SAT Syllabus: SAT is a paper-based standardized test that is used as one of the entrance criteria for admission to universities and colleges in the US. School students from around the world take the SAT to showcase their college-preparedness and skills that they have developed at school.
What is SAT exam syllabus? The SAT exam syllabus has a total of 3 sections. The three sections of the SAT syllabus are Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. Earlier, there was an optional essay writing section which was recently discontinued by the SAT College Board. Thus, the subjects in SAT are reading comprehension, writing, and maths. Read this blog to know more about the SAT syllabus for each of these sections, types of questions in SAT, sample papers and more!
SAT Exam Syllabus 2022
The SAT exam is a standardized test that helps universities examine where a candidate stands in a more objective manner. The test is a good criterion for universities and examiners to figure out how well prepared you are for college as well as get a better idea about the skills you’ve developed in school. This exam was earlier classified into two types, i.e. SAT Subject Test and SAT General Test. But recently, the SAT Subject Test has been scrapped by the SAT College Board. Below, we have discussed the aims of the SAT Exams:
SAT General Test
Mainly taken by students wanting to get admission into undergraduate programmes, SAT General Test aims to evaluate candidates on their written, verbal and mathematical skills. As the name suggests, the SAT syllabus for the General Test assesses general knowledge as well as critical reasoning.
SAT Subject Test (Discontinued)
Focusing on particular disciplines or subject areas, there is a total of 20 subject tests which are bifurcated into 5 subject areas, namely, Languages, History, English, Mathematics and Science. These subject areas are divided into specific topics that are evaluated through a subject test.
SAT Syllabus 2022
Now that you are familiarized with the paper pattern of this exam, let’s elaborate upon the Reading, Writing, Mathematics and Essay (discontinued) section of the SAT exam syllabus and what they aim to assess:
SAT Syllabus For Reading
Comprising of reading comprehension, every passage under this section has 10-11 questions. Having a total of 5 passages of varying lengths, this section aims to evaluate your ability to comprehend written text, understand the meaning of words in different contexts as well as their associated terms with implied meanings.
SAT Syllabus For Writing
Having 4 passages with 10-11 questions each, you are expected to find errors, rephrase, and rewrite highlighted sentences with alternative text, amongst others. It focuses on assessing the candidate’s understanding of vocabulary as well as grammar.
SAT Syllabus For Mathematics
Constituted of two sub-sections divided into the 25-minute section provided with no calculator and a 55-minute section with a calculator allowed. It has 58 questions spread across varied basics of mathematics such as algebra, statistics, geometry, arithmetic, probability, data interpretation, and problem-solving questions.
SAT Syllabus For Essay (Dicontinued)
Aiming to analyse one’s quality of writing as well as English comprehension, this section has an essay question (650-700 words) focusing on an issue and asking the candidate to take a stance on one side of the topic. Make sure you keep your analysis limited to the given data with precise explanation and don’t elaborate upon personal opinions.
SAT Writing Syllabus
The questions in this section of the SAT syllabus will test your evidence-based reading and writing skills. In this section, your writing and reading abilities are tested. The topics for the articles or write-ups are mainly centred on generic topics that do not necessitate your prior knowledge of the subject. In fact, certain passages have supplementary graphs and charts to assess your imperative skills.
SAT Writing Exam Pattern
- You have to attend 44 multiple choice questions in 4 passages in 35 minutes
- You need to edit passages
- One of the following modes of writing will be present in the exam out of the narrative, argumentative and informative/explanatory
- The passages revolve around topics like,
- Humanities
- Science
- Careers
- History & Arts
Type of Questions in SAT Writing
You will be expected to answer certain questions pertaining to the passages, some examples of the questions asked in the writing section of the SAT exam syllabus are:
- Sentence structure, verb tense, punctuation, parallel construction, grammar usage, subject-verb agreement, etc.
- Strengthen/weaken the argument
- Word choice for style, text or tone
SAT Reading Section Syllabus
This section of the SAT exam syllabus focuses on evidence-based reading and writing. This test will especially focus on your reading abilities.
SAT Reading Exam Pattern
- The exam pattern will have 52 multiple choices in 5 passages to finish in 65 minutes.
- Two passages will be from science fields
- One literary passage will be from Classics or contemporary texts of the US or world literature
- Texts from the U.S. founding documents or Great Global Conversation on topics like dignity, human rights, freedom, etc
- Extracts from Economics, Sociology, Psychology, amongst others.
