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Content Domains
Reading and Writing
The Reading and Writing section is designed to measure students’ attainment of critical college and career readiness prerequisites in literacy in English language arts as well as in various academic disciplines, including literature, history and social studies, the humanities, and science.
| Content Domain | Skills and Knowledge Assessed | Why They Are Important |
|---|---|---|
| Information and Ideas | Central Ideas and Details Command of Evidence
|
College courses across disciplines require students to locate, evaluate, and integrate information and evidence from texts and graphics. Items in this content domain target close reading, inference-making, and evidence selection skills and knowledge that underlie all academic reading. |
| Craft and Structure | Words in Context Text Structure and Purpose Cross-Text Connections |
Improving vocabulary and understanding an author’s purpose and rhetorical moves help students “read like writers.” Those abilities predict success with increasingly complex texts from all disciplines. Items in this content domain assess high-utility academic words and phrases in context, text structure, author’s purpose, and cross-text reasoning. |
| Expression of Ideas | Rhetorical Synthesis Transitions |
Effective revision requires combining information logically and purposefully and choosing transitions that maintain logic and cohesion—among the writing skills and knowledge first-year college students are often asked to demonstrate. Items in this content domain focus on revision to improve the effectiveness of written expression in accordance with specified rhetorical goals. |
| Standard English Conventions | Boundaries Form, Structure, and Sense |
Facility with Standard English grammar, usage, and punctuation remains highly valued in academic and workplace settings. Items in this content domain focus on editing to ensure that writing conforms to core conventions in these areas. |
Math
The Math section focuses on key postsecondary prerequisites in algebra, advanced math, problem-solving and data analysis, and geometry and (SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, and PSAT 10 only) trigonometry.
| Content Domain | Skills and Knowledge Assessed | Why They Are Important |
|---|---|---|
| Algebra | Linear equations in one variable Linear equations in two variables Linear functions Systems of two linear equations in two variables Linear inequalities in one or two variables |
Postsecondary math faculty view skills and knowledge in linear algebra as among the most critical for postsecondary readiness. |
| Advanced Math | Equivalent expressions Nonlinear equations in one variable and systems of equations in two variables Nonlinear functions |
Nonlinear algebra (exponential, polynomial, etc.) forms the bridge to calculus and many STEM majors. Mastery also forecasts success in a wide range of careers. |
| Problem-Solving and Data Analysis | Ratios, rates, proportional relationships, and units Percentages One-variable data: Distributions and measures of center and spread Two-variable data: Models and scatterplots Probability and conditional probability Inference from sample statistics (SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, and PSAT 10 only) and margin of error (SAT only) Evaluating statistical claims: Observational studies and experiments (SAT only) |
A data-driven world demands statistical thinking, proportional reasoning, and the ability to critique claims made with data. |
| Geometry and Trigonometry/Geometry (PSAT 8/9) | Area and volume Lines, angles, and triangles (SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, and PSAT 10 only)/Lines, angles, and triangles, including right triangles (PSAT 8/9 only) Right triangles and trigonometry (SAT only)/Right triangles and right triangle trigonometry (PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 only) Circles (SAT only) |
Geometry and trigonometry help develop logical thinking skills and spatial awareness. Geometric shapes are often used to model real-world objects. Even non-STEM careers benefit from the problem-solving, reasoning, and visual thinking developed in geometry. |