t h e r e d e s i g n e d s at

These draft test specifications, sample questions

and other materials are just that drafts and
will systematically evolve over time. These sample
questions are meant to illustrate the shifts in the
redesigned SAT and are not a full reflection of what
will be tested. Actual questions used on the exam are
going through extensive reviews and pretesting
to help ensure that they are clear and fair and that
they measure what is intended. The test specifications
as well as the research foundation defining what
is measured on the test will continue to be refined
based on ongoing research.

f m_i

Test Specifications
for the
Redesigned SAT

t h e r e d e s i g n e d s at

The College Board

The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that

connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900,
the College Board was created to expand access to higher education.
Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the
worlds leading education institutions and is dedicated to promoting
excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps
more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to
college through programs and services in college readiness and college
success including the sat and the Advanced Placement Program.
The organization also serves the education community through research
and advocacy on behalf of students, educators, and schools.
For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org.

2014 The College Board. College Board, Advanced Placement Program, AP, SAT and the acorn logo are
registered trademarks of the College Board. PSAT/NMSQT is a registered trademark of the College Board and
National Merit Scholarship Corporation. All other products and services may be trademarks of their respective
owners. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org.

t h e r e d e s i g n e d s at

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ii

Executive Summary
section i Behind the Redesign

Linking Assessment and Instruction

The Story Behind the Redesigned sat
Principles Driving the Redesign
High-Level Design Changes for the sat
Scores Reported by the Redesigned sat
The Redesigned sat Insight Score Summary
Concordance
Summary
section ii The Redesigned sat: Evidentiary Foundation

Evidentiary Foundation for the Redesigned sats EvidenceBased Reading and Writing Tests and Essay
Evidentiary Foundation for the Redesigned sats Math Test
Summary
section iii Test Specifications: sat Evidence-Based
Reading and Writing and sat Essay

A Transparent Blueprint

sat Reading Test

Test Summary

Key Features

Lower Text Complexity Example

Higher Text Complexity Example

sat Writing and Language Test

Test Summary

Key Features

sat Essay

Test Summary

Key Features

Summary

Appendix B: Sample Test Materials: Reading,

Writing and Language, and Essay

Sample Reading Set 1

Sample Reading Set 2

Sample Reading Set 3

Lower Text Complexity Example

Higher Text Complexity Example
Sample Writing and Language Set 1
Sample Writing and Language Set 2
Sample Essay Prompt 1
Annotated Version of Prompt 1s Passage

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Sample Essay Prompt 2

Annotated Version of Prompt 2s Passage
section iv Test Specifications: sat Math Test

Test Summary
Detailed Description of the Content and Skills
Measured by the sat Math Test
Summary
Appendix B: Math Sample Questions

Sample Questions: Heart of Algebra

Sample Questions: Problem Solving and Data Analysis
Sample Problem Set
Sample Questions: Passport to Advanced Math
Sample Questions: Additional Topics in Math

193

section v

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Guiding Principles
The Development Process for the Redesigned sat
The Test Development Process

ii
i iii

appendix a

Our Commitment
The Craft of Developing the sat: How We Do It

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e x e c u t i v e s u m m a ry

Executive Summary
section i

Behind the Redesign

section ii

The Redesigned SAT: Evidentiary Foundation

section iii

Test Specifications: SAT Evidence-Based Reading

and Writing and SAT Essay

section iv

Test Specifications: SAT Math Test

section v

Our Commitment

appendix a

The Craft of Developing the SAT: How We Do It

These draft test specifications, sample questions and other materials are just that
drafts and will systematically evolve over time. These sample questions are meant
to illustrate the shifts in the redesigned SAT and are not a full reflection of what will
be tested. Actual questions used on the exam are going through extensive reviews
and pretesting to help ensure that they are clear and fair and that they measure what
is intended. The test specifications as well as the research foundation defining what is
measured on the test will continue to be refined based on ongoing research.

t h e r e d e s i g n e d s at

e x e c u t i v e s u m m a ry

Executive Summary

The sat is the College Boards flagship college and career readiness
assessment.For nearly a century, it has been used successfully worldwide
in combination with factors such as high school gpa to assess student
preparedness for and to predict student success in postsecondary
education.Each year the sat is taken by more than 1.6 million students
and used by thousands of high school counselors and postsecondary
admission officers around the world.
Recent sat results tell a troubling story about students readiness for
and likelihood for success in their postsecondary endeavors.Notably,
57 percent of sat takers in the 2013 cohort lacked the academic skills to
succeed in college-entry, credit-bearing courses without remediation in
at least one subject, and the success rates for such remediation leading
to postsecondary completion are far too low. At the same time, the
nature of life and work in the United States has transformed to the point
where at least some degree of postsecondary education or training is
increasingly required for access to middle-class jobs. In short, far too few
students are ready to succeed in the kinds of education and training that
they will need to participate effectively in an increasingly competitive
economy a circumstance that represents a tragedy for those
individuals whose potential isnt being realized and a serious threat to
the nations economy and democracy.
Recognizing that it can and must do more to help all students not only
be ready for college and workforce training programs but also succeed
in them, the College Board is committing to an opportunity agenda that
is focused on propelling students into opportunities they have earned in
high school. One of the major components of this agenda has been the
redesign of the sat.
Drawing on extensive input and advice from its members, its partner
organizations (such as the National Merit Scholarship Corporation,
which cosponsors the psat/nmsqt), and postsecondary and k12
experts, the College Board determined that the sat needed to meet
three challenges. First, the test must provide to higher education a more
comprehensive and informative picture of student readiness for collegelevel work while sustaining, and ideally improving, the ability of the test
to predict college success. Second, the test must become more clearly

The Redesigned SAT

This document is part of an ongoing
series of materials describing the
redesign of the sat being undertaken
by the College Board. This initial
release is intended to offer readers
a detailed overview of the rationale
for and the aims and nature of the
redesign, as well as information
about key elements of the various
components comprising the new test.
Subsequent releases in the series will
provide additional information for
various audiences on specific topics
related to the redesign.
Its important to note that while
the content of this document
represents the current state of the
redesigned sat, certain elements of
the redesigned test are the subject
of ongoing research in the months
leading up to its first operational
administration in 2016. Some
features of the new test, such as
timing, length, and scores to be
reported, may still be adjusted
pending the outcome of our studies.

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e x e c u t i v e s u m m a ry

and transparently focused on the knowledge, skills, and understandings

that the best available research evidence indicates are essential for
college and career readiness and success. Third, the test must better
reflect, through its questions and tasks, the kinds of meaningful,
engaging, rigorous work that students must undertake in the best high
school courses being taught today, thereby creating a robust and durable
bond between assessment and instruction. Undergirding these aims is
the belief that all teachers and students must be empowered to focus on
the real learning of vital knowledge, skills, and understandings through
challenging, vibrant daily work rather than encouraged to cover vast
swaths of material superficially or engage in narrow, short-term test
preparation divorced from real learning. To these ends, the redesigned
sat has been designed for greater focus, relevance, and transparency
while retaining the tests tradition of being a valuable predictor of college
and career readiness and success.
Based on a wealth of evidence about essential prerequisites for student
success in postsecondary education, the redesigned sat requires
students to:

read, analyze, and use reasoning to comprehend challenging literary and

informational texts, including texts on science and history/social studies
topics, to demonstrate and expand their knowledge and understanding;

revise and edit extended texts across a range of academic and career-

related subjects for expression of ideas and to show facility with a core
set of grammar, usage, and punctuation conventions;

show command of a focused but powerful set of knowledge, skills, and

understandings in math and apply that ability to solve problems situated

in science, social studies, and career-related contexts;

make careful and considered use of evidence as they read and write;
demonstrate skill in analyzing data, including data represented

graphically in tables, graphs, charts, and the like, in reading, writing, and
math contexts; and

reveal an understanding of relevant words in context and how word

choice helps shape meaning and tone.

The result is a profoundly meaningful assessment that is thoroughly

transparent and aligned to critical high school outcomes and best
instructional practices.

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All these changes are firmly grounded in evidence about what is needed
for all students to be ready for and to succeed in college and workforce
training programs. Research strongly supports the emphasis of the
redesigned sats English language arts/literacy components on (1) a
specified range of text complexity consistent with college and workforce
training requirements, (2) source analysis and skilled use of evidence,
(3) data in informational graphics, (4) words in context, (5) language
conventions and effective language use more generally, and (6) literacy
across the disciplines. Evidence is equally supportive of the emphasis
of the redesigned sats math component on (1) a set of essential math
knowledge, skills, and understandings in algebra, advanced topics,
and additional topics in math, (2) problem solving and data analysis in
addressing real-life problems (e.g., the ability to create a representation
of a problem, consider the units involved, attend to the meaning of
quantities, and know and use different properties of operations and
objects), and (3) using the calculator as a tool, discerning when and when
not to use a calculator to solve problems efficiently, and performing
important mathematical tasks without a calculator.
To assess students achievement in these and other areas, the redesigned sat
is organized into four components: a Reading Test, a Writing and Language
Test, a Math Test, and an Essay direct-writing task, which is optional.
The redesigned sats Reading Test is a carefully constructed, challenging
assessment of comprehension and reasoning skills with an unmistakable
focus on careful reading of appropriately difficult passages in a wide array
of subject areas. Passages are authentic texts selected from high-quality,
previously published sources. One notable feature of the test is its use of
texts representing a range of complexities to better determine whether
students are ready for the reading challenge posed by college courses and
workforce training programs. On each assessment, one passage will be
drawn from a U.S. founding document (a text such as the Declaration of
Independence, the Constitution, or the Bill of Rights) or a text that is part
of the Great Global Conversation (a text such as one by Lincoln or King,
or by an author from outside the United States writing on a topic such as
freedom, justice, or liberty). Another feature of the test is its inclusion of
informational graphics, which students must interpret and/or relate to
passage content. Additionally, students must show a command of textual
evidence, in part by identifying the portion of a text that serves as the best
evidence for the answer to another question. Students must also determine
the meaning of words and phrases in the context of extended prose
passages and to determine how word choice shapes meaning, tone, and
impact. These words and phrases are neither highly obscure nor specific

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to any one domain; instead, they are widely applicable across disciplines,
and their meaning is derived in large part through the context in which
they are used. Paired passages, an important element of the current sats
Critical Reading section, remain a consistent part of the redesigned sats
Reading Test.
The redesigned sats Writing and Language Test is a passage-based
assessment of students ability to revise and edit a range of texts in
a variety of subject areas both academic and career related for
expression of ideas and for conformity to important conventions of
standard written English grammar, usage, and punctuation. Passages are
written specifically for the test so that errors (rhetorical or mechanical)
can be introduced into them for students to recognize and correct. The
Writing and Language Test shares with the Reading Test an emphasis
on informational graphics (which students must consider as they decide
how or whether to revise or edit a text), command of evidence (which
students must demonstrate by retaining, adding, revising, or deleting
information and ideas in a text), and word meanings and rhetorical
word choice. Like the Reading Test, the Writing and Language Test
includes passages across a range of text complexities consistent with
measuring students readiness for and likelihood for success in college
and workforce training programs.
The redesigned sats Essay task is an optional component of the exam.
To perform the task, students must read and produce a written analysis
of a provided source text. Passages are authentic texts selected from
high-quality, previously published sources and generally represent
portions of arguments written for a broad audience texts that
examine in an accessible way ideas, debates, trends, and the like in
the arts, the sciences, and civic, cultural, and political life. In response
to these passages, students must produce a clear and cogent written
analysis in which they explain how the author of a text builds an
argument to persuade an audience through the use of evidence,
reasoning, stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or other features the
students themselves identify. It is important to note that students are
not asked to offer their own opinion on the topic of the passage but are
instead expected to analyze how the author constructs an argument.
The tasks use of a source text is critical because it requires students
to demonstrate a command of objective textual evidence and an
understanding of challenging information and ideas; this is in sharp
contrast to assessments that merely ask students to demonstrate that
they understand the form that evidence should take by supplying their
own unverifiable ideas, experiences, and facts. To make the task clearer
and more transparent, its wording remains largely consistent from

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administration to administration. This allows students to focus their

attention on the unique source text and their analysis of it. Students
responses will be evaluated on the skill they demonstrate in reading,
analysis, and writing.
The redesigned sats Math Test focuses strongly on algebra and devotes
particular attention to the heart of the subject, which research shows
is disproportionately important for college and career readiness and
success: students ability to analyze, fluently solve, and create linear
equations and inequalities. Problems within the Heart of Algebra
category of the Math Test may also call for an understanding of solving a
problem as a process of reasoning.
The Math Test also includes a significant focus on problem solving
and data analysis. Problems in the Problem Solving and Data Analysis
category require significant reasoning about ratios, rates, and
proportional relationships. In keeping with the need to stress widely
applicable college and career prerequisites, Problem Solving and Data
Analysis problems also emphasize interpreting and synthesizing data
and applying core concepts and methods of statistics in science, social
studies, and career-related contexts.
As a test that provides an entry point to postsecondary work, the new
Math Test includes topics that are central to students progressing to later,
more advanced mathematics. Chief among these topics/skills are an
understanding of the structure of expressions and the ability to analyze,
manipulate, and rewrite these expressions. The Passport to Advanced
Math problems privilege these key abilities, which serve students well in
algebra and beyond.
While the overwhelming majority of problems on the Math Test fall
into the previous three categories, the test also addresses additional
topics in high school mathematics. Once again, research evidence about
relevance to postsecondary education and work governs the inclusion
of these topics in the test. These topics include geometry questions on
congruence, similarity, right triangles, and the Pythagorean Theorem as
well as questions about complex numbers and trigonometric functions.
In the Math Test, item sets (text, data, and/or graphics plus related
questions) allow the effective measurement of related skills and thus help
inspire productive, cohesive practice that reflects and encourages the
best of classroom work.

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The Math Test contains two portions: one in which the student may
use a calculator and another in which the student may not. The
no-calculator portion allows the redesigned sat to assess fluencies
valued by postsecondary instructors and includes conceptual questions
for which a calculator is not needed. Meanwhile, the calculator portion
gives insight into students capacity for strategic use of the tool to
address problems efficiently.
Considered together, these components of the redesigned sat provide a rich
view of students readiness for college and workforce training programs,
embody a careful consideration of the best available evidence about the
essential prerequisites for postsecondary work, and reflect key elements of
best instructional practices. In brief, the redesigned sat is a critical part of a
productive relationship between assessment and instruction in which each
informs the other in a deep and constructive way.
To help realize that vision, the College Board is committed to making
the redesigned sat a leading light in the field of assessment. It will be
transparent in design so that all will know what is on it and why. It will
be a challenging yet appropriate and fair assessment of what students
know and can do. It will continue to measure students critical thinking
and problem-solving abilities and retain the strong predictive value
that the sat has long been known for. It will continue to be research
driven and evidence based in design and content. It will provide a more
comprehensive picture of student readiness than ever before. Finally,
it will be an integral part of the College Boards broader agenda of
promoting equity and opportunity.
This document represents an important first step toward meeting the
goal of transparency. Section I offers an overview of the reasons behind
the redesign, the exacting process used to undertake it, and many of the
new tests key features. Section II provides a prcis of the evidence base
supporting important redesign decisions. Sections III and IV offer detailed
information about the individual components of the battery of tests.
Section V concludes the main document with important commitments
that the College Board is making in carrying out the redesign. Two
appendices provide supporting information. The first appendix contains a
summary of the test development process used to construct the redesigned
sat. The second appendix consists of a wide range of samples to illustrate
the types of materials in each test of the redesigned sat.

t h e r e d e s i g n e d s at

section i

Executive Summary

section i

Behind the Redesign

sec tion ii

The Redesigned SAT: Evidentiary Foundation

sec tion iii

Test Specifications: SAT Evidence-Based Reading

and Writing and SAT Essay

sec tion iv

Test Specifications: SAT Math Test

sec tion v

Our Commitment

appendix a

The Craft of Developing the SAT: How We Do It

These draft test specifications, sample questions and other materials are just that
drafts and will systematically evolve over time. These sample questions are meant
to illustrate the shifts in the redesigned SAT and are not a full reflection of what will
be tested. Actual questions used on the exam are going through extensive reviews
and pretesting to help ensure that they are clear and fair and that they measure what
is intended. The test specifications as well as the research foundation defining what is
measured on the test will continue to be refined based on ongoing research.

t h e r e d e s i g n e d s at

section i

Behind the Redesign

Linking Assessment and Instruction

The sat has come a long way in the last 88 years, evolving with the times
to become the valid, reliable, and widely respected measure of college
and career readiness that it is today. Serving more than 1.6 million
students and thousands of high school counselors and postsecondary
admission officers around the world each year, the sat plays critical
roles in measuring student achievement and readiness and in helping
students make successful transitions into college and workforce training
programs after high school graduation.
Unfortunately, recent data from the sat suggest that far too many high
school students are unprepared for those transitions. According to
the College Boards 2013 SAT Report on College & Career Readiness,
more than half (57 percent) of sat takers in the 2013 cohort lacked
the academic skills to succeed in college-entry, credit-bearing courses
without remediation in at least one subject. Indeed, no discernible
improvement in students readiness levels can be seen over the period
from 2009 to 2013, a time when average sat scores have remained
virtually unchanged. Its alarming but not surprising, then, that over 30
percent of entering college students require remediation (ranging from
26.3 percent for public four-year institutions to 40.8 percent for public
two-year institutions) a trap from which few students, particularly
poor and minority students, escape with the requisite foundation of
skills to enter credit-bearing courses and complete a college degree.1
The rate of successful completion of college and workforce training
programs must also be radically improved if students and the nations
future are to be secured. Fortunately, the two goals are intertwined.
Our research has shown, for example, that good preparation is linked
to success in college: when students are prepared to enter college-entry,

The College Board, 2013 SAT Report on College & Career Readiness (New York: Author, 2013), 3, http://media.
collegeboard.com/homeOrg/content/pdf/sat-report-college-career-readiness-2013.pdf; David Radwin, Jennifer
Wine, Peter Siegel, and Michael Bryan, 2011-12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:12): Student
Financial Aid Estimates for 2011-12 (NCES 2013-165) (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of
Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2013), http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.

t h e r e d e s i g n e d s at

section i

credit-bearing courses, they are much more likely to enter, persist, and
complete a degree compared to those who are not prepared.2
Postsecondary readiness and completion are critical means to the end
of preparing all students for life after the classroom a task made more
challenging and urgent by the changing nature of the workplace. Whats
more, given the rapidly changing technological demands of many jobs,
students need not only preparation for specific careers but also the
foundational reading, writing, language, and mathematics skills that
will allow them to adapt more readily to a quickly evolving marketplace.
Importantly, these foundational skills are also essential for successful
participation in our society and for the strength of our democracy.
Theres a great deal of work ahead of us if we want to realize the full potential
of our nations youth and to reclaim the kind of security and prosperity that
many Americans once took for granted. We cant continue to allow vast
numbers of our countrys students to fall behind academically. Its therefore
critical that we do everything possible to ensure that all students are on a
trajectory to gain meaningful access to postsecondary courses and workforce
training programs, complete degrees and certifications, and participate
successfully in an increasingly competitive and fluid global economy.
ASSESSMENT AND OPPORTUNITY
Our mission at the College Board is to foster equity and excellence
and to provide students with opportunities to succeed in college and
careers. We know that to accomplish this mission, we need to go beyond
delivering assessment to delivering opportunity.
All of our work in assessment, instruction, and access will
therefore be focused not only on getting students into college and career
training opportunities but also on ensuring that they have the
knowledge, skills, and understandings needed to complete
postsecondary work successfully, to open doors of opportunity for
themselves, and to keep those doors open throughout their lives. The
commitment and engagement of our membership and the partnerships
we maintain with education leaders, teachers, school counselors,

Jeffrey Wyatt et al., SAT Benchmarks: Development of a College Readiness Benchmark and Its Relationship to
Secondary and Postsecondary School Performance (College Board Research Report 2011-5) (New York: The College
Board, 2011), 23, http://research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/publications/2012/7/researchreport
2011-5-sat-college-readiness-benchmark-secondary-performance.pdf; Krista D. Mattern, Emily J. Shaw, and
Jessica Marini, Does College Readiness Translate to College Completion? (New York: The College Board, in press).

t h e r e d e s i g n e d s at

section i

admission officers, financial aid staff, and others will help widen and
deepen the impact of this work.
As a critical first step, weve redesigned the sat, our flagship college and
career readiness assessment. The sat needs to promote opportunities for
students by becoming more closely linked with rich, rigorous course work.
It also must become a force within a larger system that delivers far more
educational opportunities to students who have earned them.
We believe strongly that our opportunity agenda must be founded
on the bedrock of what is truly required for postsecondary readiness
and success. Among the findings repeatedly validated by high-quality
research are the following:
1. Students who focus on learning fewer, more important things in depth
have a stronger foundation on which to build when they proceed to
college and career. This kind of clarity in instruction, centered on the
essentials of college and career readiness, is a hallmark of classrooms
and teachers that dramatically impact achievement and prepare students
for college and career success.
2. Students who take rigorous courses as part of their k12 education are
much more likely to be ready for and succeed in college and workforce
training programs than are students who dont take rigorous courses.
3. Students who fall behind academically need early, productive
interventions that help them develop academic and noncognitive skills
needed to succeed.
4. Students who are prepared for postsecondary education must be
made aware of and empowered to take advantage of the opportunities
theyve earned.3
We know from our work with higher education as well as from
other sources that there is a critical set of knowledge, skills, and
understandings that disproportionately predicts student success in
college and workforce training programs. Based on a wealth of evidence
about essential prerequisites for student success in postsecondary
education, we conclude that students must be able to:

College and Career Readiness:

A Goal for All
High school graduates who are
college and career ready have a
high likelihood of successfully
entering some type of postsecondary
education (i.e., four-year institution,
two-year institution, trade school,
technical school, and/or workforce
training program) without
remediation. Research shows that
the threshold reading and math skills
required for college readiness are
essentially the same as those required
for career training readiness, meaning
that sharply differentiated forms of
preparation arent required.*
The College Board will continue to
support efforts to promote college
and career readiness and success for
all students most importantly, the
vital work that goes on in thousands
of classrooms across the nation every
day. In all its undertakings in this area,
including the redesign of the sat, the
College Board favors evidence-based
approaches that use the best available
information about whats required
for college and career readiness and
success. In so doing, we draw on
numerous sources: results of national
high school and postsecondary
curriculum surveys, including
surveys conducted periodically
by the College Board; feedback
from our membership, our partner
organizations, and independent
subject-matter experts; analyses of
College Board longitudinal data on
successful college graduates; and
scholarly research.
*

National Research Council, Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science
in U.S. High Schools (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2002), 910, http://nap.edu/catalog/10129.
html; Wyatt et al., SAT Benchmarks, 19; K. Smith et al., Validating the Application of Growth Models to College
Board Data (presentation, Annual Conference of the Northeastern Educational Research Association, Rocky
Hill, CT, October 2012); Caroline Hoxby and Sarah Turner, Expanding College Opportunities for High-Achieving,
Low Income Students (Stanford, CA: Stanford institute for Economic Policy Research, 2013), 38, http://siepr.
stanford.edu/?q=/system/files/shared/pubs/papers/12-014paper.pdf.

10

ACT, Inc., Ready for College and Ready for

Work: Same or Different? (Iowa City: IA: Author,
2006), 36, http://www.act.org/research/
policymakers/pdf/ReadinessBrief.pdf; Achieve,
Inc. Make the Case: College Ready AND Career
Ready (Washington, DC: Author, 2013), 13.
http://www.futurereadyproject.org/sites/frp/
files/Flex-CollegeReady%26CareerReady.pdf.

t h e r e d e s i g n e d s at

section i

read, analyze, and use reasoning to comprehend challenging literary and

informational texts, including texts on science and history/social studies
topics, to demonstrate and expand their knowledge and understanding;

revise and edit extended texts across a range of academic and career-related
subjects for expression of ideas and to show facility with a core set of
grammar, usage, and punctuation conventions;

show command of a focused but powerful set of knowledge, skills, and

understandings in math and apply that ability to solve problems situated

in science, social studies, and career-related contexts;

make careful and considered use of evidence as they read and write;
demonstrate skill in analyzing data, including data represented

graphically in tables, graphs, charts, and the like, in reading, writing, and
math contexts; and

reveal an understanding of relevant words in context and how word

choice helps shape meaning and tone.

Evidence such as this of whats truly important for college and career
readiness pervades the work of the College Board in both instruction
and assessment and will be the focus not just of the sat but also of the
models of student work that we will partner with educators to develop
and offer in grades 612 models that will illustrate how to prepare all
students for the real demands of first-year, credit-bearing college courses
and workforce training programs. The ela/literacy and mathematics
knowledge, skills, and understandings identified by this evidence are
the building blocks for all of the complex and integrated work that
students will do in college and career, whether that is developing and
presenting an argument about the causes of the Civil War for their U.S.
history course, designing and implementing a lab experiment to test
a hypothesis about gene mutations for their biology class, analyzing a
master painters work for their studio art course, drafting a business plan
for a startup company, or creating computer code that will automatically
answer simple questions for a local business.
However, to realize these aims and to effect real improvement in student
performance, more needs to happen than just a redesign of the sat, as
important as that is. Basic change must also take place in how teaching and
learning relate to assessment. We firmly believe that rates of college and
career readiness and postsecondary success will not improve if teachers
and students are distracted by the need to speed through impossibly
broad course content and spend time on narrowly cast test preparation
in an understandable but misguided effort to boost scores at the expense

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of mastery of critical knowledge, skills, and understandings. Further, we

believe that rates of college and career readiness and postsecondary success
will improve only if our nations teachers are empowered to help the full
range of students practice the kinds of rigorous, engaging daily work
through which academic excellence can genuinely and reliably be attained.
The redesigned sat will aid these necessary reforms by supporting a
fundamental shift in k12 education from a focus on test prep in the
limited sense to a focus on rich, challenging course work for all students.
To do this, the redesigned sat will be better and more clearly aligned
to best practices in classroom instruction so that the most effective
preparation for the sat is the development of the ela/literacy and
math skills taught in great courses across the disciplines. In these ways,
the sat will become more fully integrated into an instruction-andassessment approach that is designed to link students to the educational
opportunities they have earned. No longer will the sat stand apart from
the work of teachers in their classrooms.
Although helping students who are on course to be college and career
ready by the end of high school is important work, there are all too many
students who have fallen off that pace. We therefore pledge ourselves
to do more for students who are behind. These efforts will include
attending not only to these students individual academic needs but also
to the nonacademic factors that research shows affect achievement.
Assessment must do more than simply provide a score or a ranking;
it must become a force that helps deliver opportunity. To reach its full
potential, the sat must grow beyond what it has long been a valid
and reliable measure of what research tells us is necessary for college and
career readiness and success and evolve into a vehicle that propels
students into opportunities they have earned by helping them, for
example, apply to more colleges, take advantage of the advanced courses
theyre prepared for, gain access to fee waivers for the test and for college
applications (which are provided in collaboration with our members in
higher education), and be aware of and obtain access to a greater array
of scholarships.

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The Story Behind the Redesigned SAT

When students leave high school unprepared for college, career, and life,
we as a society all suffer. To address this problem, we in the education
community must all take responsibility. Therefore, when it came time to
redesign the sat to better achieve the goal of college and career readiness
and success for all students, we at the College Board sought input and
advice from our members in k12 and postsecondary education: admission
officers, financial aid officers, faculty, teachers, high school and college
counselors, principals, administrators, significant partnership organizations
such as the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, and others.
HIGHER EDUCATION FEEDBACK
We started the work of assessment redesign by consulting with more
than 250 enrollment leaders, representing a broad cross section of higher
education institutions, through a multiyear advisory working group,
one-on-one interviews, group meetings, and surveys.
MULTIPLE BENEFITS FOR ALL

Everyone benefits from a more meaningful and

modern sat. By taking into account the major shifts
taking place in high school instruction, standards,
and assessment, the redesigned sat offers students,
parents, admission officers, teachers, and counselors
a better indicator of student progress toward
becoming college and career ready. It also provides
better information about students strengths and
weaknesses relating to the knowledge, skills, and
understandings that are essential to college and
career readiness and future success.
For students and parents, the redesigned sat offers a
more effective vehicle to showcase students academic
strengths and readiness for college and careers. Because
it is closely aligned to both high school instruction
and post-high school requirements, the redesigned
sat serves as evidence of the hard work students have
performed in high school, showing how rigorous
course work and focused instruction can help provide
opportunities for future success. Combined with
high school grades and other factors that inform
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admission decisions, the redesigned sat gives students

an opportunity to put their best foot forward in the
admission process and demonstrate how well they have
attained the knowledge, skills, and understandings
necessary for postsecondary-level work.
For admission officers, the redesigned sat provides
a more detailed and comprehensive picture of each
students level of college readiness, helping colleges
more easily identify students who are a good match
for their institution and the programs of study it
offers. The redesigned sat is also more flexible,
taking into account the different ways that admission
officers use assessment results.
For k12 educators and counselors, the redesigned
sat offers clearer connections to classroom
instruction, its questions and tasks more closely
resembling the best of classroom teaching and better
measuring the powerful knowledge, skills, and
understandings needed in postsecondary education,
work, and life.

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The Higher Education Advisory Working Group is composed of

30 representative higher education leaders from institutions across

the nation. The group provides direct, in-depth feedback on such
matters as implementation and reporting, scores and validation, and
communications. Members of this group were gathered from the sat
Advisory Committee, Board of Trustees, Guidance and Admission
Assembly Council, College Scholarship Service Assembly Council,
College Board regional councils, the AP Higher Education Advisory
Committee, and other organizations with specific areas of expertise.

We engaged more than 80 member institutions in face-to-face

interviews and discussions during a higher education listening tour. We

surveyed an additional 1,640 institutions on test design. Following this
initial data gathering, we convened meetings with campus enrollment
leaders at more than 250 institutions. We also held meetings with higher
education associations, including nacac (National Association for
College Admission Counseling), cofhe (Consortium on Financing
Higher Education), acaopu (Association of Chief Admissions Officers
of Public Universities), and the Enrollment Planning Network.
K12 FEEDBACK
Our colleagues and partners in k12 have also deeply informed the
redesign of the sat, influencing both the content of the new exam and
related tools, reports, and services that support the broader goal of
college and career readiness and success for all students.

We worked with our k12 colleagues on the Guidance and Admission

Assembly Council, Academic Advisory Committees, the Academic

Assembly Council, and the sat Committee to inform our work. These
groups provided guidance and feedback from counselors, teachers, and
curriculum leaders about the principles and constructs of the exam as
well as communication toolkits and other related support. We worked
with the previously established sat Test Development Committees, which
are composed of higher education and k12 faculty, to discuss specific
issues of test design and to review test questions, tasks, and forms. Our
Superintendents Advisory Committee gave us the perspective from
the district leadership level. We are also convening a dedicated k12
Working Group to delve more deeply into the specifics of tools, rollout,
and professional development. This group will comprise two subgroups:
a district/state policymakers group and a school implementation team
composed of counselors, teachers, and curriculum directors.

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We also solicited feedback from other k12 partners. In particular, we met

with a large number of chief state school officers and their academic and
data advisory teams to discuss elements of the redesign. We incorporated
the feedback and input of current state and district clients of the sat and
psat/nmsqt to define development priorities. We also learned important
lessons from some of our deepest partnerships for example, the Florida
Partnership, our partnership with Hillsborough County (Florida) Public
Schools, and our i3-funded (U.S. Department of Education Investing in
Innovation) partnership with Oakland (California) Unified School District.

We carried out specific research on a range of issues related to college

and career readiness and success, including convening focus groups,
holding formal interviews, and conducting quantitative surveys.

Through these and other efforts, a new model of readiness, relevance,

and access took form. What we heard was a clarion call for a new
assessment that would focus clearly and wholly on what matters for
college and career readiness and success, that would reflect rigorous
instructional practice, and that would deliver more opportunities to
more students than ever before.

Principles Driving the Redesign

Seven principles have driven the redesign of the sat:

focus . The assessment measures what really matters as defined by the

latest and best available evidence of what is essential to readiness for

postsecondary education, including drawing from evidence underlying
the best of state standards focused on the essentials for college and
career readiness.

transparency . What the assessment measures will not be a mystery;

what the test assesses will be made absolutely clear.

command of evidence . The assessment focuses consistently on

students ability to understand and use evidence in reading, writing,

and math in a broad array of contexts, including literature and literary
nonfiction, global/international issues, and history/social studies,
science, and career-related texts and topics.

demonstrated achievement. The assessment allows students to

demonstrate what they have learned in school and the complex ela/
literacy and mathematics knowledge, skills, and understandings that
they can apply.

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rich applications . Real-world literacy requires a deep reading, careful

analysis, and thorough understanding of a wide variety of sources, including

both text and data; real-world mathematics requires sustained chains of
reasoning and application. The redesigned sat showcases problems in
which literacy and numeracy unlock insights within rich, authentic contexts.

relevance . The assessment will measure college and career readiness

skills relevant to a wide range of college majors and careers.

craft . The assessment models good instruction. It demands the same types
of deep thinking and analysis that instructional best practices require. It is
well written and promotes genuine insight and discovery as questions are
answered and tasks are performed. Passages used as the basis of questions
and tasks are high in quality and provide a rich, appropriately challenging
basis for the assessment. The questions and tasks themselves are clear, fair,
and well constructed. The entire test is developed with care and precision.
(See Appendix A for a description of the test development process.)

The first principle, focus, is discussed in detail in Section II of this

document, in which we describe the evidentiary foundation for the tests in
the redesigned sat. Each of the remaining principles will be illustrated in the
detailed descriptions of the test components provided in Sections III and IV.

High-Level Design Changes for the SAT

While specifics of the redesigned sat will be detailed in subsequent
sections of this document, a high-level comparison between the current
and the redesigned sat is provided here to highlight major design features
of the two tests. It is important to note that while the information in these
tables and throughout the document represents our best understanding of
the nature and features of the redesigned sat, some specific elements, such
as timing, length, and reported scores, are subject to revision based on the
ongoing research process that guides the redesign.
Two major structural changes in the redesigned sat are worth noting
here. First, all selected response items will have four alternative
responses, not the five found in the current sat. Our research has
indicated that the fifth answer choice added little to the measurement
value of questions and, in some cases, actually detracted from the quality
of the question content.
Second, the correction for guessing used to score the current sat will not
be used to score the redesigned test. Under the new rights-only scoring

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method, each correct answer will receive one point, and each incorrect
answer will receive no points. This move to rights-only scoring, in which
scores are based only on the number of questions test takers answer
correctly, encourages students to give the best answer they have for every
question without fear of being penalized for making their best effort.
These changes have been made to make the test-taking process more
straightforward for students, to remove from that process any extraneous
test-taking strategies that are irrelevant to the achievement constructs being
measured, and to help students use their time efficiently as they take the test.
COMPARISON OF THE MAJOR FEATURES OF THE CURRENT SAT AND REDESIGNED SAT
Category

Current SAT

Redesigned SAT

Total Testing Time

(Subject to research)

3 hours and 45 minutes

3 hours (plus 50 minutes for the Essay [optional])

Components

a)
b)
c)
d)

a) Evidence-Based Reading and Writing

Reading Test
Writing and Language Test
b) Math
c) Essay (optional)

Important Features

Essay

Score Reporting
(Subject to research)

Subscore Reporting

Critical Reading
Writing
Mathematics
Essay
Emphasis on general reasoning
skills
Emphasis on vocabulary, often in
limited contexts
Complex scoring (a point for a
correct answer and a deduction
for an incorrect answer;
blank responses have no impact
on scores)

Required and given at the

beginning of the sat
25 minutes to write the essay
Tests writing skill; students take a
position on a presented issue

Scale ranging from 600 to 2400

Scale ranging from 200 to 800
for Critical Reading; 200 to 800
for Mathematics; 200 to 800 for
Writing
Essay results scaled to
multiple-choice Writing

None

*Combined score of two raters, each scoring on a scale of 1 to 4.

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Continued emphasis on reasoning alongside a clearer,

stronger focus on the knowledge, skills, and understandings
most important for college and career readiness and success
Greater emphasis on the meaning of words in extended
contexts and on how word choice shapes meaning, tone,
and impact
Rights-only scoring (a point for a correct answer but no
deduction for an incorrect answer; blank responses have
no impact on scores)
Optional and given at the end of the sat; postsecondary
institutions determine whether they will require the Essay
for admission
50 minutes to write the essay
Tests reading, analysis, and writing skills; students produce
a written analysis of a provided source text
Scale ranging from 400 to 1600
Scale ranging from 200 to 800 for Evidence-Based Reading
and Writing; 200 to 800 for Math; 2 to 8 on each of three
traits for Essay*
Essay results reported separately

Subscores for every test, providing added insight for students,

parents, admission officers, educators, and counselors

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COMPARISON OF TEST LENGTH AND TIMING: CURRENT SAT AND REDESIGNED SAT
Current SAT

Redesigned SAT
Time Allotted
(minutes)

Number of
Questions/Tasks

Reading

65

52

49

Writing and
Language

35

44

25

Essay
(optional)

50

70

54

Math

80

58

225

171

Total

180
(230 with Essay)

154
(155 with Essay)

Time Allotted
(minutes)

Number of
Questions/Tasks

Critical Reading

70

67

Writing

60

Essay
Mathematics

Component

Total

Component

Total Score

Section Scores

Test Scores

N/A

3 plus Essay scores

Cross-Test Scores

N/A

Subscores

N/A

Scores Reported by the Redesigned SAT

The sat has been redesigned to provide more information by reporting
more scores than ever before. The redesigned sat will report a total
score, section (domain) scores, test scores, cross-test scores, and subscores.
These Insight Scores reported from the redesigned sat are intended to
provide additional information about student achievement and readiness
that will convey a cohesive profile of student readiness. The provisional list
of scores, subject to further research, is described below.
TOTAL SCORE
The redesigned sat will report a total score that will be the sum of two
section scores: (1) Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and (2) Math.
The sat total score will be reported on a scale ranging from 400 to 1600.
The scores for the Essay will be reported separately and not be factored
into the total score.

