Is the SAT All Multiple Choice?

If you’re aiming to get a good SAT score, familiarizing yourself with the format of the SAT exam is going to be paramount to your success. At Novel Prep, we understand your struggles! Therefore, we’ve prepared a mini guide designed to answer all of your most burning questions related to it, including giving you an overview of the different sections, outlining the skillset you’re going to need to pass as well as answering the question: is the SAT all multiple choice?

SAT sections: an overview

The SAT consists of the following two sections:

• Evidence-based reading and writing. On the left side of the screen will be a passage associated with the active question. On the right side, you will find your SAT answer choices. Each of the two modules has 27 questions. You will have 32 minutes to complete the questions.
• Math. You will find multiple-choice questions at the center of the screen, right below the question itself. As for the student-produced questions, the left side of the screen is reserved for instructions, while the right side of the screen will be a dedicated section to input your answers (this section comes with a built-in calculator). Both sections have 22 questions.

Both the SAT English as well as the SAT Math section consists of two modules (with a 10 minute break in between). There are 98 questions in total.

Reading & Writing	• Two 32-minute modules • 54 total multiple–choice questions • 64 minutes total • Passages or pairs of passages (Craft and Structure, Information and Ideas, Standard English Conventions, and Expression of Ideas)
Math	• Two 35-minute modules • 44 total questions • 70 minutes total • Algebra I and II, geometry, and some trigonometry • Learn more about the SAT Math Test

Note: you will get to answer one question at a time. If you want to advance to the next question or go back to a previous one, you may do so using the arrows at the bottom of the screen. The divider between the question/answer section of the screen may be adjusted as per your preferences. Furthermore, the difficulty of the questions you will receive depends on your performance. That is, if you did well on the previous sections, the questions you will get will be progressively harder; in the opposite scenario, however, you will simply get more easy questions (naturally, the final score will be weighted, meaning that getting all easy scores will cap your maximum possible score).

An overview of the SAT English questions

The modules will appear in the following order:

• Vocabulary
• Prose
• Dual texts
• Retrieval
• Main idea
• Claims
• Conclusions

Followed by the Writing questions:

• Vocabulary
• Transitions
• Rhetorical synthesis

An overview of the SAT Math questions

So is the SAT all multiple choice in the Math section? To give you an approximate – roughly 75% of the questions indeed fit this classification! The remaining 25% consists of student-produced response questions.

Keep in mind that the SAT essay is now optional

As of January 2021, the College Board as effectively made the SAT essay optional. Currently, only the schools who opt in during School Day Testing offer it (in practice, the number of such schools is relatively low).

With this out of the way, let’s take a more detailed focus on that the main two sections of the SAT bring to the table, as studying these will up your chances of being successful.

The SAT Reading and Writing section

As already mentioned, the SAT Reading and Writing sections have 27 questions each, adding to ta grand total of 54. You might wonder, is the SAT all multiple choice in the Reading and Writing section? The answer is yes – all of these will be multiple-choice. To answer them correctly, studying the passages will be essential (these can cover various subjects like like literature, science, history and so forth). Most of them will require you to analyze a single passage (some may involve charts or graphs).

SAT Reading and Writing: what are the question types?

Now let’s break down the question types you’ll encounter.

1. Information and Ideas. These will simply ask you for details taken from the passages, tables, infographics, and so forth. You will need to search for evidence to support a claim (this can be either textual or quantitative). You will possibly be identifying the author’s main idea or identifying the sentence that conveys certain information. You may also be asked to interpret the meaning of a sentence.
2. Craft and Structure. Here, you will need to find the correct order of words and sentences that appear in the passages. You may also be asked how the author came to a conclusion and how different sentences are connected to one another. Furthermore, your vocabulary will be put to the test, as you will be asked to decipher the meaning of individual words and recognize finer meanings and the tone in which something was said. You will be asked, for example, which word most naturally completes the text. Can you pinpoint the main purpose of a passage? Also, there will be paired passages – here, your task will be to compare them (they will be on the same topic).
3. Expression of Ideas. This section is all about selecting transition words that clarify what the author was trying to say. And yes, there will be multiple choice questions such as “Which choice best achieves a particular purpose”. You may also be given a set of bulleted notes and formulate your answer based on that. Another task might be to synthesize the information presented. Another one might be transitions, as in identifying the words used as logical transitions from one phrase to another. To answer these, comprehending the relationship between the sentences is going to be crucial.
4. Standard English Conventions. This section focuses on testing your knowledge of grammar and mechanics, spelling, capitalization, and so forth. You will need to fill in the blanks and understand what holds English sentences together, structurally speaking. You will be tested on your understanding of grammar rules, verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, plural and possessive forms and so on.

