SAT Overview

Basics

The SAT is a standardized college admissions test that measures reading, writing, and math skills aligned with what students learn in high school. Many colleges use SAT scores as a factor in admissions and scholarship decisions.

While high schools generally offer in-school opportunities to take the SAT, you can also register to take the test independently via College Board’s website: SAT Dates and Deadlines.

Preparing for the SAT

Here are some free resources to help you study:

PSAT/SAT Score Report

The PSAT is a preliminary version of the SAT that helps students prepare. It measures the same reading, writing, and math skills as the SAT. The PSAT (October edition, taken junior year) is also the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program.

If you’ve taken the PSAT or SAT prior, your score report is one of the most useful tools available to you. To access your score report, sign in to your College Board account, navigate to “PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9 Scores” (or “My SAT” if you’ve taken the SAT). The report breaks down your performance by skill area and question type.

Free Test Prep

Conveniently, excellent resources such as the Khan Academy - Digital SAT Prep and College Board - Educator Question Bank are organized by the same question types as the score report. Look in your report for areas where you missed the most questions and start there—these are likely the easiest areas to gain points through study and practice.

Schoolhouse (also from Sal Khan of Khan Academy) is a peer-led community for free SAT tutoring. Sign up to learn from other students who have excelled on these tests.

Google offers free, full-length SAT practice tests via Gemini, Google’s AI assistant. You’ll receive a score along with explanations for every question you missed, so you can focus your practice where it matters most.