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SECTION SCORES
The redesigned sat will report two section (domain) scores: (1) EvidenceBased Reading and Writing, which will be the sum of the Reading Test
score and the Writing and Language Test score, and (2) Math, which will
be the Math Test score. Each of the two section scores will be reported on
a scale ranging from 200 to 800. The scores for the Essay will be reported
separately and will not be factored into the section scores.
TEST SCORES
The redesigned sat will report three test scores, each on a scale ranging
from 10 to 40: (1) Reading Test score; (2) Writing and Language Test score;
(3) Math Test score. The fourth test, the Essay, will be reported separately.
Current plans call for the Essay component to report three scores in three
domains: Reading, Analysis, and Writing.
The sat will be the anchor of a vertically aligned, longitudinal
assessment system that is designed to monitor student growth across
grades in each of these areas annually.
CROSS-TEST SCORES
Pending the results of research, the redesigned sat will also report two
cross-test scores: (1) Analysis in History/Social Studies and (2) Analysis
in Science. Each of these scores will be reported on a scale ranging
from 10 to 40. These scores are based on selected questions in the sat
Reading, Writing and Language, and Math Tests and will reflect the
application of reading, writing, language, and math skills in history/
social studies and science contexts.
SUBSCORES
The redesigned sat will report multiple subscores for Reading, Writing
and Language, and Math. The Reading and Writing and Language Tests
will contribute questions to two subscores: (1) Command of Evidence
and (2) Words in Context. The Writing and Language Test will also
report two additional subscores: (1) Expression of Ideas and (2)
Standard English Conventions.
The Math Test will report three subscores: (1) Heart of Algebra,
(2) Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and (3) Passport to Advanced Math.
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In total, pending the results of research, the redesigned sat will report
seven subscores, each on a scale ranging from 1 to 15.

The Redesigned SAT Insight Score Summary

The table below summarizes the scores expected to be reported on the
redesigned sat, pending the results of research. In total, we hope to report:

one total score;

two section scores;

three test scores

(plus additional Essay scores);

two cross-test scores;

and seven subscores.

REDESIGNED SAT: INSIGHT SCORES

Total Score
4001600

Sections
(200800)

Test
(1040)

Cross-Test
(1040)

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing

Reading

Math

Writing and
Language

Math

Essay

Reading 28*
Analysis 28*
Writing 28*

Analysis in Science
Analysis in History/Social Studies

Subscores
(115)

Expression of Ideas
Standard English
Conventions
Words in Context
Command of Evidence

20

Heart of Algebra
Passport to
Advanced
Mathematics
Problem Solving
and Data Analysis

* Combined score of
two raters, each
scoring on a 14
scale

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In addition to these scores, students will have access to other helpful

interpretative information about their performance. For example, a students
numerical score will be explained in terms of the knowledge, skills, and
understandings that the score likely represents. Providing both numerical
and content-based interpretations of student performance not only better
defines what students know and can do but also helps students and teachers
identify the knowledge, skills, and understandings students can focus on
learning next to increase their achievement.

Concordance
Because the redesigned sat is a different test than the current sat, a numerical
score on one test will not be equivalent to the same numerical score on the
other. Therefore, to help higher education admission officers, k12 educators
and counselors, and students and parents transition to the new test scores, we
will be providing a concordance between the scores on the current sat and
the redesigned sat that shows how to relate the scores of one test to the scores
of the other. In particular, the concordance will help high school counselors
and admission officers maintain continuity between data collected from the
current sat and the redesigned sat, and will provide admission officers with
a convenient way to evaluate applicants, especially those who will comprise
the entering college class of 2017 (some of whom will have taken the current
test while others will have taken the new test). The concordance information
will be released immediately after the first operational administration of the
redesigned sat in 2016. The data format of the concordance information
will be released earlier, in 2014, to help postsecondary institutions prepare to
receive, process, and integrate this information into their data systems. We
will also provide a concordance linking scores on the redesigned sat and the
act test; this concordance will be derived from the concordance between the
current sat and the redesigned sat.

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Summary
Our students and our nation face significant challenges if the goal
of college and career readiness for all is not met. Moreover, just
getting students ready for college and workforce training programs
isnt enough; we need to help equip them with the tools to succeed
in their postsecondary programs and in life more generally. To that
end, the College Board is committed to an opportunity agenda that is
focused on helping students take advantage of the opportunities they
have earned. This agenda includes a redesign of our flagship college
and career readiness assessment, the sat.
The redesigned sat will (1) more clearly and transparently focus on a
set of knowledge, skills, and understandings that research evidence has
shown to be essential for college and career readiness and success, (2)
model and connect with meaningful, engaging work worth doing in
rigorous high school classrooms, (3) sustain if not improve the prediction
of postsecondary success, and (4) monitor students college and career
readiness to identify those students who are falling behind. The redesign
was deeply influenced by both k12 and postsecondary educators. The
new test has also been purpose-built to convey important information
about students relative strengths and needs, doing so in part through
a series of Insight Scores and in part by anchoring a vertically aligned,
longitudinal assessment system, both of which have been designed to
provide more information about students than ever before. All in all, the
redesigned sat has been created to serve as a force that propels students
into the opportunities they have earned.

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section ii

Executive Summary

sec tion i

Behind the Redesign

section ii

The Redesigned SAT: Evidentiary Foundation

sec tion iii

Test Specifications: SAT Evidence-Based Reading

and Writing and SAT Essay

sec tion iv

Test Specifications: SAT Math Test

sec tion v

Our Commitment

appendix a

The Craft of Developing the SAT: How We Do It

These draft test specifications, sample questions and other materials are just that
drafts and will systematically evolve over time. These sample questions are meant
to illustrate the shifts in the redesigned SAT and are not a full reflection of what will
be tested. Actual questions used on the exam are going through extensive reviews
and pretesting to help ensure that they are clear and fair and that they measure what
is intended. The test specifications as well as the research foundation defining what is
measured on the test will continue to be refined based on ongoing research.

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section ii

The Redesigned SAT:

Evidentiary Foundation

In this section, we turn to a discussion of the evidence base supporting

the fundamental changes being made to the sat. This discussion,
focusing first on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Essay and
then on Math, helps relate central features of the new test to the design
principles described in Section I.
It should be noted at the outset that what follows is not a point-by-point
account of each element of the redesigned sat and the research supporting
it. Rather, the discussion more globally addresses important evidence
undergirding several major design choices. This evidence base will be a
living document; we will refine and update it as new evidence about the
essential requirements for college and career readiness accumulates.

Evidentiary Foundation for the Redesigned

SATs Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Tests
and Essay
Two tests comprise the redesigned sats Evidence-Based Reading and
Writing area:

A Reading Test focused on the assessment of students comprehension

and reasoning skills in relation to appropriately challenging prose
passages (sometimes paired, or associated with one or more
informational graphics) across a range of content areas, and

A Writing and Language Test focused on the assessment of students

revising and editing skills in the context of extended prose passages

(sometimes associated with one or more informational graphics) across
a range of content areas.
The optional Essay is focused on the assessment of students skill in
developing a cogent and clear written analysis of a provided source text.

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Together, the sat Reading and sat Writing and Language Tests make
up the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section score of the sats
battery of tests, with the Essay offering scores that complement those
from the other two English language arts/literacy assessments.
A number of key design elements strongly supported by evidence are
interwoven through the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Essay
portions of the test. These include:

the use of a specified range of text complexity aligned to college and

career readiness levels of reading;

an emphasis on source analysis and use of evidence;

the inclusion of data and informational graphics, which students must
analyze in conjunction with text;

a focus on relevant words in context and on word choice for rhetorical effect;
attention to a core set of important English language conventions and
to effective written expression; and

the requirement that students work with texts across a wide range
of disciplines.

TEXT COMPLEXITY
Numerous studies have highlighted the long-standing gap between the high
level of challenge posed by the required readings in college-entry, creditbearing courses and workforce training programs and the comparatively
simpler readings used in much of k12 education, including many high
school courses. For example, Marilyn Jager Adams, reviewing in 2009
the research literature on the challenges students face reading complex
texts, helped collect a range of scholarly evidence documenting a decadeslong decline in k12 text complexity even as college and career readiness
demands on students reading skills remained high. The disparity between
high school and postsecondary expectations for text complexity has left
too many students underprepared for the rigors of reading in college and
careers. One sign of this problem can be found in recent sat test data, which
indicate that only about half of all test-takers attained a score on the Critical
Reading test high enough for them to be considered college ready.1
1

Adams, The Challenge of Advanced Texts: The Interdependence of Reading and Learning, in Reading More,
Reading Better: Are American Students Reading Enough of the Right Stuff?, ed. Elfrieda H. Hiebert (New York:
Guilford, 2009), 16389; Jeffrey Wyatt et al., SAT Benchmarks: Development of a College Readiness Benchmark
and Its Relationship to Secondary and Postsecondary School Performance, Research Report 20115 (New York:
The College Board, 2011), 13, https://research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/publications/2012/7/
researchreport-2011-5-sat-college-readiness-benchmark-secondary-performance.pdf.

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section ii

The redesigned sat will align the levels of text complexity represented
in the tests passages with the requirements of first-year college courses
and workforce training programs. This alignment supports the emerging
movement to close the preparedness gap by making text complexity
a central part of the test design. Students taking the redesigned sats
Reading Test and Writing and Language Test will be asked to engage
with passages selected, in part, to exhibit a range of text complexities up
through and including levels comparable to those expected of students
entering college and workforce training programs. Students taking the
redesigned sats Essay will be asked to engage with a passage that is rich
and challenging, but not so difficult that high school juniors and seniors
cannot produce an effective written response to it. To ensure that texts
on the sat are appropriately complex challenging but not inaccessible
to college- and career-ready test-takers test development staff make
use of feedback from secondary and postsecondary subject-matter
experts and test data on student performance as well as quantitative and
qualitative measures of text complexity. Considered together, the sat
Reading, sat Writing and Language, and sat Essay Tests are capable of
determining whether students can read, improve, and analyze texts at
levels of difficulty required of incoming postsecondary students.
SOURCE ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCE USE
Students abilities to analyze source texts and, more broadly, to
understand and make effective use of evidence in reading and writing
are widely recognized as central to college and career readiness.
National curriculum surveys conducted by the College Board and others
demonstrate that postsecondary instructors rate high in importance
such capacities as summarizing a texts central argument or main idea,
identifying rhetorical strategies used in a text, and recognizing logical
flaws in an authors argument, as well as writing analyses and evaluations
of texts, using supporting details and examples, and developing a logical
argument. Institutions such as Duke University, Cornell University,
Texas A&M University, and the University of California, Berkeley have
devoted considerable resources to developing the skills of source analysis
and evidence use in their students.2

College Board, College Board Standards for College Success: English Language Arts (New York: Author, 2006),
http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/association/academic/english-language-arts_cbscs.
pdf; Mary Seburn, Sara Frain, and David T. Conley, Job Training Programs Curriculum Study (Eugene, OR:
Educational Policy Improvement Center, 2013), http://www.nagb.org/content/nagb/assets/documents/
what-we-do/preparedness-research/judgmental-standard-setting-studies/job-training-programs
curriculum-study.pdf; Achieve, Inc., The Education Trust, and Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, The American
Diploma Project: Ready or Not: Creating a High School Diploma that Counts (Washington, DC: Achieve, Inc.,
2004), http://www.achieve.org/files/ReadyorNot.pdf; YoungKoung Kim, Andrew Wiley, and Sheryl Packman,

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The redesigned sat prominently emphasizes source analysis and evidence

use throughout the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Essay
portions of the test. The sat Reading Test not only requires students to
answer questions based on what is stated and implied in texts (both passages
and graphics) across a range of content areas but also includes a number of
questions asking students to determine which portion of a text best supports
the answer to a given question. The sat Writing and Language Test includes
questions asking students to develop, support, and refine claims and ideas
in multiparagraph passages (some of which are associated with one or more
graphics) and to retain, add, revise, or delete information in accordance with
rhetorical purpose and accuracy of content (as, for example, when students
are asked to verify or improve a passages explanation of a data table). In
the sat Essay, students are required to analyze a provided source text to
determine how the author builds an argument to persuade an audience
through the use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive
devices (and potentially other aspects of the text identified by students
themselves) and then to write a cogent and clear analysis supported by
critical reasoning and evidence drawn from the source.
ANALYSIS OF DATA IN GRAPHICS
The ability to understand and analyze quantitative information and ideas
expressed graphically in tables, graphs, charts, and the like is an essential
skill for college- and career-ready students. Susan N. Friel, Frances R.
Curcio, and George W. Bright, for example, note that the use of visual
displays of quantitative data is pervasive in our highly technological society
and observe that to be functionally literate, one needs the ability to read and
understand statistical graphs and tables. Iddo Gal echoes these sentiments,
writing that statistical literacy is a key ability expected of citizens in
information-laden societies, and is often touted as an expected outcome of
schooling and as a necessary component of adults numeracy and literacy.3
National Curriculum Survey on English and Mathematics (New York: The College Board, 2012), 715, https://
research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/publications/2012/7/researchreport-2011-13-curriculum
survey-english-mathematics.pdf; ACT, Inc., ACT National Curriculum Survey 2009 (Iowa City, IA: Author,
2009), 4647, 5758, http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/NationalCurriculumSurvey2009.
pdf; Working with Sources, Duke University Thompson Writing Program, accessed January 10, 2014,
http://twp.duke.edu/writing-studio/resources/working-with-sources; Critically Analyzing Information
Sources, Cornell University Library, accessed January 10, 2014, http://guides.library.cornell.edu/content.
php?pid=318835&sid=2612843; Critically Analyzing Information Sources, Texas A&M University Libraries,
accessed January 10, 2014, http://library.tamu.edu/help/help-yourself/using-materials-services/critically
analyzing-information-sources.html; Critical Evaluation of Resources, University of California, Berkeley
Library, last modified November 2009, http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/instruct/guides/evaluation.html.
3

College Board, College Board Standards for College Success: English Language Arts (New York: Author, 2006);
College Board, College Board Standards for College Success: Mathematics and Statistics (New York: Author,
2006), http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/association/academic/mathematics
statistics_cbscs.pdf; College Board, College Board Standards for College Success: Science (New York: Author,
2009), http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/cbscs-science-standards-2009.pdf; Friel,

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The redesigned sat supports attention to analysis of graphically displayed

data in part by incorporating informational graphics into selected sat
Reading Test and sat Writing and Language Test passages and questions.
In the sat Reading Test, students are expected to analyze and interpret
data in tables, graphs, charts, and so on and to synthesize information and
ideas presented graphically with those presented in a prose passage. In
the sat Writing and Language Test, students are asked to make particular
choices about revising and editing prose passages in light of accompanying
graphics. On this test, students may, for example, be asked to recognize
and correct an error in a passages interpretation of a table or to evaluate a
graphs potential relevance to the topic of or claims in a passage. Coupled
with the graphics used in the sat Math Test, the graphics in the sat
Reading and sat Writing and Language Tests assess students capacity to
analyze quantitative data across a wide range of content areas.
WORDS IN CONTEXT
Studies going back nearly a century have documented the strong link
between vocabulary and comprehension. With a broad and deep
vocabulary, readers are more likely to understand what they read and, in
turn, to derive the meaning of words in the contexts in which they appear.
Indeed, the role of vocabulary in reading comprehension is difficult to
overstate given the word richness of text. A quick comparison between
oral and written language is instructive: while the conversation of collegeeducated adults contains an average of 17.3 rare words per thousand, even
childrens books exhibit almost double that frequency (30.9).4
Clearly, then, acquiring vocabulary from conversation alone is
insufficient to attain skilled comprehension. Moreover, while some

Curcio, and Bright, Making Sense of Graphs: Critical Factors Influencing Comprehension and Instructional
Implications, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 32, no. 2 (March 2001): 124; Gal, Adults
Statistical Literacy: Meanings, Components, Responsibilities, International Statistical Review 70, no. 1
(April 2002): 13.
4

Guy Montrose Whipple, ed., Report of the National Committee on Reading: Twenty-Fourth Yearbook of the National
Society for the Study of Education, Part 1 (Bloomington, IN: Public School Publishing Company, 1925); Wesley C.
Becker, Teaching Reading and Language to the Disadvantaged What We Have Learned from Field Research,
Harvard Educational Review 47, no. 4 (Winter 1977): 51843; Keith E. Stanovich, Matthew Effects in Reading:
Some Consequences of Individual Differences in the Acquisition of Literacy, Reading Research Quarterly
21, no. 4 (Fall 1986): 360406; National Reading Panel (U.S.), National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development, Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read; An Evidence-Based Assessment of
the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction; Reports of the Subgroups
(Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000), http://www.nichd.nih.
gov/publications/pubs/nrp/Documents/report.pdf; National Center for Education Statistics, The Nations Report
Card: Vocabulary Results from the 2009 and 2011 NAEP Reading Assessments, NCES 2013452 (Washington, DC:
Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, 2013), http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
pdf/main2011/2013452.pdf; Donald P. Hayes and Margaret G. Ahrens, Vocabulary Simplification for Children: A
Special Case of Motherese?, Journal of Child Language 15, no. 2 (June 1988): 395410.

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researchers and educators have drawn needed attention to improving

and increasing direct instruction in vocabulary, such instruction
here defined as formal vocabulary programs as well as words teachers
select for emphasis and study from students texts is insufficient as
well. Estimates of how many words students learn either annually or
during the course of a k12 education show that far too many words
are acquired to have been gained only from direct instruction. Since
adequate vocabularies cannot be acquired from either conversation or
direct instruction alone, students must develop the skills to gain the
rest of what they need indirectly from their reading, and instruction
should offer students opportunities to practice and nurture these skills
in addition to direct vocabulary teaching.5
Which words deserve the most instructional attention becomes the next
critical matter, given the vast number of words that could be taught and
the all-too-real limits on instructional time. Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G.
McKeown, and Linda Kucan have sensibly focused on what they refer to
as Tier Two words words that are of high utility for mature language
users and are found across a variety of domains because they appear
frequently in written texts (but uncommonly in oral language) across a wide
range of subjects. (By contrast, Tier One words require little instruction for
most students because they are generally acquired through conversation,
and Tier Three words are either limited to a certain domain of knowledge
and thus are best studied as part of work in that domain or too rare to
be found with any frequency in written text.) Although differing somewhat
in the terms for and boundaries of their word levels, other researchers have
reached a similar conclusion about the need to concentrate instruction on
these high-utility words.6
It would be a mistake to conflate frequency with ease; the level of
command of these more frequent words required by the exam will

Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G. McKeown, and Linda Kucan, Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction,
2nd ed. (New York: Guilford, 2013), 118; William E. Nagy, Patricia A. Herman, and Richard C. Anderson,
Learning Words from Context, Reading Research Quarterly 20, no. 2 (Winter 1985): 23353; James F. Baumann
and Edward J. Kameenui, Research on Vocabulary Instruction: Ode to Voltaire, in Handbook of Research on
Teaching the English Language Arts, ed. James Flood et al. (New York: Macmillan, 1991), 60432; Isabel Beck
and Margaret McKeown, Conditions of Vocabulary Acquisition, in Handbook of Reading Research, vol. 2,
ed. Rebecca Barr et al. (1991; reprint, Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 1996), 789814; Michael F. Graves, Vocabulary
Learning and Instruction, Review of Research in Education 13 (1986): 4989; Catherine E. Snow et al., Is Literacy
Enough?: Pathways to Academic Success for Adolescents (Baltimore, MD: Brookes, 2007); Camille L. Z. Blachowicz
et al., Vocabulary: Questions from the Classroom, Reading Research Quarterly 41, no. 4 (October/November/
December 2006): 52439; National Reading Panel, Report; Katherine Anne Dougherty Stahl, Steven A. Stahl,
and Michael C. McKenna, The Development of Phonological Awareness and Orthographic Processing in
Reading Recovery, Literacy Teaching and Learning 4, no. 1 (1999): 2742.

Beck, McKeown, and Kucan, Bringing Words to Life, 1925; Steven A. Stahl and William E. Nagy, Teaching Word
Meanings (Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2006); I. S. P. Nation, Learning Vocabulary in Another Language (New York:
Cambridge University Press, 2001). Both Stahl and Nagys and Nations approaches are discussed in Bringing
Words to Life by Beck and her colleagues.

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sometimes be very high. Students will encounter words in challenging

passages and must read and understand them in context. The exam will
assess an in-depth command of words and their multiple meanings and
require sensitivity to context. The redesigned sat, in short, will invite
students to read widely and study words deeply rather than reward a
superficial familiarity with obscure words.
The redesigned sat supports a sharp focus on vocabulary in the
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Essay portions of the test. In
the sat Reading Test, students are called on to determine the meaning of
vocabulary in context, with an emphasis on Tier Two words and phrases.
In the sat Reading Test, sat Writing and Language Test, and sat Essay,
students are also presented with other vocabulary-related challenges,
including analyzing word choice rhetorically; improving the precision,
concision, and context appropriateness of expression; and (in the Essay)
using language to convey their own ideas clearly and carefully.
LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS AND EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE USE
Skilled expression in language extends beyond vocabulary knowledge
and use, as important as those are. It also includes understanding
and observing the conventions of standard written English and, more
generally, making informed, thoughtful language choices. Knowledge of
conventions is more than just learning and adhering to language rules
set forth in textbooks; conventions knowledge lends precision and
clarity to writing, aids comprehension, and facilitates academic success.
Laura R. Micciche, for example, rejects a simple dichotomy between the
grammar and content of writing:
The grammatical choices we make including pronoun use,
active or passive verb constructions, and sentence patterns
represent relations between writers and the world they
live in. Word choice and sentence structure are an expression
of the way we attend to the words of others, the way we
position ourselves in relation to others. In this sense, writing
involves cognitive skills at the level of idea development and
at the sentence level. How we put our ideas into words and
comprehensible forms is a dynamic process rather than one
with clear boundaries between what we say and how we say it.

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Surveying recent research on the benefits of the robust teaching of what

she describes as metalinguistic understanding, Beverly Derewianka
notes the wide-ranging value to students of having knowledge about
language itself and describes the teachers role as constantly expanding
the students repertoire of choices in a classroom climate that fosters
exploration, experimentation, discussion, choice and decision-making.
Mary J. Schleppegrell, writing in The Language of Schooling, observes
that language patterns themselves are rarely the focus of attention of
students and teachers and that teachers expectations for language
use are seldom made explicit, and much of what is expected regarding
language use in school remains couched in teachers vague admonitions
to use your own words or to be clear. This failure to be systematic and
explicit can, she argues, have serious yet underappreciated implications
for students, who might, for example, be judged illogical or
disorganized in their thinking if they use informal language to express
information and ideas when a formal response is (implicitly) expected
by the teacher or the task.7
The redesigned sat supports a thoughtful emphasis on language conventions
and language use in several important ways. Effective language use and
mastery of a core set of conventions linked with college and career readiness
are two key elements of the sat Writing and Language Test, which, among
other aims, assesses students application of these skills in the context of highquality multiparagraph passages that must be revised and edited. The sat
Reading Test includes questions that address students capacity to analyze
word choice rhetorically. The sat Essay includes effective language use
among the criteria for evaluating students written analyses of source texts.
DISCIPLINARY LITERACY
Cynthia Shanahan, Timothy Shanahan, and Cynthia Misischia are
prominent among those who have made the case in recent years
that students literacy development should not be seen as merely
the fostering of generic communication skills but instead should be
grounded in making students familiar with the differing literacy demands
of particular fields of study. These authors claim that reading, for example,
is an importantly different activity when it is done in, say, a history, a
mathematics, or a chemistry context: In addition to the domain knowledge

Micciche, Making a Case for Rhetorical Grammar, College Composition and Communication 55, no. 4 (June
2004): 719 (emphasis in original); Derewianka, Metalinguistic Understanding and Literacy Development,
Reading Today Online, September 12, 2013, http://www.reading.org/general/Publications/blog/LRP/
research-roundup/lrp/2013/09/13/metalinguistic-understanding-and-literacy-development; Schleppegrell,
The Language of Schooling: A Functional Linguistics Perspective (Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2004), 2.

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of the disciplines each discipline possesses specialized genre, vocabulary,

traditions of communication, and standards of quality and precision, and
each requires specific kinds of reading and writing to an extent greater than
has been recognized by teachers or teacher preparation programs. These
notions also apply to career and technical education courses. For example,
instructors of entry-level health courses surveyed in California rated the
knowledge of appropriate terminology in the health care setting as being
very important for postsecondary success in the health sciences and medical
technology career cluster.8
In admission assessments, student comprehension of a range of texts
has long proved predictive of readiness. The redesigned sat supports
an enhanced emphasis on disciplinary literacy through careful passage
selection and question development. In the sat Reading Test, sat Writing
and Language Test, and sat Essay, students are expected to engage with
and analyze appropriately challenging texts spanning numerous content
areas, including U.S. and world literature, history/social studies, the
humanities, science, and career-related topics. Moreover, while questions
on the sat Reading and sat Writing and Language Tests do not require
students to have prior knowledge of specific topics in the content areas,
these questions do, where possible and beneficial, reflect differences in the
ways various disciplines approach literacy. Reading questions relating to
a literature selection, for example, might address theme, mood, figurative
language, or characterization concepts that are generally not relevant
to the sciences. Reading questions relating to a science selection, on the
other hand, might require students to delineate the experimental process
described in a text, analyze research data (including data represented
graphically), or determine which conclusion is best supported by a studys
findings skills generally not required to comprehend literary texts.

Evidentiary Foundation for the

Redesigned SATs Math Test
The overall aim of the sat Math Test is to assess students fluency with,
understanding of, and ability to apply the mathematical concepts,
skills, and practices that are most strongly prerequisite for and useful
across a range of college majors and careers. As will become clear
8

Shanahan, Shanahan, and Misischia, Analysis of Expert Readers in Three Disciplines: History, Mathematics,
and Chemistry, Journal of Literacy Research 43, no. 4 (December 2011): 395; Charis McGaughy, Rick Bryck, and
Alicia de Gonzlez, California Diploma Project Technical Report III: Validity Study; Validity Study of the Health
Sciences and Medical Technology Standards (Eugene, OR: Educational Policy Improvement Center, 2012),
https://www.epiconline.org/publications/documents/CDP_ValidityStudyTechnicalReport_Final.pdf.

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below, the sat Math Test will reward a much stronger command
of fewer, more important topics. To succeed on the redesigned sat,
students will need to exhibit command of mathematical practices,
fluency with mathematical procedures, and conceptual understanding
of mathematical ideas. In keeping with the evidence, the exam will also
provide opportunities for richer applied problems.
As with Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Essay, a number of
key design elements strongly supported by evidence are interwoven
through the Math area. Among these are:

a focus on content that matters most for college and career readiness;
an emphasis on problem solving and data analysis; and
the inclusion of both calculator and no-calculator portions as well as
attention to the use of a calculator as a tool.

FOCUSING ON CONTENT THAT MATTERS MOST

There is a major disconnect today in mathematics between the k12
and higher education systems. In a recent national survey, high school
teachers and postsecondary instructors were asked whether students
were leaving high school prepared for college-level mathematics.
Almost 90 percent of high school teachers said yes. Almost 75 percent of
postsecondary instructors said no.9
The results of this disconnect can be seen in the high remediation rates
that are common in postsecondary institutions. In remedial classes,
students often must pay out of their own pocket to learn what they
ought to have learned in the k12 school system. Students in remedial
classes also face lower odds of finishing their desired degree program.
One of the most important ways the redesigned sat addresses

the gap between postsecondary and k12 expectations is through

the exams concentrated focus on the content that matters most for

postsecondary education.

Surveys of postsecondary faculty and studies of entry-level postsecondary

course demands have repeatedly pointed to the conclusion that
postsecondary instructors value greater command of a smaller set of
9

ACT,National Curriculum Survey 2009, 43.

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prerequisites over shallow exposure to a wide array of topics. The former

allows students to build on what they know and to apply this knowledge
to solve substantive problems. As one survey noted:
Because the postsecondary survey results indicate that a more
rigorous treatment of fundamental content knowledge and
skills needed for credit-bearing college courses would better
prepare students for postsecondary school and work, states
would likely benefit from examining their state standards
and, where necessary, reducing them to focus only on the
knowledge and skills that research shows are essential to
college and career readiness and postsecondary success.10

More recently, in a national survey published in 2011 by David Conley and

his colleagues, more than 1,800 postsecondary instructors from a wide
range of content areas and institutional types rated the importance of each
high school content standard in the Common Core State Standards for
Mathematics. The results of this survey reinforce the conclusion that some
content areas require much stronger emphasis than others. The distinctive
importance of algebra is unmistakable based on Conleys data, as shown in
the figure below. Other math domains have a more mixed profile, typically
including more material that is not as relevant to most postsecondary work
and/or not a prerequisite for most postsecondary work. The data from this
study directly support the content choices made in the redesigned sat.11

10 David T. Conley, Understanding University Success (Eugene, OR: Center for Educational Policy Research,
University of Oregon, 2003), http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/subjects/science/curriculum/
uusintroduction.pdf; ACT, National Curriculum Survey 2009, 43.
11 Informed by postsecondary survey data in Conley et al., Reaching the Goal: The Applicability and Importance
of the Common Core State Standards to College and Career Readiness (Eugene, OR: Educational Policy
Improvement Center, 2011), http://www.epiconline.org/publications/document-detail.dot?id=09535d00
466a-498f-ac44-98f4c372d9c1.

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POSTSECONDARY SURVEY: DIFFERENTIAL IMPORTANCE OF COMMON

CORE STATE STANDARDS IN MATH (CCSSM)

20

A
A

Percentage of
postsecondary

15

instructors

judging
CCSSM

N
A

N
A

A
N

10

content

standard

a prerequisite
5

S
S

S
S
S
S S

60

70

S S
S SS

A
N N
A

G
AN

FF
F F F A
F F
F
A
S

F
NN
F

G
F F

G
G

N G
NN N
A
N N
S S
S S S S S N NN NN

80

G
G GGG
G
G G G GGGG
G GGG G GG G
G
G
G
G
G

GG

G
G N
A

90

Percentage of postsecondary instructors judging CCSSM content standard not applicable

The horizontal axis plots postsecondary (two- and four-year) instructor evaluation of the applicability of the
CCSSM content standard to introductory college courses, ranging from most applicable (left) to least (right).
The vertical axis plots the percentage of postsecondary instructors judging the importance of the CCSSM
content standard as a prerequisite to introductory college courses. Bubbles are larger or smaller, according to
importance. Legend: N = Number and Quantity; A = Algebra; F = Functions; G = Geometry; S = Statistics
and Probability.

In October 2013, the Council of Chief State School Officers released a set
of summative assessment principles for ela /literacy and mathematics
assessments aligned to college and career readiness standards. These
assessment principles are meant to form the basis for states evaluations
of their assessment systems. The principles greatly stress the importance
of focusing summative assessments on what matters most. The very first
alignment principle in mathematics is that of focusing strongly on the
content most needed for success in later mathematics. As the document
notes, In a [college- and career-ready]-aligned assessment system . . .
high school focuses on widely applicable prerequisites for careers and
postsecondary education.12 The redesigned sat embraces this principle.

12 Council of Chief State School Officers, States Commitment to High-Quality Assessments Aligned to College- and
Career-Readiness (Washington, DC: Author, 2013), http://www.ccsso.org/documents/2013/CCSSO%20
Assessment%20Quality%20Principles%2010-1-13%20FINAL.pdf.

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PROBLEM SOLVING AND DATA ANALYSIS

There is ample evidence that problem solving and data analysis
the ability to create a representation of a problem, consider the units
involved, attend to the meaning of quantities, and know and use
different properties of operations and objects are important for
college, work, and life. However, the U.S. results on the Programme
for International Student Assessment (pisa) exam, which includes a
test of mathematical literacy, show that our schools are not doing well
in producing quantitatively literate graduates. Quantitative literacy
is part of participation in a democracy; it is important to employers,
who need students who can use mathematics outside of the classroom;
and it is important not only for science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (stem ) fields but also for a wide range of college majors.13
Also supporting the emphasis of the redesigned sat on problem solving
and data analysis is a recent study by the National Center on Education
and the Economy, which analyzed the actual mathematical demands of
course syllabi and assignments in two-year institutions. The study found
that students pursuing two-year degree programs must be able to work
with multistep problems involving ratios, proportional relationships,
percentages, unit conversions, and complex measurement problems.14
Such problems are an ideal connection point for science and for college
and career readiness because so many of the quantities in applied science
involve proportional relationships and/or are formed by division (such
as rates, densities, and gradients). Consequently, much elementary
applied science amounts to thinking proportionally and combining
proportions.15 Consider, for example, a problem in which students use
reference data to determine the energy cost of different fuels, drawing on
proportional relationships, unit conversion, and other skills. Practical,
career-related contexts, such as scale drawings of diesel mechanics
and construction estimating, are dense with unit rates, proportional
relationships, percentages, and the like.

13 David T. Conley and Charis McGaughy, Analysis of Assignments from Entry-Level College Courses (Eugene,
OR: Educational Policy Improvement Center, in progress); Conley et al., College Board Advanced Placement
Best Practices Course Study (Eugene, OR: Educational Policy Improvement Center, 2006), http://epiconline.
org/publications/college-board-advanced-placement-best-practices-course-study; National Council on
Education and the Disciplines, Mathematics and Democracy: The Case for Quantitative Literacy (Princeton, NJ:
Author, 2001), http://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/QL/MathAndDemocracy.pdf.
14 National Center on Education and the Economy, What Does It Really Mean to Be College and Work Ready? The
Mathematics Required of First Year Community College Students (Washington, DC: Author, 2013), 2, http://www.
ncee.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/NCEE_MathReport_May20131.pdf.
15 Conley, Understanding University Success.

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The Problem Solving and Data Analysis portion of the redesigned

sat contains multipart problems. These problems allow students to
explore a richer situation at greater length than is possible in the current
sat. That, in turn, allows the redesigned sat to better incorporate
mathematical modeling and other mathematical practices. This feature
of the redesigned sat also reflects the structure of the pisa exam, which
is administered in sets, each consisting of several items.
CALCULATOR AND NO-CALCULATOR PORTIONS
The data are clear that postsecondary instructors expect students to be fluent
in rational number arithmetic.16 Having a no-calculator portion on the
redesigned sat will help assure postsecondary instructors that students who
earn high scores on the sat do not lack the basic prerequisites.
A calculator is a tool, and decisions about when and when not to use it
involve a variety of considerations. For example, consider a problem where
the main goal is to choose a mathematical model for a complex situation,
perform some calculations with the model, and then relate the results of
these calculations back to the original situation. On the one hand, using a
calculator enables the student to focus on the efficacy of the model and the
evaluation of its conclusions. On the other hand, a robust sense of problem
solving and data analysis is crucial to monitoring the calculations, and a
strong feeling for algebraic structure guides wise choices in constructing
the model and executing its procedures. It is possible to rely too much
on the computational abilities of the calculator at the expense of paying
attention to the abstract and quantitative reasoning that undergirds the
math. It is, conversely, also possible to get bogged down in numerical and
algebraic calculations that are best handled by technology.
Questions in the calculator portion of the exam are designed to probe
students ability to make wise choices between these two extremes. For
some questions, the calculator lends efficiency; for others, the ability
to make use of structure or to reason abstractly leads to the most rapid
solution. The calculator portion contains both sorts of questions; notably,
not all questions in this portion will be best solved using a calculator.

16 The highest-rated skill in the ACT National Curriculum Survey in both 20052006 and 2009 was Perform
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on signed rational numbers. See ACT, Inc., ACT National
Curriculum Survey 20052006 (Iowa City, IA: Author, 2007), 41, http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/
pdf/NationalCurriculumSurvey2006.pdf, and ACT, National Curriculum Survey 2009, 54. Similar conclusions
were reached in the Standards for Success study of instructors at Association of American Universities
institutions. See Conley, Understanding University Success.

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Summary
All of the new tests that are part of the redesigned sat are deeply informed
by evidence about essential requirements for college and career readiness
and success and are designed in such a way as to measure robustly
students attainment of those key requirements. Two themes unite much
of the preceding discussion of the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
and Essay portions of the exam: a focus on text its complexity, its use of
evidence, its relationship to data, its disciplinary roots and on language,
particularly its use in communicating information and ideas clearly and
purposefully. In the Math Test, the redesigned sat calls for sustained
attention on a core of concepts, skills, and understandings rather than a
futile race through a vast array of math soon forgotten. The great beauty
of mathematics is that knowing a few things very well gives students a
wide-ranging readiness. The mathematics on the sat is what students can
expect to see and use throughout a range of college courses, workforce
training programs, and career opportunities.
Across the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, Essay, and Math
portions, the College Boards commitment to focus can be summed
up as follows: The redesigned sat is not mysterious or tricky. It is
profoundly transparent. It announces what is assessed and what is
worthy of practice. It is designed to offer very clear signals to instruction
and to resemble the best of classroom work and work outside of the
classroom. The redesigned sat is not random but reliable, measuring
durably powerful knowledge and skills needed in all levels of
postsecondary education, work, and life. Rather than covering a great
number of topics and concepts that most examinees will never see again,
students study a deep core that they can draw upon again and again in
college and career.

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Executive Summary

sec tion i

Behind the Redesign

sec tion ii

The Redesigned SAT: Evidentiary Foundation

section iii

Test Specifications: SAT Evidence-Based

Reading and Writing and SAT Essay

sec tion iv

Test Specifications: SAT Math Test

sec tion v

Our Commitment

appendix a

The Craft of Developing the SAT: How We Do It

These draft test specifications, sample questions and other materials are just that
drafts and will systematically evolve over time. These sample questions are meant
to illustrate the shifts in the redesigned SAT and are not a full reflection of what will
be tested. Actual questions used on the exam are going through extensive reviews
and pretesting to help ensure that they are clear and fair and that they measure what
is intended. The test specifications as well as the research foundation defining what is
measured on the test will continue to be refined based on ongoing research.

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test specifications: sat evidence-based reading

and writing and sat essay

A Transparent Blueprint

In the preceding sections, we provided an overview of the redesign

of the sat and the evidentiary basis for key elements of that redesign.
In this section, we present detailed descriptions of the content, skills,
format, and distinctive features of the redesigned sats Reading Test,
Writing and Language Test, and Essay (with a similar discussion of
the Math Test to follow in the next section). We present a detailed
description of each test as well as annotated sample materials that help
illustrate central aspects of the test. (The full passages and additional
sample materials can be found in Appendix B.)

SAT Reading Test

OVERALL CLAIM FOR THE TEST
The redesigned sats Reading Test is intended to collect evidence in
support of a broad claim about student performance:
Students can demonstrate college and career readiness

proficiency in reading and comprehending a broad range

of high-quality, appropriately challenging literary and

informational texts in the content areas of U.S. and world

literature, history/social studies, and science.

