific performance level in Module 1. 

Digital SAT: Reading and Writing Exam Pattern

Digital SAT: Math Exam Pattern

SAT Exam Pattern (Paper and Pencil Version)

The SAT Exam (paper and pencil version) consists of reading test, writing and language test, and math test. The total exam duration is 3 hours. 

SAT Exam Pattern : Reading (Paper-Pencil Test)

The  SAT reading test consists of 5 reading passages, and each passage is accompanied by multiple choice questions. Each passage has a word count of around 500 - 750 words. 

The five reading passages are obtained from the following type of sources : 

• Literary Fiction
• US Founding Document (such as U.S. Constitution)/ Text in the Great Global Conversation They Inspired (such as speech by Nelson Mandela)
• Work of Social Sciences such as Economics, Psychology, Sociology
• Scientific Works Exploring Foundational Concepts in Earth Science,Biology, Chemistry, or Physics

Types of Reading Test Questions

The following types of questions are asked in the SAT reading test : 

• How the Author Uses Evidence 
• Understanding Words in Context
• Analysis in History/Social Science and in Science

SAT Exam Pattern: Writing and Language (Paper-Pencil Test)

The SAT writing and language test is a multiple-choice-based question paper in which the candidates need to read the passages and find and correct errors. The test has 4 passages and the word count of each passage is around 400-450 words. 

The difficulty level of the passages varies with some passages being simple and straightforward, while other passages are complex and challenging. The passages cover a range of topics such as careers, science, humanities, history, and social studies.

There is a variety in the passages in terms of purpose and format. The following types of passages are included in the writing and language test : 

• Narrative: Narrative passages describe events in a storylike manner. This passage is non-fiction and could include an account of a historical event, or a description of the sequence of events in a scientific experiment. 
• Argumentative: Argumentative passages are for persuading or convincing the reader of a point of view. 
• Informative/Explanatory: Informative and explanatory passages give facts and information.  

Some of the passages consist of charts, graphs, or infographics, and the candidates are required to interpret them along with the written part of the passage. 

Types of Writing and Language Test Questions

There are two types of questions that are asked in the writing and language test : 

• Improving Expression of Ideas: These questions require students to enhance the substance and quality of the writer’s message. 
• Standard English Conventions: Students need to identify and correct errors in grammar, usage, sentence structure, and punctuation in these passages. 

SAT Exam Pattern: Math (Paper-Pencil Test)

The SAT Math test is divided into two sections: a no-calculator component and a calculator component. In both sections, most of the question paper is multiple-choice based. However, some questions, called grid-in questions require the candidate to write the answers.

Types of Math Evaluated in SAT

The question paper of the SAT Math test consists of questions from various categories which are given in the table below.