If you’ve thought carefully and decided that you or your child are best suited to take the SAT, you still may have some questions about the details surrounding the exam. For your convenience, we’ve put together this SAT Profile so that you can easily educate yourself on the facts of the matter.

The Basics

Overall Time

3 hours and 10 minutes (4 hrs 5 minutes with Essay Included.)

Included Subjects

Math, Reading, Grammar, Writing

Timing Breakdown

Reading-65 minutes
Writing/Language-35 min
Math-no calculator-25
Math-calculator- 55 min
Essay (Optional)- 50 min

Scoring

Multiple choice
Questions increase in difficulty as test progresses
No deduction for guessed questions

Exam Registration and Preparation

What to Bring

A calculator (with fresh batteries), #2 pencils, official identification

Registering

Cost is $45 ; $57 if including the optional essay portion.

Where To Take It

Usually the test is hosted at a variety of schools. The Collegeboard official website has a location finder for test centers so that you can plan for which date and location fit your needs best. Make sure to take note of the test center’s number for when you register and make sure you register at a location close to you since you are expected to arrive quite early on the day of the test.

Dates

The SAT is usually scheduled so that there is one test in each of the following months: October, November, December, January, March, and June. You will need to register over a month in advance to avoid late fees, so start looking into choosing a test date and checking testing center availability as early as humanly possible! To help you out, we will include a link below to the date for the most recent exam season. You can go to this page to take the first steps of registration.