TEST DESCRIPTION
The basic aim of the redesigned sats Reading Test is to determine
whether students can demonstrate college and career readiness proficiency
in comprehending a broad range of high-quality, appropriately challenging
literary and informational texts in the content areas of U.S. and world
literature, history/social studies, and science. The test comprises a series
of passages and associated multiple-choice questions; to answer the
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questions, students must refer to what the passages say explicitly and
use careful reasoning to draw supportable inferences from the passages.
In some cases, topically related passages in history/social studies and
in science are paired and accompanied by questions assessing whether
students can draw important connections between the passages as well
as comprehend each passage individually. In other cases, history/social
studies and science passages are accompanied by one or more relevant
graphical representations of data tables, graphs, charts, and the like
and certain questions require students to interpret the graphic(s) and/or to
synthesize information and ideas presented graphically with those in the
associated passage. (Mathematical computation is, however, not required
to answer these questions.)
All passages are taken from high-quality, previously published sources;
all graphics are either also taken from such sources or created for the
test based on authentic, accurate data. Each prose passage is intended to
represent some of the best writing and thinking in the field it represents.
Literature selections come from classic and contemporary works by
authors working in the United States and around the world. History/social
studies selections include portions of U.S.-based founding documents and
texts in the Great Global Conversation engaging, often historically and
culturally important works grappling with issues at the heart of civic and
political life and explorations of topics in the social sciences, including
anthropology, communication studies, economics, education, human
geography, law, linguistics, political science, psychology, and sociology
(and their subfields). Science selections examine both foundational
concepts and recent developments in the natural sciences, including Earth
science, biology, chemistry, and physics (and their subfields).
The questions associated with the passages assess whether students
understand information and ideas in these readings; are able to analyze texts
rhetorically; and can synthesize across topically related passages as well as
a passage and its accompanying graphic(s). Questions address substantive
information and ideas in passages and graphics, and they are meant to
reflect the kinds of questions one would encounter in a lively, rigorous,
evidence-based discussion of the texts. The order in which questions are
presented is also as natural as possible, with general questions about central
ideas, themes, point of view, overall text structure, and the like coming
early in the sequence (so that students can first build and demonstrate
an understanding of the passage as a whole), followed by more localized
questions about details, words in context, evidence, and the like (after
students have had an opportunity to consider the whole passage and how its
parts interrelate). Answers are derived from what is stated or implied in the
passages and graphics rather than from prior knowledge of the topics.

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Passages are selected with both quantitative and qualitative measures of

text complexity in mind and represent a range of difficulties consistent
with effectively measuring students college and career readiness.
Questions and their answer choices are rooted in the context of the
passages (and any graphics) they accompany, and, in an effort to
assess more directly students command of evidence, certain questions
explicitly require students to determine the best textual support for the
answer to another question.
Numerous questions also address whether students are able to interpret
the meaning of relevant words and phrases in context and/or analyze how
word choice influences meaning, shapes mood and tone, reflects point of
view, or lends precision or interest. In addition, certain questions require
analysis and synthesis of information and ideas presented in multiple,
related passages or in a passage and its associated graphic(s). Across
the test, students are called on to analyze passages and graphics in ways
consistent with how texts are read in the content areas they represent,
so that questions about a science passage, for example, might focus on
hypotheses, experimentation, and data, while questions about a literature
passage might focus on theme, mood, and characterization (although,
again, topic-specific prior knowledge is not assessed).
The Reading Test is, in short, a rigorous, carefully constructed
assessment of comprehension and reasoning skill with an unmistakable
focus on close reading of appropriately challenging passages and
graphics in a wide array of subject areas.

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Test Summary
The following tables provide a synopsis of key content dimensions of the
sat Reading Test.
SAT READING TEST CONTENT SPECIFICATIONS
number

percentage of test

Time Allotted

65 minutes

Passage Word Count

3,250 words total from 4 single passages and 1 pair;

500750 words per passage or paired set

Total Questions

52 questions

100%

Multiple Choice (4 options)

100%

Passage Based

100%

Contribution of Items to Subscores and Scores (Percentages do not add up to 100%.)

Words in Context
(Across Reading and Writing and Language Tests)

10 questions
(2 questions per passage/pair)

19%

Command of Evidence
(Across Reading and Writing and Language Tests)

10 questions
(2 questions per passage/pair)

19%

Analysis in History/Social Studies

(Across Math, Reading, and Writing and Language Tests)

21 questions
(all history/social studies questions)

40%

Analysis in Science
(Across Math, Reading, and Writing and Language Tests)

21 questions
(all science questions)

40%

U.S. and World Literature

1 passage; 10 questions

20%

History/Social Studies

2 passages, or 1 passage and 1 pair;

1011 questions each

40%

Science

2 passages, or 1 passage and 1 pair;

1011 questions each

40%

Passage Contents

Graphics
12 graphics in 1 History/Social Studies and in 1 Science
passage
Text and Graphical Complexity
Text Complexity

A specified range from grades 910 to postsecondary entry

across 4 passages and 1 pair

Graphical Data Representations

(tables, graphs, charts, etc.)

Somewhat challenging to challenging (moderate to moderately

high data density, few to several variables, moderately
challenging to moderately complex interactions)

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SAT READING DOMAIN

Content Dimension

Description

Text Complexity

The passages/pair on the sat Reading Test represent a specified range of text complexities
from grades 910 to postsecondary entry.

Information and Ideas

These questions focus on the informational content of text.

Reading closely
Determining explicit
meanings

The student will identify information and ideas explicitly stated in text.

Determining implicit
meanings

The student will draw reasonable inferences and logical conclusions from text.

Using analogical
reasoning

The student will extrapolate in a reasonable way from the information and ideas in a text
or apply information and ideas in a text to a new, analogous situation.

Citing textual evidence

The student will cite the textual evidence that best supports a given claim or point.

Determining central ideas

and themes

The student will identify explicitly stated central ideas or themes in text and determine
implicit central ideas or themes from text.

Summarizing

The student will identify a reasonable summary of a text or of key information

and ideas in text.

Understanding relationships

The student will identify explicitly stated relationships or determine implicit relationships
between and among individuals, events, or ideas (e.g., cause-effect, comparison-contrast,
sequence).

Interpreting words and

phrases in context

The student will determine the meaning of words and phrases in context.

Rhetoric

These questions focus on the rhetorical analysis of text.

Analyzing word choice

The student will determine how the selection of specific words and phrases or the use of
patterns of words and phrases shapes meaning and tone in text.

Analyzing text structure

These questions focus on the overall structure of a text and on the relationship between a
particular part of a text and the whole text.

Analyzing overall text

structure

The student will describe the overall structure of a text.

Analyzing part-whole
relationships

The student will analyze the relationship between a particular part of a text (e.g., a
sentence) and the whole text.

Analyzing point of view

The student will determine the point of view or perspective from which a text is related or
the influence this point of view or perspective has on content and style.

Analyzing purpose

The student will determine the main or most likely purpose of a text or of a particular part
of a text (typically, one or more paragraphs).

Analyzing arguments

These questions focus on analyzing arguments for their content and structure.

Analyzing claims and

counterclaims

The student will identify claims and counterclaims explicitly stated in text or determine
implicit claims and counterclaims from text.

Assessing reasoning

The student will assess an authors reasoning for soundness.

Analyzing evidence

The student will assess how an author uses or fails to use evidence to support
a claim or counterclaim.

Synthesis

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These questions focus on the explicit and implicit meaning of text and on extrapolating
beyond the information and ideas in a text.

These questions focus on synthesizing multiple sources of information.

Analyzing multiple texts

The student will synthesize information and ideas from paired texts.

(Note: All of the skills listed above may be tested with either single or paired passages.)

Analyzing quantitative
information

The student will analyze information presented quantitatively in such forms as graphs,
tables, and charts and/or relate that information to information presented in text.

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Key Features
Four distinctive features of the sat Reading Test are described below:

Emphasis on words in context

Emphasis on command of evidence
Inclusion of informational graphics
Specified range of text complexity
Each feature is illustrated with sample material. Note that in most cases
only the most relevant portion or portions of the passages are presented
here; actual Reading Test passages are significantly longer. (A fuller set
of sample Reading materials can be found in Appendix B.)
WORDS IN CONTEXT
The sat Reading Test measures students understanding of the meaning
and use of words and phrases in the context of extended prose passages.
These words and phrases are neither highly obscure nor specific to any
one domain. They are words and phrases whose specific meaning and
rhetorical purpose are derived in large part through the context in which
they are used. The following passage excerpt and sample question help
illustrate this concept. (Note that the tested word has been highlighted for
convenience but would not be highlighted in a normal testing situation,
where a reference to one or more numbered lines of the passage would
help guide students. See also the complete passage in Appendix B for the
full context in which this skill is measured; additional sample questions
associated with this passage can also be found in that appendix.)

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[. . .] The coming decades will likely see more intense clustering of jobs,
innovation, and productivity in a smaller number of bigger cities and
city-regions. Some regions could end up bloated beyond the capacity
of their infrastructure, while others struggle, their promise stymied by
inadequate human or other resources.
Adapted from Richard Florida, The Great Reset.
2010 by Richard Florida.

As used in line 55, intense most nearly means

A)
B)
C)
D)

emotional.

concentrated.

brilliant.

determined.

This question asks students to determine word meaning within a social

science context. While students may frequently use the word intense to
describe personalities or emotions, the context of this sentence requires
students to recognize that intense can also mean concentrated. The
best answer here is choice B because the context makes clear that the
clustering of jobs, innovation, and productivity is expected to be denser,
or more concentrated in a smaller number of bigger cities and cityregions, over the coming decades. The best answer can be determined
from context clues, and none of the other answer choices makes sense
in context although each is a legitimate synonym of the tested word; the
tested word is also a high-utility word likely to appear in many types
of reading. In these ways, the question draws students back to the text
rather than rewarding only isolated vocabulary knowledge.
Questions on the redesigned sats Reading Test might also explore
how the same word shifts meaning between or even within contexts.
To understand the latter, consider, for example, how Abraham Lincoln
variously uses dedicate in the Gettysburg Address. The word is not
notably obscure or difficult in its most common modern usage. Most
students would understand what it means, say, to describe another
person as a dedicated friend or employee. However, in the hands of
an adept writer and orator such as Lincoln, even a relatively simple,
common word such as dedicate can take on a range of nuanced, related
meanings and implications.

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Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth

on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and

dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that

nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long
endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have
come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place
for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.
It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate we can not
consecrate we can not hallow this ground. The brave men,
living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far
above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little
note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never
forget what they did here.
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the

unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so

nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the

great task remaining before us that from these honored

dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they

gave the last full measure of devotion that we here highly

resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain that this

nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and

that government of the people, by the people, for the people,

shall not perish from the earth.

Abraham Lincoln, address delivered at the dedication of the

National Cemetery at Gettysburg, November 19, 1863.

Early in the address, Lincoln describes the United States as dedicated to

the proposition that all men are created equal. Here, dedicated means
something close to committed in the modern, everyday sense, but a
more precise synonym might be devoted, in the sense of the nation
being brought forth by the fathers expressly to fulfill the promise of
equality for all. When Lincoln refers later to this nation, or any nation
being so conceived and so dedicated, he means devoted in a similar
sense. However, when Lincoln writes that we have come to dedicate a
portion of the Gettysburg field of battle as a final resting place, he uses
dedicate mainly in the sense of setting aside for a memorial purpose.
His meaning shifts slightly again when he contends that in a larger

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sense, we cannot dedicate...this ground. Linked with consecrate

and hallow, the word dedicate here takes on both a sense of literal
memorial making and a sense of making sacred (hallowed, consecrated).
Lincolns final uses of the word it is for us the living...to be
dedicated here to the unfinished work and it is rather for us to be here
dedicated to the great task remaining before us take on the weight
of accumulated meanings: the living must be given over and personally
devoted to carrying out a sacred cause.
Although, of course, no one sat test question could get at all of these
usages and levels of meaning, the redesigned test could, for instance,
focus on how two different uses of a word such as dedicate vary in
meaning, tone, and overall rhetorical effect.
COMMAND OF EVIDENCE
The sat Reading Test requires students not only to derive information
and ideas from a text but also in some cases to identify the portion of the
text that serves as the best evidence for the conclusions they reach. In
this way, students both interpret text and back up their interpretation by
citing the most relevant textual support. The following passage excerpt
and related pair of sample questions help illustrate this concept. (Note
that for convenience, the lines cited in the first question in the pair are
highlighted in the passage excerpt, and the lines cited in the second
question in the pair are reprinted below each answer choice; in an
actual test, students would have to refer back to the passage, which has
numbered lines. See also the complete passage in Appendix B for the full
context in which these skills are measured; additional sample questions
associated with this passage can be found in that appendix as well. The
passage is also presented in the text complexity examples below.)

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The pair of questions is based on a passage from a text in the Great

Global Conversation.
. . . The North Carolina ratification convention: No one need be
afraid that officers who commit oppression will pass with immunity.
Prosecutions of impeachments will seldom fail to agitate the passions of

the whole community, said Hamilton in the Federalist Papers, number 65.

We divide into parties more or less friendly or inimical to the accused.*

I do not mean political parties in that sense.

The drawing of political lines goes to the motivation behind

impeachment; but impeachment must proceed within the confines
of the constitutional term high crime[s] and misdemeanors. Of the
impeachment process, it was Woodrow Wilson who said that Nothing
short of the grossest offenses against the plain law of the land will suffice
to give them speed and effectiveness. Indignation so great as to overgrow
party interest may secure a conviction; but nothing else can. [. . .]
Adapted from a speech delivered by Congresswoman Barbara Jordan of Texas on July 25, 1974,
as a member of the Judiciary Committee of the United States House of Representatives.

In lines 49-54 (Prosecutions . . . sense), what is the most likely reason

Jordan draws a distinction between two types of parties?
A) To counter the suggestion that impeachment is or should be about
partisan politics
B) To disagree with Hamiltons claim that impeachment proceedings
excite passions
C) To contend that Hamilton was too timid in his support for the
concept of impeachment
D) To argue that impeachment cases are decided more on the basis of
politics than on justice

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Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous
question?
A) Lines 13-17 (It . . . office)
It is wrong, I suggest, it is a misreading of the Constitution for any member
here to assert that for a member to vote for an article of impeachment
means that that member must be convinced that the President should be
removed from office.

B) Lines 20-24 (The division . . . astute)

The division between the two branches of the legislature, the House and the
Senate, assigning to the one the right to accuse and to the other the right to
judgethe framers of this Constitution were very astute.

C) Lines 55-58 (The drawing . . . misdemeanors)

The drawing of political lines goes to the motivation behind impeachment;
but impeachment must proceed within the confines of the constitutional
term high crime[s] and misdemeanors.

D) Lines 65-68 (Congress . . . transportation)

Congress has a lot to do: appropriations, tax reform, health insurance,
campaign finance reform, housing, environmental protection, energy
sufficiency, mass transportation.

The first of the two questions asks students to analyze a distinction that
Barbara Jordan draws in her speech between two types of parties: the
informal associations to which Alexander Hamilton refers and formal,
organized political parties such as the modern-day Republican and
Democratic parties. The best answer to this question is choice A. Jordan
anticipates that listeners to her speech might misinterpret her use of
Hamiltons quotation as suggesting that she thinks impeachment is
essentially a tool of organized political parties to achieve partisan ends,
with one party attacking and another defending the president. In the
above excerpt of her speech and in the larger reading passage, Jordan
makes clear that she thinks impeachment should be reserved only for
the most serious of offenses ones that should rankle people of any
political affiliation.
The second question asks students to determine which of four portions
of the passage provides the best textual evidence for the answer to the

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previous question, thereby demonstrating their command of evidence.

In this case, choice C provides the best support because the lines cited in
choice C help emphasize Jordans point that impeachment is so serious
that its use must be reserved for high crimes and misdemeanors, not for
merely political gains. In these sorts of questions, students make explicit
their reasoning as they read and comprehend text.
INFORMATIONAL GRAPHICS
The sat Reading Test has two passages that include one or two graphics
(e.g., tables, graphs, and charts) that convey information related to the
passage content. Students are asked to interpret the information conveyed in
one or more graphics and/or to integrate that information with information
in the text. The following passage excerpt and sample question help
illustrate this concept. See also the complete passage in Appendix B for the
full context in which this skill is measured; additional sample questions
associated with this passage are also found in that appendix.)
[. . .] Putman works in the lab of Ken Lohmann, who has been studying
the magnetic abilities of loggerheads for over 20 years. In his lab at the
University of North Carolina, Lohmann places hatchlings in a large
water tank surrounded by a large grid of electromagnetic coils. In 1991,
he found that the babies started swimming in the opposite direction if
he used the coils to reverse the direction of the magnetic field around
them. They could use the field as a compass to get their bearing. [...]
Adapted from Ed Yong, Turtles Use the Earths Magnetic Field as Global GPS.
2011 by Kalmbach Publishing Co.

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Adapted from Nathan Putman, Courtney Endres, Catherine Lohmann, and Kenneth Lohmann,
Longitude Perception and Bicoordinate Magnetic Maps in Sea Turtles. 2011 by Elsevier Inc.

Orientation of hatchling loggerheads tested in a magnetic field that simulates

a position at the west side of the Atlantic near Puerto Rico (left) and a
position at the east side of the Atlantic near the Cape Verde Islands (right).
The arrow in each circle indicates the mean direction that the group of
hatchlings swam. Data are plotted relative to geographic north (N = 0).

It can reasonably be inferred from the passage and graphic that if

scientists adjusted the coils to reverse the magnetic field simulating that
in the East Atlantic (Cape Verde Islands), the hatchlings would most
likely swim in which direction?
A)
B)
C)
D)

Northwest

Northeast

Southeast

Southwest

This question asks students to reach a logical conclusion after connecting

information in the graphic with information in the passage. Here, the
best answer is choice B. The passage notes that Lohmann, who studied
loggerhead turtle hatchlings in a large water tank surrounded by a large
grid of electromagnetic coils capable of manipulating the magnetic field
around the turtles, discovered that the hatchlings would start swimming
in the opposite direction when he reverse[d] the direction of the
magnetic field around them. The graphic (whose caption establishes that
geographic north is represented by 0 degrees) indicates that loggerhead
hatchlings tested in a magnetic field that simulates a position on the
east side of the Atlantic near the Cape Verde Islands would normally
travel in a southwesterly direction (around 218 degrees). Given the above
information, it is reasonable to infer that if the magnetic field were
reversed, the turtles would travel in a northeasterly direction.

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TEXT COMPLEXITY
The sat Reading Test includes passages that span a specified range of
text complexity levels from grades 910 to postsecondary entry. As
noted in Section II, test development staff make use of feedback from
subject-matter experts at the k12 and postsecondary levels, student
performance data, and quantitative and qualitative measures of text
complexity to make and refine decisions about the placement of passages
within complexity bands. These steps help ensure that the range of text
difficulties represented on test forms are comparable.
Following are two sample Reading passages. Each passage has been
annotated to describe some of the features that make the passage
relatively easier or more complex. The first passage is representative in
many respects of passages at the lower (easier) end of the text complexity
range included in the redesigned sat, while the second passage (also
sampled above) is representative in many respects of passages at the
upper (harder) end. It should be noted that neither passage is uniformly
easy or hard; as is true for most authentic texts, each passage
contains elements that are easier to comprehend and elements that
are more difficult. Overall, though, as the annotations suggest, the
passages are reasonable exemplars of the two ends of the text complexity
continuum reflected on the redesigned sats Reading Test.

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Lower Text Complexity Example

This passage should offer a relatively low reading challenge for collegeand career-ready high school juniors and seniors, although some aspects
of the passage are more challenging than others (as is generally true of
authentic texts).
(1) This passage is adapted from Richard Florida, The Great Reset.
2010 by Richard Florida.
(2) In todays idea-driven economy, the cost of time is what really
matters. With the constant pressure to innovate, it makes little sense
to waste countless collective hours commuting. So, the most efficient
and productive regions are those in which people are thinking and
workingnot sitting in traffic.
(3) The auto-dependent transportation system has reached its limit in
most major cities and megaregions. Commuting by car is among the least
efficient of all our activitiesnot to mention among the least enjoyable,
according to detailed research by the Nobel Prizewinning economist
Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues. Though one might think that the
economic crisis beginning in 2007 would have reduced traffic (high
unemployment means fewer workers traveling to and from work),
the opposite has been true. Average commutes have lengthened, and
congestion has gotten worse, if anything. (4) The average commute rose
in 2008 to 25.5 minutes, erasing years of decreases to stand at the level
of 2000, as people had to leave home earlier in the morning to pick up
friends for their ride to work or to catch a bus or subway train, according
to the U.S. Census Bureau, which collects the figures. And those are
average figures. Commutes are far longer in the big West Coast cities of
Los Angeles and San Francisco and the East Coast cities of New York,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. In many of these cities,
gridlock has become the norm, not just at rush hour but all day, every day.
(5) The costs are astounding. In Los Angeles, congestion eats up more
than 485 million working hours a year; thats seventy hours, or nearly
two weeks, of full-time work per commuter. In D.C., the time cost of
congestion is sixty-two hours per worker per year. In New York its fortyfour hours. Average it out, and the time cost across Americas thirteen
biggest city-regions is fifty-one hours per worker per year. Across the
country, commuting wastes 4.2 billion hours of work time annually
nearly a full workweek for every commuter. The overall cost to the U.S.
economy is nearly $90 billion when lost productivity and wasted fuel are
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(1) Knowledge Demands: Content/

Discipline Knowledge: The passage
assumes little to no prior familiarity
with the topic, which reduces the
reading challenge.
(2) Language Conventionality and
Clarity: The passage generally uses
familiar vocabulary and relatively
simple sentence structures. The
authors fairly informal tone also
helps make the passage more
accessible, further reducing the
reading challenge.
(3) Purpose: The purpose of the
passage is straightforward: to describe
the degree of and costs associated
with the congestion of U.S. cities and
city-regions. The passage consistently
builds support to achieve this
purpose, which also helps reduce the
reading challenge.
(4) Knowledge Demands: Content/
Discipline Knowledge: The passages
references to other texts and sources
of evidence are clearly signaled and
easily grasped, making them fairly
easy to digest.
(5) Structure: The structure of
the passage is relatively simple.
Paragraphs generally are introduced
by topic sentences, focus on a single
main idea, and use easily understood
supporting details clearly related
to the main idea. These factors
contribute to the relatively low
reading challenge of the text.

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taken into account. At the Martin Prosperity Institute, we calculate that

every minute shaved off Americas commuting time is worth $19.5 billion
in value added to the economy. The numbers add up fast: five minutes is
worth $97.7 billion; ten minutes, $195 billion; fifteen minutes, $292 billion.
Its ironic that so many people still believe the main remedy for traffic
congestion is to build more roads and highways, which of course only
makes the problem worse.

(6) Language Conventionality and

Clarity: The passage does introduce
some abstract and potentially
unfamiliar terms, but the author
provides sufficient context for
understanding them, which reduces
the reading challenge.

New roads generate higher levels of (6)induced traffic, that is, new
roads just invite drivers to drive more and lure people who take mass
transit back to their cars. Eventually, we end up with more clogged roads
rather than a long-term improvement in traffic flow.
The coming decades will likely see more intense clustering of jobs,
innovation, and productivity in a smaller number of bigger cities and
city-regions. Some regions could end up bloated beyond the capacity
of their infrastructure, while others struggle, their promise stymied by
inadequate human or other resources.

(5) Structure: The structure of

the passage is relatively simple.
Paragraphs generally are introduced
by topic sentences, focus on a single
main idea, and use easily understood
supporting details clearly related
to the main idea. These factors
contribute to the relatively low
reading challenge of the text.

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Higher Text Complexity Example

This passage should offer a relatively high reading challenge for collegeand career-ready high school juniors and seniors, although some aspects
of the passage are less challenging than others (as is generally true of
authentic texts).
(1) This passage is adapted from a speech delivered by Congresswoman
Barbara Jordan of Texas on July 25, 1974, as a member of the Judiciary
Committee of the United States House of Representatives. In the
passage, Jordan discusses how and when a United States president may
be impeached, or charged with serious offenses, while in office. Jordans
speech was delivered in the context of impeachment hearings against
then president Richard M. Nixon.
(2) Today, I am an inquisitor. (3) An hyperbole would not be fictional
and would not overstate the solemnness that I feel right now. My faith in
the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total. And I am not going
to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the
destruction, of the Constitution.
(4) Who can so properly be the inquisitors for the nation as the
representatives of the nation themselves? The subjects of its
jurisdiction are those offenses which proceed from the misconduct of
public men.* And thats what were talking about. In other words, [the
jurisdiction comes] from the abuse or violation of some public trust.

It is wrong, I suggest, it is a misreading of the Constitution for any

member here to assert that for a member to vote for an article of
impeachment means that that member must be convinced that the
President should be removed from office. The Constitution doesnt
say that. The powers relating to impeachment are an essential check
in the hands of the body of the legislature against and upon the
encroachments of the executive. The division between the two branches
of the legislature, the House and the Senate, assigning to the one the
right to accuse and to the other the right to judgethe framers of this
Constitution were very astute. They did not make the accusers and the
judges . . . the same person.
We know the nature of impeachment. Weve been talking about it a while
now. It is chiefly designed for the President and his high ministers to
somehow be called into account. It is designed to bridle the executive

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(1) Purpose: The purpose of the

passage is relatively straightforward
(and clarified to some degree in the
passages advance organizer): to offer
Jordans view of the nature of the
impeachment of a U.S. president.
(2) Structure: The passage is
fairly loose in structure. This adds
to the challenge of following the
development of the argument.
(3) Language Conventionality and
Clarity: Jordan uses elevated diction,
uncommon sentence structures, and
potentially unfamiliar vocabulary
here and throughout the passage
(although context clues are generally
available), which adds to the
challenge of the passage.
(4) Knowledge Demands: Content/
Discipline Knowledge: Jordan
makes numerous references to
other texts, particularly to the U.S.
Constitution and other U.S. founding
documents, as she builds her case.
This interspersing of quotations and
historical references significantly
increases the challenge of the passage.

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if he engages in excesses. It is designed as a method of national inquest

into the conduct of public men.* The framers confided in the Congress
the power, if need be, to remove the President in order to strike a delicate
balance between a President swollen with power and grown tyrannical,
and preservation of the independence of the executive.
(5) The nature of impeachment: a narrowly channeled exception to
the separation of powers maxim. The Federal Convention of 1787 said
that. It limited impeachment to high crimes and misdemeanors, and
discounted and opposed the term maladministration. It is to be used
only for great misdemeanors, so it was said in the North Carolina
ratification convention. And in the Virginia ratification convention: We
do not trust our liberty to a particular branch. We need one branch to
check the other.

. . . The North Carolina ratification convention: No one need be

afraid that officers who commit oppression will pass with immunity.
Prosecutions of impeachments will seldom fail to agitate the passions of
the whole community, said Hamilton in the Federalist Papers, number
65. We divide into parties more or less friendly or inimical to the
accused.* I do not mean political parties in that sense.
The drawing of political lines goes to the motivation behind
impeachment; but impeachment must proceed within the confines
of the constitutional term high crime[s] and misdemeanors. Of the
impeachment process, it was Woodrow Wilson who said that Nothing
short of the grossest offenses against the plain law of the land will suffice
to give them speed and effectiveness. Indignation so great as to overgrow
party interest may secure a conviction; but nothing else can.
Common sense would be revolted if we engaged upon this process
for petty reasons. Congress has a lot to do: appropriations, tax reform,
health insurance, campaign finance reform, housing, environmental
protection, energy sufficiency, mass transportation. Pettiness cannot be
allowed to stand in the face of such overwhelming problems. So today
were not being petty. Were trying to be big, because the task we have
before us is a big one.
*Jordan quotes from Federalist No. 65, an essay by Alexander Hamilton, published
in 1788, on the powers of the United States Senate, including the power to
decide cases of impeachment against a president of the United States.

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(5) Purpose: Although the passage

responds to concrete, real-world
events, Jordan frequently moves
beyond present-day circumstances to
address principles and other abstract
notions. This abstractness adds
appreciably to the reading challenge.

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SAT Writing and Language Test

OVERALL CLAIM FOR THE TEST
Like the other tests in the battery, the redesigned sats Writing and
Language Test is intended to collect evidence in support of a broad claim
about student performance:
Students can demonstrate college and career readiness proficiency
in revising and editing a range of texts in a variety of content areas,
both academic and career related, for expression of ideas and for
conformity to the conventions of standard written English grammar,
usage, and punctuation.

TEST DESCRIPTION
The basic aim of the redesigned sats Writing and Language Test is to
determine whether students can demonstrate college and career readiness
proficiency in revising and editing a range of texts in a variety of content
areas, both academic and career related, for development, organization,
and effective language use and for conformity to the conventions
of standard written English grammar, usage, and punctuation. The
test comprises a series of high-quality multiparagraph passages and
associated multiple-choice questions. Some passages and/or questions
are accompanied by one or more graphical representations of data
tables, charts, graphs, and the like and certain questions require
students to make revising and editing decisions about passages in light of
information and ideas conveyed graphically. (Mathematical computation
is, however, not required to answer these questions.)
All passages are written specifically for the test so that errors (a collective
term for various rhetorical or mechanical problems) can be introduced
that students must recognize and correct. The most common question
format requires students to choose the best of three alternatives to
an indicated part of the passage (often an underlined portion) or to
determine that the version presented in the passage is the best option;
other formats, however, are also used. All graphics are either taken from
high-quality, previously published sources or created for the test based on
authentic, accurate data. In their base, correct form, passages are wellwritten essayistic prose pieces on topics in careers, history/social studies,
the humanities, and science, with the core writing modes of argument,
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informative/explanatory text, and nonfiction narrative represented.

Careers passages typically deal with trends, issues, and debates in major
fields of work, such as information technology or health care. History/
social studies passages discuss historical topics or topics in the social
sciences, including anthropology, communication studies, economics,
education, human geography, law, linguistics, political science, psychology,
and sociology (and their subfields). Humanities passages delve into
subjects in the arts and letters. Science passages explore concepts, research,
and discoveries in the natural sciences, including Earth science, biology,
chemistry, and physics (and their subfields).
The questions associated with the passages place students in the role of
someone revising and editing the work of an unspecified writer. Students
are, by turns, asked to improve the development, organization, and use
of language in the passages and to ensure that the passages conform to
conventions of standard written English grammar, usage, and punctuation.
When passages and/or questions are accompanied by graphics, students
are asked to draw connections between text and graphics for example,
to correct a passages inaccurate interpretation of data presented in a table.
Answers to all questions are anchored in the context of the passages.
Neither rote recall of language rules nor context-free applications of
grammar, usage, and mechanics conventions are tested; moreover, lowlevel recognition and labeling of errors is downplayed in favor of asking
students to make authentic, context-based revising and editing decisions.
In accord with best practices, the test requires students to answer
questions based on extended-prose contexts rather than in isolation or
in limited (e.g., single-sentence) contexts. Although some questions are
answerable by referring to a single phrase, clause, or sentence, many
others leverage the extended context the tests format makes available
and require students to have an understanding of multiple sentences,
one or more paragraphs, or the passage as a whole.
The range of rhetorical and conventions issues assessed on the sat Writing
and Language Test has been carefully delineated by the tests blueprint to
ensure that the matters deemed most relevant to future postsecondary
success are emphasized in test questions (see table below). Furthermore,
the Writing and Language Test supports the redesigned sats focus on
command of evidence and on relevant words in context by allocating
numerous questions to assessing whether students can develop ideas
effectively (e.g., by adding relevant supporting details or by maintaining or
improving focus and cohesion) and use words carefully and with purpose
(e.g., to improve precision or concision).

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The Writing and Language Test also exemplifies the redesigned

sats emphasis on literacy across the curriculum by its inclusion of
appropriately challenging passages in numerous content areas, including
history/social studies and science. Moreover, the Writing and Language
Test reinforces the commitment of the redesigned sat to assessing
quantitative literacy by including graphics and graphics-based questions.
Much like the sat Reading Test, the sat Writing and Language Test
presents students with a rigorous, carefully designed assessment of key
literacy competencies needed for college and careers.

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Test Summary
The following tables provide a synopsis of key content dimensions of the
Writing and Language Test.
SAT WRITING AND LANGUAGE TEST CONTENT SPECIFICATIONS
number

percentage of test

Time Allotted

35 minutes

Passage Word Count

1700 words total from 4 passages; 400450 words per passage

Total Questions

44 questions

100%

Multiple Choice (4 options)

100%

Passage Based

100%

Contribution of Items to Subscores and Scores (Percentages do not add up to 100%.)

Expression of Ideas

24 questions

55%

Standard English Conventions

20 questions

45%

Words in Context
(Across Reading and Writing and Language Tests)

8 questions
(2 questions per passage)

18%

Command of Evidence
(Across Reading and Writing and Language Tests)

8 questions
(2 questions per passage)

18%

Analysis in History/Social Studies

(Across Math, Reading, and Writing and Language Tests)

6 questions (all Expression of Ideas

questions in history/social studies)

14%

Analysis in Science
(Across Math, Reading, and Writing and Language Tests)

6 questions (all Expression of Ideas

questions in science)

14%

Careers

1 passage; 11 questions

25%

History/Social Studies

1 passage; 11 questions

25%

Humanities

1 passage; 11 questions

25%

Science

1 passage; 11 questions

25%

Passage Contents

Graphics
1 or more graphics in 1 or more sets of questions
Text Types
Argument

12 passages

25%50%

Informative/Explanatory Text

12 passages

25%50%

Nonfiction Narrative

1 passage

25%

Text and Graphical Complexity

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Text Complexity

A specified range from grades 910 to postsecondary entry

across 4 passages

Graphical Data Representations

(tables, charts, graphs, etc.)

Basic to somewhat challenging (low to moderate data density,

few variables, simple to moderately challenging interactions)

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SAT WRITING AND LANGUAGE DOMAIN

Content Dimension

Description

Text Complexity

The passages on the sat Writing and Language Test represent a specified range of text
complexities from grades 910 to postsecondary entry.

Expression of Ideas

These questions focus on revision of text for topic development, accuracy (consistency
between text and graphic[s]), logic, cohesion, and rhetorically effective use of language.

Development
Proposition

The student will add, revise, or retain central ideas, main claims, counterclaims, topic
sentences, and the like to structure text and convey arguments, information, and ideas
clearly and effectively.

Support

The student will add, revise, or retain information and ideas (e.g., details, facts, statistics)
intended to support claims or points in text.

Focus

The student will add, revise, retain, or delete information and ideas in text for the sake of
relevance to topic and purpose.

Quantitative information

The student will relate information presented quantitatively in such forms as graphs,
charts, and tables to information presented in text.

Organization

These questions focus on revision of text to improve the logic and cohesion of text at the
sentence, paragraph, and whole-text levels.

Logical sequence

The student will revise text as needed to ensure that information and ideas are presented
in the most logical order.

Introductions,
conclusions, and
transitions

The student will revise text as needed to improve the beginning or ending of a text or
paragraph to ensure that transition words, phrases, or sentences are used effectively to
connect information and ideas.

Effective language use

These questions focus on revision of text to improve the use of language to accomplish
particular rhetorical purposes.

Precision

The student will revise text as needed to improve the exactness or content
appropriateness of word choice.

Concision

The student will revise text as needed to improve the economy of word choice (i.e., to
eliminate wordiness and redundancy).

Style and tone

The student will revise text as necessary to ensure consistency of style and tone within a
text or to improve the match of style and tone to purpose.

Syntax

The student will use various sentence structures to accomplish needed rhetorical
purposes.

Standard English Conventions

Sentence structure
Sentence formation

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These questions focus on revising text in relation to rhetorical purpose. (Prior knowledge
of the topic is not assessed, though consistency of the material within a passage may be.)

These questions focus on editing text to ensure conformity to the conventions of

standard written English sentence structure, usage, and punctuation.
These questions focus on editing text to correct problems in sentence formation and
inappropriate shifts in construction within and between sentences.
These questions focus on editing text to correct problems with forming grammatically
complete and standard sentences.

Sentence boundaries

The student will recognize and correct grammatically incomplete sentences (e.g.,
rhetorically inappropriate fragments and run-ons).

Subordination and
coordination

The student will recognize and correct problems in coordination and subordination in
sentences.

Parallel structure

The student will recognize and correct problems in parallel structure in sentences.

Modifier placement

The student will recognize and correct problems in modifier placement (e.g., misplaced or
dangling modifiers).

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SAT WRITING AND LANGUAGE DOMAIN

Content Dimension
Inappropriate shifts in
construction

These questions focus on editing text to correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense, voice,
and mood and pronoun person and number.

Verb tense, mood,

and voice

The student will recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense, voice, and mood
within and between sentences.

Pronoun person
and number

The student will recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun person and
number within and between sentences.

Conventions of Usage
Pronouns
Pronoun clarity

These questions focus on editing text to ensure conformity to the conventions of

standard written English usage.
These questions focus on the proper use of pronouns.
The student will recognize and correct pronouns with unclear or ambiguous antecedents.

Possessive determiners

The student will recognize and correct cases in which possessive determiners (its, your,
their), contractions (its, youre, theyre), and adverbs (there) are confused with each other.

Agreement

These questions focus on ensuring grammatical agreement.

Pronoun-antecedent
agreement

The student will recognize and correct lack of agreement between pronoun and
antecedent.

Subject-verb
agreement

The student will recognize and correct lack of agreement between subject and verb.

Noun agreement

The student will recognize and correct lack of agreement between nouns.

Frequently confused
words

The student will recognize and correct instances in which a word or phrase is confused
with another (e.g., accept/except, allusion/illusion).

Logical comparison

The student will recognize and correct cases in which unlike terms are compared.

Conventional expression

The student will recognize and correct cases in which a given expression is inconsistent
with standard written English.

Conventions of Punctuation

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Description

These questions focus on editing text to ensure conformity to the conventions of

standard written English punctuation.

End-of-sentence
punctuation

The student will recognize and correct inappropriate uses of ending punctuation in cases
in which the context makes the intent clear.

Within-sentence
punctuation

The student will correctly use and recognize and correct inappropriate uses of colons,
semicolons, and dashes to indicate sharp breaks in thought within sentences.

Possessive nouns
and pronouns

The student will recognize and correct inappropriate uses of possessive nouns and
pronouns as well as differentiate between possessive and plural forms.

Items in a series

The student will correctly use and recognize and correct inappropriate uses of
punctuation (commas and sometimes semicolons) to separate items in a series.

Nonrestrictive and
parenthetical elements

The student will correctly use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off
nonrestrictive and parenthetical sentence elements as well as recognize and correct
cases in which restrictive or essential sentence elements are inappropriately set off with
punctuation.

Unnecessary punctuation

The student will recognize and correct cases in which unnecessary punctuation appears
in a sentence.

