# Digital SAT question types

Every Digital SAT question type: what it asks, which domain scores it, how much that domain is worth, worked items you can attempt, and the mistakes that cost marks. Counts and shares are from College Board's own specifications.

## The two sections at a glance

The Digital SAT is one sitting of 2 hours and 14 minutes: a Reading and Writing section of 54 questions in two 32-minute modules, a 10-minute break, then a Math section of 44 questions in two 35-minute modules. Both sections are adaptive at the module level, so how you do on the first module decides whether the second is harder or easier. Every count and timing here is from College Board's own pages and the Specifications Overview, checked 28 September 2026.

- **Total questions:** 98
- **Reading and Writing:** 54 questions, 64 minutes
- **Math:** 44 questions, 70 minutes
- **Module structure:** 2 per section, separately timed
- **Score scale:** 400-1600, two sections of 200-800
- **If you are unsure:** Guess rather than leave it blank

> Four of the 54 Reading and Writing questions and four of the 44 Math questions are pretest items that do not count. You cannot tell which, so there is nothing to do with that fact except answer everything.

## Every SAT question type in one table

Every question type side by side: which section it belongs to, the domain it is scored under, how much of the section that domain is worth, and the shape the question takes. College Board publishes this across a website and a PDF specification.

| Question type | Section | Domain | Domain share | Question format |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Central Ideas and Details](/sat/question-types/central-ideas-and-details) | Reading and Writing | Information and Ideas | ~=26% of the section, 12-14 questions | 4 (A-D) |
| [Command of Evidence: Textual](/sat/question-types/command-of-evidence-textual) | Reading and Writing | Information and Ideas | ~=26% of the section, 12-14 questions | 4 (A-D) |
| [Command of Evidence: Quantitative](/sat/question-types/command-of-evidence-quantitative) | Reading and Writing | Information and Ideas | ~=26% of the section, 12-14 questions | 4 options (A-D), with a table or graph |
| [Inferences](/sat/question-types/inferences) | Reading and Writing | Information and Ideas | ~=26% of the section, 12-14 questions | 4 (A-D) |
| [Words in Context](/sat/question-types/words-in-context) | Reading and Writing | Craft and Structure | ~=28% of the section, 13-15 questions | 4 (A-D) |
| [Text Structure and Purpose](/sat/question-types/text-structure-and-purpose) | Reading and Writing | Craft and Structure | ~=28% of the section, 13-15 questions | 4 (A-D) |
| [Cross-Text Connections](/sat/question-types/cross-text-connections) | Reading and Writing | Craft and Structure | ~=28% of the section, 13-15 questions | 4 (A-D) |
| [Rhetorical Synthesis](/sat/question-types/rhetorical-synthesis) | Reading and Writing | Expression of Ideas | ~=20% of the section, 8-12 questions | 4 (A-D) |
| [Transitions](/sat/question-types/transitions) | Reading and Writing | Expression of Ideas | ~=20% of the section, 8-12 questions | 4 (A-D) |
| [Boundaries](/sat/question-types/boundaries) | Reading and Writing | Standard English Conventions | ~=26% of the section, 11-15 questions | 4 (A-D) |
| [Form, Structure, and Sense](/sat/question-types/form-structure-and-sense) | Reading and Writing | Standard English Conventions | ~=26% of the section, 11-15 questions | 4 (A-D) |
| [Algebra](/sat/question-types/algebra) | Math | Algebra | ~=35% of the section, 13-15 questions | Multiple choice and student-produced response |
| [Advanced Math](/sat/question-types/advanced-math) | Math | Advanced Math | ~=35% of the section, 13-15 questions | Multiple choice and student-produced response |
| [Problem-Solving and Data Analysis](/sat/question-types/problem-solving-and-data-analysis) | Math | Problem-Solving and Data Analysis | ~=15% of the section, 5-7 questions | Multiple choice and student-produced response |
| [Geometry and Trigonometry](/sat/question-types/geometry-and-trigonometry) | Math | Geometry and Trigonometry | ~=15% of the section, 5-7 questions | Multiple choice and student-produced response |

*Compiled by Testmigo from College Board's test pages and the Digital SAT Suite Specifications Overview, checked 28 September 2026. Shares are per domain, not per question type: College Board does not publish a count for a single skill.*

## Where the marks are

College Board publishes the weight of each domain, not of each skill inside it. That is the honest unit for planning: a week spent on a domain worth 28% of the section moves more than a week spent on one skill inside a domain worth 15%.

