Two sections that adapt
Reading and Writing (54 questions, 64 minutes) and Math (44 questions, 70 minutes), with a 10-minute break between. Each section has two parts, and the second is harder or easier depending on the first.
Test guide · SAT
SAT: what’s on the test and how to prepare.
The College Board’s test for college admissions, taken on a weekend or, at some schools, on a school day.
The SAT has two sections, Reading and Writing and Math, taken on a computer or tablet in the College Board’s Bluebook app. It takes 2 hours and 14 minutes, plus a 10-minute break, and is scored from 400 to 1600.
Preparing for a different test? See which test fits. This guide is from Flashy, free PSAT and SAT practice that adapts to each student. Test facts checked against College Board sources on October 11, 2026.
What is on the SAT.
The widest math
Everything on the PSATs, plus circles, which only the SAT tests. Math covers algebra, advanced math, problem-solving and data analysis, and geometry and trigonometry. Source: College Board framework.
Scored 400 to 1600
Each section is scored from 200 to 800. The scale continues the PSAT scales, so earlier PSAT scores give a sense of the starting point.
Where the points are.
How the scored questions on the SAT split across content areas. Algebra and Advanced Math are about 70% of scored Math questions, so they deserve the most Math practice. The four Reading and Writing areas are close to even, so none can be skipped.
| Content area | Share | Scored questions |
|---|---|---|
| Information and Ideas | about 26% | 12–14 |
| Craft and Structure | about 28% | 13–15 |
| Expression of Ideas | about 20% | 8–12 |
| Standard English Conventions | about 26% | 11–15 |
| Content area | Share | Scored questions |
|---|---|---|
| Algebra | about 35% | 13–15 |
| Advanced Math | about 35% | 13–15 |
| Problem-Solving and Data Analysis | about 15% | 5–7 |
| Geometry and Trigonometry | about 15% | 5–7 |
Source: College Board, Assessment Framework for the Digital SAT Suite. Each section also has a few unscored questions.
When to take it, and signing up.
Plan for two tries: the College Board suggests the spring of 11th grade, then the fall of 12th grade if your student wants another try. Check that the second test’s scores arrive before your colleges’ application deadlines; the College Board lists score release dates.
On a weekend: the SAT is offered on Saturdays several times a year, at test centers. Your student registers on the College Board website, and fees and deadlines are listed there.
On a school day: some schools give the SAT during the school day and sign students up themselves. Ask a counselor.
For this year’s dates, see the College Board’s test dates and deadlines.
How to prepare.
Leave time between a first SAT and a second for focused practice on the skills the first one showed were weakest.
- 1Get to know the test
Take a free, full-length official practice SAT in the College Board’s Bluebook app, the same app used on test day.
- 2Find the weak skills
Use the practice score report to see which Reading and Writing and Math skills need the most work.
- 3Practice and review those skills
Work on those skills a little at a time, and read the explanation for every question your student misses.
- 4Check with another practice test
A second full-length official practice test shows what has improved and what still needs work.
These steps follow the College Board’s official practice page.
How Flashy practices it.
A student who chooses the SAT gets questions written for the SAT’s full range, including circles and trigonometry.
Flashy’s questions are its own, not official College Board questions. Pair daily practice with full-length official practice tests in the College Board’s free Bluebook app.
Questions parents ask.
How many times should my student take the SAT?
The College Board suggests taking it at least twice: first in the spring of 11th grade, then again in the fall of 12th grade if your student wants another try.
Do we have to pay for SAT prep?
Not necessarily. Official practice tests in the College Board’s Bluebook app are free. Flashy’s daily practice, explanations and progress are free too; paid plans add only more time to Study with Spark, at $69 or $149 a month per student.
Which free resources can my student use?
Start with the College Board’s free official practice: full-length practice tests in the Bluebook app, and practice questions with answer explanations in My Practice. Flashy is free too and adds daily practice matched to the SAT, step-by-step explanations and progress by skill, with 30 minutes a month to Study with Spark.
Is Flashy’s progress an SAT score?
No. Progress in Flashy is an estimate from practice, never an official score, and results depend on the student. Use it alongside official practice tests.
What your student does in Flashy.
- 1Practices a few minutes a day
PSAT or SAT questions matched to their test. Difficulty adapts over time to their answers, skill by skill. You choose 5 to 120 minutes a day.
- 2Sees how to solve each one
A step-by-step explanation follows every question, so a mistake turns into something they understand.
- 3Studies with Spark when stuck
Spark, Flashy’s AI learning companion, goes over a question they missed or marked, explains an idea they never learned, or teaches a short lesson built from their gaps.
For example, after a missed question
Your student opens the question with Spark. Spark asks what they tried, then talks through where it went wrong, one step at a time. Then Spark gives them one more question like it, and they solve that one on their own.
What it costs
- Free: every feature, plus 30 minutes a month to Study with Spark.
- Plus, $69 a month per student: 4 hours a month to Study with Spark.
- Pro, $149 a month per student: 12 hours a month to Study with Spark.
Working through a missed question with Spark uses the plan’s monthly time to Study with Spark. Practice and step-by-step explanations stay open after it runs out, and the time refills the next month.
No credit card needed to start. See full pricing.
A sample Flashy question · Math · Linear functions
A monthly phone plan is modeled by a linear function D(g), where D(g) is the total monthly bill, in dollars, when the customer uses g gigabytes of data. A customer who uses 4 GB pays $52, and a customer who uses 9 GB pays $77. Which of the following defines D?
- D(g) = 5g + 52
- D(g) = 5g + 32
- D(g) = 25g + 32
- D(g) = 5g − 32
Answer: B
Step-by-step explanation
The slope is a = (77 − 52)/(9 − 4) = 25/5 = 5 dollars per GB. Using D(4) = 52: 52 = 5(4) + b, so b = 52 − 20 = 32. Therefore D(g) = 5g + 32.
Choice B is correct.
Choice A is incorrect — (D(g) = 5g + 52) uses the y-coordinate of the first data point as the y-intercept; the student wrote b = 52 because D(4) = 52, without subtracting 5 × 4 from it.
Choice C is incorrect — (D(g) = 25g + 32) reads the rise D(9) − D(4) = 25 as the slope without dividing by the run; the student computed the difference of the dollar amounts but forgot to divide by the difference of the GB inputs.
Choice D is incorrect — (D(g) = 5g − 32) flips the sign of the y-intercept; the student computed 52 − 5(4) = 32 but wrote the result with the wrong sign in the function rule.
Sources
The test facts on this page come from these official pages, checked October 11, 2026. They back the facts about the tests, not Flashy’s own claims. Dates and rules change, so check the source before you plan around them.
- College Board: How the SAT is structured
- College Board: The SAT Math section
- College Board: The SAT Reading and Writing section
- College Board: Assessment Framework for the Digital SAT Suite (what each test covers)
- College Board: What do my SAT Suite scores mean?
- College Board: How many times can a student take the SAT, and when?
- College Board: SAT Suite test dates and deadlines
- College Board: SAT registration
- College Board: SAT Suite score release dates
- College Board: Official SAT Suite practice, including Bluebook practice tests
PSAT and SAT are College Board trademarks. Flashy is independent and not endorsed by the College Board.
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