III.

Format

The format of the SAT remained multiple choice until the 1990s, when ETS made revisions in the exam to address the concerns of critics who claimed that the SAT was biased against women and minorities. These critics argued that the SAT often tested cultural knowledge that did not adequately account for differences in social and economic backgrounds among test-takers. In 1994, a revised SAT attempted to rectify these concerns with increased emphasis on reading skills, and a 20-minute essay.

This format remained in place until the debut of the new SAT in 2005. Under the new format, the exam expanded to nearly four hours, and is divided into three sections: critical reading, writing, and math. The new writing portion features an emphasis on grammar, diction, and a 25-minute essay. The math section has also been redesigned with the elimination of quantitative comparison questions and the addition of advanced math. Each of the three sections is worth a total of 800 points, raising the possible SAT score to 2400. Nationwide, scores on the critical reading and math sections of the test are approximately 500.

The revised SAT features two separate divisions of the exam: the SAT I, the general test of critical reading, writing, and math ability taken by most students, and the SAT II, which tests comprehension of specialized subjects chosen by the student. Subjects for the SAT II include English, history, science and language proficiency tests.