SAT Math: what are the question types?

Is the SAT all multiple choice when it comes to the SAT Math section? The answer is that 25% of the questions are grid-ins. Now, let’s analyze the main types of questions you are likely to encounter.

1. Algebra. This is by far the largest section of SAT Math, so pay attention. It’s roughly 15 questions long. In this section, you will need to demonstrate your knowledge of linear equations, inequalities, absolute values, and systems of equations.
2. Advanced Math. Arguably the second largest SAT Math section with a comparative number of questions. You will not only need to understand the structure of equations and expressions but also be able to rewrite them. This might include solving a quadratic equation, manipulating polynomials, and creating an exponential function.
3. Problem Solving and Data Analytics. Only about 5-7 questions fall within this category. You will need to interpret data, graphs, tables, charts, etc. Also, you will need to demonstrate a solid understanding of percentages, ratios, probability, and linear and exponential relationships.
4. Geometry and Trigonometry. This section has a similar number of questions compared to the last one. You will need to demonstrate your knowledge of angles, triangles, volume, and circles.

Do certain SAT sections hold more weight than others?

All in all, the SAT has 4 modules (2 per section). Therefore, some of the students may wonder whether all of them are equally weighted or not. Suffice it to say that both are equally as important and to nail that perfect SAT score, you’re going to need a score of 800 on each section. And, of course, the colleges tend to look at the combined score you managed to get, with 1300 being considered somewhat above average. However, this is a broad generalization. In certain cases, especially if you’re trying to apply to very science-oriented school, the college officials will likely to consider your Math score to be of higher relevance.

SAT success tips

Before we conclude, we will share a couple of SAT success tips, both for the SAT Math and the SAT English section.

SAT English success tips

• Hone in on your reading ability as you will be required to read passages. This is a skill that will serve you well.
• Work on pinpointing the meaning of the text. You also need to think critically; is the author presenting good evidence or does their reasoning leave something to be desired?
• Get plenty of practice by solving mock SAT tests. At the end of the day, practice makes perfect!
• Read, read, read. This will give you all kinds of skills that will benefit you in one way or another.
• Whenever in doubt when you’re searching for the right question, you can use the process of elimination. This will help you arrive at the answer much faster. Sometimes, weeding out the incorrect answers will be faster than pinpointing the correct one right off the bat.
• Become a better writer. If you can, ask someone to take a look at your output and underline the errors.
• Get a hold of the basic grammar rules. You can’t expect to perform well on the exam without it.
• Work on your vocabulary. Read fine literature, and magazines, watch movies… do what you can to expand on it.

SAT Math Success tips

• Sharpen your understanding of the core mathematical concepts. There are plenty of resources available online, so the best way to proceed is to just get started. This includes geometry, algebra, and more.
• Get those formulas under your skin. We cannot possibly over-emphasize how important this is going to be to your success. Without these, it will be hard to find success or solve problems for that matter. This will save you valuable time as you won’t have to flip back and forth. Remember that not all of the formulas will be given to you on the exam, so it’s a must to commit them to your memory.
• You can try to brute-force your way out of a jam. See whether you can punch in a number and it goes through.
• Practice, practice, practice! While these tips will give you an edge, nothing can replace some good old-fashioned practice routines.

Boost your chances with Novel Prep’s SAT Prep program

There’s no need to say it twice – the SAT is an important academic milestone, so it’s not exactly a walk in the park. The good news is that, if you’re not confident enough to take on the challenge, we can help you get there. As a matter of fact, our SAT Prep program comes with a guarantee!

Let’s suppose you scored 1000 on your mock SAT exam. We can guarantee you that you’ll score 1250 or higher on the real thing by working with us – or your money back! Similarly, if you scored 1150, we will get you to 1350 or higher. How do we do that, may you ask? Our instructors are not only masters of their craft but also great teachers with the tenacity to:

• Help identify any weaknesses in your knowledge and plug them
• Get you up to speed with the SAT exam’s structure and format
• Build your confidence levels up so there will be nothing to fear
• Teach you proper time management techniques and maximize your study sessions

We can do this:

• 1-on-1 or in a group setting
• Online or offline

Get in touch with us so we can get started!

Conclusion

So to answer the initial question “Is the SAT all multiple choice”, the answer is no. However, you will find that the majority of the questions are indeed of the multiple-choice type, so you can prepare yourself accordingly. Remember that practice makes perfect, so get to it sooner rather than later!