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Key Features
Three distinctive features of the sat Writing and Language Test

(shared with the sat Reading Test) are described below:

Emphasis on words in context

Emphasis on command of evidence
Inclusion of informational graphics
Each feature is illustrated with sample material. Note that only the most
relevant portions of the passages are presented here; actual Writing and
Language Test passages are significantly longer and present passage and
questions in side-by-side columns. (The full passages and additional
sample materials can be found in Appendix B.)
WORDS IN CONTEXT
The sat Writing and Language Test measures students ability to apply
knowledge of words, phrases, and language in general in the context of
extended prose passages. The following passage excerpts and sample
questions help illustrate this concept. (See also the complete passages
in Appendix B for the full contexts in which these skills are measured;
additional sample questions associated with these passages can also be
found in that appendix.)
[. . .] The transportation planners job might involve conducting a traffic
count to determine the daily number of vehicles traveling on the road
to the new factory. If analysis of the traffic count indicates that there is
more traffic than the
current road as it is designed at this time can
efficiently accommodate, the transportation planner might recommend
widening the road to add another lane. [. . .]
3. A)
B)
C)
D)

NO CHANGE

current design of the road right now

road as it is now currently designed

current design of the road

This question asks students to determine the most economical way to

express an idea clearly. Students must recognize that only one choice
(choice D, current design of the road) expresses the idea clearly
and concisely, whereas other choices introduce various redundancies
(current and at this time in choice A, current and right now in

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choice B, and now and currently in choice C) that serve only to

weaken written expression here.
[. . .] As Kingman developed as a painter, his works were often compared
to paintings by Chinese landscape artists dating back to CE 960, a time
when a strong tradition of landscape painting emerged in Chinese art.
Kingman, however,
vacated from that tradition in a number of ways,
most notably in that he chose to focus not on natural landscapes, such as
mountains and rivers, but on cities. [. . .]
4.

A)
B)
C)
D)

NO CHANGE
evacuated
departed
retired

This question asks students to determine which word makes the most
sense in the context of a sentence from a passage about painter Dong
Kingman. The best answer here is choice C because departed is the most
contextually appropriate way to indicate that Kingman had deviated from
the tradition of Chinese landscape painting in a number of ways. Each of
the other choices also conveys a sense of leaving, but none is as effective
in the sentence, as it would be both awkward and unconventional to
describe a person as vacating, evacuating, or retiring from a tradition in a
number of ways. In this sort of question, students must demonstrate not
only facility with language in general but also skill in using language in
particular contexts to convey meaning clearly and precisely.
By including the sorts of words-in-context questions sampled above, the
redesigned sat supports and rewards students development of broad
and deep word knowledge without resorting to obscurity.
[. . . ] During his career, Kingman exhibited his work
He garnered much acclaim. [. . . ]

internationally.

7. Which choice most effectively combines the sentences at the

underlined portion?
A)
B)
C)
D)

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internationally, and Kingman also garnered

internationally; from exhibiting, he garnered

internationally but garnered

internationally, garnering

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This question asks students to demonstrate skill in combining sentences

smoothly and logically. Students must demonstrate an appreciation
of the subtleties of language by recognizing that while all of the
choices create grammatical sentences, only one choice (choice D,
internationally, garnering) preserves the writers intended meaning
(unlike choice C, internationally but garnered, which illogically makes
the two ideas in the sentence seem at odds with each other) and avoids
clumsy repetition (unlike choice B, internationally; from exhibiting,
he garnered) or a weak and unclear connection among ideas (unlike
choice A, internationally, and Kingman also garnered).
COMMAND OF EVIDENCE
The sat Writing and Language Test measures students capacity to revise a
text to improve its development of information and ideas. To answer these
questions, students must have a solid grasp of the content of the passage in
question (although its important to note that prior knowledge of the topic is
not expected of students). The following passage excerpt and sample question
help illustrate this concept. (See also the complete passage in Appendix B for
the full context in which this skill is measured; additional sample questions
associated with this passage can also be found in that appendix.)
[. . . ]
His fine brushwork conveys detailed street-level activity: a
peanut vendor pushing his cart on the sidewalk, a pigeon pecking for
crumbs around a fire hydrant, an old man tending to a baby outside a
doorway. His broader brushstrokes and sponge-painted shapes create
majestic city skylines, with skyscrapers towering in the background,
bridges connecting neighborhoods on either side of a river, and
enormous ships maneuvering out of a busy harbor. To art critics and
fans alike, these city scenes represent the innovative spirit of twentiethcentury urban Modernism. [. . .]
6. Which choice most effectively establishes the main topic of the
paragraph?
A) Kingman is considered a pioneer of the California Style school
of painting.
B) Although cities were his main subject, Kingman did occasionally
paint natural landscapes.
C) In his urban landscapes, Kingman captures the vibrancy of
crowded cities.
D) In 1929 Kingman moved to Oakland, California, where he
attended the Fox Art School.
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This question asks students to demonstrate an understanding of the

central point that the writer is making in the paragraph by choosing
the sentence that best signals the paragraphs main topic. Students must
carefully analyze the information and ideas in the other sentences in
the paragraph to recognize that urban landscapes (and not natural
landscapes) are the primary focus (thereby making choice C the best
answer and ruling out choice B) and that a detail about Kingmans place
in the California Style school of painting (choice A) or about Kingmans
background (choice D) would not effectively prepare the reader for the
content that follows in the rest of the paragraph.
INFORMATIONAL GRAPHICS
The sat Writing and Language Test contains one or more passages and/
or questions that include one or more graphics (e.g., tables, graphs, or
charts) that convey information related to the passage content. Students
are asked to consider the information in these graphics as they make
decisions about how and whether to revise a passage. The following
passage excerpt and sample question help illustrate this concept. (See
also the complete passage in Appendix B for the full context in which
this skill is measured; additional sample questions associated with this
passage can also be found in that appendix.)
[. . .] Transportation planners perform critical work within the
broader field of urban and regional planning. As of 2010, there were
approximately 40,300 urban and regional planners employed in the
United States. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts
steady job growth in this field,
projecting that 16 percent of new
jobs in all occupations will be related to urban and regional planning.
Population growth and concerns about environmental sustainability are
expected to spur the need for transportation planning professionals.

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Urban and Regional Planners

Percent Increase in Employment, Projected 2010 2020

Social Scientists and

Related Workers
Urban and
Regional Planners
Total, All Occupations
0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18% 20%
Adapted from United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections Program.
All occupations includes all occupations in the United States economy.

6. Which choice completes the sentence with accurate data based on

the graph?
A) NO CHANGE
B) warning, however, that job growth in urban and regional
planning will slow to 14 percent by 2020.
C) predicting that employment of urban and regional planners will
increase 16 percent between 2010 and 2020.
D) indicating that 14 to 18 percent of urban and regional planning
positions will remain unfilled.

This question asks students to analyze data displayed graphically and

to integrate that information with information presented in text
specifically, to determine which of four interpretations of the graph is
accurate and to revise the passages wording as needed. The best answer
here is choice C, as the graph establishes that the employment of urban
and regional planning is expected to increase by 16 percent between
2010 and 2020. The other answer choices misstate the data in the graph
in one way or another. The focus in a question such as this is not simply
on understanding information in a data display, as important as that
can be, but rather on demonstrating a broad command of evidence by
synthesizing information and ideas expressed in two different mediums
(graphics and words).

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SAT Essay (Optional Component)

OVERALL CLAIM FOR THE TEST
As with the other tests in the battery, the redesigned sats Essay is
intended to collect evidence in support of a broad claim about
student performance:
Students can demonstrate college and career readiness proficiency in
producing a cogent and clear written analysis using evidence drawn from
an appropriately challenging source text written for a broad audience.

TEST DESCRIPTION
The basic aim of the redesigned sats optional Essay is to determine
whether students can demonstrate college and career readiness
proficiency in reading, writing, and analysis by comprehending a highquality source text and producing a cogent and clear written analysis
of that text supported by critical reasoning and evidence drawn from
the source. While the source text will vary from administration to
administration, the Essay prompt itself is highly consistent. Such
transparent consistency allows students, in their preparation and during
the actual test, to focus squarely on source analysis and use of evidence
in the specific text they are to analyze.
All passages are taken from high-quality, previously published sources.
While the specific style and content of the passages inevitably vary to
some extent given the College Boards commitment to using authentic
texts with this task, the passages take the general form of what might
be called arguments written for a broad audience. That is, the passages
examine ideas, debates, trends, and the like in the arts, the sciences,
and civic, cultural, and political life that have wide interest, relevance,
and accessibility to a general readership. Passages tend not to be simple
pro/con debates on issues but instead strive to convey nuanced views on
complex subjects. They are notable, too, for their use of evidence, logical
reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements. Text complexity of
the passages is carefully monitored to ensure that the reading challenge is
appropriate and comparable across administrations but not an insuperable
barrier to students responding to the source text under timed conditions.
Prior knowledge of the passages topics is not expected or required.

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For the Essay, students are asked to explain how the author of the
accompanying passage builds an argument to persuade an audience.
Students are informed that they may analyze such aspects of the passage as
the authors use of evidence, reasoning, and stylistic and persuasive elements
but that they may also or instead choose other features to analyze; students
are further advised that, in all cases, they should center their discussion on
those aspects that are most salient to the passage in question. Responses are
not to focus on whether students agree or disagree with the claims made in
the passage but rather on how the author builds an argument to persuade
an audience. In broad terms, responses are evaluated for demonstrated
comprehension of the source text, the quality of analysis of that source
text, and the quality of the writing in the response. Students responses
should demonstrate such dimensions as a careful understanding of the
passage; effective, selective use of textual evidence to develop and support
points; clear organization and expression of ideas; and a command of the
conventions of standard written English. (A fuller list of criteria used to
evaluate student responses is provided below.)
In a break from the past and present of much standardized directwriting assessment, the Essay task is not designed to elicit students
subjective opinions but rather to assess whether students are able to
comprehend an appropriately challenging source text and to craft
an effective written analysis of that text. Rather than merely asking
students to emulate the form of evidence use by drawing on, say, their
own experiences or imaginations, the Essay requires students to make
purposeful, substantive use of textual evidence in a way that can be
evaluated objectively. The Essay also connects reading and writing in a
manner that both embodies and reinforces the interdependency of these
ela/literacy skills. Considered together with the multiple-choice sat
Reading and sat Writing and Language Tests, the Essay response gives
rich, detailed insight into students reading and writing achievement and
their readiness for college and careers.
While the College Board remains steadfast in its commitment to
the importance of analytic writing for all students, two factors have
contributed to its decision to no longer make the Essay a required part of
the sat. First, while the writing work that students do in the EvidenceBased Reading and Writing area of the exam is strongly predictive of
college and career readiness and success, one single essay historically
has not contributed significantly to the overall predictive power of the
exam. Second, feedback from hundreds of member admission officers
was divided: some respondents found the essay useful, but many did not.
Therefore, by making the Essay optional, colleges will have the flexibility
to make their own decisions about requiring the Essay, and students
applying to colleges that do not require the Essay will be saved the
expense and time for test results that will not be considered.
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Test Summary
The following tables provide a synopsis of key content dimensions of
the Essay. Note that these tables represent the current thinking of the
College Board but may be refined as more Essay field tests are analyzed.
SAT ESSAY CONTENT SPECIFICATIONS
Total Items
Time Allotted

50 minutes
number

percentage of test

Prompts

100%

Passage Based (each passage 650750 words)

100%

100%

100%

Passage Content
Arguments Written for a Broad Audience
Text Complexity
High School Reading Level (grades 912)
Analytic Scoring (Provisional)

Reading

14 scale

Analysis

14 scale

Writing

14 scale

The College Boards current thinking is represented here. Scores of 2 to 8, the combined scores of two raters
each scoring on a scale of 1 to 4, will be reported. The final nature of the scoring is dependent on further
research.

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SAT ESSAY DOMAIN (PROVISIONAL)

content dimension

description

Reading

Comprehension of the source text

Understanding of central ideas, important details, and their interrelationship
Accuracy in representation of the source text (i.e., no errors of fact or interpretation
introduced)
Use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both) to demonstrate
understanding of the source text

Analysis

Analysis of the source text and understanding of the analytical task

Evaluation of the authors use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive
elements, and/or features chosen by the student
Support for claims or points made in the response
Focus on features of the text most relevant to addressing the task

Writing

Use of a central claim

Use of effective organization and progression of ideas
Use of varied sentence structures
Employment of precise word choice
Maintenance of a consistent, appropriate style and tone
Command of the conventions of standard written English

Key Features
Three distinctive features of the sat Essay are described below:

Use of a common prompt

Emphasis on analysis of argument
Use of clear, powerful evaluation criteria
The first two features are illustrated with sample material. (An additional
Essay sample is provided in Appendix B.)
COMMON PROMPT
In the Essay, students are asked to write a cogent and clear response
based on the comprehension and analysis of a source text, supporting
their claims and points about the text with evidence drawn from the
passage. While the source text will be different for each form of the

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sat, the prompt will be largely consistent in format and wording across
administrations, as shown below.
As you read the passage below, consider how [the author] uses

evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.

reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion,
to add power to the ideas expressed.

[Source Text Will Appear Here]

Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an

argument to persuade [his/her] audience that [authors claim]. In your
essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the features listed
above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and
persuasiveness of [his/her] argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses
on the most relevant aspects of the passage.
Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the authors]
claims, but rather explain how the author builds an argument to
persuade [his/her] audience.

Because the prompt is largely the same from test administration to test
administration, students can prepare by developing the underlying
reading, analysis, and writing skills measured on the exam rather than
trying to anticipate the kind of question that will be asked. Moreover,
because the Essay task is centered on a unique source text disclosed
only on test day, students must engage with the passage rather than rely
on canned, generic responses generated ahead of time. In these ways,
the test encourages meaningful practice aligned with curriculum and
instruction rather than narrow prep focused on mastery of an artificial
test format.

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ANALYSIS OF ARGUMENTS

The Essay requires students to analyze how an author uses evidence,

reasoning, and/or stylistic or persuasive elements (and/or other elements
of the students choosing) to build his or her argument. A sample Essay
task is presented below, followed by an annotated version of the source
to suggest some of the ways that students might analyze the text in
response to the prompt.
As you read the passage below, consider how Dana Gioia uses

evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.

reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion,
to add power to the ideas expressed.

Adapted from Why Literature Matters by Dana Gioia. 2005 by

The New York Times Company. Originally published April 10, 2005.
[A] strange thing has happened in the American arts during the past
quarter century. While income rose to unforeseen levels, college
attendance ballooned, and access to information increased enormously,
the interest young Americans showed in the artsand especially
literatureactually diminished.
According to the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts,
a population study designed and commissioned by the National
Endowment for the Arts (and executed by the US Bureau of the Census),
arts participation by Americans has declined for eight of the nine major
forms that are measured. . . . The declines have been most severe among
younger adults (ages 1824). The most worrisome finding in the 2002
study, however, is the declining percentage of Americans, especially
young adults, reading literature.
That individuals at a time of crucial intellectual and emotional
development bypass the joys and challenges of literature is a troubling
trend. If it were true that they substituted histories, biographies, or
political works for literature, one might not worry. But book reading of
any kind is falling as well.

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That such a longstanding and fundamental cultural activity should slip

so swiftly, especially among young adults, signifies deep transformations

in contemporary life. To call attention to the trend, the Arts Endowment

issued the reading portion of the Survey as a separate report, Reading

at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America.

The decline in reading has consequences that go beyond literature.

The significance of reading has become a persistent theme in the

business world. The February issue of Wired magazine, for example,

sketches a new set of mental skills and habits proper to the 21st century,

aptitudes decidedly literary in character: not linear, logical, analytical

talents, author Daniel Pink states, but the ability to create artistic

and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities, to craft a

satisfying narrative. When asked what kind of talents they like to see

in management positions, business leaders consistently set imagination,

creativity, and higher-order thinking at the top.

Ironically, the value of reading and the intellectual faculties that it

inculcates appear most clearly as active and engaged literacy declines.

There is now a growing awareness of the consequences of nonreading

to the workplace. In 2001 the National Association of Manufacturers

polled its members on skill deficiencies among employees. Among

hourly workers, poor reading skills ranked second, and 38 percent of

employers complained that local schools inadequately taught reading

comprehension.

The decline of reading is also taking its toll in the civic sphere. . . .

A 2003 study of 15- to 26-year-olds civic knowledge by the National

Conference of State Legislatures concluded, Young people do not

understand the ideals of citizenship . . . and their appreciation and

support of American democracy is limited.

It is probably no surprise that declining rates of literary reading coincide

with declining levels of historical and political awareness among young

people. One of the surprising findings of Reading at Risk was that

literary readers are markedly more civically engaged than nonreaders,

scoring two to four times more likely to perform charity work, visit a

museum, or attend a sporting event. One reason for their higher social

and cultural interactions may lie in the kind of civic and historical

knowledge that comes with literary reading. . . .

The evidence of literatures importance to civic, personal, and

economic health is too strong to ignore. The decline of literary
reading foreshadows serious long-term social and economic

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problems, and it is time to bring literature and the other arts into
discussions of public policy. Libraries, schools, and public agencies
do noble work, but addressing the reading issue will require the
leadership of politicians and the business community as well . . . .
Reading is not a timeless, universal capability. Advanced literacy
is a specific intellectual skill and social habit that depends on a
great many educational, cultural, and economic factors. As more
Americans lose this capability, our nation becomes less informed,
active, and independent-minded. These are not the qualities that a
free, innovative, or productive society can afford to lose.
Write an essay in which you explain how Dana Gioia builds an argument
to persuade his audience that the decline of reading in America will have a
negative effect on society. In your essay, analyze how Gioia uses one or more
of the features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to
strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your
analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.
Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Gioias claims, but
rather explain how Gioia builds an argument to persuade his audience.

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ANNOTATED VERSION OF PASSAGE

Adapted from Why Literature Matters by Dana Gioia. 2005
by The New York Times Company. Originally published April 10, 2005.
[A] strange thing has happened in the American arts during the past
quarter century. (1) While income rose to unforeseen levels, college
attendance ballooned, and access to information increased enormously,
the interest young Americans showed in the artsand especially
literatureactually diminished.
(2) According to the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts,
a population study designed and commissioned by the National
Endowment for the Arts (and executed by the US Bureau of the Census),
arts participation by Americans has declined for eight of the nine major
forms that are measured. The declines have been most severe among
younger adults (ages 1824). The most worrisome finding in the 2002
study, however, is the declining percentage of Americans, especially
young adults, reading literature.
That individuals at a time of crucial intellectual and emotional
development bypass the joys and challenges of literature is a troubling
trend. If it were true that they substituted histories, biographies, or
political works for literature, one might not worry. But book reading of
any kind is falling as well.
That such a (3) longstanding and fundamental cultural activity
should slip so swiftly, especially among young adults, signifies deep
transformations in contemporary life. To call attention to the trend, the
Arts Endowment issued the reading portion of the Survey as a separate
report, Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America.
(4) The decline in reading has consequences that go beyond literature.
The significance of reading has become a persistent theme in the
business world. The February issue of Wired magazine, for example,
sketches a new set of mental skills and habits proper to the 21st century,
aptitudes decidedly literary in character: not linear, logical, analytical
talents, author Daniel Pink states, but the ability to create artistic
and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities, to craft a
satisfying narrative. When asked what kind of talents they like to see
in management positions, business leaders consistently set imagination,
creativity, and higher-order thinking at the top.

77

(1) To highlight the irony and

gravity of a dwindling percentage
of readers, the writer juxtaposes the
rise in income, college attendance,
and access to college education to the
decline in young Americans interest
in the arts and in literature.
(2) The writer cites data
commissioned by an authoritative
source (the National Endowment
for the Arts) to lend credibility to
his subsequent point that there is
a troubling trend of individuals
in a time of crucial intellectual and
emotional development bypass[ing]
the joys and challenges of literature.
(3) The writer uses precisely chosen,
powerful words to characterize
reading as a longstanding and
fundamental cultural activity that
is slip[ping] . . . swiftly among
young adults. This juxtaposition of
words underscores the writers claim
that this development signifies deep
transformations in contemporary
life and thereby creates a compelling
appeal to readers emotions.
(4) The writer synthesizes multiple
sources of evidence (e.g., the
previously mentioned arts endowment
survey, Wired magazine) as part of
reasoning that concludes that the
decrease in reading has implications
outside of literature. The writer then
connects this point to his subsequent
claim that the skills necessary for life
in the 21st century are decidedly
literary in character. He goes on to cite
another authoritative source as further
evidence of the continuing need for
literary achievement.

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Ironically, the value of reading and the intellectual faculties that it

inculcates appear most clearly as active and engaged literacy declines.
There is now a growing awareness of the consequences of nonreading
to the workplace. (5) In 2001 the National Association of Manufacturers
polled its members on skill deficiencies among employees. Among
hourly workers, poor reading skills ranked second, and 38 percent of
employers complained that local schools inadequately taught reading
comprehension.
(6) The decline of reading is also taking its toll in the civic sphere. . . .
A 2003 study of 15- to 26-year-olds civic knowledge by the National
Conference of State Legislatures concluded, Young people do not
understand the ideals of citizenship. . . and their appreciation and
support of American democracy is limited.
It is probably no surprise that declining rates of literary reading coincide
with declining levels of historical and political awareness among young
people. (7) One of the surprising findings of Reading at Risk was that
literary readers are markedly more civically engaged than nonreaders,
scoring two to four times more likely to perform charity work, visit a
museum, or attend a sporting event. One reason for their higher social
and cultural interactions may lie in the kind of civic and historical
knowledge that comes with literary reading. . . .
The evidence of literatures importance to (8) civic, personal, and
economic health is too strong to ignore. The decline of literary reading
foreshadows serious long-term social and economic problems, and it
is time to bring literature and the other arts into discussions of public
policy. Libraries, schools, and public agencies do noble work, but
addressing the reading issue will require the leadership of politicians and
the business community as well. . . .
Reading is not a timeless, universal capability. Advanced literacy is a
specific intellectual skill and social habit that depends on a great many
educational, cultural, and economic factors. (9) As more Americans
lose this capability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and
independent-minded. These are not the qualities that a free, innovative,
or productive society can afford to lose.

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(5) The writer provides survey data

as evidence to support his point in
the previous paragraph that the
significance of reading has become
a persistent theme in the business
world. This point and supporting
evidence contribute to the writers
central claim that the decline in
reading skills among young adults has
negative long-term consequences.
(6) The writer again uses data, this
time from a 2003 study, as further
evidence to support his earlier claim
that the decline in reading has farreaching consequences. Here, his
evidence links the decline in reading
to deterioration in the civic sphere
and waning appreciation and
support of American democracy.
(7) By referring to this report again,
this time in the context of discussing
a decline in civic engagement, the
writer further supports the point he
has just made.
(8) The writer contrasts civic,
personal and economic health
with serious long-term social
and economic problems, which is
intended to frame a critical choice
between potentially poor outcomes
and a vital future.
(9) The writer uses the final sentence
of the passage as an appeal to fear and
national pride by warning that unless
more emphasis is placed on reading,
the United States will become less
informed, active, and independentminded. These lines serve as an
emotional call to action and raise the
stakes of the argument the writer is
making.

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EVALUATION CRITERIA
The criteria by which students written responses will be evaluated are
notable for their clarity and robustness. As plans currently stand, each
response will be assessed using three analytic traits Reading, Analysis,
and Writing each of which will be scored on a scale of 1 to 4. (As
elsewhere noted, additional ongoing research may confirm or modify
that plan.)
While it is too early yet in the development of the Essay scoring model
to publish a final rubric, the following serves as a likely indication of the
bases on which students responses will be evaluated.
READING

ANALYSIS

WRITING

The Reading domain encompasses

students comprehension of a source
text, including the texts central ideas
and important details and how they
interrelate. Students demonstrate their
skill in comprehension in part by
making effective use of evidence
(quotations, paraphrases, or both) from
the source text.

The Analysis domain encompasses

students evaluation of an authors
use of evidence, reasoning, and/or
stylistic and persuasive elements, and/
or features of the text of the students
own choosing. Students demonstrate
their skill in analysis in part by using
relevant, sufficient, and strategically
chosen support for the claims or points
they make and by focusing consistently
on those features of the text that are
most relevant to addressing the task.

The Writing domain encompasses

the cohesiveness of students written
response to the task as well as students
use of language. Students demonstrate
their skill in writing in part by providing
a precise central claim; creating an
effective organization and progression
of ideas; successfully employing a
variety of sentence structures; using
precise word choice; maintaining
an appropriate style and tone; and
showing command of the conventions
of standard written English.

As should be readily apparent from the table and from the discussion in
Section II of the Essays evidentiary foundation, these criteria are both
aligned with and supportive of important priorities in rigorous high school
instruction. The clarity and richness of the criteria will also yield important
information about student performance that should be easily understood
and translated into further classroom-based work and support.

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Summary
The preceding discussion has presented an overview of the redesigned
sats Reading, Writing and Language, and Essay Tests along with some
of the features that make these tests distinctive a break from both the
current-generation sat and many other assessments. We at the College
Board will continue to be guided by research and evidence as we develop
the redesigned sat. In the months leading up to its release, for example, we
may find through research that we need to adjust such elements described
in this document as time limits, number of questions or tasks, or scores
that we will report. When and if we make these or other changes, we will
do so with the sole aim of making a better test, and we will communicate
these changes as widely as possible and in a timely manner.

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Appendix B: Sample Test Materials:

Reading, Writing and Language,
and Essay

The sample questions/tasks in this appendix are provided to show a

number of the key features of the redesigned sats Reading, Writing and
Language, and Essay Tests, but do not constitute a full form in terms of
total number of questions/tasks, the range of question difficulty across
each test, or examples of all question types and formats.

Sample Reading Set 1

PASSAGE
content : History/Social Studies / Founding Documents and the

Great Global Conversation

focus :

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Students must read and understand a passage from a text in

the Great Global Conversation.

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Questions15arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Line
5

10

15

20

25

30

This passage is adapted from a speech delivered by

Congresswoman Barbara Jordan of Texas on July 25,
1974, as a member of the Judiciary Committee of the
United States House of Representatives. In the passage,
Jordan discusses how and when a United States
president may be impeached, or charged with serious
offenses, while in office. Jordans speech was delivered
in the context of impeachment hearings against then
president Richard M. Nixon.

35

Today, I am an inquisitor. An hyperbole would not be

fictional and would not overstate the solemnness that I
feel right now. My faith in the Constitution is whole; it is
complete; it is total. And I am not going to sit here and be
an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the
destruction, of the Constitution.
Who can so properly be the inquisitors for the nation
as the representatives of the nation themselves? The
subjects of its jurisdiction are those offenses which
proceed from the misconduct of public men.* And thats
what were talking about. In other words, [the jurisdiction
comes] from the abuse or violation of some public trust.
It is wrong, I suggest, it is a misreading of the
Constitution for any member here to assert that for a
member to vote for an article of impeachment means that
that member must be convinced that the President should
be removed from office. The Constitution doesnt say
that. The powers relating to impeachment are an essential
check in the hands of the body of the legislature against
and upon the encroachments of the executive. The
division between the two branches of the legislature, the
House and the Senate, assigning to the one the right to
accuse and to the other the right to judgethe framers of
this Constitution were very astute. They did not make the
accusers and the judges . . . the same person.
We know the nature of impeachment. Weve been
talking about it a while now. It is chiefly designed for the
President and his high ministers to somehow be called
into account. It is designed to bridle the executive if he
engages in excesses. It is designed as a method of
national inquest into the conduct of public men.* The
framers confided in the Congress the power, if need be, to

45

82

40

50

55

60

65

70

remove the President in order to strike a delicate balance

between a President swollen with power and grown
tyrannical, and preservation of the independence of the
executive.
The nature of impeachment: a narrowly channeled
exception to the separation of powers maxim. The Federal
Convention of 1787 said that. It limited impeachment to
high crimes and misdemeanors, and discounted and
opposed the term maladministration. It is to be used
only for great misdemeanors, so it was said in the North
Carolina ratification convention. And in the Virginia
ratification convention: We do not trust our liberty to a
particular branch. We need one branch to check the
other.
. . . The North Carolina ratification convention: No
one need be afraid that officers who commit oppression
will pass with immunity. Prosecutions of impeachments
will seldom fail to agitate the passions of the whole
community, said Hamilton in the Federalist Papers,
number 65. We divide into parties more or less friendly
or inimical to the accused.* I do not mean political
parties in that sense.
The drawing of political lines goes to the motivation
behind impeachment; but impeachment must proceed
within the confines of the constitutional term high
crime[s] and misdemeanors. Of the impeachment
process, it was Woodrow Wilson who said that Nothing
short of the grossest offenses against the plain law of the
land will suffice to give them speed and effectiveness.
Indignation so great as to overgrow party interest may
secure a conviction; but nothing else can.
Common sense would be revolted if we engaged
upon this process for petty reasons. Congress has a lot to
do: appropriations, tax reform, health insurance,
campaign finance reform, housing, environmental
protection, energy sufficiency, mass transportation.
Pettiness cannot be allowed to stand in the face of such
overwhelming problems. So today were not being petty.
Were trying to be big, because the task we have before us
is a big one.
*Jordan quotes from Federalist No. 65, an essay by Alexander Hamilton,
published in 1788, on the powers of the United States Senate, including
the power to decide cases of impeachment against a president of the
United States.

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1. The stance Jordan takes in the passage is best described as that of

A)
B)
C)
D)

an idealist setting forth principles.

an advocate seeking a compromise position.

an observer striving for neutrality.

a scholar researching a historical controversy.

content : Rhetoric / Analyzing point of view

focus:
key :

Students must use information and ideas in the passage to

determine the speakers perspective.

Choice A is the best answer. Jordan helps establish her idealism by

declaring that she is an inquisitor (line 1) and that her faith in the
Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total (lines 34). At numerous
points in the passage, Jordan sets forth principles (e.g., The powers
relating to impeachment are an essential check in the hands of the body
of the legislature against and upon the encroachments of the executive,
in lines 1820) and makes reference to important documents that do the
same, including the U.S. Constitution and Federalist No. 65.
Choice B is not the best answer because although Jordan is advocating
a position, there is no evidence in the passage that she is seeking a
compromise position. Indeed, she notes that she is not going to sit
here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the
destruction, of the Constitution (lines 46), indicating that she is not
seeking compromise.
Choice C is not the best answer because Jordan is a participant (an
inquisitor, line 1) in the proceedings, not a mere observer. Indeed, she notes
that she is not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution,
the subversion, the destruction, of the Constitution (lines 46).
Choice D is not the best answer because Jordan is identified as a
congresswoman and an inquisitor (line 1), not a scholar, and because
she is primarily discussing events happening at the moment, not
researching an unidentified historical controversy. While she refers
to historical documents and individuals, her main emphasis is on the
(then) present impeachment hearings.

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2. The main rhetorical effect of the series of three phrases in lines 56

(the diminution, the subversion, the destruction) is to
A) convey with increasing intensity the seriousness of the threat Jordan
sees to the Constitution.
B) clarify that Jordan believes the Constitution was first weakened,
then sabotaged, then broken.
C) indicate that Jordan thinks the Constitution is prone to failure in
three distinct ways.
D) propose a three-part agenda for rescuing the Constitution from the
current crisis.
content :

Rhetoric / Analyzing word choice

focus :

Students must determine the main rhetorical effect of the

speakers choice of words.

key :

Choice A is the best answer because the quoted phrases building from
diminution to subversion to destruction suggest the increasing
seriousness of the threat Jordan sees to the Constitution.
Choice B is not the best answer because the passage offers no evidence
that the quoted phrases refer to three different events that happened in
a strict sequence. It is more reasonable to infer from the passage that
Jordan sees diminution, subversion, and destruction as differing
degrees to which the Constitution could be undermined. Moreover, the
passage suggests that Jordan sees these three things as products of the
same action or series of actions, not as three distinct stages in a process.
Choice C is not the best answer because the passage offers no evidence that
the quoted phrases refer to three distinct ways in which the Constitution is
prone to failure. It is more reasonable to infer from the passage that Jordan
sees diminution, subversion, and destruction as differing degrees
to which the Constitution could be undermined. Moreover, the passage
suggests that Jordan sees these three things as products of the same action or
series of actions, not as three distinct ways.
Choice D is not the best answer because the passage offers no evidence
that the quoted phrases refer to three unique elements of a proposal
to resolve a crisis. It is more reasonable to infer from the passage that
Jordan sees diminution, subversion, and destruction as differing
degrees to which the Constitution could be undermined. Moreover, the

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passage suggests that Jordan sees these three things as products of the
same action or series of actions, not as three distinct parts.

3. As used in line 37, channeled most nearly means

A)
B)
C)
D)

worn.

sent.

constrained.

siphoned.

content :

Information and Ideas / Interpreting words and phrases in

context

focus :

Students must determine the meaning of a word in the

context in which it appears.

key :

Choice C is the best answer because the context makes clear that the
kind of exception (line 38) Jordan describes should be narrowly
constrained, or limited. As lines 3841 indicate, the Federal Convention
of 1787 limited impeachment to high crimes and misdemeanors, and
discounted and opposed the term maladministration, presumably
because the term implied too broad a scope for the exception.
Choice A is not the best answer because while channeled sometimes
means worn, it would make no sense in context to say that the kind of
exception (line 38) Jordan describes should be narrowly worn.
Choice B is not the best answer because while channeled sometimes
means sent, it would make no sense in context to say that the kind of
exception (line 38) Jordan describes should be narrowly sent.
Choice D is not the best answer because while channeled sometimes
means siphoned, it would make no sense in context to say that the kind
of exception (line 38) Jordan describes should be narrowly siphoned.

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4. In lines 4954 (Prosecutions . . . sense), what is the most likely

reason Jordan draws a distinction between two types of parties?
A) To counter the suggestion that impeachment is or should be about
partisan politics
B) To disagree with Hamiltons claim that impeachment proceedings
excite passions
C) To contend that Hamilton was too timid in his support for the
concept of impeachment
D) To argue that impeachment cases are decided more on the basis of
politics than on justice

content :

Rhetoric / Analyzing arguments /

Assessing reasoning

focus :

Students must interpret the speakers line of reasoning.

key :

Choice A is the best answer. Jordan is making a distinction between two

types of parties: the informal associations to which Alexander Hamilton
refers and formal, organized political parties such as the modern-day
Republican and Democratic parties. Jordan anticipates that listeners
to her speech might misinterpret her use of Hamiltons quotation as
suggesting that she thinks impeachment is essentially a tool of organized
political parties to achieve partisan ends, with one party attacking and
another defending the president. Throughout the passage and notably in
the seventh paragraph (lines 5563), Jordan makes clear that she thinks
impeachment should be reserved only for the most serious of offenses
ones that should rankle people of any political affiliation.
Choice B is not the best answer because Jordan offers no objection
to Hamiltons notion that impeachment proceedings excite passions.
Indeed, she quotes Hamilton extensively in a way that indicates that she
fundamentally agrees with his view on impeachment. Moreover, she
acknowledges that her own speech is impassioned that she feels a
solemnness (line 2) and a willingness to indulge in hyperbole (line 1).
Choice C is not the best answer because Jordan offers no objection to
Hamiltons level of support for the concept of impeachment. Indeed,
she quotes Hamilton extensively in a way that indicates that she
fundamentally agrees with his view on impeachment.

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Choice D is not the best answer because Jordan suggests that she and
her fellow members of Congress are trying to be big (line 71), or highminded, rather than decide the present case on the basis of politics.
Indeed, throughout the last four paragraphs of the passage (lines 3772),
she elaborates on the principled, just basis on which impeachment
should proceed. Moreover, throughout the passage Jordan is focused
on the present impeachment hearings, not on the justice or injustice of
impeachments generally.
5. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the
previous question?
A)
B)
C)
D)

Lines 1317 (It . . . office)

Lines 2024 (The division . . . astute)

Lines 5558 (The drawing . . . misdemeanors)

Lines 6568 (Congress . . . transportation)

content :

Information and Ideas / Citing textual evidence

focus :

Students must determine which portion of the passage

provides the best evidence for the answer to question 4.

key :

Choice C is the best answer because in lines 5558, Jordan draws a contrast
between political motivations and high crime[s] and misdemeanors as
the basis for impeachment and argues that impeachment must proceed
within the confines of the latter concept. These lines thus serve as the best
evidence for the answer to the previous question.
Choice A is not the best answer because lines 1317 only address a
misconception that Jordan contends some people have about what a
vote for impeachment means. These lines thus do not serve as the best
evidence for the answer to the previous question.
Choice B is not the best answer because lines 2024 only speak to a
division of responsibility between the two houses of the U.S. Congress.
These lines thus do not serve as the best evidence for the answer to the
previous question.
Choice D is not the best answer because lines 6568 serve mainly to
indicate that the U.S. Congress has an extensive and important agenda.
These lines thus do not serve as the best evidence for the answer to the
previous question.

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Sample Reading Set 2

PASSAGE
content : Science
focus :

Students must read and understand a passage and

accompanying graphic on a natural science topic.

Questions 16 are based on the following passage

and supplementary material.
This passage is adapted from Ed Yong, Turtles Use
the Earths Magnetic Field as Global GPS. 2011 by
Kalmbach Publishing Co.

Line
5

10

15

20

25

In 1996, a loggerhead turtle called Adelita swam

across 9,000 miles from Mexico to Japan, crossing the
entire Pacific on her way. Wallace J. Nichols tracked this
epic journey with a satellite tag. But Adelita herself had
no such technology at her disposal. How did she steer a
route across two oceans to find her destination?
Nathan Putman has the answer. By testing hatchling
turtles in a special tank, he has found that they can use the
Earths magnetic field as their own Global Positioning
System (GPS). By sensing the field, they can work out
both their latitude and longitude and head in the right
direction.
Putman works in the lab of Ken Lohmann, who has
been studying the magnetic abilities of loggerheads for
over 20 years. In his lab at the University of North
Carolina, Lohmann places hatchlings in a large water tank
surrounded by a large grid of electromagnetic coils. In
1991, he found that the babies started swimming in the
opposite direction if he used the coils to reverse the
direction of the magnetic field around them. They could
use the field as a compass to get their bearing.
Later, Lohmann showed that they can also use the
magnetic field to work out their position. For them, this is
literally a matter of life or death. Hatchlings born off the
coast of Florida spend their early lives in the North

88

30

35

40

45

50

55

Atlantic gyre, a warm current that circles between North

America and Africa. If theyre swept towards the cold
waters outside the gyre, they die. Their magnetic sense
keeps them safe.
Using his coil-surrounded tank, Lohmann could
mimic the magnetic field at different parts of the Earths
surface. If he simulated the field at the northern edge of
the gyre, the hatchlings swam southwards. If he simulated
the field at the gyres southern edge, the turtles swam
west-northwest. These experiments showed that the
turtles can use their magnetic sense to work out their
latitudetheir position on a north-south axis. Now,
Putman has shown that they can also determine their
longitudetheir position on an east-west axis.
He tweaked his magnetic tanks to simulate the fields
in two positions with the same latitude at opposite ends of
the Atlantic. If the field simulated the west Atlantic near
Puerto Rico, the turtles swam northeast. If the field
matched that on the east Atlantic near the Cape Verde
Islands, the turtles swam southwest. In the wild, both
headings would keep them within the safe, warm embrace
of the North Atlantic gyre.
Before now, we knew that several animal migrants,
from loggerheads to reed warblers to sparrows, had some
way of working out longitude, but no one knew how. By
keeping the turtles in the same conditions, with only the
magnetic fields around them changing, Putman clearly
showed that they can use these fields to find their way. In
the wild, they might well also use other landmarks like
the position of the sea, sun and stars.
Putman thinks that the turtles work out their position
using two features of the Earths magnetic field that

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change over its surface. They can sense the fields

inclination, or the angle at which it dips towards the
surface. At the poles, this angle is roughly 90 degrees and
at the equator, its roughly zero degrees. They can also
sense its intensity, which is strongest near the poles and
weakest near the equator. Different parts of the world
have unique combinations of these two variables. Neither
corresponds directly to either latitude or longitude, but
together, they provide a magnetic signature that tells the
turtle where it is.
Adapted from Nathan Putman, Courtney Endres, Catherine Lohmann, and
Kenneth Lohmann, Longitude Perception and Bicoordinate Magnetic Maps in
Sea Turtles. 2011 by Elsevier Inc.

