SAT Score & College Fit Tool

The SAT is now fully digital and adaptive, taken on a laptop or tablet through the Bluebook app. It has two sections — Reading & Writing and Math — each split into two modules, and runs about 2 hours 14 minutes. It's section-adaptive: how you do on the first module determines the difficulty of the second. Total score is still 400–1600.

Colleges accept both equally — take whichever you score better on. The SAT is shorter, digital, and has no dedicated science section. The ACT includes a science-reasoning section and moves faster. Take a free practice test of each and go with the one that feels better; then focus all your prep there.

The SAT costs $68. Fee waivers are available to eligible low-income US students (through your school counselor) and cover the test fee plus extra score reports and sometimes college application fees. International test-takers pay an additional regional fee.

Khan Academy's Official Digital SAT Prep is free and built in partnership with the College Board — it includes full-length adaptive practice tests in the real Bluebook format. Combined with the official practice tests in Bluebook, it's enough to prepare well without paying for a course.

Often yes. Students whose first language isn't English, or who studied in a non-English-medium school, are usually asked for TOEFL or IELTS to prove English proficiency — this is separate from the SAT. The SAT measures college readiness; TOEFL/IELTS measures English ability. Check each college's requirements, as some waive it for students from English-medium schools.

Test-optional means you may apply without a score, not that scores are ignored. A strong score (relative to the school's range) still helps and can earn merit aid. A score below the school's typical range is usually better left off. As a guide: submit if your score is at or above the school's middle-50% range.