Digital-SAT Exam Content
Section 1: Reading and Writing
The new SAT will feature a greater range of topics, tones, and styles than the analog test, with more questions stemming from the humanities and a few poetry questions added (often by authors from the early 1900s and before). However, the passages and their corresponding questions will be grouped by the skill set they’re testing rather than by the reading topic. You can expect each Reading and Writing module on the digital SAT to assess these skills:
2. Craft and Structure (13–15 questions): Define words and phrases that appear in lines of poetry or sentences of prose, evaluate how passages are making arguments, or connect ideas presented in two excerpts (e.g., determining whether one idea builds on another or whether two paragraphs are making similar or different claims).
3. Expression of Ideas (8–12 questions): Select the transitional word or phrase that makes the author’s meaning clearer for readers, or use a short set of provided notes to decide which of the answers achieves a particular purpose (e.g., which answer represents a comparison, or which answer represents a contrast).
4. Standard English Conventions (11–15 questions): Choose answers that reflect your knowledge of conventional grammar and mechanics.
The order and number of these types of questions will differ because, according to the College Board, each student will receive a unique test form.
Section 2: Math Section
The digital SAT will no longer test reading skills in the Math section. The paper version of the Math section sometimes includes harder-to-understand word problems. The online format of SAT will instead feature more concise, straightforward questions that focus on your mathematical understanding rather than your reading ability.
The Math topics tested on the digital SAT remain the same as those in the paper test, but they’ve been renamed:
1. Algebra (previously called Heart of Algebra; 13–15 questions): Develop, analyze, or solve linear equations and inequalities as well as systems of equations.
2. Advanced Math (previously called Passport to Advanced Math; 13–15 questions): Create, interpret, or solve a variety of problem types, such as quadratic equations, polynomial operations, or absolute-value equations.
4. Geometry and Trigonometry (previously called Additional Topics in Math; 5–7 questions): Solve problems involving perimeter, area, or volume; angles, triangles, or trigonometry; and circles. The digital SAT will have nearly double the number of geometry and trigonometry questions as the paper version (15% of the section as opposed to the previous 8%).