Digital SAT · Test overview
What's on the Digital SAT
The SAT is now fully digital. You take it in College Board's Bluebook app on a laptop or tablet, and it is shorter and adaptive: just under two and a half hours for 98 questions across two sections, Reading and Writing, then Math.
This page is the short version of the official test blueprint: how the sections, modules, timing, and scoring work, and every skill the test measures. If you are about to dig into a specific skill, start here so you know how the pieces fit together.
A parent helping out? Read the parent guide to the Digital SAT.
The test at a glance
- 2 hr 14 min
- Total testing time
- 98 questions
- 54 Reading and Writing, 44 Math
- 400 to 1600
- Two 200 to 800 section scores
- Adaptive
- Two modules per section
How the adaptive modules work
Each section is made of two equal-length modules that are timed separately. Module 1 is the same for everyone: a mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. How you perform on Module 1 decides whether Module 2 is the easier or the harder version.
That routing is the whole point of the digital format. It lets the SAT pin down your level in far fewer questions than the old paper test, which is why the second module you get also sets the score range you can reach. Within a module you can move backward and forward freely and flag questions to revisit, so budget your time and never sit on one question.
Reading and Writing
- 54 questions total, split across two modules
- 32 minutes per module (64 minutes for the section)
- Every question is four-option multiple choice
- One short passage or prompt per question, no shared passages
Reading and Writing groups its four domains into blocks that appear in the same order every module, each running from easiest to hardest. The share each domain takes is below, with a full guide and practice for each skill.
How one Reading and Writing module is ordered
Based on our analysis of official Bluebook practice tests, each Reading and Writing module groups its 27 questions by domain in this order, easiest to hardest within each group. Difficulty resets at the start of each block, so an early question in a later block can feel easier than the last question of the block before it.
Craft and Structure
≈28% · 13–15 questionsClose reading: word meaning in context, the purpose and structure of a passage, and the connections between paired texts. One of the four Reading and Writing domains.
- Words in Context
- Text Structure and Purpose
- Cross-Text Connections
Information and Ideas
≈26% · 12–14 questionsFinding and reasoning from what a text or data graphic states: central ideas, supporting details, command of evidence, and logical inferences.
- Central Ideas and Details
- Command of Evidence (Textual and Quantitative)
- Inferences
Standard English Conventions
≈26% · 11–15 questionsThe grammar and punctuation of edited English: sentence boundaries, subject-verb agreement, verb tense, and pronouns. Building clear, correct sentences.
- Boundaries
- Form, Structure, and Sense
Expression of Ideas
≈20% · 8–12 questionsRevising for a goal: rhetorical synthesis from a set of notes, and choosing the transition that fits the logical relationship between ideas.
- Rhetorical Synthesis
- Transitions
Math
- 44 questions total, split across two modules
- 35 minutes per module (70 minutes for the section)
- About three quarters multiple choice, one quarter student-produced response (grid-in)
- A calculator is allowed on the entire section, and a formula reference sheet is built in
Math draws from four content domains, but unlike Reading and Writing it does not group them. The domains are mixed across the module and ordered by difficulty overall. The share each domain takes is below, with a full guide and practice for each skill.
How one Math module is ordered
Based on our analysis of official Bluebook practice tests, Math modules are not grouped by domain: all four domains are mixed across the 22 questions and ordered easiest to hardest, so a domain questions can appear anywhere in the module.
Algebra
≈35% · 13–15 questionsLinear equations, systems, functions, and inequalities in one and two variables. The foundation of the Digital SAT Math section.
- Linear Equations in One Variable
- Linear Equations in Two Variables
- Linear Functions
- Linear Inequalities in One or Two Variables
Advanced Math
≈35% · 13–15 questionsNonlinear equations and systems, quadratic and other nonlinear functions, and equivalent expressions. The algebra of curves and higher-order relationships.
- Equivalent Expressions
- Nonlinear Equations in One Variable and Systems of Equations
- Nonlinear Functions
Problem-Solving and Data Analysis
≈15% · 5–7 questionsRatios, rates, proportions, percentages, probability, and interpreting one- and two-variable data. Quantitative reasoning in real-world and statistical contexts.
- Ratios, Rates, Proportional Relationships, and Units
- Percentages
- One-Variable Data
- Two-Variable Data
- Probability and Conditional Probability
- Inference from Sample Statistics and Margin of Error
- Evaluating Statistical Claims
Geometry and Trigonometry
≈15% · 5–7 questionsArea and volume, lines and angles, triangles, right-triangle trigonometry, and circles. The standard geometric and trig relationships tested on the SAT.
- Area and Volume
- Lines, Angles, and Triangles
- Right Triangles and Trigonometry
- Circles
How it's scored
Your total score runs from 400 to 1600. It is the sum of two section scores, each from 200 to 800: one for Reading and Writing and one for Math. There is no separate essay, and there is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question even when you have to guess.
Because the test is adaptive, your raw number correct is not the whole story. The difficulty of the second module you were routed into feeds into your section score, which is how two students who miss the same count can still finish with different scores.
Ready to work a specific skill?
Every one of the 28 Digital SAT skills has its own guide: what it tests, the strategies that work, and practice questions with worked solutions.
Browse all 28 SAT skillsCommon questions
How long is the Digital SAT?
Total testing time is 2 hours and 14 minutes: 64 minutes for Reading and Writing and 70 minutes for Math, with a 10-minute break between the two sections. Each section is split into two separately timed modules.
How is the Digital SAT scored?
You get a total score from 400 to 1600, built from two section scores of 200 to 800 (Reading and Writing, and Math). Scoring is adaptive, so the difficulty of your second module affects the score range you can reach. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave a question blank.
What does "adaptive" mean on the Digital SAT?
Each section has two modules. Module 1 has a mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. How you do on Module 1 routes you into an easier or harder Module 2, and that routing is what lets the test measure your level in far fewer questions than the old paper SAT.
Can you use a calculator on the Digital SAT?
Yes, on the entire Math section. There is a built-in Desmos graphing calculator in the Bluebook app, and you can also bring your own approved calculator. Reading and Writing does not involve a calculator.
Structure, timing, and question-distribution figures follow the College Board Digital SAT Suite Specifications Overview and Assessment Framework. Percentages are approximate and vary slightly from form to form.
Turn this into a daily study plan
SAT Prep Quest turns everything you just read about into a personal daily plan: adaptive drills, full Bluebook-style practice tests, and step-by-step help on every question you miss.
Start freeSAT is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in producing, and does not endorse, this product. Score estimates are Learner Labs projections, not official College Board scores.