United States Test Preparation
SAT
College Board first introduced the SAT in the United States in 1926. In March 2016, College Board revised the SAT passages, question types and essay format. Difficult and unpredictable reading passages, fill-in math questions and an additional math test with no calculator, have all made the SAT more challenging. In July 2021, College Board discontinued the SAT Essay. High school students are encouraged to complete our free SAT Diagnostic Tests (DTs) to get started!
Format
The SAT contains four (4) multiple-choice question (MCQ) tests:
Reading Test (65 Minutes; 52 Questions; Score Range 10-40)
Writing and Language Test (35 Minutes; 44 Questions; Score Range 10-40)
Math Test-No Calculator (25 Minutes; 20 Questions)
Math Test-Calculator (55 Minutes; 38 Questions)
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Section Score Range 200-800
Combined Math Section Score Range 200-800
SAT Multiple-Choice Score Range 400-1600
Dates and Deadlines
Please review the latest SAT schedule updates for US and international students.
Tips for Students
The SAT MCQs were revised in March 2016; the SAT Essay was discontinued in July 2021:
Reading Test contains five (5) passages, including two (2) with supplementary material (charts, tables, maps, or data), in random order with four (4) answer choices
Writing and Language Test contains four (4) passages, including two (2) with supplementary material (charts, tables, maps, or data), with four (4) answer choices
Math Test-No Calculator contains 15 MCQs and five (5) fill-in questions that must be manually written
Math Test-Calculator contains 30 MCQs and eight (8) fill-in questions that must be manually written and allows calculators
No penalty for incorrect MCQ answers
Essay Test was discontinued in July 2021
Free and Updated SAT Practice Tests
Note: College Board removed SAT practice tests 2 and 4, and are currently unavailable.
SAT Total Score Percentages
Year | 1600-1400 | 1390-1200 | 1190-1000 | 990-800 | 790-600 | 590-400 | SAT Mean Score | Global Students | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 7% | 17% | 29% | 31% | 16% | 0%* | 1,028 | 1,913,742 | ||||||
2022 | 8% | 18% | 31% | 32% | 12% | 0%* | 1,050 | 1,737,678 | ||||||
2021 | 8% | 20% | 32% | 29% | 12% | 0%* | 1,060 | 1,509,133 | ||||||
2020 | 7% | 19% | 33% | 30% | 12% | 0%* | 1,051 | 2,198,460 | ||||||
2019 | 7% | 19% | 33% | 30% | 11% | 0%* | 1,059 | 2,220,087 | ||||||
2018 | 7% | 20% | 35% | 29% | 9% | 0%* | 1,068 | 2,136,539 | ||||||
2017 | 5% | 20% | 36% | 30% | 9% | 0%* | 1,060 | 1,715,481 | ||||||
*There are students who obtained scores within these ranges but are less than 1%, which is presented as 0% in the tables. Source: College Board 2017-2023 |
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) Section Score Percentages
Year | 800-700 | 690-600 | 590-500 | 490-400 | 390-300 | 290-200 | SAT ERW Mean Score | Global Students | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 7% | 19% | 29% | 31% | 13% | 0%* | 520 | 1,913,742 | ||||||
2022 | 8% | 20% | 31% | 31% | 10% | 0%* | 529 | 1,737,678 | ||||||
2021 | 8% | 22% | 31% | 29% | 10% | 0%* | 533 | 1,509,133 | ||||||
2020 | 7% | 21% | 32% | 30% | 10% | 0%* | 528 | 2,198,460 | ||||||
2019 | 7% | 22% | 32% | 29% | 9% | 0%* | 531 | 2,220,087 | ||||||
2018 | 7% | 23% | 34% | 28% | 8% | 0%* | 536 | 2,136,539 | ||||||
2017 | 6% | 23% | 35% | 28% | 8% | 0%* | 533 | 1,715,481 | ||||||
*There are students who obtained scores within these ranges but are less than 1%, which is presented as 0% in the tables. Source: College Board 2017-2023 |
SAT Math Section Score Percentages
Year | 800-700 | 690-600 | 590-500 | 490-400 | 390-300 | 290-200 | SAT Math Mean Score | Global Students | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 9% | 15% | 28% | 28% | 19% | 0%* | 508 | 1,913,742 | ||||||
2022 | 10% | 16% | 30% | 29% | 15% | 0%* | 521 | 1,737,678 | ||||||
2021 | 10% | 17% | 31% | 26% | 14% | 0%* | 528 | 1,509,133 | ||||||
2020 | 9% | 17% | 32% | 27% | 14% | 0%* | 523 | 2,198,460 | ||||||
2019 | 10% | 17% | 33% | 27% | 13% | 0%* | 531 | 2,220,087 | ||||||
2018 | 9% | 17% | 35% | 27% | 11% | 0%* | 531 | 2,136,539 | ||||||
2017 | 7% | 18% | 36% | 28% | 11% | 0%* | 527 | 1,715,481 | ||||||
*There are students who obtained scores within these ranges but are less than 1%, which is presented as 0% in the tables. Source: College Board 2017-2023 |
SAT ESSAY
Ryan mainly helped me clean up my writing to make it more concise and smooth. Many of my sentences were choppy, and some word choices were redundant. He helped me cut down word count and create smoother transitions. The SAT Essay requires rhetorical analysis, so Ryan helped me break down the passage and figure out how to identify various rhetorical tools to implement in my writing. Ryan always sent a follow-up email after a class to remind me of what we discussed and my areas of improvement. He was very direct and honest for clarity, and the feedback was detailed and helpful. The homework load was manageable, since homework was usually just a draft rewrite. The training was difficult at times because it seemed like I wasn’t making progress and my confidence dropped, but I was encouraged by Ryan’s motivation. He’s very accessible because he checks his emails and chats frequently to be as prompt as possible.