The SAT (, ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and had two components, Verbal and Mathematical, each of which was scored on a range from 200 to 800. Later it was called the Scholastic Assessment Test, then the SAT I: Reasoning Test, then the SAT Reasoning Test, then simply the SAT.
Key facts
- Examination.image_name
- SAT logo (2017).svg
- Examination.image_alt
- The word "SAT" and the symbol '®' are written in white on a background colored a Rich Electric Blue. The font is Minion Pro Bold.
- Examination.caption
- Logo since 2017
- Examination.type
- Computer-based standardized test
- Examination.test_admin
- College Board, Educational Testing Service
- Examination.skills_tested
- Writing, critical reading, mathematics
- Examination.purpose
- Admission to undergraduate programs of universities or colleges
- Examination.duration
- 2 hours 14 minutes
- Examination.score_range
- Test scored on scale of 200–800, (in 10-point increments), on each of two sections (total 400–1600).Essay scored on scale of 2–8, in 1-point increments, on each of three criteria.
- Examination.offered
- 8 times annually
- Examination.regions
- Worldwide
- Examination.language
- English
- Examination.test_takers
- Over 2.00 million high school graduates in the class of 2025
- Examination.prerequisite
- No official prerequisite. Intended for high school students. Fluency in English assumed.
- Examination.fee
- US$60 to US$111, depending on country.
- Examination.score_users
- Most universities and colleges offering undergraduate programs in the United States
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
50 sectionsContents
- Function
- Structure
- Reading and Writing
- Mathematics
- Style of questions
- Logistics
- Frequency
- Fees
- Accommodation for candidates with disabilities
- Change from paper-based to digital
- Scaled scores and percentiles
- Percentiles for total scores (2019)
- Percentiles for total scores (2006)
- Percentiles for total scores (1984)
- Percentiles for verbal and math scores (1969–70)
- Ceilings and trends
- SAT–ACT score comparisons
- Elucidation
- Preparation
- Predictive validity and powers
- Difficulty and relative weight
- Recognition
- Association with general cognitive ability
- Association with college or university majors and rankings
- Association with types of schooling
- Association with educational and societal standings and outcomes
- Association with family structures
- Sex differences
- In performance
- In strategizing
- In confidence
- In glucose metabolism
- Association with race and ethnicity
- Test-taking population
- Use in non-collegiate contexts
- By high-IQ societies
- By researchers
- By employers
- Perception
- Math–verbal achievement gap
- Optional SAT
- Writing section
- History
- Name changes
- Reuse of old SAT exams
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
The SAT (, ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and had two components, Verbal and Mathematical, each of which was scored on a range from 200 to 800. Later it was called the Scholastic Assessment Test, then the SAT I: Reasoning Test, then the SAT Reasoning Test, then simply the SAT.
The SAT is wholly owned, developed, and published by the College Board and is administered by the Educational Testing Service. The test is intended to assess students' readiness for college. Historically, starting around 1937, the tests offered under the SAT banner also included optional subject-specific SAT Subject Tests, which were called SAT Achievement Tests until 1993 and then were called SAT II: Subject Tests until 2005; these were discontinued after June 2021. Originally designed not to be aligned with high school curricula, several adjustments were made for the version of the SAT introduced in 2016. College Board president David Coleman added that he wanted to make the test reflect more closely what students learn in high school with the new Common Core standards.