Orientation of hatchling loggerheads tested in a magnetic

field that simulates a position at the west side of the
Atlantic near Puerto Rico (left) and a position at the east
side of the Atlantic near the Cape Verde Islands (right).
The arrow in each circle indicates the mean direction that
the group of hatchlings swam. Data are plotted relative to
geographic north (N = 0).

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1. The passage most strongly suggests that Adelita used which of the
following to navigate her 9,000-mile journey?
A)
B)
C)
D)

The current of the North Atlantic gyre

Cues from electromagnetic coils designed by Putman and Lohmann
The inclination and intensity of Earths magnetic field
A simulated magnetic signature configured by Lohmann

content :

Information and Ideas / Reading closely / Determining

implicit meanings

focus :

Students must draw a reasonable inference from the text.

key :

Choice C is the best answer. The first paragraph describes the 9,000-mile
journey that Adelita made and raises the question, which the rest of the
passage tries to answer, of how this loggerhead turtle was able to steer a
route across two oceans to find her destination (lines 56). The answer
comes most directly in the last paragraph, which presents Putmans
belief that loggerhead turtles work out their position using two features
of the Earths magnetic field that change over its surface (lines 5658):
its inclination and its intensity. It is reasonable, therefore, to infer from
the passage that this was the method that Adelita used.
Choice A is not the best answer because there is no evidence in the
passage that Adelita used the current of the North Atlantic gyre to
navigate her 9,000-mile journey. The passage does discuss the North
Atlantic gyre but only as the place where loggerhead turtle hatchlings
born off the coast of Florida spend their early lives (lines 2425).
Choice B is not the best answer because there is no evidence in the passage
that Adelita navigated her 9,000-mile journey with the aid of cues from
electromagnetic coils designed by Putman and Lohmann. The passage
does say that Putman and Lohmann use electromagnetic coils as part of
their research on loggerhead turtles, but the coils are part of tanks used in
a laboratory to study loggerhead hatchlings (see lines 1317).
Choice D is not the best answer because there is no evidence in the
passage that Adelita navigated her 9,000-mile journey with the aid of a
simulated magnetic signature configured by Lohmann. The passage
does describe how Lohmann and Putman manipulate magnetic fields as
part of their research on loggerhead turtle hatchlings (see, for example,
lines 1520), but there is no indication that the two scientists used (or

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even could use) the kind of equipment necessary for this project outside
of laboratory tanks or with Adelita in the wild.

2. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the
previous question?
A)
B)
C)
D)

Lines 13 (In 1996 . . . way)

Lines 3032 (Using . . . surface)

Lines 5355 (In the wild . . . stars)

Lines 6467 (Neither . . . it is)

content :

Information and Ideas / Citing textual evidence

focus :

Students must determine which portion of the passage

provides the best support for the answer to question 1.

key :

Choice D is the best answer because in lines 6467, the author indicates
that together, [inclination and intensity] provide a magnetic signature
that tells the turtle where it is. These lines thus serve as the best
evidence for the answer to the previous question.
Choice A is not the best answer because in lines 13, the author
establishes that Adelita made a 9,000-mile journey but does not explain
how she navigated it. These lines thus do not serve as the best evidence
for the answer to the previous question.
Choice B is not the best answer because in lines 3032, the author
indicates that Lohmann is able to mimic the magnetic field at different
parts of the Earths surface in his laboratory but does not explain how
Adelita navigated her 9,000-mile journey or suggest that Lohmann had
any influence over Adelitas trip. These lines thus do not serve as the best
evidence for the answer to the previous question.
Choice C is not the best answer because in lines 5355, the author notes
that loggerhead turtles in the wild may make use of landmarks like the
position of the sea, sun and stars but does not indicate that Adelita used
such landmarks to navigate her 9,000-mile journey. These lines thus do
not serve as the best evidence for the answer to the previous question.

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3. As used in line 3, tracked most nearly means

A)
B)
C)
D)

searched for.

traveled over.

followed.

hunted.

content :

Information and Ideas / Interpreting words and phrases in

context

focus :

Students must determine the meaning of a word in the

context in which it appears.

key :

Choice C is the best answer because the context makes clear that Nichols
followed Adelitas epic journey with a satellite tag (line 4).
Choice A is not the best answer because while tracked sometimes
means searched for, it would make little sense in context to say that
Nichols searched for Adelitas epic journey with a satellite tag (line 4).
It is more reasonable to conclude from the passage that Nichols knew
about Adelita and her journey and used a satellite tag to help follow it.
Choice B is not the best answer because while tracked sometimes
means traveled over, it would make no sense in context to say that
Nichols traveled over Adelitas epic journey with a satellite tag (line 4).
Choice D is not the best answer because while tracked sometimes
means hunted, it would make no sense in context to say that Nichols
hunted Adelitas epic journey with a satellite tag (line 4).

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4. Based on the passage, which choice best describes the relationship

between Putmans and Lohmanns research?
A)
B)
C)
D)

Putmans research contradicts Lohmanns.

Putmans research builds on Lohmanns.
Lohmanns research confirms Putmans.
Lohmanns research corrects Putmans.

content :

Information and Ideas / Understanding relationships

focus :

Students must characterize the relationship between two

individuals described in the passage.

key :

Choice B is the best answer. Putman works in the lab of Ken Lohmann,
who has been studying the magnetic abilities of loggerheads for over 20
years (lines 1315). Lohmann had earlier demonstrated that loggerhead
turtles could use the [magnetic] field as a compass to get their bearing
(lines 2021) and use their magnetic sense to work out their latitude
their position on a north-south axis (lines 3637). Putman has since
(now, line 37) built on Lohmanns work by demonstrating that the
turtles can also determine their longitudetheir position on an eastwest axis (lines 3839).
Choice A is not the best answer because the passage does not indicate
that Putmans research contradicts Lohmanns. In fact, Putmans work
complements Lohmanns. Lohmann had demonstrated that loggerhead
turtles could use the [magnetic] field as a compass to get their bearing
(lines 2021) and use their magnetic sense to work out their latitude
their position on a north-south axis (lines 3637). Putman has, in turn,
demonstrated that the turtles can also determine their longitudetheir
position on an east-west axis (lines 3839).
Choice C is not the best answer because the research of Lohmann that
the passage describes came before that of Putman. Putman works in
the lab of Ken Lohmann, who has been studying the magnetic abilities
of loggerheads for over 20 years (lines 1315). Lohmann had earlier
demonstrated that loggerhead turtles could use the [magnetic] field as a
compass to get their bearing (lines 2021) and use their magnetic sense
to work out their latitudetheir position on a north-south axis (lines
3637). Putman has since (now, line 37) built on Lohmanns work by
demonstrating that the turtles can also determine their longitudetheir
position on an east-west axis (lines 3839).

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Choice D is not the best answer because the passage does not indicate
that Lohmanns research corrects Putmans. First, the research of
Lohmann that the passage describes came before that of Putman (see
explanation for choice C) and thus could not correct Putmans later
research. Second, the passage does not indicate that Putmans research
contradicts Lohmanns (see explanation for choice A), meaning that
there is nothing for Lohmann to correct with his own research.

5. The author refers to reed warblers and sparrows (line 49) primarily to
A) contrast the loggerhead turtles migration patterns with those of
other species.
B) provide examples of species that share one of the loggerhead turtles
abilities.
C) suggest that most animal species possess some ability to navigate
long distances.
D) illustrate some ways in which the ability to navigate long distances
can help a species.

content :

Rhetoric / Analyzing text structure / Analyzing part-whole

relationships

focus :

Students must determine the main rhetorical effect a part of

the passage has on the passage as a whole.

key :

Choice B is the best answer because the author indicates that reed
warblers and sparrows, like loggerhead turtles, had previously been
known to have some way of working out longitude (lines 4950).
Choice A is not the best answer because although the author notes that
loggerhead turtles, reed warblers, and sparrows are all animal migrants
(line 48), he offers no specifics about reed warblers and sparrows
migration patterns, and the only connection he draws among the three
animals is their recognized ability of somehow working out longitude
(line 50).
Choice C is not the best answer because the author only mentions three
animal migrants by name (loggerhead turtles, reed warblers, and
sparrows) and indicates that several such migrants had previously
been known to have some way of working out longitude (lines 4850).
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He makes no claim in the passage that most animal species have some
long-distance navigation ability.
Choice D is not the best answer because although the author indicates
that reed warblers and sparrows, like loggerhead turtles, are animal
migrants (line 48), he offers no specifics about how the ability to
navigate long distances might help reed warblers and sparrows (nor,
for that matter, much information about how this ability might help
loggerhead turtles).

6. It can reasonably be inferred from the passage and graphic that if

scientists adjusted the coils to reverse the magnetic field simulating
that in the East Atlantic (Cape Verde Islands), the hatchlings would
most likely swim in which direction?
A)
B)
C)
D)

Northwest
Northeast
Southeast
Southwest

content :

Synthesis / Analyzing quantitative information

focus :

Students must interpret a graphic and synthesize

information from both the text and the graphic.

key :

Choice B is the best answer. The passage notes that Lohmann, who
studied loggerhead turtle hatchlings in a large water tank surrounded
by a large grid of electromagnetic coils (lines 1617) capable of
manipulating the magnetic field around the turtles, discovered that
the hatchlings would start swimming in the opposite direction when
he reverse[d] the direction of the magnetic field around them (lines
1820). The graphic (whose caption establishes that geographic north is
represented by 0 degrees) indicates that loggerhead hatchlings tested in
a magnetic field that simulates a position at the east side of the Atlantic
near the Cape Verde Islands would normally travel in a southwesterly
direction (around 218 degrees). Given the above information, it is
reasonable to infer that if the magnetic field were reversed, the turtles
would travel in a northeasterly direction.
Choice A is not the best answer because information in the passage and
graphic suggests that the loggerhead turtle hatchlings would travel in a
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northeasterly, and not a northwesterly, direction if scientists reversed the

magnetic field simulating a position at the east side of the Atlantic near
the Cape Verde Islands.
Choice C is not the best answer because information in the passage and
graphic suggests that the loggerhead turtle hatchlings would travel in a
northeasterly, and not a southeasterly, direction if scientists reversed the
magnetic field simulating a position at the east side of the Atlantic near
the Cape Verde Islands.
Choice D is not the best answer because information in the passage and
graphic suggests that the loggerhead turtle hatchlings would travel in a
northeasterly, and not a southwesterly, direction if scientists reversed the
magnetic field simulating a position at the east side of the Atlantic near
the Cape Verde Islands. The graphic indicates that the hatchlings travel
southwesterly under the normal (nonreversed) simulated conditions.

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Sample Reading Set 3

PASSAGE
content : History/Social Studies / Social science
focus :

Students must read and understand a passage and

accompanying graphic on a social science topic.

Questions1-3arebasedonthefollowingpassage and
supplementary material.
30

This passage is adapted from Richard Florida, The

Great Reset. 2010 by Richard Florida.

Line
5

10

15

20

25

In todays idea-driven economy, the cost of time is

what really matters. With the constant pressure to
innovate, it makes little sense to waste countless
collective hours commuting. So, the most efficient and
productive regions are those in which people are
thinking and workingnot sitting in traffic.
The auto-dependent transportation system has
reached its limit in most major cities and megaregions.
Commuting by car is among the least efficient of all our
activitiesnot to mention among the least enjoyable,
according to detailed research by the Nobel Prize
winning economist Daniel Kahneman and his
colleagues. Though one might think that the economic
crisis beginning in 2007 would have reduced traffic (high
unemployment means fewer workers traveling to and
from work), the opposite has been true. Average
commutes have lengthened, and congestion has gotten
worse, if anything. The average commute rose in 2008 to
25.5 minutes, erasing years of decreases to stand at the
level of 2000, as people had to leave home earlier in the
morning to pick up friends for their ride to work or to
catch a bus or subway train, according to the U.S.
Census Bureau, which collects the figures. And those are
average figures. Commutes are far longer in the big West
Coast cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco and the
East Coast cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
and Washington, D.C. In many of these cities, gridlock
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35

40

45

50

55

60

has become the norm, not just at rush hour but all day,
every day.
The costs are astounding. In Los Angeles, congestion
eats up more than 485 million working hours a year;
thats seventy hours, or nearly two weeks, of full-time
work per commuter. In D.C., the time cost of congestion
is sixty-two hours per worker per year. In New York its
forty-four hours. Average it out, and the time cost across
Americas thirteen biggest city-regions is fifty-one hours
per worker per year. Across the country, commuting
wastes 4.2 billion hours of work time annuallynearly a
full workweek for every commuter. The overall cost to
the U.S. economy is nearly $90 billion when lost
productivity and wasted fuel are taken into account. At
the Martin Prosperity Institute, we calculate that every
minute shaved off Americas commuting time is worth
$19.5 billion in value added to the economy. The numbers
add up fast: five minutes is worth $97.7 billion; ten
minutes, $195 billion; fifteen minutes, $292 billion.
Its ironic that so many people still believe the main
remedy for traffic congestion is to build more roads and
highways, which of course only makes the problem
worse. New roads generate higher levels of induced
traffic, that is, new roads just invite drivers to drive
more and lure people who take mass transit back to their
cars. Eventually, we end up with more clogged roads
rather than a long-term improvement in traffic flow.
The coming decades will likely see more intense
clustering of jobs, innovation, and productivity in a
smaller number of bigger cities and city-regions. Some
regions could end up bloated beyond the capacity of their
infrastructure, while others struggle, their promise
stymied by inadequate human or other resources.

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Adapted from Adam Werbach, The American Commuter Spends

38 Hours a Year Stuck in Traffic. 2013 by The Atlantic.

1. The passage most strongly suggests that researchers at the Martin

Prosperity Institute share which assumption?
A) Employees who work from home are more valuable to their
employers than employees who commute.
B) Employees whose commutes are shortened will use the time saved
to do additional productive work for their employers.
C) Employees can conduct business activities, such as composing
memos or joining conference calls, while commuting.
D) Employees who have lengthy commutes tend to make more money
than employees who have shorter commutes.
content :

Rhetoric / Analyzing arguments / Assessing reasoning

focus :

Students must reasonably infer an assumption that is

implied in the passage.

key :

Choice B is the best answer because details in the third paragraph (lines
3046) strongly suggest that researchers (we) at the Martin Prosperity
Institute assume that shorter commutes will lead to more productive
time for workers. The author notes that across the country, commuting
wastes 4.2 billion hours of work time annually and that the overall
cost to the U.S. economy is nearly $90 billion when lost productivity
and wasted fuel are taken into account (lines 3741). Given also that
those at the institute calculate that every minute shaved off Americas
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commuting time is worth $19.5 billion in value added to the economy

(lines 4244), it can reasonably be concluded that some of that added
value is from heightened worker productivity.
Choice A is not the best answer because there is no evidence in the
passage that researchers at the Martin Prosperity Institute assume that
employees who work from home are more valuable to their employers
than employees who commute. Although the passage does criticize long
commutes, it does not propose working from home as a solution.
Choice C is not the best answer because there is no evidence in the
passage that researchers at the Martin Prosperity Institute assume that
employees can conduct business activities, such as composing memos
or joining conference calls, while commuting. The passage does discuss
commuting in some detail, but it does not mention activities that
commuters can or should be undertaking while commuting, and it
generally portrays commuting time as lost or wasted time.
Choice D is not the best answer because there is no evidence in the
passage that researchers at the Martin Prosperity Institute assume that
employees who have lengthy commutes tend to make more money than
employees who have shorter commutes. The passage does not draw
any clear links between the amount of money employees make and the
commutes they have.

2. As used in line 55, intense most nearly means

A)
B)
C)
D)

emotional.

concentrated.

brilliant.

determined.

content :

Information and Ideas / Interpreting words and phrases in

context

focus :

Students must determine the meaning of a word in the

context in which it appears.

key :

Choice B is the best answer because the context makes clear that
the clustering of jobs, innovation, and productivity will be more
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concentrated in, or more densely packed into, a smaller number of

bigger cities and city-regions (lines 5657).
Choice A is not the best answer because although intense sometimes
means emotional, it would make no sense in context to say that the
clustering of jobs, innovation, and productivity will be more emotional
in a smaller number of bigger cities and city-regions (lines 5657).
Choice C is not the best answer because although intense sometimes
means brilliant, it would make no sense in context to say that the
clustering of jobs, innovation, and productivity will be more brilliant in
a smaller number of bigger cities and city-regions (lines 5657).
Choice D is not the best answer because although intense sometimes
means determined, it would make no sense in context to say that the
clustering of jobs, innovation, and productivity will be more determined
in a smaller number of bigger cities and city-regions (lines 5657).

3. Which claim about traffic congestion is supported by the graph?

A) New York City commuters spend less time annually delayed by
traffic congestion than the average for very large cities.
B) Los Angeles commuters are delayed more hours annually by traffic
congestion than are commuters in Washington, D.C.
C) Commuters in Washington, D.C., face greater delays annually due
to traffic congestion than do commuters in New York City.
D) Commuters in Detroit spend more time delayed annually by traffic
congestion than do commuters in Houston, Atlanta, and Chicago.

content :

Synthesis / Analyzing quantitative information

focus :

Students must interpret data presented graphically.

key :

Choice C is the best answer. Higher bars on the graph represent longer
annual commute delays than do lower bars; moreover, the number of
hours of annual commute delay generally decreases as one moves from
left to right on the graph. The bar for Washington, D.C. is higher than
and to the left of that for New York City, meaning that D.C. automobile
commuters experience greater amounts of delay each year.

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Choice A is not the best answer because the graphs bar for New York
City is higher than and to the left of that for the average for very large
cities, meaning that New York City automobile commuters experience
greater, not lesser, amounts of delay each year.
Choice B is not the best answer because the graphs bar for Los Angeles
is lower than and to the right of that for Washington, D.C., meaning
that Los Angeles automobile commuters experience lesser, not greater,
amounts of delay each year.
Choice D is not the best answer because the graphs bar for Detroit is
lower than and to the right of those for Houston, Atlanta, and Chicago,
meaning that Detroit automobile commuters experience lesser, not
greater, amounts of delay each year.

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Lower Text Complexity Example

This passage should offer a relatively low reading challenge for collegeand career-ready high school juniors and seniors, although some aspects
of the passage are more challenging than others (as is generally true of
authentic texts).
(1) This passage is adapted from Richard Florida, The Great Reset.
2010 by Richard Florida.
(2) In todays idea-driven economy, the cost of time is what really
matters. With the constant pressure to innovate, it makes little sense
to waste countless collective hours commuting. So, the most efficient
and productive regions are those in which people are thinking and
workingnot sitting in traffic.
(3) The auto-dependent transportation system has reached its limit in
most major cities and megaregions. Commuting by car is among the least
efficient of all our activitiesnot to mention among the least enjoyable,
according to detailed research by the Nobel Prizewinning economist
Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues. Though one might think that the
economic crisis beginning in 2007 would have reduced traffic (high
unemployment means fewer workers traveling to and from work),
the opposite has been true. Average commutes have lengthened, and
congestion has gotten worse, if anything. (4) The average commute rose
in 2008 to 25.5 minutes, erasing years of decreases to stand at the level
of 2000, as people had to leave home earlier in the morning to pick up
friends for their ride to work or to catch a bus or subway train, according
to the U.S. Census Bureau, which collects the figures. And those are
average figures. Commutes are far longer in the big West Coast cities of
Los Angeles and San Francisco and the East Coast cities of New York,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. In many of these cities,
gridlock has become the norm, not just at rush hour but all day, every day.
(5) The costs are astounding. In Los Angeles, congestion eats up more
than 485 million working hours a year; thats seventy hours, or nearly
two weeks, of full-time work per commuter. In D.C., the time cost of
congestion is sixty-two hours per worker per year. In New York its fortyfour hours. Average it out, and the time cost across Americas thirteen
biggest city-regions is fifty-one hours per worker per year. Across the
country, commuting wastes 4.2 billion hours of work time annually
nearly a full workweek for every commuter. The overall cost to the U.S.
economy is nearly $90 billion when lost productivity and wasted fuel are
1 02

(1) Knowledge Demands: Content/

Discipline Knowledge: The passage
assumes little to no prior familiarity
with the topic, which reduces the
reading challenge.
(2) Language Conventionality and
Clarity: The passage generally uses
familiar vocabulary and relatively
simple sentence structures. The
authors fairly informal tone also
helps make the passage more
accessible, further reducing the
reading challenge.
(3) Purpose: The purpose of the
passage is straightforward: to describe
the degree of and costs associated
with the congestion of U.S. cities and
city-regions. The passage consistently
builds support to achieve this
purpose, which also helps reduce the
reading challenge.
(4) Knowledge Demands: Content/
Discipline Knowledge: The passages
references to other texts and sources
of evidence are clearly signaled and
easily grasped, making them fairly
easy to digest.
(5) Structure: The structure of
the passage is relatively simple.
Paragraphs generally are introduced
by topic sentences, focus on a single
main idea, and use easily understood
supporting details clearly related
to the main idea. These factors
contribute to the relatively low reading
challenge of the text.

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taken into account. At the Martin Prosperity Institute, we calculate that

every minute shaved off Americas commuting time is worth $19.5 billion
in value added to the economy. The numbers add up fast: five minutes is
worth $97.7 billion; ten minutes, $195 billion; fifteen minutes, $292 billion.
Its ironic that so many people still believe the main remedy for traffic
congestion is to build more roads and highways, which of course
only makes the problem worse. New roads generate higher levels of
(6)induced traffic, that is, new roads just invite drivers to drive more
and lure people who take mass transit back to their cars. Eventually, we
end up with more clogged roads rather than a long-term improvement
in traffic flow.

(6) Language Conventionality and

Clarity: The passage does introduce
some abstract and potentially
unfamiliar terms, but the author
provides sufficient context for
understanding them, which reduces
the reading challenge.

The coming decades will likely see more intense clustering of jobs,
innovation, and productivity in a smaller number of bigger cities and
city-regions. Some regions could end up bloated beyond the capacity
of their infrastructure, while others struggle, their promise stymied by
inadequate human or other resources.

(5) Structure: The structure of

the passage is relatively simple.
Paragraphs generally are introduced
by topic sentences, focus on a single
main idea, and use easily understood
supporting details clearly related
to the main idea. These factors
contribute to the relatively low reading
challenge of the text.

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Higher Text Complexity Example

This passage should offer a relatively high reading challenge for collegeand career-ready high school juniors and seniors, although some aspects
of the passage are less challenging than others (as is generally true of
authentic texts).
(1) This passage is adapted from a speech delivered by Congresswoman
Barbara Jordan of Texas on July 25, 1974, as a member of the Judiciary
Committee of the United States House of Representatives. In the
passage, Jordan discusses how and when a United States president may
be impeached, or charged with serious offenses, while in office. Jordans
speech was delivered in the context of impeachment hearings against
then president Richard M. Nixon.
(2) Today, I am an inquisitor. (3) An hyperbole would not be fictional
and would not overstate the solemnness that I feel right now. My faith in
the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total. And I am not going
to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the
destruction, of the Constitution.
(4) Who can so properly be the inquisitors for the nation as the
representatives of the nation themselves? The subjects of its
jurisdiction are those offenses which proceed from the misconduct of
public men.* And thats what were talking about. In other words, [the
jurisdiction comes] from the abuse or violation of some public trust.

It is wrong, I suggest, it is a misreading of the Constitution for any

member here to assert that for a member to vote for an article of
impeachment means that that member must be convinced that the
President should be removed from office. The Constitution doesnt
say that. The powers relating to impeachment are an essential check
in the hands of the body of the legislature against and upon the
encroachments of the executive. The division between the two branches
of the legislature, the House and the Senate, assigning to the one the
right to accuse and to the other the right to judgethe framers of this
Constitution were very astute. They did not make the accusers and the
judges . . . the same person.
We know the nature of impeachment. Weve been talking about it a while
now. It is chiefly designed for the President and his high ministers to
somehow be called into account. It is designed to bridle the executive
1 04

(1) Purpose: The purpose of the

passage is relatively straightforward
(and clarified to some degree in the
passages advance organizer): to offer
Jordans view of the nature of the
impeachment of a U.S. president.
(2) Structure: The passage is
fairly loose in structure. This adds
to the challenge of following the
development of the argument.
(3) Language Conventionality and
Clarity: Jordan uses elevated diction,
uncommon sentence structures, and
potentially unfamiliar vocabulary
here and throughout the passage
(although context clues are generally
available), which adds to the
challenge of the passage.
(4) Knowledge Demands: Content/
Discipline Knowledge: Jordan
makes numerous references to
other texts, particularly to the U.S.
Constitution and other U.S. founding
documents, as she builds her case.
This interspersing of quotations and
historical references significantly
increases the challenge of the passage.

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if he engages in excesses. It is designed as a method of national inquest

into the conduct of public men.* The framers confided in the Congress
the power, if need be, to remove the President in order to strike a delicate
balance between a President swollen with power and grown tyrannical,
and preservation of the independence of the executive.
(5) The nature of impeachment: a narrowly channeled exception to
the separation of powers maxim. The Federal Convention of 1787 said
that. It limited impeachment to high crimes and misdemeanors, and
discounted and opposed the term maladministration. It is to be used
only for great misdemeanors, so it was said in the North Carolina
ratification convention. And in the Virginia ratification convention:
We do not trust our liberty to a particular branch. We need one branch
to check the other.

. . . The North Carolina ratification convention: No one need be

afraid that officers who commit oppression will pass with immunity.
Prosecutions of impeachments will seldom fail to agitate the passions
of the whole community, said Hamilton in the Federalist Papers,
number 65. We divide into parties more or less friendly or inimical to
the accused.* I do not mean political parties in that sense.
The drawing of political lines goes to the motivation behind
impeachment; but impeachment must proceed within the confines
of the constitutional term high crime[s] and misdemeanors. Of the
impeachment process, it was Woodrow Wilson who said that Nothing
short of the grossest offenses against the plain law of the land will suffice
to give them speed and effectiveness. Indignation so great as to overgrow
party interest may secure a conviction; but nothing else can.
Common sense would be revolted if we engaged upon this process
for petty reasons. Congress has a lot to do: appropriations, tax reform,
health insurance, campaign finance reform, housing, environmental
protection, energy sufficiency, mass transportation. Pettiness cannot be
allowed to stand in the face of such overwhelming problems. So today
were not being petty. Were trying to be big, because the task we have
before us is a big one.
*Jordan quotes from Federalist No. 65, an essay by Alexander Hamilton, published in 1788, on
the powers of the United States Senate, including the power to decide cases of impeachment
against a president of the United States.

105

(5) Purpose: Although the passage

responds to concrete, real-world
events, Jordan frequently moves
beyond present-day circumstances to
address principles and other abstract
notions. This abstractness adds
appreciably to the reading challenge.

(4) Knowledge Demands: Content/

Discipline Knowledge: Jordan
makes numerous references to
other texts, particularly to the U.S.
Constitution and other U.S. founding
documents, as she builds her case.
This interspersing of quotations and
historical references significantly
increases the challenge of the passage.

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Sample Writing and Language Set 1

PASSAGE
content :

Humanities

focus :

Students must make revising and editing decisions in the

context of a passage on a topic in the humanities.

Questions 17 are based on the following passage.

Dong Kingman: Painter of Cities

10 6

A 1954 documentary about renowned watercolor painter Dong

Kingman shows the artist sitting on a stool on Mott Street in New York
Citys Chinatown. A crowd of admiring spectators watches as Kingman
squeezes dollops of paint from several tubes into a tin watercolor box,
from just a few primary colors, Kingman creates dozens of beautiful
hues as he layers the translucent paint onto the paper on his easel. Each
stroke of the brush and dab of the sponge transforms thinly sketched
outlines into buildings, shop signs, and streetlamps. The street scene
Kingman begins composing in this short film is very much in keeping
with the urban landscapes for which he is best known.

1. A) NO CHANGE
B) box. From just a few primary
colors,
C) box from just a few primary
colors,
D) box, from just a few primary
colors

[1] Kingman was keenly interested in landscape painting from an

early age. [2] In Hong Kong, where Kingman completed his schooling,
teachers at that time customarily assigned students a formal school
name. [3] His interest was so keen, in fact, that he was named after it.
[4] The young boy who had been called Dong Moy Shu became Dong
Kingman. [5] The name Kingman was selected for its two parts,
king and man; Cantonese for scenery and composition. [6] As
Kingman developed as a painter, his works were often compared to

paintings by Chinese landscape artists dating back to CE 960, a time

when a strong tradition of landscape painting emerged in Chinese art.
[7] Kingman, however, vacated from that tradition in a number of
ways, most notably in that he chose to focus not on natural landscapes,
such as mountains and rivers, but on cities. 5

3. A) NO CHANGE
B) Chinese landscape artists
C) painters of Chinese
landscapes

D) artists

2. A)
B)
C)
D)

4. A)
B)
C)
D)

NO CHANGE
parts: king and man,
parts king and man;
parts; king and man

NO CHANGE
evacuated
departed
retired

5. For the sake of the cohesion of

this paragraph, sentence 3 should
be placed
A)
B)
C)
D)

where it is now.

before sentence 1.

after sentence 1.

after sentence 4.

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His fine brushwork conveys detailed street-level activity: a

peanut vendor pushing his cart on the sidewalk, a pigeon pecking for
crumbs around a fire hydrant, an old man tending to a baby outside a
doorway. His broader brushstrokes and sponge-painted shapes create
majestic city skylines, with skyscrapers towering in the background,
bridges connecting neighborhoods on either side of a river, and
enormous ships maneuvering out of a busy harbor. To art critics and
fans alike, these city scenes represent the innovative spirit of twentiethcentury urban Modernism.
6

During his career, Kingman exhibited his work internationally. He

garnered much acclaim. In 1936, a critic described one of Kingmans solo
exhibits as twenty of the freshest, most satisfying watercolors that have
been seen hereabouts in many a day. Since Kingmans death in 2000,
museums across the United States and in China have continued to ensure
that his now-iconic landscapes remain available for the public to enjoy.

6. Which choice most effectively

establishes the main topic of the
paragraph?
A) Kingman is considered a
pioneer of the California
Style school of painting.
B) Although cities were his
main subject, Kingman did
occasionally paint natural
landscapes.
C) In his urban landscapes,
Kingman captures the
vibrancy of crowded cities.
D) In 1929 Kingman moved to
Oakland, California, where
he attended the Fox Art
School.
7. Which choice most effectively
combines the sentences at the
underlined portion?
A) internationally, and
Kingman also garnered
B) internationally; from
exhibiting, he garnered
C) internationally but garnered
D) internationally, garnering

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Question 1
content :

Sentence Structure / Sentence formation / Sentence

boundaries

focus :

Students must create two grammatically complete and

standard sentences.

key:

Choice B is the best answer because it provides punctuation that creates

two grammatically complete and standard sentences.
Choice A is not the best answer because it results in a comma splice as
well as some confusion about what the prepositional phrase from just a
few primary colors modifies.
Choice C is not the best answer because it results in a run-on sentence as
well as some confusion about what the prepositional phrase from just a
few primary colors modifies.
Choice D is not the best answer because it results in a comma splice.

Question 2
content :

Conventions of Punctuation / Within-sentence

punctuation, Nonrestrictive and parenthetical elements

focus :

Students must both signal a strong within-sentence break

and set off nonessential elements of the sentence.

key:

Choice B is the best answer because the colon after parts effectively
signals that what follows in the sentence further defines what the two
parts of Kingmans name are and because the comma after man
properly indicates that king and man and Cantonese for scenery
and composition are nonrestrictive appositives.
Choice A is not the best answer because the semicolon after man
incorrectly joins an independent clause and a phrase. Moreover, the
comma after parts is arguably a weak form of punctuation to be
signaling the strong break in the sentence indicated here.

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Choice C is not the best answer because the semicolon after man
incorrectly joins an independent clause and a phrase and because the
absence of a comma after parts fails to indicate that two parts and
king and man are nonrestrictive appositives.
Choice D is not the best answer because the semicolon after parts
incorrectly joins an independent clause and phrases and because the
absence of a comma after man fails to indicate that king and man and
Cantonese for scenery and composition are nonrestrictive appositives.

Question 3
content :

Conventions of Usage / Logical comparison

focus :

Students must ensure that like terms are being compared.

key:

Choice A is the best answer because it creates a comparison between like

terms: works by Kingman and paintings by Chinese landscape artists.
Choice B is not the best answer because it creates a comparison between
unlike terms: works by Kingman and Chinese landscape artists.
Choice C is not the best answer because it creates a comparison between
unlike terms: works by Kingman and painters of Chinese landscapes.
Choice D is not the best answer because it creates a comparison between
unlike terms: works by Kingman and artists.

Question 4
content :

Effective Language Use / Precision

focus :

Students must determine the most contextually appropriate

word.

key :

Choice C is the best answer because departed is the most contextually

appropriate way to indicate that Kingman had deviated from the
tradition of Chinese landscape painting in a number of ways.
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Choice A is not the best answer because while vacated does offer some
sense of leaving, it would be awkward and unconventional to say that
that a person was vacating from a tradition in a number of ways.
Choice B is not the best answer because while evacuated does offer
some sense of leaving, it would be awkward and unconventional to say
that a person was evacuating from a tradition in a number of ways.
Choice D is not the best answer because while retired does offer some
sense of leaving, it would be awkward and unconventional to say that a
person was retiring from a tradition in a number of ways.

Question 5
content :

Organization / Logical sequence

focus :

Students must improve the cohesion of a paragraph.

key:

Choice C is the best answer because placing sentence 3 after sentence

1 makes the paragraph most cohesive. Sentence 3 refers to Kingmans
interest being so keen, a callback to sentence 1, which says
that Kingman was keenly interested in landscape painting from an
early age.
Choice A is not the best answer because leaving sentence 3 where it
is now creates a sequence of sentences that lacks sufficient cohesion.
Keeping sentence 3 in its current location disrupts the link between
sentence 2 (which describes the concept of school names in Hong
Kong) and sentence 4 (which reveals that Dong Kingman was the school
name of Dong Moy Shu).
Choice B is not the best answer because placing sentence 3 before
sentence 1 creates a sequence of sentences that lacks sufficient cohesion.
Putting sentence 3 at the beginning of the paragraph would offer a poor
introduction to the paragraph, in large part because sentence 3 builds
directly on a point made in sentence 1.
Choice D is not the best answer because placing sentence 3 after
sentence 4 creates a sequence of sentences that lacks sufficient cohesion.
Putting sentence 3 after sentence 4 would disrupt the link between
sentence 4 (which mentions that Dong Moy Shu was given the school
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name Dong Kingman) and sentence 5 (which explains what the two
parts comprising the name Kingman mean in Cantonese).

Question 6
content :

Development / Proposition

focus :

Students must determine which sentence best signals the

main topic of a paragraph.

key:

Choice C is the best answer because it clearly establishes the main topic
of the paragraph: Kingmans urban landscapes.
Choice A is not the best answer because it would begin the paragraph
with a loosely related detail about Kingmans painting style and would
not clearly establish the main topic of the paragraph.
Choice B is not the best answer because it would suggest that the main
topic of the paragraph is the natural landscapes Kingman occasionally
painted, which is incorrect given the focus of the rest of the sentences in
the paragraph.
Choice D is not the best answer because it would begin the paragraph
with a loosely related detail about Kingmans life and would not clearly
establish the main topic of the paragraph.

Question 7
content :

Effective Language Use / Syntax

focus :

Students must combine sentences effectively.

key:

Choice D is the best answer because it combines the sentences logically

and efficiently, with the original second sentence becoming a participial
phrase describing Kingman.

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Choice A is not the best answer because it creates a wordy and awkward
construction and because it fails to link the acclaim Kingman received
with the exhibition of his work.
Choice B is not the best answer because it creates a repetitive and
awkward construction.
Choice C is not the best answer because but suggests contrast or
exception, neither of which makes sense in the context of the sentence.

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Sample Writing and Language Set 2

PASSAGE
content :

Careers

focus :

Students must make revising and editing decisions in the

context of a passage on a careers-related topic.

Questions 16 are based on the following passage and

supplementary material.
A Life in Traffic
A subway system is expanded to provide service to a growing
suburb. A bike-sharing program is adopted to encourage nonmotorized
transportation. Stoplight timing is coordinated to alleviate rush hour
traffic jams in a congested downtown area. When any one of these
changes occur, it is likely the result of careful analysis conducted by
transportation planners.
The work of transportation planners generally includes evaluating
current transportation needs, assessing the effectiveness of existing
facilities, and improving those facilities or they design new ones. Most
transportation planners work in or near cities, but some are employed
in rural areas. Say, for example, a large factory is built on the outskirts
of a small town. Traffic to and from that location would increase at the
beginning and end of work shifts. The transportation planners job might
involve conducting a traffic count to determine the daily number of
vehicles traveling on the road to the new factory. If analysis of the traffic
count indicates that there is more traffic than the current road as it is
designed at this time can efficiently accommodate, the transportation
planner might recommend widening the road to add another lane.

1 13

1. A)
B)
C)
D)

NO CHANGE
occur, they are
occurs, they are
occurs, it is

2. A)
B)
C)
D)

NO CHANGE
to design
designing
design

3. A) NO CHANGE
B) current design of the road
right now
C) road as it is now currently
designed
D) current design of the road

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Transportation planners work closely with a number of community

stakeholders, such as government officials and other interested
organizations and individuals. Next, representatives from the local
public health department might provide input in designing a network
of trails and sidewalks to encourage people to walk more. Members of
the Chamber of Commerce might share suggestions about designing
transportation and parking facilities to support local businesses.
People who pursue careers in transportation planning have
a wide variety of educational backgrounds. A two-year degree in
transportation technology may be sufficient for some entry-level jobs
in the field. Most jobs, however, require at least a bachelors degree;
majors of transportation planners are varied, including fields such
as urban studies, civil engineering, geography, or transportation and
logistics management. For many positions in the field, a masters
degree is required.

