SAT 2020 Examination Pattern

The College Board has established a distinct exam pattern for SAT Reasoning and SAT Subject Tests. Students wanting to pursue undergraduate studies at universities abroad are required to appear for SAT. Aspirants should carefully study the latest exam pattern to be able to score well in the examinations.

. The SAT exam evaluates the knowledge of different skills and there is no negative marking. The SAT Reasoning Test is out of 1600 points the SAT Subject Test is out of 800 points.

SAT 2020 Exam Pattern

The SAT exam comprises of two sets of exams and students can opt for either of these two. The SAT Reasoning Test and the SAT Subject Test are the two types of SAT. The SAT Reasoning Test is for students looking to pursue higher education in a foreign country and is one of the most sought after competitive exams. The SAT Subject Test, on the other hand, is opted by students looking to study a particular subject. Candidates wanting to appear for SAT can opt for either of the SAT exams. The exam syllabus and pattern is different for both the exams.

SAT Reasoning Test Exam Pattern

The SAT Reasoning Test has mainly objective questions and is held for a total of 3hrs and 50mins, including the optional essay section. The essay in SAT is optional and if the candidate chooses to skip it, the entire SAT Test duration is of 3 hrs. There are a total of 155 questions including the essay.  The following table contains the latest SAT Exam/Test Pattern.

Subjects for SAT Reasoning TestNumber of QuestionsTotal Duration (mins)
Reading5265
Writing & Language4435
Mathematics5880
Essay (optional)0150
Aggregate155230

SAT Subject Test Exam Pattern

The SAT Subject Test assesses the knowledge of specific subjects. The exam is for a total of 60 minutes and there are 20 subjects to choose from for a total of 800 points. The following subjects are available.

GermanModern Hebrew
French with ListeningFrench
PhysicsSpanish
Chinese with ListeningItalian
German with ListeningKorean with Listening
World HistoryJapanese with Listening
US HistorySpanish with Listening
BiologyLiterature
ChemistryMath I
LatinMath II

Also read: How to register for SAT

In order to score well, candidates should be up to date with the latest SAT syllabus. It is always recommended to start  SAT preparations months in advance to be able to do well in the exam. A lot of students find the SAT syllabus to be quite challenging. Therefore, it is necessary to practice well from as many SAT Mock Tests / SAT Practice Papers as possible. The more you practice, the more you will be able to evaluate your performance.

Students can either prepare for the SAT on their own or join a coaching institute. Both methods have their own advantages and pick an option based on whatever works best.

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