The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) remains one of the most widely recognized college admission exams globally. For students planning to take the SAT in 2025, understanding the current syllabus structure is essential for effective preparation. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the SAT exam syllabus for 2025.
SAT Format Overview
The SAT is a standardized test administered by the College Board and consists of two main sections:
- Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW)
- Mathematics
The total testing time is approximately 2 hours and 14 minutes (134 minutes), with a total score ranging from 400-1600.
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW)
The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) section of the SAT plays a crucial role in evaluating a student’s college readiness by testing reading comprehension, analytical skills, and command of English language conventions. This comprehensive guide details the structure, content, and preparation strategies for the EBRW section of the SAT in 2025.
Overview of EBRW Section
The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section accounts for half of your total SAT score, with a scoring range of 200-800 points. The section consists of two distinct components:
- Reading Test
- Writing and Language Test
With the digital SAT format that launched in 2023 and continues in 2025, both components have been streamlined with adaptive testing that adjusts question difficulty based on your performance.
Reading Test: Detailed Syllabus
Format Specifications
- Time Allocation: 64 minutes
- Question Count: 52 multiple-choice questions
- Reading Material: Various passages of 500-750 words in length
- Digital Format: Shorter passages with typically one question per passage
Content Categories
The Reading Test includes passages from various disciplines:
1. Literature
- Fiction from American and international authors
- Classic and contemporary literature
- Short stories and novel excerpts
- Analysis of narrative voice, character development, and literary devices
2. Historical Documents and Social Science
- U.S. founding documents and Great Global Conversation texts
- Economics, psychology, sociology, political science passages
- Historical and cultural context analysis
- Interpretation of arguments and evidence in social sciences
3. Science
- Earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics passages
- Scientific studies, research findings, and theoretical discussions
- Data interpretation from scientific experiments
- Understanding scientific processes and concepts
4. Paired Passages
- Two related passages presented together for comparative analysis
- Cross-textual connections and contrasting viewpoints evaluation
Skills Assessed
The Reading Test evaluates your ability to:
- Command of Evidence
- Locate specific information within passages
- Determine the best evidence for answers
- Interpret data presented in informational graphics
- Integrate information from text and graphic elements
- Words in Context
- Determine meaning of words based on context
- Analyze how word choice shapes meaning, style, and tone
- Identify rhetorical effects of specific word selections
- Analysis in History/Social Studies and Science
- Evaluate authors’ claims and lines of reasoning
- Assess the validity of evidence presented
- Identify relationships between ideas and concepts
- Distinguish between correlation and causation
- Critical Reading and Reasoning
- Identify main ideas and themes
- Draw logical inferences and conclusions
- Analyze purpose and perspective
- Evaluate the impact of text structure and organization
Writing and Language Test: Detailed Syllabus
Format Specifications
- Time Allocation: 35 minutes
- Question Count: 44 multiple-choice questions
- Material: 4 passages of approximately 400-450 words each
- Digital Format: Streamlined interface with passage on one side and questions on the other
Content Categories
The Writing and Language Test includes passages from:
1. Careers
- Professional contexts and workplace scenarios
- Business communications and technical writing
2. Humanities
- Arts, literature, ethics, philosophy
- Cultural and historical contexts
3. History/Social Studies
- Historical events, social movements, political developments
- Anthropological and sociological concepts
4. Science
- Scientific discoveries, developments, and theories
- Research methodologies and findings
Skills Assessed
The Writing and Language Test evaluates your ability to:
1. Expression of Ideas (24 questions)
- Development
- Focus and main idea strengthening
- Supporting details and information relevance
- Quantitative information integration
- Organization
- Logical sequence and transitions
- Introductions, conclusions, and topic sentences
- Paragraph and passage structure
- Effective Language Use
- Precision and concision in word choice
- Style and tone consistency
- Syntax variety
- Domain-specific vocabulary appropriateness
2. Standard English Conventions (20 questions)
- Sentence Structure
- Sentence formation and boundaries
- Subject-verb agreement
- Modifier placement
- Parallel structure
- Subordination and coordination
- Punctuation
- End-of-sentence punctuation
- Commas, semicolons, and colons
- Possessive apostrophes
- Punctuation in lists and quotations
- Usage
- Pronoun clarity and agreement
- Verb tense and mood consistency
- Frequently confused words
- Idiomatic expressions
- Conventions
- Capitalization
- Spelling
- Hyphenation
Digital SAT EBRW Adaptations for 2025
The digital SAT format includes several important adaptations for the EBRW section:
- Adaptive Testing: The second module’s difficulty level adjusts based on your performance in the first module.
- Module Structure: Each section is divided into two modules:
- Reading: Two modules with approximately 26 questions each
- Writing and Language: Two modules with approximately 22 questions each
- Shorter Reading Passages: Most passages are now 25-150 words with typically one question per passage, reducing cognitive load.
- Enhanced Tools: Digital annotation tools, highlighting, and flagging capabilities for review.
- Linear Question Progression: Questions must be answered in sequence within each module, though you can review answers before submitting a module.