Transportation planners perform critical work within the

broader field of urban and regional planning. As of 2010, there were
approximately 40,300 urban and regional planners employed in the
United States. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts
steady job growth in this field, projecting that 16 percent of new jobs
in all occupations will be related to urban and regional planning.
Population growth and concerns about environmental sustainability
are expected to spur the need for transportation planning
professionals.
Urban and Regional Planners

Percent Increase in Employment, Projected 2010 2020

Social Scientists and

Related Workers
Urban and
Regional Planners
Total, All Occupations
0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18% 20%
Adapted from United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections Program.
All occupations includes all occupations in the United States economy.

11 4

4. A)
B)
C)
D)
5.

NO CHANGE
For instance,
Furthermore,
Similarly,

A) NO CHANGE
B) People, who pursue careers
in transportation planning,
C) People who pursue
careers, in transportation
planning,
D) People who pursue careers
in transportation planning,

6. Which choice completes the

sentence with accurate data
based on the graph?
A) NO CHANGE
B) warning, however, that
job growth in urban and
regional planning will slow
to 14 percent by 2020.
C) predicting that employment
of urban and regional
planners will increase 16
percent between 2010 and
2020.
D) indicating that 14 to 18
percent of urban and
regional planning positions
will remain unfilled.

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Question 1
content :

Conventions of Usage / Agreement / Pronoun-antecedent

agreement, Subject-verb agreement

focus :

Students must maintain grammatical agreement between

pronoun and antecedent and between subject and verb.

key :

Choice D is the best answer because it maintains agreement between

pronoun (it) and antecedent (any one) and between subject
(any one) and verb (occurs).
Choice A is not the best answer because the plural verb occur does not
agree with the singular subject any one.
Choice B is not the best answer because the plural verb occur does not
agree with the singular subject any one and because the plural pronoun
they does not agree with the singular antecedent any one.
Choice C is not the best answer because the plural pronoun they does
not agree with the singular antecedent any one.

Question 2
content :

Sentence Structure / Sentence formation / Parallel structure

focus :

Students must maintain parallel structure.

key :

Choice C is the best answer because designing maintains parallelism

with evaluating, assessing, and improving.
Choice A is not the best answer because they design does not maintain
parallelism with evaluating, assessing, and improving.
Choice B is not the best answer because to design does not maintain
parallelism with evaluating, assessing, and improving.
Choice D is not the best answer because design does not maintain
parallelism with evaluating, assessing, and improving.

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Question 3
content :

Effective Language Use / Concision

focus :

Students must improve the economy of expression.

key :

Choice D is the best answer because it offers a clear and concise wording
without redundancy.
Choice A is not the best answer because current is redundant with at
this time.
Choice B is not the best answer because current is redundant with
right now.
Choice C is not the best answer because now is redundant with
currently.

Question 4
content :

Organization / Introductions, conclusions, and transitions

focus :

Students must determine the most logical transitional word

or phrase.

key :

Choice B is the best answer because the transitional phrase For

instance logically indicates that what follows provides an example
related to the previous sentence. Representatives from the local public
health department is an example of the kinds of people with whom
transportation planners work.
Choice A is not the best answer because the transitional word Next
indicates sequence, which is not logical given that what follows provides
an example related to the previous sentence.
Choice C is not the best answer because the transitional word
Furthermore indicates addition, which is not logical given that what
follows provides an example related to the previous sentence.

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Choice D is not the best answer because the transitional word

Similarly indicates comparison or likeness, which is not logical given
that what follows provides an example related to the previous sentence.

Question 5
content :

Conventions of Punctuation / Nonrestrictive and

parenthetical elements, Unnecessary punctuation

focus :

Students must distinguish between restrictive/essential and

nonrestrictive/nonessential sentence elements and avoid
unneeded punctuation.

key :

Choice A is the best answer because who pursue careers in

transportation planning is, in context, a restrictive clause that should
not be set off with punctuation. Who pursue careers in transportation
planning is essential information defining who the people are.
Choice B is not the best answer because it incorrectly sets off the
restrictive clause who pursue careers in transportation planning with
commas as though the clause were nonrestrictive, or not essential to
defining who the people are.
Choice C is not the best answer because it incorrectly sets off the
essential sentence element in transportation planning with commas
as though the phrase were not essential to the meaning of the sentence.
In transportation planning is essential information defining what the
careers are.
Choice D is not the best answer because it introduces an unnecessary
comma after the word planning, incorrectly setting off the subject of
the sentence (people who pursue careers in transportation planning)
from the predicate (have a wide variety of educational backgrounds).

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Question 6
content :

Development / Quantitative information

focus :

Students must evaluate text based on data presented

graphically.

key :

Choice C is the best answer because it completes the sentence with an

accurate interpretation of data in the graph. The graph displays projections
of how much growth in employment there is expected to be between
2010 and 2020 for social scientists and related workers, for urban
and regional planners, and in all occupations in the U.S. economy.
According to the graph, the employment of urban and regional planners is
expected to increase 16 percent between 2010 and 2020.
Choice A is not the best answer because the data in the graph do not
support the claim that 16 percent of new jobs in all occupations will be
related to urban and regional planning.
Choice B is not the best answer because the data in the graph do not
support the claim that job growth in urban and regional planning will
slow to 14 percent by 2020.
Choice D is not the best answer because the data in the graph do not
support the claim that 14 to 18 percent of urban and regional planning
positions will remain unfilled.

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Sample Essay Prompt 1

The following sample Essay prompt is followed by an annotated version

of the source text that suggests some of the ways that students might
analyze the text in response to the prompt. The annotations are only
examples of elements of the passage students may choose to write about.

As you read the passage below, consider how Paul Bogard uses

evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.

reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion,
to add power to the ideas expressed.

Adapted from Paul Bogard, Let There be Dark. 2012 by the Los Angeles
Times. Originally published December 21, 2012.
At my familys cabin on a Minnesota lake, I knew woods so dark that
my hands disappeared before my eyes. I knew night skies in which
meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars. But now, when
8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark
enough for the Milky Way, I worry we are rapidly losing nights natural
darkness before realizing its worth. This winter solstice, as we cheer the
days gradual movement back toward light, let us also remember the
irreplaceable value of darkness.
All life evolved to the steady rhythm of bright days and dark nights.
Today, though, when we feel the closeness of nightfall, we reach quickly
for a light switch. And too little darkness, meaning too much artificial
light at night, spells trouble for all.
Already the World Health Organization classifies working the night shift
as a probable human carcinogen, and the American Medical Association
has voiced its unanimous support for light pollution reduction efforts
and glare reduction efforts at both the national and state levels. Our
bodies need darkness to produce the hormone melatonin, which keeps
certain cancers from developing, and our bodies need darkness for sleep.

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Sleep disorders have been linked to diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular

disease and depression, and recent research suggests one main cause of
short sleep is long light. Whether we work at night or simply take our
tablets, notebooks and smartphones to bed, there isnt a place for this
much artificial light in our lives.
The rest of the world depends on darkness as well, including nocturnal
and crepuscular species of birds, insects, mammals, fish and reptiles. Some
examples are well knownthe 400 species of birds that migrate at night
in North America, the sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggsand
some are not, such as the bats that save American farmers billions in pest
control and the moths that pollinate 80% of the worlds flora. Ecological
light pollution is like the bulldozer of the night, wrecking habitat and
disrupting ecosystems several billion years in the making. Simply put,
without darkness, Earths ecology would collapse. . . .
In todays crowded, louder, more fast-paced world, nights darkness
can provide solitude, quiet and stillness, qualities increasingly in short
supply. Every religious tradition has considered darkness invaluable for
a soulful life, and the chance to witness the universe has inspired artists,
philosophers and everyday stargazers since time began. In a world
awash with electric light . . . how would Van Gogh have given the world
his Starry Night? Who knows what this vision of the night sky might
inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?
Yet all over the world, our nights are growing brighter. In the United
States and Western Europe, the amount of light in the sky increases an
average of about 6% every year. Computer images of the United States
at night, based on NASA photographs, show that what was a very dark
country as recently as the 1950s is now nearly covered with a blanket of
light. Much of this light is wasted energy, which means wasted dollars.
Those of us over 35 are perhaps among the last generation to have
known truly dark nights. Even the northern lake where I was lucky to
spend my summers has seen its darkness diminish.
It doesnt have to be this way. Light pollution is readily within our ability
to solve, using new lighting technologies and shielding existing lights.
Already, many cities and towns across North America and Europe are
changing to LED streetlights, which offer dramatic possibilities for
controlling wasted light. Other communities are finding success with
simply turning off portions of their public lighting after midnight. Even
Paris, the famed city of light, which already turns off its monument
lighting after 1 a.m., will this summer start to require its shops, offices
and public buildings to turn off lights after 2 a.m. Though primarily

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designed to save energy, such reductions in light will also go far in

addressing light pollution. But we will never truly address the problem
of light pollution until we become aware of the irreplaceable value and
beauty of the darkness we are losing.

Write an essay in which you explain how Paul Bogard builds an

argument to persuade his audience that natural darkness should be
preserved. In your essay, analyze how Bogard uses one or more of the
features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to
strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that
your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.
Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Bogards
claims, but rather explain how Bogard builds an argument to persuade
his audience.

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Annotated Version of Prompt 1s Passage

Adapted from Paul Bogard, Let There be Dark. 2012 by the Los Angeles
Times. Originally published December 21, 2012.
At my familys cabin on a Minnesota lake, I knew woods so dark that
my hands disappeared before my eyes. I knew night skies in (1) which
meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars. But now, when
(2) 8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark
enough for the Milky Way, I worry we are rapidly losing nights natural
darkness before realizing its worth. This winter solstice, as we cheer the
days gradual movement back toward light, let us also remember the
irreplaceable value of darkness.
All life evolved to the steady rhythm of bright days and dark nights.
Today, though, when we feel the closeness of nightfall, we reach quickly
for a light switch. And too little darkness, meaning too much artificial
light at night, spells trouble for all.
(3) Already the World Health Organization classifies working the night
shift as a probable human carcinogen, and the American Medical
Association has voiced its unanimous support for light pollution
reduction efforts and glare reduction efforts at both the national and
state levels. (4) Our bodies need darkness to produce the hormone
melatonin, which keeps certain cancers from developing, and our bodies
need darkness for sleep. Sleep disorders have been linked to diabetes,
obesity, cardiovascular disease and depression, and recent research
suggests one main cause of short sleep is long light. Whether we
work at night or simply take our tablets, notebooks and smartphones to
bed, there isnt a place for this much artificial light in our lives.
The rest of the world depends on darkness as well, (5) including
nocturnal and crepuscular species of birds, insects, mammals, fish and
reptiles. Some examples are well knownthe 400 species of birds that
migrate at night in North America, the sea turtles that come ashore to
lay their eggsand some are not, such as the bats that save American
farmers billions in pest control and the moths that pollinate 80% of the
worlds flora. Ecological light pollution is like the (6) bulldozer of the
night, wrecking habitat and disrupting ecosystems several billion years
in the making. Simply put, without darkness, Earths ecology would
collapse. . . . (7)

122

(1) The descriptive words used in this

sentence add visual intensity, evoking
the wonder of the night sky.
(2) The writer uses this statistic as
evidence to inform his subsequent
claim that we are rapidly losing
nights natural darkness.
(3) Providing evidence from
authoritative sources (the World
Health Organization and the
American Medical Association) adds
legitimacy to the writers claim in
the paragraph above that too little
darkness . . . spells trouble for all.
(4) The writer continues to draw
on evidence from the authorities
cited above. He uses this evidence
to inform his subsequent point
that whether we work at night or
simply take our . . . smartphones to
bed, there isnt a place for this much
artificial light in our lives.
(5) The presentation of facts and
evidence supports the claim that
follows at the end of the paragraph
that without darkness, Earths
ecology would collapse.
(6) The writer compares light
pollution to the effects of a
bulldozer, a machine that can be
used to ravage land. This imagery
dramatizes the destructive potential
of light pollution.
(7) By first discussing the human
need for darkness and then moving
into a discussion of the need for
darkness among animals, the writer is
able to build his argument about the
irreplaceable value of darkness.

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In todays (8) crowded, louder, more fast-paced world, nights darkness

can provide solitude, quiet and stillness, qualities increasingly in short
supply. Every religious tradition has considered darkness invaluable for
a soulful life, and the chance to witness the universe has inspired artists,
philosophers and everyday stargazers since time began. (9) In a world
awash with electric light . . . how would Van Gogh have given the world
his Starry Night? Who knows what this vision of the night sky might
inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?
Yet all over the world, our nights are growing brighter. (10) In the United
States and Western Europe, the amount of light in the sky increases an
average of about 6% every year. Computer images of the United States
at night, based on NASA photographs, show that what was a very dark
country as recently as the 1950s is now nearly covered with a blanket of
light. Much of this light is wasted energy, which means wasted dollars.
(11) Those of us over 35 are perhaps among the last generation to have
known truly dark nights. Even the northern lake where I was lucky to
spend my summers has seen its darkness diminish.
(12) It doesnt have to be this way. Light pollution is readily within our
ability to solve, using new lighting technologies and shielding existing
lights. Already, many cities and towns across North America and Europe
are changing to LED streetlights, (13) which offer dramatic possibilities
for controlling wasted light. Other communities are finding success
with simply turning off portions of their public lighting after midnight.
(14) Even Paris, the famed city of light, which already turns off its
monument lighting after 1 a.m., will this summer start to require its
shops, offices and public buildings to turn off lights after 2 a.m. Though
primarily designed to save energy, such reductions in light will also go
far in addressing light pollution. (15) But we will never truly address the
problem of light pollution until we become aware of the irreplaceable
value and beauty of the darkness we are losing.

123

(8) The writer makes a stylistic choice

here, contrasting a crowded, louder,
more fast-paced world with darkness
that can provide solitude, quiet and
stillness. These words allow the
writer to characterize a well-lit world
as undesirable and to depict darkness
as peaceful and pleasing.
(9) The use of rhetorical questions
encourages the reader to consider a
world without Van Goghs beloved
painting and what Van Goghs vision
inspires in us all. The suggestion of a
world without such artistry and the
notion that darkness is invaluable for
a soulful life are also designed to evoke
an emotional reaction in the reader.
(10) This statistic is used as evidence
to support the claim that our nights
are growing brighter, which leads
into the writers point that this
blanket of light is largely wasted
energy, which means wasted dollars.
(11) By returning to the introductions
description of a youth spent admiring
dark nights, the writer creates another
emotional appeal this one to fear,
especially in readers under thirty-five
years old, who may now realize that
their opportunities to witness true
darkness are diminishing.
(12) The writer moves from evoking
fear to reassuring readers that there
is a solution to the problem of light
pollution.

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(13) The writer chooses his words

carefully in this paragraph in order to
shape readers perceptions and bolster
his claims. For example, he argues
that we are using too much light
when less is needed by referring to
light being wasted. He also suggests
how easily the problem of light
pollution might be addressed, using
simply to describe what other
communities are doing.
(14) The writer reasons that if even
a city known for its light can enact
sensible restrictions, it ought to be
comparatively easy for cities not
famous for their use of light to do so
as well. Paris is also used as evidence
to support the writers previous
claim that communities are finding
success.
(15) The argument concludes by
recalling the irreplaceable value
and beauty of darkness. That this
darkness is being lost, as evidenced
over the course of the writers
argument, serves as a final appeal to
readers emotions.

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Sample Essay Prompt 2

The following sample Essay prompt is followed by an annotated version

of the source text that suggests some of the ways that students might
analyze the text in response to the prompt. The annotations are only
examples of elements of the passage students may choose to write about.

As you read the passage below, consider how Dana Gioia uses

evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.

reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion,
to add power to the ideas expressed.

Adapted from Why Literature Matters by Dana Gioia. 2005 by The

New York Times Company. Originally published April 10, 2005.
[A] strange thing has happened in the American arts during the past
quarter century. While income rose to unforeseen levels, college
attendance ballooned, and access to information increased enormously,
the interest young Americans showed in the artsand especially
literatureactually diminished.
According to the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts,
a population study designed and commissioned by the National
Endowment for the Arts (and executed by the US Bureau of the Census),
arts participation by Americans has declined for eight of the nine major
forms that are measured. . . . The declines have been most severe among
younger adults (ages 1824). The most worrisome finding in the 2002
study, however, is the declining percentage of Americans, especially
young adults, reading literature.
That individuals at a time of crucial intellectual and emotional
development bypass the joys and challenges of literature is a troubling
trend. If it were true that they substituted histories, biographies, or
political works for literature, one might not worry. But book reading of
any kind is falling as well.

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That such a longstanding and fundamental cultural activity should slip

so swiftly, especially among young adults, signifies deep transformations

in contemporary life. To call attention to the trend, the Arts Endowment

issued the reading portion of the Survey as a separate report, Reading

at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America.

The decline in reading has consequences that go beyond literature.

The significance of reading has become a persistent theme in the

business world. The February issue of Wired magazine, for example,

sketches a new set of mental skills and habits proper to the 21st century,

aptitudes decidedly literary in character: not linear, logical, analytical

talents, author Daniel Pink states, but the ability to create artistic

and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities, to craft a

satisfying narrative. When asked what kind of talents they like to see

in management positions, business leaders consistently set imagination,

creativity, and higher-order thinking at the top.

Ironically, the value of reading and the intellectual faculties that it

inculcates appear most clearly as active and engaged literacy declines.

There is now a growing awareness of the consequences of nonreading

to the workplace. In 2001 the National Association of Manufacturers

polled its members on skill deficiencies among employees. Among

hourly workers, poor reading skills ranked second, and 38 percent of

employers complained that local schools inadequately taught reading

comprehension.

The decline of reading is also taking its toll in the civic sphere. . . .

A 2003 study of 15- to 26-year-olds civic knowledge by the National

Conference of State Legislatures concluded, Young people do not

understand the ideals of citizenship . . . and their appreciation and

support of American democracy is limited.

It is probably no surprise that declining rates of literary reading coincide

with declining levels of historical and political awareness among young

people. One of the surprising findings of Reading at Risk was that

literary readers are markedly more civically engaged than nonreaders,

scoring two to four times more likely to perform charity work, visit a

museum, or attend a sporting event. One reason for their higher social

and cultural interactions may lie in the kind of civic and historical

knowledge that comes with literary reading. . . .

The evidence of literatures importance to civic, personal, and

economic health is too strong to ignore. The decline of literary reading

foreshadows serious long-term social and economic problems, and it

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is time to bring literature and the other arts into discussions of public
policy. Libraries, schools, and public agencies do noble work, but
addressing the reading issue will require the leadership of politicians and
the business community as well. . . .
Reading is not a timeless, universal capability. Advanced literacy is
a specific intellectual skill and social habit that depends on a great
many educational, cultural, and economic factors. As more Americans
lose this capability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and
independent-minded. These are not the qualities that a free, innovative,
or productive society can afford to lose.

Write an essay in which you explain how Dana Gioia builds an argument
to persuade his audience that the decline of reading in America will have
a negative effect on society. In your essay, analyze how Gioia uses one
or more of the features listed in the box above (or features of your own
choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be
sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.
Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Gioias claims, but
rather explain how Gioia builds an argument to persuade his audience.

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Annotated Version of Prompt 2s Passage

Adapted from Why Literature Matters by Dana Gioia. 2005 by
The New York Times Company. Originally published April 10, 2005.
[A] strange thing has happened in the American arts during the past
quarter century. (1) While income rose to unforeseen levels, college
attendance ballooned, and access to information increased enormously,
the interest young Americans showed in the artsand especially
literatureactually diminished.
(2) According to the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts,
a population study designed and commissioned by the National
Endowment for the Arts (and executed by the US Bureau of the Census),
arts participation by Americans has declined for eight of the nine major
forms that are measured. . . . The declines have been most severe among
younger adults (ages 1824). The most worrisome finding in the 2002
study, however, is the declining percentage of Americans, especially
young adults, reading literature.
That individuals at a time of crucial intellectual and emotional
development bypass the joys and challenges of literature is a troubling
trend. If it were true that they substituted histories, biographies, or
political works for literature, one might not worry. But book reading of
any kind is falling as well.
That such a (3) longstanding and fundamental cultural activity
should slip so swiftly, especially among young adults, signifies deep
transformations in contemporary life. To call attention to the trend, the
Arts Endowment issued the reading portion of the Survey as a separate
report, Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America.
(4) The decline in reading has consequences that go beyond literature.
The significance of reading has become a persistent theme in the
business world. The February issue of Wired magazine, for example,
sketches a new set of mental skills and habits proper to the 21st century,
aptitudes decidedly literary in character: not linear, logical, analytical
talents, author Daniel Pink states, but the ability to create artistic
and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities, to craft a
satisfying narrative. When asked what kind of talents they like to see
in management positions, business leaders consistently set imagination,
creativity, and higher-order thinking at the top.

12 8

(1) To highlight the irony and gravity

of a dwindling percentage of readers,
the writer juxtaposes the rise in
income, college attendance, and
access to college education to the
decline in young Americans interest
in the arts and in literature.
(2) The writer cites data
commissioned by an authoritative
source (the National Endowment
for the Arts) to lend credibility to
his subsequent point that there is
a troubling trend of individuals
in a time of crucial intellectual and
emotional development bypass[ing]
the joys and challenges of literature.
(3) The writer uses precisely chosen,
powerful words to characterize
reading as a longstanding and
fundamental cultural activity that
is slip[ping] . . . swiftly among
young adults. This juxtaposition of
words underscores the writers claim
that this development signifies deep
transformations in contemporary
life and thereby creates a compelling
appeal to readers emotions.
(4) The writer synthesizes
multiple sources of evidence (e.g.,
the previously mentioned arts
endowment survey, Wired magazine)
as part of reasoning that concludes
that the decrease in reading has
implications outside of literature. The
writer then connects this point to
his subsequent claim that the skills
necessary for life in the twenty-first
century are decidedly literary in
character. He goes on to cite another
authoritative source as further
evidence of the continuing need for
literary achievement.

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Ironically, the value of reading and the intellectual faculties that

it inculcates appear most clearly as active and engaged literacy
declines. There is now a growing awareness of the consequences of
nonreading to the workplace. (5) In 2001 the National Association
of Manufacturers polled its members on skill deficiencies among
employees. Among hourly workers, poor reading skills ranked
second, and 38 percent of employers complained that local schools
inadequately taught reading comprehension.
(6) The decline of reading is also taking its toll in the civic sphere....
A 2003 study of 15- to 26-year-olds civic knowledge by the National
Conference of State Legislatures concluded, Young people do not
understand the ideals of citizenship. . . and their appreciation and
support of American democracy is limited.
It is probably no surprise that declining rates of literary reading
coincide with declining levels of historical and political awareness
among young people. (7) One of the surprising findings of Reading
at Risk was that literary readers are markedly more civically
engaged than nonreaders, scoring two to four times more likely to
perform charity work, visit a museum, or attend a sporting event.
One reason for their higher social and cultural interactions may lie
in the kind of civic and historical knowledge that comes with literary
reading. . . .
The evidence of literatures importance to (8) civic, personal, and
economic health is too strong to ignore. The decline of literary
reading foreshadows serious long-term social and economic
problems, and it is time to bring literature and the other arts into
discussions of public policy. Libraries, schools, and public agencies
do noble work, but addressing the reading issue will require the
leadership of politicians and the business community as well.
Reading is not a timeless, universal capability. Advanced literacy is
a specific intellectual skill and social habit that depends on a great
many educational, cultural, and economic factors. (9) As more
Americans lose this capability, our nation becomes less informed,
active, and independent-minded. These are not the qualities that a
free, innovative, or productive society can afford to lose.

1 29

(5) The writer provides survey data

as evidence to support his point in
the previous paragraph that the
significance of reading has become
a persistent theme in the business
world. This point and supporting
evidence contribute to the writers
central claim that the decline in
reading skills among young adults has
negative long-term consequences.
(6) The writer again uses data, this
time from a 2003 study, as further
evidence to support his earlier claim
that the decline in reading has farreaching consequences. Here, his
evidence links the decline in reading
to deterioration in the civic sphere
and waning appreciation and
support of American democracy.
(7) By referring to this report again,
this time in the context of discussing
a decline in civic engagement, the
writer further supports the point he
has just made.
(8) The writer contrasts civic,
personal, and economic health
with serious long-term social
and economic problems, which is
intended to frame a critical choice
between potentially poor outcomes
and a vital future.
(9) The writer uses the final sentences
of the passage as an appeal to fear and
national pride by warning that unless
more emphasis is placed on reading,
the United States will become less
informed, active, and independentminded. These lines serve as an
emotional call to action and raise the
stakes of the argument the writer is
making.

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Executive Summary
sec tion i

Behind the Redesign

sec tion ii

The Redesigned SAT: Evidentiary Foundation

section iii

Test Specific tions: SAT Evidence-Based

Reading and Writing and SAT Essay

section iv

Test Specific tions: SAT Math Test

sec tion v

Our Commitment

appendix a

The Craft of Developing the SAT: How We Do It

These draft test specific tions, sample questions and other materials are just that
drafts and will systematically evolve over time. These sample questions are meant
to illustrate the shifts in the redesigned SAT and are not a full refle tion of what will
be tested. Actual questions used on the exam are going through extensive reviews
and pretesting to help ensure that they are clear and fair and that they measure what
is intended. The test specific tions as well as the research foundation defining wh t is
measured on the test will continue to be refined based on ongoing esearch.

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section iv

test specifications: sat math test

A Transparent Blueprint

This section describes the content, format, and distinctive new features
of the Math Test in the redesigned sat, as well as the skills it measures.
This section also includes annotated sample questions that help illustrate
central aspects of the test.
OVERALL CLAIM FOR THE TEST
The redesigned sats Math Test is intended to collect evidence in support
of the following claim about student performance:
Students have fluency with, understanding of, and the
ability to apply the mathematical concepts, skills, and
practices that are most strongly prerequisite and central to
their ability to progress through a range of college courses,
career training, and career opportunities.

TEST DESCRIPTION
In keeping with the evidence about essential requirements for college
and career readiness described in Section II, the redesigned sat will
require a stronger command of fewer, more important topics. To succeed
on the redesigned sat, students will need to exhibit mathematical
practices, such as problem solving and using appropriate tools
strategically. The sat will also provide opportunities for richer applied
problems.
The redesigned sats Math Test has four content areas:

Heart of Algebra
Problem Solving and Data Analysis
Passport to Advanced Math

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Additional Topics in Math

Questions in each content area span the full range of difficulty and
address relevant practices, fluency, and conceptual understanding.

Test Summary
The following table summarizes the key content dimensions of the
redesigned sats Math Test.
SAT MATH TEST CONTENT SPECIFICATIONS
Time Allotted

80 minutes

Calculator Portion (38 questions)

55 minutes

No-Calculator Portion (20 questions)

25 minutes
number

percentage of test

Total Items

58 questions

100%

Multiple Choice (MC, 4 options)

45 questions

78%

Student-Produced Response (SPR grid-in)

13 questions

22%

19 questions

33%

17 questions

29%

16 questions

28%

Contribution of Items to Subscores

Heart of Algebra
Analyzing and fluently solving equations and
systems of equations
Creating expressions, equations, and inequalities to
represent relationships between quantities and to
solve problems
Rearranging and interpreting formulas
Problem Solving and Data Analysis
Creating and analyzing relationships using ratios,
proportions, percentages, and units
Describing relationships shown graphically
Summarizing qualitative and quantitative data
Passport to Advanced Math
Rewriting expressions using their structure
Creating, analyzing, and fluently solving quadratic
and higher-order equations

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SAT MATH TEST CONTENT SPECIFICATIONS

Manipulating polynomials purposefully to solve
problems
6 questions

10%

Analysis in Science

8 questions

14%

Analysis in History/Social Studies

8 questions

14%

Additional Topics in Math*

Making area and volume calculations in context
Investigating lines, angles, triangles, and circles
using theorems
Working with trigonometric functions
Contribution of Items to Cross-Test Scores

*Questions under Additional Topics in Math contribute to the total Math Test score but do not contribute to a subscore within the Math Test.

The test covers all mathematical practices, with an emphasis on problem

solving, modeling, using appropriate tools strategically, and looking for
and making use of structure to do algebra. The practices emphasized
in the redesigned sat are central to the demands of postsecondary
work. Problem solving requires students to make sense of problems and
persevere to solve them, a skill highly rated by postsecondary instructors
(Conley et al., Reaching the Goal, 2011). Modeling stresses applications
characteristic of the entire postsecondary curriculum. Students will
be asked throughout high school, college, and careers to make choices
about which tools to use in solving problems. Finally, structure is
fundamental to algebra and to other more advanced mathematics.
As indicated in the test specifications above, the Math Test has two
portions. One is a 55-minute portion comprising 38 questions for which
students are allowed to use calculators to solve the problems. The other
is a 25-minute portion comprising 20 questions for which students are
not allowed to use calculators to solve the problems. The blueprint for
each of these portions is shown below.

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CALCULATOR PORTION
Number of Questions
Total Questions
Multiple Choice (MC)
Student-Produced Response (SPR grid-in)

% of Test

38

100%

30

79%

21%

38

100%

Heart of Algebra

11

29%

Problem Solving and Data Analysis

Content Categories

17

45%

Passport to Advanced Math

18%

Additional Topics in Math

8%

Time Allocated

55 minutes

NO-CALCULATOR PORTION
Number of Questions
Total Questions
Multiple Choice (MC)
Student-Produced Response (SPR grid-in)
Content Categories

20

100%

15

75%

25%

20

100%

Heart of Algebra

40%

Passport to Advanced Math

45%

Additional Topics in Math

15%

Time Allocated

13 4

% of Test

25 minutes

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Detailed Description of the Content and Skills

Measured by the SAT Math Test

The sat has been redesigned to better align to what research shows
students need to know and be able to do in order to be prepared for
college and careers. This goal has led to a more focused sat with a
balance across fluency, conceptual understanding, and application.
In these and other ways, such as embedding mathematical practices,
the redesigned sat is also a good reflection of college- and
career-ready standards.
We will continue to be guided by research and evidence as we develop
the redesigned sat. In the months leading up to its release, for example,
we may find through research that we need to adjust elements described
in this document, such as time limits, number of questions or tasks, or
scores reported. When and if we make these or other changes, we will
do so solely to enhance the validity evidence supporting the test for its
intended purposes, and we will communicate those changes as widely as
possible and in a timely manner.

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HEART OF ALGEBRA: LINEAR EQUATIONS AND FUNCTIONS

SAT HEART OF ALGEBRA DOMAIN

Content Dimension

Description

Application
1. Create, solve, or interpret linear
equations in one variable.

The student will create, solve, or interpret a linear expression or equation in

one variable that represents a context. The expression or equation will have
rational coefficients, and multiple steps may be required to simplify the
expression, simplify the equation, or solve for the variable in the equation.

2. Create, solve, or interpret linear

inequalities in one variable.

The student will create, solve, or interpret a linear inequality in one variable
that represents a context. The inequality will have rational coefficients, and
multiple steps may be required to simplify or solve for the variable.

3. Build a linear function that models

a linear relationship between two
quantities.

The student will describe a linear relationship that models a context using either
an equation in two variables or function notation. The equation or function will
have rational coefficients, and multiple steps may be required to build and
simplify the equation or function.

4. Create, solve, and interpret systems

of linear inequalities in two variables.

The student will analyze one or more constraints that exist between two variables
by creating, solving, or interpreting an inequality in two variables or a system of
inequalities in two variables to represent a context. Multiple steps may be required
to create the inequality or system of inequalities or to determine whether a given
point is in the solution set.

5. Create, solve, and interpret systems of

two linear equations in two variables.

The student will analyze one or more constraints that exist between two variables
by creating, solving, or analyzing a system of linear equations to represent a
context. The equations will have rational coefficients, and multiple steps may
be required to simplify or solve the system.

Fluency
6. Solve linear equations in one variable.

The student will algebraically solve an equation (or inequality) in one variable. The
equation (or inequality) will have rational coefficients and may require multiple
steps to solve for the variable; the equation may yield no solution, one solution,
or infinitely many solutions. The student may also be asked to determine the
value of a constant or coefficient for an equation with no solution or infinitely
many solutions.

7. Solve systems of two linear equations

in two variables.

The student will algebraically solve a system of two linear equations in two
variables. The equations will have rational coefficients, and the system may yield
no solution, one solution, or infinitely many solutions. The student may also
be asked to determine the value of a constant or coefficient of an equation in
which the system has no solution, one solution, or infinitely many solutions.

Conceptual Understanding
8. Interpret the variables and constants
in expressions for linear functions
within the context presented.

136

The student will make connections between a context and the linear equation
that models the context and will identify or describe the real-life meaning of a
constant term, a variable, or a feature of the given equation.

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SAT HEART OF ALGEBRA DOMAIN

Content Dimension

Description

9. Understand connections
between algebraic and graphical
representations.

The student will select a graph described by a given linear equation, select a linear
equation that describes a given graph, determine the equation of a line given
a verbal description of its graph, determine key features of the graph of a linear
function from its equation, or determine how a graph may be impacted by a
change in its equation.

Algebra is the language of much of high school mathematics, and

it is also an important prerequisite for advanced mathematics and
postsecondary education in many subjects. The redesigned sat focuses
strongly on algebra and recognizes in particular the essentials of the
subject that are most essential for success in college and careers. Heart
of Algebra will assess students ability to analyze, fluently solve, and
create linear equations and inequalities. Students will also be expected
to analyze and fluently solve equations and systems of equations using
multiple techniques.
To assess full command of the material, these problems will vary
significantly in form and appearance. Problems may be straightforward
fluency exercises or may pose challenges of strategy or understanding,
such as interpreting the interplay between graphical and algebraic
representations or solving as a process of reasoning. Students will
be required to demonstrate both procedural skill and a deeper
understanding of the concepts that undergird linear equations and
functions to successfully exhibit a command of the Heart of Algebra.
Mastering linear equations and functions has clear benefits to
students. The ability to use linear equations to model scenarios and to
represent unknown quantities is powerful across the curriculum in the
postsecondary classroom as well as in the workplace. Further, linear
equations and functions remain the bedrock upon which much of
advanced mathematics is built. Consider, for example, that
derivatives in calculus are used to approximate curves by straight lines
and to approximate nonlinear functions by linear ones. Without a strong
foundation in the core of algebra, much of this advanced work
remains inaccessible.

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PROBLEM SOLVING AND DATA ANALYSIS: PROPORTIONAL

RELATIONSHIPS, PERCENTAGES, COMPLEX MEASUREMENTS,
AND DATA INTERPRETATION AND SYNTHESIS
SAT PROBLEM SOLVING AND DATA ANALYSIS DOMAIN
Content Dimension

Description

Application
1. Use ratios, rates, proportional
relationships, and scale drawings to
solve single- and multistep problems.

The student will use a proportional relationship between two variables to solve
a multistep problem to determine a ratio or rate; calculate a ratio or rate and
then solve a multistep problem; take a given ratio or rate and solve a multistep
problem.

2. Solve single- and multistep problems

involving percentages.

The student will solve a multistep problem to determine a percentage; calculate

a percentage and then solve a multistep problem; take a given percentage and
solve a multistep problem.

3. Solve single- and multistep problems

involving measurement quantities,
units, and unit conversion.

The student will solve a multistep problem to determine a unit rate; calculate
a unit rate and then solve a multistep problem; solve a multistep problem to
complete a unit conversion; solve a multistep problem to calculate density; use
the concept of density to solve a multistep problem.

4. Given a scatterplot, use linear,

quadratic, or exponential models
to describe how the variables are
related.

The student will, given a scatterplot, select the equation of a line or curve of best
fit; interpret the line in the context of the situation; use the line or curve of best fit
to make a prediction.

5. Use the relationship between two

variables to investigate key features
of the graph.

The student will make connections between the graphical representation of a

relationship and properties of the graph by selecting the graph that represents
the properties described; using the graph to identify a value or set of values.

6. Compare linear growth with

exponential growth.

The student will infer the connection between two variables given a context
in order to determine what type of model fits best.

7. Use two-way tables to summarize

categorical data and relative
frequencies, and calculate
conditional probability.

The student will summarize categorical data or use categorical data to calculate
conditional frequencies; conditional probabilities; association of variables;
independence of events.

8. Make inferences about population

parameters based on sample data.

The student will estimate a population parameter given the results from a
random sample of the population. The sample statistics may mention confidence
intervals and measurement error that the student should understand and make
use of, but need not calculate.

9. Use statistics to investigate measures

of center of data and analyze shape,
center, and spread.

The student will calculate measures of center and/or spread for a given set of
data or use given statistics to compare two separate sets of data. The measures
of center that may be calculated include mean, median, and mode, and the
measures of spread that may be calculated include range. When comparing
two data sets, the student may investigate mean, median, mode, range, and/or
standard deviation.

10. Evaluate reports to make inferences,

justify conclusions, and determine
appropriateness of data collection
methods.

The student will evaluate reports to make inferences, justify conclusions, and
determine appropriateness of data collection methods. The reports may consist of
tables, graphs, and text summaries.

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The redesigned sat s Math Test has responded to the research evidence
identifying what is essential for college readiness and success by focusing
significantly on problem solving and data analysis: the ability to create
a representation of a problem, consider the units involved, attend to
the meaning of quantities, and know and use different properties of
operations and objects. Problems in this category will require significant
quantitative reasoning about ratios, rates, and proportional relationships
and will place a premium on understanding and applying unit rate.
Interpreting and synthesizing data are widely applicable skills in
postsecondary education and careers. In the redesigned sat s Math Test,
students will be expected to identify quantitative measures of center, the
overall pattern, and any striking deviations from the overall pattern and
spread in one or two different data sets. This includes recognizing the
effects of outliers on the measures of center of a data set. In keeping with
the need to stress widely applicable prerequisites, the redesigned sat
emphasizes applying core concepts and methods of statistics, rather than
covering broadly a vast range of statistical techniques.
Finally, the redesigned sats Math Test emphasizes students ability to
apply math to solve problems in rich and varied contexts and features
problems that require the application of problem solving and data analysis
to solve problems in science, social studies, and career-related contexts.

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PASSPORT TO ADVANCED MATH:

ANALYZING ADVANCED EXPRESSIONS
SAT PASSPORT TO ADVANCED MATH DOMAIN
Content Dimension

Description

Application
1. Create quadratic or exponential
functions.

The student will create a quadratic or exponential function or equation that

models a context. The equation will have rational coefficients and may
require multiple steps to simplify or solve the equation.

2. Choose and produce equivalent

forms of expressions to reveal and
explain properties of a quantity.

The student will, given a context, determine the most suitable form of an
expression or equation to reveal a particular trait.

Procedural Skill and Fluency

3. Create equivalent expressions
involving radicals and rational
exponents.

The student will create equivalent expressions involving rational exponents and
radicals, including simplifying or rewriting in other forms.

