The College Board takes great care to ensure that all test questions—and their answer choices—allow students to demonstrate their best thinking and show that they're ready for college.
Creating Test Questions
The SAT is built on a solid foundation developed through research and collaboration with higher education professionals. Test Development Committees, which are made up of experienced educators and subject-matter experts, decide on the test specifications: the types of questions asked and the topics and areas that should be covered. Then test developers write the questions.
Reviewing Test Questions
Committees of high school and college instructors review every question to ensure that each one meets these criteria:
- It measures important knowledge, skills, and understanding.
- It's fair to all students.
- It's written in a way that models what students are learning in the best high school classrooms.
At least 12 professional test developers and educators review every SAT question.
Key Development Steps
After they're written to specification, SAT questions go through development steps that include:
- Review of questions for content
- Review of questions for fairness
- Pretest of questions with students
- Analysis of tryout results
- Assembly and review of draft version of test
- Outside faculty review
- Policy committee review
- Statistical analysis after test administration
Resources
Comparing Performance on Paper and Digital Tests in the SAT Suite of Assessments
This report summarizes findings from three studies comparing paper and digital assessments.
1.95 MB
Test Specifications for the Redesigned SAT
Full specifications for the redesigned SAT. Includes evidentiary foundations for redesign, as well as sample questions.
2.65 MB
SAT Suite of Assessments Technical Manual
Document outlying the characteristics of the SAT.
2.21 MB
SAT Suite of Assessments Technical Manual – Appendix (Part 1)
First part of the appendix to accompany the Technical Manual that includes descriptions and references to fairness, test development, requirements, psychometrics, and validity.
27.3 MB
SAT Suite of Assessments Technical Manual – Appendix (Part 2)
Second part of the appendix to accompany the Technical Manual that includes descriptions and references to fairness, test development, requirements, psychometrics, and validity.
26.9 MB
Scaling for the SAT Suite of Assessments
An overview of scaling, scaling study design, new SAT scaling, characteristics of the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9 vertical scalings, and subscore scaling.
2.51 MB