SAT exam has two test formats - SAT General Test and SAT Subject Test. The SAT syllabus is different for both these types of formats.

SAT General Test

General Test is the standard exam that tests students’ reading, writing and math skills.

Syllabus of SAT Exam

Here is the SAT exam syllabus covering reading syllabus, writing syllabus and maths syllabus -

The critical reading section includes reading passages and sentence completions.

The writing section includes a short essay and multiple-choice questions on identifying errors and improving grammar and usage.

The mathematics section includes topics like arithmetic operations, algebra, geometry, statistics and probability.

The Syllabus for Critical Reading

The critical reading section comprises of 48 reading comprehension questions on long and short passages and 19 sentence completion questions where you have to either complete the sentence or correct it.

The syllabus for reading section contains:

1. Reading and understanding passages:

As the section concentrates on your comprehension skills, it is important that you learn to read the short and long passages strategically focusing on the facts.

2. Improving on SAT vocabulary:

A good vocabulary becomes an asset when taking the SAT.

However, there can be no limit to the words that you can learn.

That said, there are certain words that appear on the test.

Most vocabulary lists include the SAT words in their list. It is important that you learn the SAT words but do not limit yourself to just them.

The Syllabus for Mathematics

The SAT tests concepts of basic mathematics, geometry and a few concepts from advanced algebra.

The syllabus for mathematics includes:

Basic Mathematics
Number Properties
Roots and Exponents
Ratio and proportions
Fractions
Sets
Percents
Algebra
Inequalities
Simultaneous Equations
Radical and Exponentials
Functions
Geometry
Coordinate geometry
Functions and graphs

For the mathematics section, you will need to review the concepts thoroughly and complete it with lots of practice.

Make a note of the time when solving mathematics problems and try to improve on it.

The faster you can solve problems, the better are your chances at a high score.

There are many books available that can help you to practice the mathematics portion of SAT exam.

The Syllabus for Writing

The Writing section consists of multiple choice questions on grammar, word usage, etc and an essay.

Essay Writing:

The essay required to be written cannot be defined by the SAT curriculum.

It is also not graded by a computer or a machine but by two examiners who each give a score between 0-6.

However, there is limited time, of only 25 minutes, to put across your point of view. Thus, it is advisable that you do not pen down whatever comes to your mind.

Grammar Practice:

The writing section also tests your knowledge and understanding of words and their usage.

The main questions that you may encounter in the writing section are:

Finding errors in sentences

Improving or correcting sentences

Improving or correcting paragraphs