4. Create equivalent forms of

expressions by using structure.

The student will create an equivalent form of an algebraic expression by

using structure and fluency with operations.

5. Solve quadratic equations.

The student will solve a quadratic equation having rational coefficients. The
equation can be presented in a wide range of forms to reward attending to
algebraic structure and can require manipulation in order to solve.

6. Perform arithmetic operations on

polynomials.

The student will add, subtract, and multiply polynomial expressions and
simplify the result. The expressions will have rational coefficients.

7. Solve radical and rational equations

in one variable, including examples
where there are extraneous
solutions.

The student will solve an equation in one variable that contains radicals or
contains the variable in the denominator of a fraction. The equation will have
rational coefficients, and the student may be required to identify when a
resulting solution is extraneous.

8. Solve a system of equations

consisting of one linear and one
quadratic equation in two variables.

The student will solve a system of one linear equation and one
quadratic equation. The equations will have rational coefficients.

9. Rewrite simple rational expressions.

The student will add, subtract, multiply, or divide two rational expressions or
divide two polynomial expressions and simplify the result. The expressions
will have rational coefficients.

Conceptual Understanding
10. Interpret parts of nonlinear
expressions in terms of their context.

The student will make connections between a context and the nonlinear equation
that models the context to identify or describe the real-life meaning of a constant
term, a variable, or a feature of the given equation.

11. Understand the relationship between

zeros and factors of polynomials; use
it to sketch graphs.

The student will use properties of factorable polynomials to solve conceptual

problems relating to zeros, such as determining whether an expression is a factor
of a polynomial based on other information provided.

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SAT PASSPORT TO ADVANCED MATH DOMAIN

Content Dimension

Description

12. Understand a nonlinear relationship

between two variables by making
connections between their algebraic
and graphical representations.

The student will select a graph corresponding to a given nonlinear equation,

interpret graphs in the context of solving systems of equations, select a nonlinear
equation corresponding to a given graph, determine the equation of a curve
given a verbal description of a graph, determine key features of the graph of a
linear function from its equation, or determine the impact to a graph of a change
in the defining equ tion.

13. Use function notation, and

interpret statements using function
notation.

The student will use function notation to solve conceptual problems related to
transformations and compositions of functions.

14. Use structure to isolate or identify a

quantity of interest in an expression
or isolate a quantity of interest in an
equation.

The student will rearrange an equation or formula to isolate a single variable or a

quantity of interest.

As a test that provides an entry point to postsecondary education and

careers, the redesigned sat s Math Test will include topics that are
central to the ability of students to progress to later, more advanced
mathematics. Problems in Passport to Advanced Math will cover topics
that have great relevance and utility for college and career work.
Chief among these topics is the understanding of the structure of
expressions and the ability to analyze, manipulate, and rewrite these
expressions. This includes an understanding of the key parts of
expressions, such as terms, factors, and coefficients, and the ability
to interpret complicated expressions made up of these components.
Students will be able to show their skill in rewriting expressions,
identifying equivalent forms of expressions, and understanding the
purpose of different forms.
This category also includes reasoning with more complex equations,
including solving quadratic and higher-order equations in one variable
and understanding the graphs of quadratic and higher-order functions.
Finally, this category includes the ability to interpret and build functions,
another skill crucial for success in later mathematics and scientific fields.

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ADDITIONAL TOPICS IN MATH

SAT ADDITIONAL TOPICS IN MATH DOMAIN

Content Dimension

Description

Application
1. Solve problems using volume
formulas.

The student will use given information about figures, such as length of a side,
area of a face, or volume of a solid, to calculate missing information. Any required
volume formulas will be provided to students either on the formula sheet or
within the question.

2. Use trigonometric ratios and the

Pythagorean Theorem to solve
applied problems involving right
triangles.

The student will use information about triangle side lengths or angles presented
in a context to calculate missing information using the Pythagorean theorem and/
or trigonometric ratios.

Procedural Skill and Fluency

3. Perform arithmetic operations on
complex numbers.

The student will add, subtract, multiply, divide, and simplify complex numbers.

4. Convert between degrees and

radians and use radians to determine
arc lengths; use trigonometric
functions of radian measure.

The student will convert between angle measures in degrees and radians in
order to calculate arc lengths by recognizing the relationship between an angle
measured in radians and an arc length, evaluating trigonometric functions of
angles in radians.

5. Apply theorems about circles to find

arc lengths, angle measures, chord
lengths, and areas of sectors.

The student will use given information about circles and lines to calculate missing
values for radius, diameter, chord length, angle, arc, and sector area.

Conceptual Understanding
6. Use concepts and theorems about
congruence and similarity to solve
problems about lines, angles, and
triangles.

The student will use theorems about triangles and intersecting lines to determine
missing lengths and angle measures of triangles. The student may also be asked
to provide a missing length or angle to satisfy a given theorem.

7. Use the relationship between

similarity, right triangles, and
trigonometric ratios; use the
relationship between sine and cosine
of complementary angles.

The student will use trigonometry and theorems about triangles and intersecting
lines to determine missing lengths and angle measures of right triangles. The
student may also be asked to provide a missing length or angle that would satisfy
a given theorem.

8. Create or use an equation in two

variables to solve a problem about a
circle in the coordinate plane.

The student will create an equation or use properties of an equation of a circle to

demonstrate or determine a property of the circles graph.

While the overwhelming majority of problems on the redesigned

sats Math Test fall into the first three domains, the test also addresses
additional topics in high school math. In keeping with the approach
described in Section II, patterns of selection for these are governed by
evidence about their relevance to postsecondary education and work. The
additional topics include essential geometric and trigonometric concepts
and the Pythagorean Theorem, which become powerful methods of
analysis and problem solving when connected to other math domains.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS ILLUSTRATING DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

OF THE REDESIGNED SATS MATH TEST
The following distinctive features of the redesigned sats Math Test are
illustrated by sample questions that reflect the following:

An emphasis on mathematical reasoning over reasoning questions

disconnected from the mathematics curriculum

A strong emphasis on both fluency and understanding

Richer applications, emphasizing career, science, and social studies
applications

Item sets that allow for more than one question about a given scenario
A no-calculator portion

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REASONING ON THE REDESIGNED SATS MATH TEST WILL

CONNECT MORE DIRECTLY TO ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR
COLLEGE READINESS THAT ARE PART OF A RIGOROUS
HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM.
To see what this shift means, consider the following
question from the current sat: 1

Family
Jackson

Number of
Consecutive
Nights
10

Callan

Epstein

Liu

Benton

The table above shows the number of consecutive

nights that each of five families stayed at a certain
hotel during a 14-night period. If the Liu familys
stay did not overlap with the Benton familys stay,
which of the 14 nights could be a night on which
only one of the five families stayed at the hotel?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

The 3rd
The 5th
The 6th
The 8th
The 10th

This question presents the student with a reasoning

puzzle unrelated to the school mathematics
curriculum. Being able to solve unfamiliar
problems is valuable, but a test based entirely on
this idea does not provide as much assurance that
students have learned essential math skills and
practices nor does it reward students for their
hard work in doing so.
The redesigned sats Math Test focuses on applied
reasoning skills that are both essential for college
readiness and taught in challenging high school
math classrooms. This means that the questions
will require reasoning and insight as they relate to
important curricular skills such as looking for and
making use of algebraic structure. In contrast to the
question on the left, consider the following sample
from the Heart of Algebra category:
example 1: Sample item from the redesigned sat

If

1
1
x + y = 4 , what is the value of 3x + 2y ?
2
3

A student may find the solution to this Heart of

Algebra problem by noticing the structure of the
given equation and seeing that multiplying both
1
1
sides of the equation x + y = 4 ,by 6 to clear
2
3
fractions from the equation yields 3x
24.
3x ++ 2y
2y == 24.

College Board, Official SAT Practice Test 201314 (New York: Author, 2013).

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A STRONG EMPHASIS ON BOTH FLUENCY

AND UNDERSTANDING

In Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics, the National Research

Council (NRC) identified procedural fluency and conceptual understanding
as two of the five components of mathematical proficiency. The NRC calls
for their inclusion in curricula, instructional materials, and assessments
as they define what it means to learn math successfully.2 As students
cannot be ready for college and career without being mathematically
proficient, the redesigned sat assesses fluency with mathematical
procedures and conceptual understanding with equal intensity.
The following two sample questions show some of the ways in which
fluency and understanding are important on the redesigned sat.
example 2

4x - y = 3y + 7
x + 8y = 4
Based on the system of equations above, what is the value of
the product xy?
A)

3
2

B)

1
4

C)
1
2
D) 11
9
Example 2, again from Heart of Algebra, rewards fluency in solving pairs
of simultaneous linear equations. Rather than looking for a clever way of
back solving the value of the product xy from the system, students can
solve the system for the values of x and y, then simply multiply them to
get choice C, 1 . Note that because the system is not given in standard
2

form, this requires doing some additional algebra, further reinforcing

the need for fluency.
2

National Research Council,Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics (Washington, DC: The National
Academies Press, 2001).

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example 3

The function f is defined by f (x) = 2x 3 + 3x 2 + cx + 8, where c is a

constant. In the xy-plane, the graph of f intersects the x-axis at the three
points (4, 0), ( 1 , 0), and (p, 0). What is the value of c?
2
A) 18
B) 2
C)
2
D) 10

Example 3, from Passport to Advanced Math, assesses conceptual

understanding of polynomials and their graphs. If a student understands
these concepts and requires, for example, the point (4, 0) to lie on the
graph, this results in 0 = 2(4)3 + 3(4)2 + c(4) + 8. A student who
looks for and makes use of structure will monitor the calculation at this
point and recognize an equation that determines the desired value of
c, 18. Seeing that he or she is on the right track, the student will then
perform the calculations required to solve for c.

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RICHER APPLICATIONS, EMPHASIZING CAREER,

SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL STUDIES APPLICATIONS
In response to evidence about essential prerequisites for college
and career readiness and success, the redesigned sats Math Test
requires students to apply their mathematics knowledge, skills, and
understandings in challenging, authentic contexts. Students taking the
Math Test will encounter a range of disciplines and will be asked to
address real-world problems drawn from science, social studies, and
careers and demonstrate a capacity for sustained reasoning over the
multiple steps required to answer many of the questions on the exam.
In these ways, the Math Test also rewards and incentivizes valuable work
in the classroom.
Applications on the redesigned sats Math Test require students to
demonstrate the ability to analyze a situation, determine the essential
elements required to solve the problem, represent the problem
mathematically, and carry out a solution. These applications often also
require linking topics within the mathematics domain (e.g., functions
and statistics) and across disciplines (e.g., math and science). Learning
to model and problem solve is enhanced when students use the same
mathematics (e.g., linear equations) to solve problems in different
contexts (e.g., science, social studies, or careers).
Example 4 below is based on real-world methods (aerial observations of
wintering spots, or synoptic counts) used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service to count manatees, a type of sea mammal. This type of item is
an excellent way of connecting linear functions to statistics. In this item,
students are not required to model the line of best fit completely, but
they are required to decontextualize the item to understand that they
must compute the slope of the line of best fit to get the correct answer, 150.

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example 4

Count of Manatees

Number of Manatees

6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

Year
The scatterplot above shows counts of Florida manatees, a type of sea
mammal, from 1991 to 2011. Based on the line of best fit to the data
shown, which of the following values is closest to the average yearly
increase in the number of manatees?
A)
0.75
B) 75
C) 150
D) 750

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Example 5 below is another rich application item that uses a science

context to make a connection across math domains (functions and
statistics) and across subjects (math and science). In this item, students
need to synthesize the information given in the graph and the prompt
and determine which pieces of information in the graph will help
provide them with a correct statement about the data.
example 5

Bacteria Growth

Area Covered (sq cm)

10

Dish 1
8

Dish 2
5

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Time (h)

A researcher places two colonies of bacteria into two petri dishes that

each have area 10 square centimeters. After the initial placement of the

bacteria (t = 0), the researcher measures and records the area covered by

the bacteria in each dish every ten minutes. The data for each dish were

fit by a smooth curve, as shown above, where each curve represents the

area of a dish covered by bacteria as a function of time, in hours. Which

of the following is a correct statement about the data above?

A)
B)
C)
D)

149

At time t = 0, both dishes are 100% covered by bacteria.

At time t = 0, bacteria covers 10% of Dish 1 and 20% of Dish 2.

At time t = 0, Dish 2 is covered with 50% more bacteria than Dish 1.

For the first hour, the area covered in Dish 2 is increasing at a higher

average rate than the area covered in Dish 1.

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ITEM SETS THAT ALLOW FOR MORE THAN ONE QUESTION

ABOUT A GIVEN SCENARIO
Asking more than one question about a given scenario allows students
taking the redesigned sat to do more sustained thinking and explore
situations in greater depth. Students will encounter longer problems
like these in their postsecondary work. By including item sets, the
redesigned sat rewards and incentivizes aligned, productive work
in classrooms.
Item sets can be used to dig deeper into a students understanding of
a construct or to make connections to other domains. For example,
one question from a set may ask about statistics and probability and
the next may ask about the function that models the data. In the
classroom, item sets manifest the connections between domains and
provide opportunities for students to practice and extend their skills of
abstraction, analysis, and communication.
Within this subset of questions, students will encounter:

career-related contexts, which could include scale drawings, estimation,

unit rates, percentages, and proportional relationships;

problem sets that make use of these contexts, allowing multiple

questions about a single stimulus;

real-life scenarios that will likely yield more complex solutions; and
real-life scenarios that might not be proportional; for instance, students
may be asked to demonstrate their proficiency with scaling quantities
that arent proportional or with situations of diminishing returns and
accelerated growth.

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item set:
In the classroom, item sets manifest
the connections between different
domains and provide opportunities
for students to practice and extend
their skills of abstraction, analysis,
and communication. In the
redesigned sat, item sets allow the
effective measurement of these skills
and inspire productive practice in
the classrooms.

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example 6

(This is a student-produced response item set. Students grid in their

answers, which are machine scored.)
An international bank issues its Traveler credit cards worldwide. When a
customer makes a purchase using a Traveler card in a currency different
from the customers home currency, the bank converts the purchase
price at the daily foreign exchange rate and then charges a 4% fee on the
converted cost.
Sara lives in the United States, but is on vacation in India. She used her
Traveler card for a purchase that cost 602 rupees (Indian currency). The
bank posted a charge of $9.88 to her account that included the 4% fee.
part 1

What foreign exchange rate, in Indian rupees per one U.S. dollar, did the
bank use for Saras charge? Round your answer to the nearest whole number.
part 2

A bank in India sells a prepaid credit card worth 7,500 rupees. Sara can
buy the prepaid card using dollars at the daily exchange rate with no fee,
but she will lose any money left unspent on the prepaid card. What is the
least number of the 7,500 rupees on the prepaid card Sara must spend
for the prepaid card to be cheaper than charging all her purchases on the
Traveler card? Round your answer to the nearest whole number of rupees.

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solution
part 1

$9.88 represents the conversion of 602 rupees plus a 4% fee on the

converted cost.
To calculate the original cost of the item in dollars, x:
1.04x = 9.88
x = 9.5

Since the original cost is $9.50, to calculate the exchange rate r, in Indian
rupees per one U.S. dollar:
9.50 dollars

r rupees
= 602 rupees
1 dollar

602

r=
9.50
63 rupees

part 2

Let d dollars be the cost of the 7,500-rupee prepaid card. This implies
d
that the exchange rate on this particular day is
dollars per
7,500
rupee. Suppose Saras total purchases on the prepaid card were r
d
r dollars. If Sara
rupees. The value of the r rupees in dollars is
7,500
spent the r rupees on the Traveler card instead, she would be charged
d
(1.04 )
r dollars. To answer the question about how many
7,500
rupees Sara must spend in order to make the Traveler card a cheaper

option (in dollars) for spending the r rupees, we set up the inequality
d
r
1.04
r d . Rewriting both sides reveals 1.04
d (1)d ,
7,500
7,500
r
1. Dividing on both sides by 1.04
from which we can infer 1.04
7,500
and multiplying on both sides by 7,500 finally yields r 7,212. Hence

the least number of rupees Sara must spend for the prepaid card to be
cheaper than the Traveler card is 7,212.

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Note that Example 6 is not a multiple-choice item. Responses are

gridded in by students, which often allows for multiple correct responses
and solution processes. Such items allow students to freely apply their
critical thinking skills when planning and implementing a solution.
Example 6 is also an item set that includes two student-produced
response questions. Student-produced response item set questions on
the redesigned sat measure the complex knowledge and skills that
require students to deeply think through the solutions to problems. Set
within a range of real-world contexts, these questions require students
to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them; make
connections between and among the different parts of a stimulus; plan
a solution approach, as no scaffolding is provided to suggest a solution
strategy; abstract, analyze, and refine an approach as needed; and
produce and validate a response. These types of questions require the
application of complex cognitive skills.
A NO-CALCULATOR PORTION
The redesigned sats Math Test will contain two portions: one in which
the student may use a calculator and another in which the student
may not. The no-calculator portion allows the redesigned sat to assess
fluencies valued by postsecondary instructors and includes conceptual
questions for which a calculator will not be helpful. Meanwhile, the
calculator portion gives insight into students capacity to use appropriate
tools strategically. The calculator is a tool that students must use (or not
use) judiciously.
The calculator portion of the test will include more complex modeling
and reasoning questions to allow students to make computations more
efficiently. However, this portion will also include questions in which the
calculator could be a deterrent to expedience, thus assessing appropriate
use of tools. For these types of questions, students who make use of
structure or their ability to reason will reach the solution more rapidly
than students who get bogged down using a calculator.

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example 7

What is one possible solution to the equation

24
12
= 1?
x +1 x -1

Example 7, from the no-calculator portion of the test, requires students

to look at the structure of the expression and find a way to rewrite it,
again showing the link between fluency and mathematical practices. The
student must transform the expression without a calculator, for example
by multiplying both sides of the equation by a common denominator
as a first step to find the solution. This leads to x = 5 and x = 7, both of
which should be checked in the original equation to ensure that they are
not extraneous.
Additional example items showing the distinctive features of the
redesigned sats Math Test within the four content categories can be
found in Appendix B.

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Summary
The preceding discussion has presented an overview of the redesigned
sats Math Test along with a discussion of some of the key features that
make the Math Test distinctive both compared to the current sats math
section and compared to other assessments within the field. As with
the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing area of the redesigned sat,
we at the College Board are continuing our research and development
of the redesigned sats Math Test. In doing so, we may find that we will
need to make adjustments to our specifications as presented in this
section (e.g., number of items, time limits, and scores). Any adjustments
made, however, would be made only to more effectively serve the
evidence-based features that are the focus of our development work
on the Math Test. Our commitment, as we relate in Section V, includes
communicating any and all changes widely and in a timely manner.

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Appendix B:

Math Sample Questions

The sample questions/tasks in this section are provided to show a

number of the key features of the redesigned sats Math Test, but do
not constitute a full form of the test in terms of the total number of
questions/tasks, the range of question difficulty, or examples of all
question types and formats.

Sample Questions: Heart of Algebra

SAMPLE 1

Aaron is staying at a hotel that charges $99.95 per night plus tax for a
room. A tax of 8% is applied to the room rate, and an additional onetime untaxed fee of $5.00 is charged by the hotel. Which of the following
represents Aarons total charge, in dollars, for staying xnights?
A)
B)
C)
D)

(99.95 + 0.08x) + 5

1.08(99.95x) + 5

1.08(99.95x + 5)

1.08(99.95 + 5)x

content:
key:

Heart of Algebra

calculator usage: Calculator

This problem asks students to interpret a situation and formulate a linear

expression that represents the situation mathematically. The construction of
mathematical models that represent real-world scenarios is a critical skill.
Choice B is correct. The total charge that Aaron will pay is the room rate,
the 8% tax on the room rate, and a fixed fee. If Aaron stayed x nights,
then the total charge is (99.95x + 0.08 99.95x) + 5, which can be
rewritten as 1.08(99.95x) + 5.

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Choice A is not the correct answer. The expression includes only a one-night
stay in the room and does not accurately account for tax on the room.
Choice C is not the correct answer. The expression includes tax on the
fee, and the hotel does not charge tax on the $5.00 fee.
Choice D is not the correct answer. The expression includes tax on the fee
and a fee charge for each night.
SAMPLE 2

The gas mileage for Peters car is 21 miles per gallon when the car travels at
an average speed of 50 miles per hour. The cars gas tank has 17 gallons of
gas at the beginning of a trip. If Peters car travels at an average speed of 50
miles per hour, which of the following functions f models the number of
gallons of gas remaining in the tank t hours after the trip begins?
A) f(t) = 17 21
50t
B) f(t) = 17 50t
21
C) f(t) = 17 - 21t
50
D) f(t) =
content:
key:

17 - 50t
21

Heart of Algebra

calculator usage: Calculator

In this question, students must understand that the number of gallons

of gas in the tank is a function of time. The core skill assessed here is the
ability to translate from a real-world situation into a mathematical model.
Choice B is correct. Since Peters car is traveling at an average speed
of 50 miles per hour and the cars gas mileage is 21 miles per gallon,
the number of gallons of gas used each hour can be found by
50 miles 1 gallon 50
50

=
. The car uses 21 gallons of gas per hour, so it
1 hour
21 miles 21
50
uses 21 t gallons of gas in t hours. The cars gas tank has 17 gallons of gas
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at the beginning of the trip. Therefore, the function that models the
number of gallons of gas remaining in the tank t hours after the trip
50t
begins is f(t) = 17
.
21
Choice A is not the correct answer. The number of gallons of gas used each
hour is determined by dividing the average speed by the cars gas mileage.
Choice C is not the correct answer. The number of gallons of gas used
21
each hour is misrepresented as
. Also, the number of gallons used
50
each hour must be multiplied by time t before it is subtracted from the
number of gallons of gas in the tank at the beginning of the trip.
Choice D is not the correct answer. The number of gallons of gas used
each hour must be multiplied by time t before it is subtracted from the
number of gallons of gas in the tank at the beginning of the trip.
SAMPLE 3
9
7
If 5 < 3t + 1 < 4 , what is one possible value of 9t 3?
content:

Heart of Algebra

key:

Any value greater than

27
21
and less than
5
4

calculator usage: Calculator

Recognizing the structure of this inequality provides one solution

strategy. With this strategy, a student will look at the relationship
between 3t + 1 and 9t 3 and recognize that the latter is 3 multiplied
by the former.
Multiplying all parts of the inequality by 3 reverses the inequality signs,
21
27
27
21
when written
resulting in
> 9t 3 > , or rather 4 < 9t 3 <
5
5
4
21
with increasing values from left to right. Any value greater than 4 and
27
less than
is correct.
5

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SAMPLE 4

5(k + 2) - 7 = 13 - (4 - k)
9
6
In the equation above, what is the value of k?

A)

9
17

B)

9
13

C)

33
17

D)

33
13

content:
key:

Heart of Algebra

calculator usage: No calculator

In this problem, students will demonstrate their fluency in solving

equations in one variable.
5k + 3 9 + k
=
,
6
9
and cross-multiplication gives 45k + 27 = 54 + 6k. Solving for k yields

Choice B is correct. Simplifying the numerators yields

k=

9
.
13

Choice A is not the correct answer. This value may result from not
correctly applying the distributive property on the right-hand side,
resulting in the expression 13 4 k in the numerator. Correctly applying
the distributive property yields 13 (4 k) = 13 4 + k in the numerator.
Choice C is not the correct answer. This value may result from not
correctly applying the distributive property on the left-hand side,
resulting in the expression 5k + 2 7. Correctly applying the distributive
property yields 5(k + 2) 7 = 5k + 3 in the numerator.
Choice D is not the correct answer. This value may result from not using
the appropriate order of operations when simplifying either numerator.

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SAMPLE 5

4x - y = 3y + 7
x + 8y = 4
Based on the system of equations above, what is the value of the product xy?
A) 3
2
B)

1
4

C)

1
2

D)

11
9

content:
key:

Heart of Algebra

calculator usage: No calculator

This question rewards fluency in solving pairs of simultaneous linear

equations. Rewriting equations in a way that allows the student to find
the values of variables individually is the approach to take here. Students
who lack facility in this area of the curriculum may resist just diving in,
making success on the item less likely.
Choice C is correct. There are several solution methods possible, but all
involve persevering in solving for the two variables and calculating the
product. For example, combining like terms in the first equation yields
4x 4y = 7 and then multiplying that by 2 gives 8x 8y = 14. When this
transformed equation is added to the second given equation, the y-terms
are eliminated, leaving an equation in just one variable: 9x = 18, or x = 2.
Substituting 2 for x in the second equation (one could use either to solve)
yields 2 + 8y = 4, which gives y = 1 . Finally, the product xy is 2 1 = 1 .
4 2
4
Choice A is not the correct answer. Students who select this option
have most likely made a calculation error in transforming the second
equation (using 4x 8y = 16 instead of 4x 32y = 16) and used it to
eliminate the x-terms.

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Choice B is not the correct answer. This is the value of y for the solution
of the system, but it has not been put back into the system to solve for x
to determine the product xy.
Choice D is not the correct answer. Not understanding how to eliminate
a variable when solving a system, a student may have added the
equations 4x 4y = 7 and x + 8y = 4 to yield 5x + 4y = 11. From here,
a student may mistakenly simplify the left-hand side of this resulting
equation to yield 9xy = 11 and then proceed to use division by 9 on both
sides in order to solve for xy.
SAMPLE 6

If

1
1
x + y = 4 , what is the value of 3x + 2y?
2
3

content:
key:

Heart of Algebra

24

calculator usage: No calculator

A student may find the solution to this problem by noticing the

structure of the given equation and seeing that multiplying both sides
1
1
of the equation x + y = 4 by 6 to clear fractions from the equation
2
3
yields 3x + 2y = 24.

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SAMPLE 7

The toll rates for crossing a bridge are $6.50 for a car and $10 for a truck.
During a two-hour period, a total of 187 cars and trucks crossed the
bridge, and the total collected in tolls was $1,338. Solving which of the
following systems of equations yields the number of cars, x, and the
number of trucks, y, that crossed the bridge during the two hours?
A)

x + y = 1,338

6.5x + 10y = 187

B)

x + y = 187

1,338

6.5x + 10y =
2

C)

x + y = 187

6.5x + 10y = 1,338

D)

x + y = 187

6.5x + 10y = 1,338 2

content:
key:

Heart of Algebra

calculator usage: Calculator

This question assesses students ability to create a system of linear

equations that represents a real-world situation. Students will have to
make sense of the situation presented, choose and define two variables
to use, and set up the equations based on the relationships from the
information given.
Choice C is correct. If x is the number of cars that crossed the
bridge during the two hours and y is the number of trucks that
crossed the bridge during the two hours, then x + y represents the
total number of cars and trucks that crossed the bridge during the
two hours, and 6.5x + 10y represents the total amount collected
in the two hours. Therefore, the correct system of equations is
x + y = 187 and 6.5x + 10y = 1,338.
Choice A is not the correct answer. The student may have mismatched the
symbolic expressions for total cars and trucks and total tolls collected with
the two numerical values given. The expression x + y represents the total
number of cars and trucks that crossed the bridge, which is 187.

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Choice B is not the correct answer. The student may have attempted to
use the information that the counts of cars, trucks, and tolls were taken
over a period of two hours, but this information is not needed in setting
up the correct system of equations. The expression 6.5x + 10y represents
$1,338
.
the total amount of tolls collected, which is $1,338, not
2
Choice D is not the correct answer. The student may have attempted to
use the information that the counts of cars, trucks, and tolls were taken
over a period of two hours, but this information is not needed in setting
up the correct system of equations. The expression 6.5x + 10y represents
the total amount of tolls collected, which is $1,338, not $1,338 2.
SAMPLE 8

If k is a positive constant different from 1, which of the following could

be the graph of y x = k(x + y) in the xy-plane?
y

A)

B)

6
5

6
5

3
2

3
2

6 5 4 3 2 1 O
1

1 2

6 5 4 3 2 1 O
1

2
3

2
3

4
5

4
5

6
5

3
2

3
2

1
6 5 4 3 2 1 O
1

key:

D)

6
5

content:

6
y

C)

1 2

1
1 2

6 5 4 3 2 1 O
1

2
3

2
3

4
5

4
5

1 2

Heart of Algebra

calculator usage: Calculator

This problem assesses students ability to understand the relationship

between an equation in two variables and the characteristics of its graph

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(for example, shape, position, intercepts, extreme points, or symmetry).

In addition, it requires the student to transform the given equation into a
more suitable form and then make the connection between the obtained
equation and the graph.
Choice B is correct. Manipulating the equation to solve for y gives
1+ k
x , revealing that the graph of the equation must be a line that
y=
1- k
passes through the origin. Of the choices given, only the graph shown in
choice B satisfies these conditions.

( )

Choice A is not the correct answer. The student may have seen that the
term k(x + y) is a multiple of x + y and wrongly concluded that this is the
equation of a line with slope 1.
Choice C is not the correct answer. The student may have made
incorrect steps when simplifying the equation or may have not seen the
advantage that putting the equation in slope-intercept form would give
in determining the graph, and thus wrongly concluded the graph has a
nonzero y-intercept.
Choice D is not the correct answer. The student may not have seen that
term k(x + y) can be multiplied out and the variables x and y isolated,
and wrongly concluded that the graph of the equation cannot be a line.

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SAMPLE 9

1
1
x - y = 5

2
4
ax - 3y = 20

In the system of linear equations above, a is a constant. If the system has

no solution, what is the value of a?
1
2
B) 2

C) 6

D) 12

A)

content:
key:

Heart of Algebra

calculator usage: No calculator

In addition to solving systems of linear equations that have a solution,

students should be familiar with systems that have no solution or an
infinite number of solutions. Knowing that there are no solutions when two
simultaneous equations of the form ax + by = c only differ in their c values
will be the first key step in determining the solution to this problem.
Choice C is correct. If the system of equations has no solution, the
graphs of the equations in the xy-plane are parallel lines. To be parallel,
the lines must have the same slope, and this will be true if the expression
1
1

ax 3y is a multiple of the expression x - y . Since 3y = 12 -

4 y ,

the expression ax 3y would have to be 12 times the expression

( )

( )

1
1
1
x - y . This means ax = 12 x , so a = 6. The resulting system is
2

2
1
1
x - y = 5 and 6x 3y = 20, which is equivalent to 6x 3y = 60 and
2
4
6x 3y = 20, which has no solution.

Choice A is not the correct answer. This may result from the misconception
that if each equation in a system has the same x-coefficient, the system
1
cannot have a solution. But if a = , subtracting the two equations
2
eliminates x and produces a solution to the system.

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Choice B is not the correct answer. This may result from trying to make
the second equation in the system a multiple of the first by looking at the
ratio of the constants on the right sides, 20 , and wrongly concluding that
5
1
,
the second equation must be 4 times the first, which would give a = 4
2
or a = 2. But the two equations in a system are multiples only if the system
has infinitely many solutions, not if the system has no solution.

()

Choice D is not the correct answer. The student may have found the
factor, 12, that multiplies the left side of the first equation to yield the left
1
side of the second, but then neglected to find a = 12
, or a = 6.
2

()

SAMPLE 10

When a scientist dives in salt water to a depth of 9 feet below the surface,
the pressure due to the atmosphere and surrounding water is 18.7 pounds
per square inch. As the scientist descends, the pressure increases linearly.
At a depth of 14 feet, the pressure is 20.9 pounds per square inch. If the
pressure increases at a constant rate as the scientists depth below the surface
increases, which of the following linear models best describes the pressure p
in pounds per square inch at a depth of d feet below the surface?
A)
B)
C)
D)

p = 0.44d + 0.77

p = 0.44d + 14.74

p = 2.2d 1.1

p = 2.2d 9.9

content:
key:

Heart of Algebra

calculator usage: Calculator

In approaching this problem, students must determine the relationship

between the two variables described within the text: the depth and the
pressure.
Choice B is correct. To determine the linear model, one can first
determine the rate at which the pressure due to the atmosphere and
surrounding water is increasing as the depth of the diver increases.
2.2
20.9---18.7
18.7 2.2
20.9
18.7
2.2
Calculating this gives 20.9
=== ,,, or 0.44. Then one needs to
555
14
14---999
14

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determine the pressure due to the atmosphere or, in other words,

the pressure when the diver is at a depth of 0. Solving the equation
18.7 = 0.44(9) + b gives b = 14.74. Therefore, the model that can be used
to relate the pressure and the depth is p = 0.44d + 14.74.
Choice A is not the correct answer. The rate is calculated correctly, but
the student may have incorrectly used the ordered pair (18.7, 9) rather
than (9, 18.7) to calculate the pressure at a depth of 0 feet.
Choice C is not the correct answer. The rate here is incorrectly calculated
by subtracting 20.9 and 18.7 and not dividing by 5. The student then uses
the coordinate pair d = 9 and p = 18.7 in conjunction with the incorrect
slope of 2.2 to write the equation of the linear model.
Choice D is not the correct answer. The rate here is incorrectly
calculated by subtracting 20.9 and 18.7 and not dividing by 5. The
student then uses the coordinate pair d = 14 and p = 20.9 in conjunction
with the incorrect slope of 2.2 to write the equation of the linear model.

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Sample Questions:

Problem Solving and Data Analysis

SAMPLE 11

Count of Manatees

Number of Manatees

6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

Year
The scatterplot above shows counts of Florida manatees, a type of sea
mammal, from 1991 to 2011. Based on the line of best fit to the data
shown, which of the following values is closest to the average yearly
increase in the number of manatees?
A)
0.75
B) 75
C) 150
D) 750

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content:
key:

section iv

Problem Solving and Data Analysis

calculator usage: Calculator

Modeling with mathematics is a multistep process, and rich applications

are instrumental for assessing students knowledge/skills at every step
of the modeling process. In this example, students must interpret the
slope of the line of best fit for the scatterplot as the average increase in
the number of manatees per year, while taking the scales of the axes into
consideration.
Choice C is correct. The slope of the line of best fit is the value of the average
increase in manatees per year. Using approximate values found along the
line of best fit (1,200 manatees in 1991 and 4,200 manatees in 2011), the
approximate slope can be calculated as 3,000 = 150 .
20
Choice A is not the correct answer. This value may result from
disregarding the actual scale when approximating the slope and
interpreting the scale as if each square represents one unit.
Choice B is not the correct answer. This value may result from
disregarding the actual scale when approximating the slope, and
interpreting the scale as if each square along the x-axis represents one
year and each tick mark along the y-axis represents 100 manatees.
Choice D is not the correct answer. This value may result from
disregarding the actual scale along the x-axis when approximating the
slope and interpreting each square along the x-axis as one year.

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SAMPLE 12

Bacteria Growth

Area Covered (sq cm)

10

Dish 1
8

Dish 2
5

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Time (h)

A researcher places two colonies of bacteria into two petri dishes that

each have area 10 square centimeters. After the initial placement of the

bacteria (t = 0), the researcher measures and records the area covered by

the bacteria in each dish every ten minutes. The data for each dish were

fit by a smooth curve, as shown above, where each curve represents the

area of a dish covered by bacteria as a function of time, in hours. Which

of the following is a correct statement about the data above?

A)
B)
C)
D)

At time t = 0, both dishes are 100% covered by bacteria.

At time t = 0, bacteria covers 10% of Dish 1 and 20% of Dish 2.

At time t = 0, Dish 2 is covered with 50% more bacteria than Dish 1.

For the first hour, the area covered in Dish 2 is increasing at a higher

average rate than the area covered in Dish 1.

content:
key:

Problem Solving and Data Analysis

calculator usage: Calculator

In this question, students need to synthesize all the information given in

the graph and the prompt and determine which pieces of information in
the graph will help provide them with a description of the colonies when
they are first placed in the petri dishes and during the first hour afterward.

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Choice B is the correct answer. Each petri dish has area 10 square
centimeters, and so at time t = 0, Dish 1 is 10% covered 1 and
10
Dish 2 is 20% covered 2 . Thus the statement in B is true.
10

( )

( )

Choice A is not the correct answer. At the end of the observations, both
dishes are 100% covered with bacteria, but at time t = 0, neither dish is
100% covered.
Choice C is not the correct answer. At time t = 0, Dish 1 is covered with
50% less bacteria than is Dish 2, but Dish 2 is covered with 100% more,
not 50% more, bacteria than is Dish 1.
Choice D is not the correct answer. After the first hour, it is still true that
more of Dish 2 is covered by bacteria than is Dish 1, but for the first hour
the area of Dish 1 that is covered has been increasing at a higher average rate
(about 0.8 sq cm/hour) than the area of Dish 2 (about 0.1 sq cm/hour).
SAMPLE 13

A typical image taken of the surface of Mars by a camera is 11.2 gigabits in

size. A tracking station on Earth can receive data from the spacecraft at a
data rate of 3 megabits per second for a maximum of 11 hours each day. If
1 gigabit equals 1,024 megabits, what is the maximum number of typical
images that the tracking station could receive from the camera each day?
A)
3

B) 10

C) 56

D) 144

content:
key:

Problem Solving and Data Analysis

calculator usage: Calculator

In this problem, students must use the unit rate (data-transmission rate)
and the conversion between gigabits and megabits as well as conversions
in units of time. Unit analysis is critical to solving the problem correctly,
and the problem represents a typical calculation that would be done
when working with electronic files and data-transmission rates.
A calculator is recommended in solving this problem.

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Choice B is correct. The tracking station can receive 118,800 megabits

3 megabits 60 seconds 60 minutes

11 hours , which is
1 minute
1 second
1 hour
118,800
. If each image is 11.2 gigabits,
about 116 gigabits each day
1,024
116
10.4.
then the number of images that can be received each day is

each day

11.2
Since the question asks for the maximum number of typical images,
rounding the answer down to 10 is appropriate because the tracking
station will not receive a completed 11th image in one day.

Choice A is not the correct answer. The student may not have
synthesized all of the information. This answer may result from
multiplying 3 (rate in megabits per second) by 11 (hours receiving)
and dividing by 11.2 (size of image in gigabits), neglecting to convert
3 megabits per second into megabits per hour and to utilize the
information about 1 gigabit equaling 1,024 megabits.
Choice C is not the correct answer. The student may not have
synthesized all of the information. This answer may result from
converting the number of gigabits in an image to megabits (11,470),
multiplying by the rate of 3 megabits per second (34,410), and then
converting 11 hours into minutes (660) instead of seconds.
Choice D is not the correct answer. The student may not have synthesized
all of the information. This answer may result from converting 11 hours
into seconds (39,600), then dividing the result by 3 gigabits converted
into megabits (3,072), and multiplying by the size of one typical image.

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Sample Problem Set

Questions 14 and 15 refer to the following information.
A survey was conducted among a randomly chosen sample of U.S.
citizens about U.S. voter participation in the November 2012 presidential
election. The table below displays a summary of the survey results.