Preparation Strategies for EBRW
Reading Test Preparation
- Active Reading Habits:
- Read diversely across content areas (literature, science, social studies)
- Practice annotating passages and identifying main ideas
- Summarize complex texts in your own words
- Vocabulary Development:
- Study words in context rather than isolated lists
- Focus on academic vocabulary frequently used in SAT passages
- Practice determining word meanings from contextual clues
- Data Interpretation Practice:
- Analyze graphs, charts, and tables in scientific and social science publications
- Practice connecting textual information with graphical data
- Identify trends and patterns in visual information
Writing and Language Test Preparation
- Grammar Review:
- Master fundamental grammar rules including subject-verb agreement, pronoun usage, and parallelism
- Study punctuation conventions, particularly comma and semicolon usage
- Review common errors in English mechanics and style
- Editing Practice:
- Edit your own writing for clarity and concision
- Review sample texts to identify errors and improvement opportunities
- Practice combining sentences for improved flow and coherence
- Rhetorical Skills Development:
- Analyze how authors develop arguments
- Identify effective transitions and organizational structures
- Recognize purpose, audience, and appropriate tone in various contexts
Sample Questions and Analysis
Reading Test Sample
Passage: (Brief excerpt about marine biology research) Question: Based on the passage, the researchers primarily conducted their study to:
- A) Challenge existing theories about coral bleaching
- B) Develop conservation strategies for endangered marine ecosystems
- C) Investigate the relationship between water temperature and coral health
- D) Compare methodologies used in previous marine biology studies
Analysis: This question tests your ability to identify the primary purpose of scientific research based on textual evidence.
Writing and Language Test Sample
Passage: Despite many advances in renewable energy technology, they’re implementation has been slower than experts predicted. Question: Which choice best replaces the underlined portion?
- A) they’re
- B) there
- C) their
- D) they are
Analysis: This question tests your understanding of commonly confused words and proper pronoun usage.
Scoring and Performance Evaluation
The EBRW section contributes 400-800 points to your total SAT score. Your performance is evaluated based on:
- Raw Score: The number of questions answered correctly (no penalty for wrong answers)
- Scaled Score: Your raw score converted to the 200-800 scale
- Subscores: Additional metrics in areas like Command of Evidence, Words in Context, and Expression of Ideas
Understanding your performance patterns through practice tests can help identify specific areas for improvement.
SAT Mathematics Section Syllabus
The SAT Mathematics section evaluates students’ mathematical reasoning abilities and preparedness for college-level math. This comprehensive assessment focuses on three key areas of mathematics that are most relevant to college and career readiness. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what to expect:
Overall Structure
The Math section of the SAT consists of two portions:
- Calculator portion: Allows the use of calculators
- No-calculator portion: Must be completed without calculator assistance
Together, these portions contain both multiple-choice and student-produced response questions (grid-ins).
Content Areas
1. Heart of Algebra (35% of test)
This area focuses on linear equations and systems:
- Creating, solving, and interpreting linear equations
- Solving linear inequalities and systems of linear equations
- Graphing linear equations and inequalities
- Understanding and using linear functions
- Interpreting the variables and constants in expressions for linear functions
2. Problem Solving and Data Analysis (25% of test)
This section tests quantitative literacy:
- Ratios, rates, proportions, and percentages
- Units and unit conversion
- Scatterplots, linear and exponential growth
- Data inferences, statistics, and probability concepts
- Tables, graphs, and charts analysis
- Measures of center (mean, median, mode) and spread (range, standard deviation)
- Data collection methods and conclusions from data
3. Passport to Advanced Mathematics (40% of test)
This area evaluates more complex mathematical relationships:
- Quadratic equations and functions
- Nonlinear expressions
- Polynomials (operations, factors, and zeros)
- Function notation and interpretation
- Radicals and rational exponents
- Rational expressions and functions
- Exponential functions
- Systems involving quadratic expressions
Additional Topics in Math (included within the above percentages)
- Area and volume calculations
- Lines, angles, and triangles
- Right triangles and trigonometry
- Circle theorems
- Complex numbers
- Congruence and similarity
Skills Tested Across Content Areas
- Fluency: Solving problems efficiently
- Conceptual understanding: Understanding mathematical concepts, operations, and relations
- Applications: Using mathematics to solve problems in context
- Mathematical reasoning: Drawing logical conclusions from mathematical principles
Preparation Tips
- Review algebra fundamentals thoroughly, as they comprise the largest portion of the test
- Practice solving problems without a calculator
- Focus on understanding real-world applications of mathematics
- Develop strategies for efficiently solving multi-step problems
- Become familiar with interpreting data from graphs and tables
- Practice translating word problems into mathematical equations
The mathematics section aims to evaluate skills that are most important for college readiness and success across a wide range of majors and careers, with an emphasis on problem-solving, modeling, using tools strategically, and algebraic structure.
Digital SAT Format (Introduced in 2023)
As of 2025, the SAT is primarily administered digitally, with these key features:
- Adaptive testing: The difficulty level adjusts based on your performance
- Shorter test duration: Approximately 2 hours and 14 minutes total
- Immediate score reporting
- Built-in calculator for the entire Math section
- Shorter reading passages with one question per passage
Study Recommendations
- Official Materials: Use the College Board’s official SAT practice tests and study guides
- Focus on Weak Areas: Identify and concentrate on your challenging subject areas
- Regular Practice: Set up a consistent study schedule several months before the test
- Time Management: Practice completing sections within the allocated time limits
- Vocabulary Building: Expand your vocabulary, especially contextual understanding of words
Final Tips
- Take multiple practice tests under timed conditions
- Review answer explanations thoroughly to understand mistakes
- Familiarize yourself with the digital testing platform
- Develop test-day strategies for maximizing performance
- Focus on both content knowledge and test-taking strategies
Understanding the SAT syllabus thoroughly will enable you to create a targeted study plan, ultimately helping you achieve your desired score for college admissions in 2025 and beyond.