- You must answer questions by telling a story, giving an argument or explaining an experiment or study
- Structural changes to improve readability
- Social Sciences
Type of Questions in SAT Reading
- The function a phrase serves in the passage
- The tone, style, perspective, and attitude of the author
- Analyzing data on the basis of diagrams, charts, and graphs
- The central theme or main idea of the passage
- Inference of a phrase in a paragraph
- Arguments or evidence that supports the author’s stance
SAT Maths Syllabus
Most students fear the mathematics section of competitive exams, but if you have a fair idea of what this part of the SAT exam syllabus comprises, then you will be able to prepare for it in an effective manner. The mathematics section is divided into two parts – one with a calculator and another section that students need to solve without using a calculator.
SAT Mathematics Pattern
The mathematics section comprises of two sections: One with a calculator. Second without Calculator
- You need to attempt a total of 58 questions in 80 minutes
- 80% of questions are multiple-choice while 20% of them are grid ins
- For Maths with a calculator: You have 30 MCQs and 8 grid-in questions
- You need to enter your derived answers in the bubble sheet you are provided
- Maths without calculator has 15 multiple choice questions and 5 grid-in questions
- You will be given a set of formulas and references at the beginning of the test
- If you are applying for courses in science, engineering or maths, pay special attention to the ‘Maths without Calculator’ section
Type of Questions in SAT Maths
Algebra Syllabus For SAT
- Graphical representation of the linear function
- Linear equations with rational coefficients
- Linear inequalities in two variables and their systems
- System of linear equations (with no solution, infinite or finite solutions)
Data Analysis & Problem Solving Syllabus For SAT
- Percentages
- Ratio and Proportion
- Unit conversion
- Equation of line or curve using a scatterplot
- Two-way tables to calculate conditional frequencies and conditional probabilities
- Association of variables or independence of events
- Estimation of a population parameter
- Calculation of mean, median, mode, range and standard deviation in statistics
- Evaluation of reports to check the appropriateness of data collection methods
Advanced Math Syllabus For SAT
- Quadratic equations with rational coefficients
- Determining the form of an expression
- Polynomial equations (subtraction, multiplication, addition and division)
- Zeros and factors of polynomials
- Non-linear relationship between two variables
- Function notation
- Isolation of a variable by rearrangement of formula or equation.
SAT Math 2 Syllabus
Here is the syllabus for SAT Math 2 Subject Test (discontinued):
Number and Operations Syllabus For SAT
- Operations
- Ratio and Proportion
- Complex Numbers
- Counting
- Elementary Number Theory
- Matrices
- Sequences
- Series
- Vectors
Algebra and Functions Syllabus For SAT
- Expressions
- Equations
- Inequalities
- Representation and modeling
- Properties of functions (linear, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric, inverse trigonometric, periodic, piecewise, recursive, parametric)
Geometry and Measurement Syllabus For SAT
Coordinate Syllabus For SAT
- Lines
- Parabolas
- Circles
- Ellipses
- Hyperbolas
- Symmetry
- Transformations
- Polar coordinates
Three-dimensional Syllabus For SAT
Solids
Surface area and volume (cylinders, cones, pyramids, spheres, prisms), coordinates in three dimensions
Trigonometry Syllabus For SAT
- Right triangles
- Identities
- Radian measure
- Law of cosines
- Law of sines
- Equations
- Double angle formulas
SAT Syllabus For Essay 2022
Note: The College Board has announced the discontinuation of the SAT Subjects and the SAT optional Essay. The below information is only for your reference.
- While the essay component in the examination is optional, many universities expect you to score well in this section as well. Many universities also have it listed as a required or recommended section.
- The essay section of the SAT syllabus helps the university determine your reading, writing, and analytical skills simultaneously.
- This section is panned out in a manner where you will be expected to read a 650-700 words long passage, after reading the passage you will have to analyze how the author builds the argument and write it in a coherent manner in a 50-minute duration.
SAT Exam Syllabus for Medical
The SAT Exam Syllabus for Medical is the same as the syllabus for other courses which has been explained above.
How to Prepare for SAT Essays
Note: The College Board has announced the discontinuation of the SAT Subjects and the SAT optional Essay. The below information is only for your reference.
- While preparing for this section, it is important that you understand how to develop an analytical approach to reading the paragraph so that you can write an analysis that is not tainted by your personal opinion or bias.
- This can only be mastered through continuous practice. Also, by engaging with articles of different authors helps you get a better idea about how different authors build their arguments.
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