Reported Voting by Age (in thousands)

VOTED

DID NOT VOTE

NO RESPONSE

TOTAL

18- to 34-year-olds

30,329

23,211

9,468

63,008

35- to 54-year-olds

47,085

17,721

9,476

74,282

55- to 74-year-olds

43,075

10,092

6,831

59,998

People 75 years old and over

Total

12,459

3,508

1,827

17,794

132,948

54,532

27,602

215,082

SAMPLE 14

According to the table, for which age group did the greatest percentage
of people report that they had voted?
A)
B)
C)
D)

173

18- to 34-year-olds
35- to 54-year-olds
55- to 74-year-olds
People 75 years old and over

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SAMPLE 15

Of the 18- to 34-year-olds who reported voting, 500 people were selected at
random to do a follow-up survey where they were asked which candidate
they voted for. There were 287 people in this follow-up survey sample who
said they voted for Candidate A, and the other 213 people voted for someone
else. Using the data from both the follow-up survey and the initial survey,
which of the following is most likely to be an accurate statement?
A) About 123 million people 18 to 34 years old would report voting for
Candidate A in the November 2012 presidential election.
B) About 76 million people 18 to 34 years old would report voting for
Candidate A in the November 2012 presidential election.
C) About 36 million people 18 to 34 years old would report voting for
Candidate A in the November 2012 presidential election.
D) About 17 million people 18 to 34 years old would report voting for
Candidate A in the November 2012 presidential election.

SOLUTION SAMPLE 14
content:
key:

Problem Solving and Data Analysis

calculator usage: Calculator

To succeed on these questions, students must conceptualize the context

and retrieve relevant information from the table, next manipulating it to
form or compare relevant quantities. The first question asks students to
select the relevant information from the table to compute the percentage of
self-reported voters for each age group and then compare the percentages
to identify the largest one, choice C. Of the 55- to 74-year-old groups total
population (59,998,000), 43,075,000 reported that they had voted, which
represents 71.8% and is the highest percentage of reported voters from
among the four age groups.
Choice A is not the correct answer. The question is asking for the age
group with the largest percentage of self-reported voters. This answer
reflects the age group with the smallest percentage of self-reported
voters. This groups percentage of self-reported voters is 48.1%, or
30,329
, which is less than that of the 55- to 74-year-old group.
63,008

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Choice B is not the correct answer. The question is asking for the age
group with the largest percentage of self-reported voters. This answer
reflects the age group with the largest number of self-reported voters, not
the largest percentage. This groups percentage of self-reported voters is
47,085
, which is less than that of the 55- to 74-year-old group.
63.4%, or
74,282
Choice D is not the correct answer. The question is asking for the age
group with the largest percentage of self-reported voters. This answer
reflects the age group with the smallest number of self-reported voters, not
the largest percentage. This groups percentage of self-reported voters is
12,459
, which is less than that of the 55- to 74-year-old group.
70.0%, or
17,794
SOLUTION SAMPLE 15
content:
key:

Problem Solving and Data Analysis

calculator usage: Calculator

The second question asks students to extrapolate from a random sample

to estimate the number of 18- to 34-year-olds who voted for Candidate
A: this is done by multiplying the fraction of people in the random
sample who voted for Candidate A by the total population of voting
287
30,329,000 17 million, choice D. Students
18- to 34-year-olds:
500
without a clear grasp of the context and its representation in the table
might easily arrive at one of the other answers listed.
Choice A is not the correct answer. The student may not have multiplied the
fraction of the sample by the correct subgroup of people (18- to 34-year-olds
who voted). This answer may result from multiplying the fraction by the
entire population, which is an incorrect application of the information.
Choice B is not the correct answer. The student may not have multiplied
the fraction of the sample by the correct subgroup of people (18- to
34-year-olds who voted). This answer may result from multiplying the
fraction by the total number of people who voted, which is an incorrect
application of the information.
Choice C is not the correct answer. The student may not have multiplied
the fraction of the sample by the correct subgroup of people (18- to
34-year-olds who voted). This answer may result from multiplying the

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fraction by the total number of 18- to 34-year-olds, which is an incorrect

application of the information.
SAMPLE 16 (STUDENT-PRODUCED RESPONSE)

An international bank issues its Traveler credit cards worldwide. When a

customer makes a purchase using a Traveler card in a currency different
from the customers home currency, the bank converts the purchase
price at the daily foreign exchange rate and then charges a 4% fee on the
converted cost.
Sara lives in the United States, but is on vacation in India. She used her
Traveler card for a purchase that cost 602 rupees (Indian currency). The
bank posted a charge of $9.88 to her account that included the 4% fee.

PART 1
What foreign exchange rate, in Indian rupees per one U.S. dollar, did the
bank use for Saras charge? Round your answer to the nearest whole number.

PART 2
A bank in India sells a prepaid credit card worth 7,500 rupees. Sara can
buy the prepaid card using dollars at the daily exchange rate with no fee,
but she will lose any money left unspent on the prepaid card. What is the
least number of the 7,500 rupees on the prepaid card Sara must spend
for the prepaid card to be cheaper than charging all her purchases on the
Traveler card? Round your answer to the nearest whole number of rupees.

content:

Problem Solving and Data Analysis

key:

63 (Part 1), 7,212 (Part 2)

calculator usage: Calculator

Solution Part 1: $9.88 represents the conversion of 602 rupees plus a 4%

fee on the converted cost.

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To calculate the original cost of the item in dollars, x:

1.04x = 9.88
x = 9.5
Since the original cost is $9.50, to calculate the exchange rate r, in Indian
rupees per one U.S. dollar:
9.50 dollars

r rupees
= 602 rupees
1 dollar
602
r=
9.50
63 rupees

Solution Part 2: Let d dollars be the cost of the 7,500-rupee prepaid

d
7,500
dollars per rupee. Suppose Saras total purchases on the prepaid card
d
were r rupees. The value of the r rupees in dollars is
r dollars.
7,500
If Sara spent the r rupees on the Traveler card instead, she would be
d
r dollars. To answer the question about how many
charged (1.04 )
7,500
rupees Sara must spend in order to make the Traveler card a cheaper
option (in dollars) for spending the r rupees, we set up the inequality
r
d
d (1)d ,
1.04
r d. Rewriting both sides reveals 1.04
7,500
7,500
r
1.
from which we can infer 1.04
7,500

card. This implies that the exchange rate on this particular day is

Dividing on both sides by 1.04 and multiplying on both sides by 7,500

finally yields r 7,212. Hence the least number of rupees Sara must
spend for the prepaid card to be cheaper than the Traveler card is 7,212.

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section iv

Sample Questions:
Passport to Advanced Math
SAMPLE 17

If a2 + 14a = 51 and a > 0, what is the value of a + 7?

content:
key:

Passport to Advanced Math

10

calculator usage: No calculator

There is more than one way to solve this problem. A student can
apply standard techniques by rewriting the equation a2 + 14a = 51 as
a2 + 14a - 51 = 0 and then factoring. Since the coefficient of a is 14 and
the constant term is 51, factoring a2 + 14a - 51 = 0 requires writing
51 as the product of two numbers that differ by 14. This is 51 = (3)(17 ) ,
which gives the factorization a2 + 14a - 51 = (a + 17 )(a - 3) = 0. The
possible values of a are a = 17 and a = 3. Since it is given that a > 0,
it must be true that a = 3. Thus, the value of a + 7 is 3 + 7 = 10.
A student could also use the quadratic formula to find the possible values of a:
a=

-14 14 2 - 4 (1)(-51) -14 196 - (-204 ) -14 400 -14 20

=
=
=
.
2
2
2(1)
2

-14 - 20
-14 + 20
= -17 and a =
= 3.
2
2
Again, since it is given that a > 0, it must be true that a = 3. Thus, the
value of a + 7 is 3 + 7 = 10.

The possible values of a are a =

There is another way to solve this problem that will reward the student
who recognizes that adding 49 to both sides of the equation yields
a2 + 14a + 49 = 51 + 49, or rather (a + 7)2 = 100, which has a perfect
square on each side. Since a > 0, the solution a + 7 = 10 is evident.

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SAMPLE 18

The function f is defined by f (x) = 2x 3 + 3x 2 + cx + 8, where c is a

constant. In the xy-plane, the graph of f intersects the x-axis at the three
1
, 0 , and ( p, 0 ). What is the value of c ?
points ( -4, 0 ) ,
2

( )

A) 18

B) 2

C)
2

D) 10

content:
key:

Passport to Advanced Math

calculator usage: Calculator

Students could tackle this problem in many different ways, but the focus
is on their understanding of the zeros of a polynomial function and how
they are used to construct algebraic representations of polynomials.
Choice A is correct. The given zeros can be used to set up an equation to
solve for c. Substituting 4 for x and 0 for y yields 4c = 72, or c = 18.
Alternatively, since 4, 1 , and p are zeros of the polynomial function
2
f (x) = 2x 3 + 3x 2 + cx + 8, it follows that f (x) = (2x - 1)(x + 4)(x - p).
Were this polynomial multiplied out, the constant term would be
(-1)(4)(- p) = 4 p. (We can see this without performing the full
expansion.) Since it is given that this value is 8, it goes that 4p = 8 or
rather, p = 2. Substituting 2 for p in the polynomial function yields
f (x) = (2x - 1)(x + 4)(x - 2), and after multiplying the factors one finds
that the coefficient of the x term, or the value of c, is 18.
Choice B is not the correct answer. This value is a misunderstood version
of the value of p, not c, and the relationship between the zero and the
factor (if a is the zero of a polynomial, its corresponding factor is x a)
has been confused.
Choice C is not the correct answer. This is the value of p, not c. Using this
value as the third factor of the polynomial will reveal that the value of c is 18.
Choice D is not the correct answer. This represents a sign error in the
final step in determining the value of c.

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SAMPLE 19

y
3
2
1
2

x +y =5

3 2 1 0
1

y = x2 - 3
x - y =1

2
3

A system of three equations and their graphs in the xy-plane are shown
above. How many solutions does the system have?
A)
B)
C)
D)

One
Two
Three
Four

content:
key:

Passport to Advanced Math

calculator usage: Calculator

Students must also demonstrate their conceptual understanding

of mathematics. In this problem, the word solutions needs to be
contextualized within the situation described, and students must
recognize that only points where all three graphs have a point in
common are solutions to the system.
Choice B is correct. The solutions to the system of equations are the
points where the circle, parabola, and line all intersect. These points are
(1, 2) and (2, 1), and these are the only solutions to the system.
Choice A is not the correct answer. This answer may reflect the
misconception that a system of equations can have only one solution.
Choice C is not the correct answer. This answer may reflect the
misconception that a system of equations has as many solutions as the
number of equations in the system.

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Choice D is not the correct answer. This answer may reflect the
misconception that the solutions of the system are represented by the
points where any two of the curves intersect, rather than the correct
concept that the solutions are represented only by the points where all
three curves intersect.
SAMPLE 20

What is one possible solution to the equation

content:
key:

24
12
= 1?
x +1 x -1

Passport to Advanced Math

5 or 7

calculator usage: No calculator

Students should look for the best solution methods for solving rational
equations before they begin. Looking for structure and common
denominators will prove very useful at the onset and will help prevent
complex computations that do not lead to a solution.
In this problem, multiplying both sides of the equation by the common
denominator (x + 1)(x - 1) yields 24(x - 1) - 12(x + 1) = (x + 1)(x - 1).
Multiplication and simplification then yields 12x - 36 = x 2 - 1, or
x 2 - 12x + 35 = 0. Factoring the quadratic gives (x - 5)(x - 7) = 0, so
the solutions occur at x = 5 and x = 7, both of which should be checked
in the original equation to ensure that they are not extraneous. In this
case, both values are solutions.

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SAMPLE 21

1 2 1
+ =
x x 5
Anise needs to complete a printing job using both of the printers in her
office. One of the printers is twice as fast as the other, and together the
printers can complete the job in 5 hours. The equation above represents
the situation described. Which of the following describes what the
1
expression
represents in this equation?
x
A) The time, in hours, that it takes the slower printer to complete the
printing job alone
B) The portion of the job that the slower printer would complete in one
hour
C) The portion of the job that the faster printer would complete in two
hours
1
D) The time, in hours, that it takes the slower printer to complete of
5
the printing job
content:
key:

Passport to Advanced Math

calculator usage: No calculator

This question requires students to interpret/decipher an expression/

equation (already constructed for them) that models a real-world
situation. This is an important skill to develop and a good practice to
foster students reasoning skills. The students who answer this question
correctly are able to interpret the whole expression (or specific parts) in
terms of its context.
1
is the portion of the
5
job that the two printers, working together, can complete in one hour,
and each term in the sum on the left side is the part of this 1 of the job
5
that one of the printers contributes. Since one of the printers is twice

Choice B is correct. From the description given,

2
describes the portion of the job that the faster
x
1
printer is able to complete in one hour and
describes the portion of
x

as fast as the other,

the job that the slower printer is able to complete in one hour.

Choice A is not the correct answer. The student may have not seen that
in this context, the rates (that is, the work completed in a fixed time) of

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the printers can be added to get the combined rate, but the times it takes
each printer to complete the job cannot be added to get the time for both
printers working together, since the time for printers working together
is less than, not greater than, the times for each printer alone. Hence the
terms in the sum cannot refer to hours worked. In fact, the time it would
take the slower printer to complete the whole job is xhours.
Choice C is not the correct answer. The student may have seen that
1
is the smaller term in the sum, wrongly concluded that the smaller
x
term must apply to the faster printer, and then assumed the 2 in the
numerator of the second term implies the equation describes work
completed in 2 hours. In fact, the portion of the job that the faster
2
4
printer could complete in 2 hours is (2 ) x = x .

()

Choice D is not the correct answer. The student may have correctly
1
seen that the value on the right side refers to the portion of the
5
job completed, but not seen that in this context, the rates (that is, the
work completed in a fixed time) of the printers can be added to get the
combined rate, but the times it takes each printer to complete the job
cannot be added to get the time for both printers working together.
Hence the terms in the sum cannot refer to hours worked. In fact, the
x
1
time it takes the slower printer to complete of the job is
hours.
5
5

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SAMPLE 22

x 2 + y 2 = 153

y = -4x

If (x, y) is a solution to the system of equations above, what is the value of x 2?

A) 51

B)
3

C)
9

D) 144

content:
key:

Passport to Advanced Math

calculator usage: Calculator

In this question, students are asked to manipulate one equation to use

in another in order to solve for a given value, making use of structure
where appropriate.
Choice C is correct. The second equation gives y in terms of x,
so a student can use this to rewrite the first equation in terms
of x. Substituting 4x for y in the equation x 2 + y 2 = 153 gives
x 2 + (-4x )2 = 153. This can be simplified to x 2 + 16x 2 = 153, or
2
17x 2 = 153. Since the question asks for the value of x , not x, dividing
153
both sides of 17x 2 = 153 by 17 gives the answer: x 2 =
= 9.
17
Choice A is not the correct answer. This answer may result
from neglecting to square the coefficient 4 in y = 4x, which
would give y 2 = -4x 2 . Then the first equation would become
x 2 - 4x 2 = -3x 2 = 153, which would give 51 as the value of x 2 .
Choice B is not the correct answer. This answer may result from finding
the value for x, not the value of x 2 .
Choice D is not the correct answer. This answer may result from finding
2
the value of y , not x 2 .

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SAMPLE 23

4x 2
is written in the equivalent form 1 + A,
2x - 1
2x - 1
what is A in terms of x?

If the expression

A)
B)
C)
D)

2x + 1

2x 1

4x2

4x2 1

content:
key:

Passport to Advanced Math

calculator usage: Calculator

This question assesses the ability to transform a given expression in a

more useful form (from improper to proper rational form). There are
multiple approaches to this problem, some longer and more routine,
some faster and more insightful.
Choice A is correct. The form of the equation suggests performing long
4x 2
division on
:
2x - 1
2x + 1
2x - 1 4x 2
4x 2 - 2x
2x
2x - 1
1
Since the remainder 1 matches the numerator in

A = 2x + 1.

1
, it is clear that
2x - 1

A short way to find the answer is to use the structure to rewrite the
numerator of the expression as (4x 2 - 1) + 1, recognizing the term in
parentheses as a difference of squares, making the expression equal to

(2x - 1)(2x + 1) + 1
1
. From this, the answer 2x + 1
= 2x + 1 +
2x - 1
2x - 1
is apparent. Another way to find the answer is to isolate A in the form
4x 2
1
and simplify. As with the first approach, this approach
A=
=
2x - 1 2x - 1
also requires students to recognize 4x 2 - 1 as a difference of squares that factors.

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Choice B is not the correct answer. The student may have made a sign
error while subtracting partial quotients in the long division.
Choice C is not the correct answer. The student may misunderstand
how to work with fractions and may have tried the incorrect calculation

( )

(1) 4x 2
1
4x 2
=
=
+ 4x 2 .
2x - 1
2x - 1
2x - 1

Choice D is not the correct answer. The student may misunderstand

how to work with fractions and may have tried the incorrect calculation
4x 2
1 + 4x 2 - 1
1
=
=
+ 4x 2 - 1.
2x - 1
2x - 1
2x - 1

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section iv

Sample Questions:
Additional Topics in Math
SAMPLE 24

The figure above shows a metal hex nut with two regular hexagonal faces
and a thickness of 1 cm. The length of each side of a hexagonal face is
2 cm. A hole with a diameter of 2cm is drilled through the nut. The
density of the metal is 7.9 grams per cubic cm. What is the mass of this
nut, to the nearest gram? (Density is mass divided by volume.)

content:
key:

Additional Topics in Math

57

calculator usage: Calculator

The question above asks students to make connections between physical

concepts such as mass and density and essential geometric ideas such
as the Pythagorean Theorem and volume formulas. There are multiple
approaches to solving this problem, but in any of them, the aim is to
find the volume of the metal nut and then use the density of the metal
to calculate the mass of the nut (57 grams). This is a multistep problem
that requires students to devise a multistep strategy and carry out all the
algebraic and numerical steps without error.
To solve this problem, students need to find the volume of the hex nut
and then use the given fact that density is mass divided by volume.
Finding the volume of the hex nut requires several steps. The first step is to
calculate the area of one of the hexagonal faces (without the drilled hole).
Each face is a regular hexagon, which can be divided into 6 equilateral
triangles with side lengths of 2 cm. Using 30-60-90 triangle properties,
the height of each equilateral triangle is 3 cm. In turn, the area of one
1
1
equilateral triangle is bh = (2)( 3) = 3 square cm, so the area of the
2
2
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hexagonal face is 6 3 square cm. The volume of the hexagonal prism is

the area of one face multiplied by the height (or thickness in this case),
(6 3)(1) = 6 3 cubic cm. Then, to account for the drilled hole, students
need to calculate the volume of a cylinder with diameter 2 cm (or radius
1 cm) and height 1 cm, V = r 2h = (12 )(1) = cubic cm, and subtract it
from the volume of the hexagonal prism to yield 6 3 - cubic cm.
mass
. Multiplying
6 3-
both sides of the equation by (6 3 - ) yields the mass of the hex nut as
7.9( 6 3 - ) grams. When the values for 3 and are substituted and
the result is rounded to the nearest gram, the answer is approximately
57 grams. Note that it is critical for students to attend to the precision
of their calculations when solving this problem and not apply any
intermediate rounding until the final answer is reached. Here, the use of a
calculator provides the ability to attend to precision more effectively and
thus is highly encouraged.

Finally, density is mass divided by volume, 7.9 =

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SAMPLE 25

C
A

D
B

The semicircle above has a radius of r inches, and chord CD is parallel

to the diameter AB . If the length of CD is 2 of the length of AB ,
3
what is the distance between the chord and the diameter in terms of r?
1
r
3
2
B)
r
3
2
C)
r
2
5
D)
r
3
A)

content:
key:

Additional Topics in Math

calculator usage: No calculator

This problem requires students to make use of properties of circles

and parallel lines in an abstract setting. Students will have to draw an
additional line in order to find the relationship between the distance of
the chord from the diameter and the radius of the semicircle. Again, this
item provides an opportunity for using different approaches to find the
distance required: one can use either the Pythagorean Theorem or the
trigonometric ratios.
Choice D is correct. This represents the length of the distance between
the chord and the diameter, using a radius of the circle to create
a triangle, and then the Pythagorean Theorem to solve correctly:
2 2
r 2 = x 2 + r , where r represents the radius of the circle and x
3
represents the distance between the chord and the diameter.

( )

Choice A is not the correct answer. It does not represent the length
of the distance between the chord and the diameter. The student who
selects this answer may have tried to use the circumference formula to
determine the distance rather than making use of the radius of the circle
to create a triangle.

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Choice B is not the correct answer. It does not represent the length
of the distance between the chord and the diameter. The student who
selects this answer may have tried to use the circumference formula to
determine the distance rather than making use of the radius of the circle
to create a triangle.
Choice C is not the correct answer. It does not represent the length
of the distance between the chord and the diameter. The student who
selects this answer may have made a triangle within the circle, using
a radius to connect the chord and the diameter, but then may have
mistaken the triangle for a 45-45-90 triangle and tried to use this
relationship to determine the distance.
SAMPLE 26

It is given that sin x = a , where x is the radian measure of an angle

and 2 < x < .

If sinw = -a , which of the following could be the value of w?
A)
B)
C)
D)

- x

x -

2 + x

x - 2

content:
key:

Additional Topics in Math

calculator usage: No calculator

In problems like this, students must reason how angles x and w are
related based on their corresponding sine values and determine the
radian measure of angle w, given the parameters of angle x.
Choice B is correct. If an angle with radian measure x such that < x <
2
is placed in standard position, its terminal side will fall in Quadrant II, and
sin x = a will be the y-coordinate of the point P where its terminal side
intersects the unit circle. If sinw = -a, then when the angle with radian
measure w is placed in standard position, its terminal side will intersect
the unit circle at a point with y-coordinate equal to a. There are two
such points on the unit circle: the reflection of P across the x-axis, which

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would correspond to an angle with radian measure x (and also with

radian measures ... - 6 - x, - 4 - x, - 2 - x, 2 - x, 4 - x, 6 - x ... );
and the reflection of P through the origin, which would correspond to
an angle with radian measure x - (and also with radian measures
... x - 5, x - 3, x + , x + 3, x + 5... ). Thus, of the choices given,
only x - could be the value of w.
Choice A is not the correct answer. In general sin (-x ) = - sin x and
sin (x + ) = - sin x, so sin ( - x ) = - sin (-x ) = -(- sin x ) = sin x.
Therefore, sin ( - x ) = a, not -a.
Choice C is not the correct answer. In general, sin ( 2 + x ) = sin x ,
so sin ( 2 + x ) = a, not -a.
Choice D is not the correct answer. In general, sin (x - 2 ) = sin x,
so sin (x - 2 ) = a, not -a.

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section v

Executive Summary
sec tion i

Behind the Redesign

sec tion ii

The Redesigned SAT: Evidentiary Foundation

sec tion iii

Test Specific tions: SAT Evidence-Based Reading

and Writing and SAT Essay

sec tion iv

Test Specific tions: SAT Math Test

section v

Our Commitment

appendix a

The Craft of Developing the SAT: How We Do It

These draft test specific tions, sample questions and other materials are just that
drafts and will systematically evolve over time. These sample questions are meant
to illustrate the shifts in the redesigned SAT and are not a full refle tion of what will
be tested. Actual questions used on the exam are going through extensive reviews
and pretesting to help ensure that they are clear and fair and that they measure what
is intended. The test specific tions as well as the research foundation defining wh t is
measured on the test will continue to be refined based on ongoing esearch.
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section v

our commitment

The Redesigned SAT:

The College Boards Pledge

We will make the redesigned sat the most transparent exam in the
assessment field. This document is just the first in a series of efforts that
will provide information about and examples of the redesigned exam
as early and completely as possible so that all students will know what
to expect on the day of the test, and all other stakeholders will have a
clear sense of what the test contains. What the test measures will be
no mystery. How we go about measuring students reading, writing,
language, and mathematics skills will be widely known.
The exam students receive on test day will be a challenging yet appropriate
and fair assessment of what they know and can do. The questions will
not be tricky or obscure but will instead focus on the knowledge, skills,
and understandings that matter most for college and career readiness
and success. As is true of the current sat, our extensive and intensive test
development process (see Appendix A) will identify and then improve or
remove questions that contain errors, more than one correct answer (or no
good answer), imprecision, ambiguities, biases, or other flaws.
The sat will continue to be a carefully designed test that measures
students critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. The predictive
validity of the test will be as strong as it is today, if not stronger, both
in the aggregate and across demographic groups. By carrying out our
opportunity agenda (see Section I), we will also provide many new
chances for students to take advantage of opportunities they have earned.
We will continue to be guided by research and evidence as we develop
the redesigned sat. In the months leading up to its release, for example,
we may find through research that we need to adjust such elements
described in this document as time limits, number of questions, or scores
reported. When and if we make these or other changes, our only aim will
be to improve the quality of the test, and these changes will be widely
disseminated in an appropriately timely manner.
We will remain steadfast in our commitment to equity and opportunity.
To that end, we are continuing to develop the College Board College

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section v

and Career Readiness System to forge a powerful and dynamic

connection between assessment and instruction so that the assessment
components reflect rigorous instructional tasks and, in turn, inform
rigorous instruction; help propel students into the opportunities they
have earned both in high school and in college; identify those students
who have fallen behind so that timely interventions can be made to
help them catch up; and continue to focus on the knowledge, skills, and
understandings that the best available research tells us are most essential
for college and career readiness and success.

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appendix a

Executive Summary
sec tion i

Behind the Redesign

sec tion ii

The Redesigned SAT: Evidentiary Foundation

sec tion iii

Test Specific tions: SAT Evidence-Based Reading

and Writing and SAT Essay

sec tion iv

Test Specific tions: SAT Math Test

section v

Our Commitment

appendix a

The Craft of Developing the SAT: How We Do It

These draft test specific tions, sample questions and other materials are just that
drafts and will systematically evolve over time. These sample questions are meant
to illustrate the shifts in the redesigned SAT and are not a full refle tion of what will
be tested. Actual questions used on the exam are going through extensive reviews
and pretesting to help ensure that they are clear and fair and that they measure what
is intended. The test specific tions as well as the research foundation defining wh t is
measured on the test will continue to be refined based on ongoing esearch.

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appendix a

appendix a

The Craft of Developing the SAT:

How We Do It

At the College Board, we have set a high bar for the redesigned sat .
We seek to make the exam an excellent assessment that will deeply
reflect the work that students need to do to be ready for and successful
in college and in career paths. The individual questions and the test as
a whole reflect a deep commitment to craft, reinforce enriching and
valuable schoolwork, and can be used by states and teachers to help
define the level of rigor required for students to be college and career
ready by no later than the end of high school.
We work with various committees and consultants throughout the test
design and development process to ensure that we produce the highestquality assessments possible, ones that serve students well as they work
to become college and career ready. Our external committees and
consultants, which include secondary and postsecondary classroom
teachers, advise us throughout the development process, from
determining what constitutes academic preparation needed for college,
to designing the test, helping develop specifications, and reviewing
every question multiple times before it is placed on an operational test
form. When reviewing test questions and forms, our test development
committees help us to ensure that the questions are measuring
important and nontrivial knowledge, skills, and understandings, that
the questions align well with the test specifications in terms of content
and rigor, that the test questions are fair to all students, and that the
questions are written in a way that models good instruction for the
teacher and productive practice for the student.
We work with k 12 teachers and postsecondary instructors who teach
entry-level courses to construct challenging questions for the test that
represent the kinds of tasks that students need to be able to perform if
they are to be successful in higher education.

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appendix a

Guiding Principles of the College Boards Test

Development Process

To achieve the vision outlined above, each and every test form for the
redesigned sat must be developed with care and expertise at every stage
of the process. To that end, we have implemented a test development
process that helps ensure that our sat questions:

are evidence based, focused on the core set of knowledge, skills, and
understandings that are most important to prepare students for the
rigors of college and career (see Section II);

measure student knowledge, skills, and understandings as directly and

authentically as possible by employing a range of question types relevant

to instruction and life;

are worth doing, crafted out of rich, engaging passages and contexts,

reflective of best instructional practices, and rewarding of the academic

excellence that any student can attain through deliberate practice;

are motivating and interesting, as engaging and relevant to students as

possible;

are written with the help of classroom teachers at the middle school,
high school, and postsecondary levels;

are reviewed by multiple independent experts active in the field of

education for content and fairness issues prior to pretesting and again
prior to operational administration; and

are accessible and fair to all students, having been developed to be

content relevant, accurate, authentic and respectful in representation,

and consistent with universal design principles.

The test development process for the redesigned sat , described in

this section and represented in the graphic below, is based on these
guiding principles.

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appendix a

The development process

for
Test Development
Process
for
the
Redesigned
SAT
the Redesigned SAT

Postoperational
Statistical Reviews

Define Domains

Operational
Form
Preparation
and Quality
Assurance

Develop
Specifications

Based on Guidance from

Nationwide Education Experts
Operational
Form
External
Content
& Fairness
Reviews

Educational Researchers
Assessment Specialists
K12 Classroom Teachers
Postsecondary Classroom Teachers
Subject-Matter/Content Experts
Fairness Reviewers

Initial
Operational
Forms
Assembly
Pilot and
Pretest Questions

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Develop
Stimuli and
Questions

External Content
& Fairness
Reviews Prior
to Pretesting

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appendix a

The Test Development Process

The primary purpose of the redesigned sat is to determine the degree to
which students are prepared to succeed without remediation in college
and workforce training programs. All test content aligns with this purpose.
Each test within the redesigned sat is designed to collect evidence from
student performance in support of a broad claim about what students
know and can do (see Sections iii and iv), and each claim is aligned to the
sats primary purpose of assessing college and career readiness.
The sat is, at its core, a postsecondary admission and guidance exam, and
as such is designed to be a strong predictor of postsecondary success as
measured by first-year gpa, retention to second and subsequent years, and
overall completion of postsecondary education. The predictive validity of
the exam its ability to estimate the likelihood of success in postsecondary
education is what makes the exam a valuable part of the admission
process in colleges and universities. The sat has been redesigned to
maintain if not strengthen this predictive validity while accomplishing other
aims, such as offering greater insight into student performance.
DEFINING THE TEST DOMAINS
The redesigned sats test domain definitions are based on the highest-quality
information and resources available about the essential requirements for
college and career readiness and success. Scholarly research and empirical
data derived from curriculum surveys conducted by the College Board and
other organizations play an important role in informing these definitions.
College Board measurement and content staff work with educational
experts in examining the evidence and defining the domain of knowledge,
skills, and understandings to be measured in accordance with the sats
primary purpose and the claims associated with each test.
TEST AND QUESTION/TASK SPECIFICATIONS
Given the defined test domains, College Board measurement and
content staff also work with educational experts to prepare test and
question/task specifications that represent the depth and breadth of
the defined domains and help ensure the consistent development
of assessments of the highest quality. The specifications define the
question/task types and formats required to measure most directly and
authentically the domains of knowledge, skills, and understandings
relevant to the sats primary purpose and the tests overall claims.
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appendix a

STIMULI AND QUESTION DEVELOPMENT

The redesigned sat measures durably powerful knowledge, skills, and
understandings needed in postsecondary education, work, and life.
All content area tests are developed to elicit from students work worth
doing through questions that resemble the best classroom practices. We
do this by working with hundreds of k12 teachers and postsecondary
instructors of entry-level courses across the United States.
In order to consistently develop tests with engaging, authentic stimulus
materials and contexts that lend themselves to high-quality questions,
the College Board has developed and continues to maintain a range of
test-support materials intended to help make sure that all questions are
evidence based, valid, and accessible to all students in short, that they
meet the highest possible standards. These materials include question
writer guidelines, prototypes, and templates; fairness guidelines; and
accessibility guidelines. The College Board contracts with classroom
teachers at both the high school and postsecondary levels and with other
independent content and instructional experts to develop and/or review
all questions. In this way, those most familiar with the student population
of interest and knowledgeable in the instructional best practices in the
field make the most significant contribution to assessment content.
This helps ensure that the test materials included in the assessment are
engaging, instructionally appropriate, and fair to all students.
Reading Test
In the redesigned sats Reading Test, students engage with texts worth
reading and worthy of careful consideration. All passages are selected
from previously published, authentic writing that represents the best of
the genres represented on the test. The passages are powerful, insightful
pieces that students will likely find themselves thinking about long after
they have finished the test.
The essential first step of question development is a close and careful
reading of the text. Test questions resemble questions that might emerge
naturally in a thoughtful classroom conversation, and they return
students to the text to examine closely the information and ideas within
it. Moreover, the best test questions develop out of a sensitive engagement
with the passage rather than an effort to try to cover in a mechanical way
every possible testing point in the domain. Such superficial coverage
weakens the overall quality of the assessment, favoring rigid adherence
to specifications over a more organic development process that respects
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appendix a

the unique natures of rich, authentic texts in a variety of content areas.

In addition, questions on the sat Reading Test unfold in a thoughtful
sequence that helps make the investigation of the passage more natural
and meaningful for students with broader questions (such as ones about
central ideas and themes) coming first, followed by questions about
smaller portions of the passage.
Writing and Language Test
The redesigned sats Writing and Language Test comprises passages
that are engaging and challenging and questions that focus clearly on
a core of writing and language skills empirically linked to college and
career readiness requirements. These commissioned passages (passages
written for the test rather than excerpted or adapted from preexisting
sources) are designed to provide meaningful contexts for the skills
being addressed. Passages are held to the highest standards of accuracy
and writing quality and exemplify the qualities of effective arguments,
informative/explanatory texts, and nonfiction narratives. Test questions
assess writing and language skills and understandings in extended prose
contexts rather than in isolation and require students to make active
choices in revising and editing rather than simply identify errors.
Essay
The redesigned sats Essay asks students to produce a clear and cogent
written analysis using evidence drawn from a given source text. The
Essay task, therefore, clearly aligns with the demands of college and
career readiness, which require that students draw on evidence to
support their arguments and inform their writing rather than just offer
their opinions or convey their experiences. The passages used in the
Essay are generally drawn from a category that might be described
as arguments written for a broad audience that is, engaging, wellwritten, well-argued texts that take and develop, in a widely accessible
way, a position on an issue. The task design, as noted in Section III, is
uniform across test administrations, meaning that whats expected of
students is transparent, the key variable being the passage itself (which is
only revealed at the time of testing).

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appendix a

Math Test
The redesigned sats Math Test is deeply focused on the mathematics
that matter most for college and career readiness and success. Students
are asked to demonstrate their command of the mathematics most
provably useful in a range of college courses and career environments.
Knowing a few things well, rather than trying to master broad
knowledge across a wide range of mathematical topics, gives students
a wide-ranging readiness. The sat Math Test provides the opportunity
for richer applications of the most essential math to address real-world
situations and problems and includes multipart applications of this core
of useful math. These core topics are examined extensively and require a
very high level of proficiency.
Test questions are thoughtfully examined by teachers with a deep
knowledge of the target mathematical content and practices. The
problems on each Math Test explore the full dynamic range of each
content area through precisely crafted questions that emphasize the use
of math in unlocking insights and solving problems. The test design
allows the core of math to be examined with the range of rigor required
(as defined through evidence) to be college and career ready, addressing
at the same time procedure, understanding, and application. Rather
than covering a broad number of topics that most students will never
see again, the test focuses on a deep core that students can draw upon
again and again in their schooling, college, and career. At the same time,
the assessment includes pure math problems that focus on abstract
reasoning essential for success in solving diverse problems and engaging
in demanding disciplines.
CONTENT AND FAIRNESS REVIEWS PRIOR TO PRETESTING
Prior to pretesting, all questions are reviewed by external, independent
reviewers who are asked to evaluate each question according to a set of
criteria for content accuracy and fairness. These reviewers are typically
active classroom teachers drawn from across the nation from both the
secondary and postsecondary levels and are deeply familiar with the
student population of interest and the nature and purpose of the test.
Content reviewers are focused on ensuring the soundness of each
question and stimulus and evaluating its relationship to the construct
(e.g., reading) being measured, its relevance and appropriateness to the
work students do in high school, and its value in terms of measuring

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appendix a

students degree of college and career readiness. Fairness reviewers are

charged with helping ensure that test questions and stimuli are broadly
accessible to the wide-ranging student population that takes the exam,
that the questions are clearly stated and unambiguous in their intent,
and that the questions do not offer unfair advantages to some students.
QUESTION PILOTING AND PRETESTING
Whenever any new question type, especially a new student-produced
response format, is designed, the College Board develops prototypes
with the help of k12 and postsecondary educators and other subjectmatter experts and then pilots these prototypes with students. Question
specifications are revised according to the results obtained from the
piloting. These pilots, although small in scale, are set up to include
a wide range of students in terms of achievement level and other
characteristics that might affect performance.
All questions are then pretested on a motivated sample of students
that resembles the sat population and is sufficient in size to allow the
College Board to evaluate the materials statistically in terms of difficulty,
to discern whether the questions can differentiate between lower- and
higher-achieving students, and to ensure that students from different
racial/ethnic groups do not differentially respond to the questions.
The questions are administered to students in test administrations like
those in which the sat is given. The data from 1,000 to 3,000 students
responding to each question are used to evaluate question performance.
Once questions and tasks have been pretested and statistics associated
with them have been computed, the materials are reviewed by
measurement and content specialists (including active classroom
teachers at both the secondary and postsecondary levels) for content
accuracy, fairness, statistical discrimination, difficulty, and differential
performance among groups of tested students.
ASSEMBLY OF INITIAL OPERATIONAL FORMS
Initial operational test forms are constructed according to test
specifications, with content coverage of primary concern and statistical
requirements secondary. All forms are evaluated to ensure that they meet
specifications and are parallel in terms of both content and statistics.

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appendix a

OPERATIONAL FORM CONTENT AND FAIRNESS REVIEWS

Once test forms are initially constructed, they undergo multiple internal
and external content and fairness reviews prior to finalization and
preparation for publication. External review committee members are
typically active classroom teachers drawn from across the nation and
from both the secondary and postsecondary levels.
PREPARATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE OF FINAL
OPERATIONAL FORMS
Final match-to-specifications tables are prepared and proofread.
Scoring keys are produced from an item bank, reviewed by content and
measurement specialists, and proofread multiple times by an editorial team.
POSTOPERATIONAL ADMINISTRATION STATISTICAL REVIEW
Following an operational test administration, statistical analyses of
individual questions and tasks and of the form as a whole are conducted
to ensure that all questions are functioning as expected.
By taking all of these steps and engaging educators at key points in
the process, we at the College Board strive to ensure that the sat
consistently reflects the guiding principles on which it was designed and
the best of rigorous classroom instruction.

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