*Share of each SAT domain: Craft and Structure 28%, Information and Ideas 26%, Standard English Conventions 26%, Expression of Ideas 20% of Reading and Writing; Algebra 35%, Advanced Math 35%, Problem-Solving and Data Analysis 15%, Geometry and Trigonometry 15% of Math.*

|  | % of the section |
| --- | --- |
| R&W: Craft and Structure | 28 |
| R&W: Information and Ideas | 26 |
| R&W: Standard English | 26 |
| R&W: Expression of Ideas | 20 |
| Math: Algebra | 35 |
| Math: Advanced Math | 35 |
| Math: Problem-Solving and Data | 15 |
| Math: Geometry and Trig | 15 |

*Reading and Writing splits four ways fairly evenly. Math does not: Algebra and Advanced Math are 70% of the section between them.*

## How to practice a question type

Pick the domain costing you the most, not the question type you find most annoying. The adaptive second module means a weak first module caps the score the second one can reach, so early accuracy is worth more than late speed.

1. Sit one full adaptive mock to get a 400-1600 range and a domain breakdown. Guessing at your weak domain is usually wrong.
2. Drill the weakest domain in sets of ten, untimed, until you can name why each wrong option is wrong.
3. Add the clock back. The Reading and Writing module gives you about 71 seconds a question; Math gives you about 95.
4. Retest on a fresh mock and compare the domain breakdown, not the total.

## Common questions

### How many question types are on the Digital SAT?

College Board names 11 skills in Reading and Writing and four content domains in Math. It does not publish a count of questions per skill, only per domain, which is why the table above gives a domain share rather than a number for each row.

### Does the Digital SAT get harder as you go?

Inside a module, yes: questions run easiest to hardest. Between modules it depends on you. The second module of each section is harder or easier based on how you did on the first, which is what the adaptive design means.

### How long do I get per SAT question?

There is no per-question timer. Reading and Writing gives 32 minutes for 27 questions, about 71 seconds each; Math gives 35 minutes for 22, about 95 seconds each. The clock runs for the module, so you can spend longer on one and less on another.

### Do I need to study all 15 question types?

No. Sit one adaptive mock, read the domain breakdown, and start with the domain worth the most that you score worst on. Algebra and Advanced Math are 70% of the Math section between them, so they are usually the first place to look.

**Sources**
- [College Board: SAT test structure and timing (checked 28 September 2026)](https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/whats-on-the-test/structure)
- [College Board: Digital SAT Suite of Assessments Specifications Overview (PDF)](https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/digital-sat-test-spec-overview.pdf)
- [College Board: how SAT scores are calculated (checked 28 September 2026)](https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/scores/understanding-scores/how-scores-are-calculated)

- [Central Ideas and Details](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/central-ideas-and-details)

- [Command of Evidence: Textual](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/command-of-evidence-textual)

- [Command of Evidence: Quantitative](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/command-of-evidence-quantitative)

- [Inferences](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/inferences)

- [Words in Context](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/words-in-context)

- [Text Structure and Purpose](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/text-structure-and-purpose)

- [Cross-Text Connections](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/cross-text-connections)

- [Rhetorical Synthesis](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/rhetorical-synthesis)

- [Transitions](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/transitions)

- [Boundaries](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/boundaries)

- [Form, Structure, and Sense](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/form-structure-and-sense)

- [Algebra](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/algebra)

- [Advanced Math](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/advanced-math)

- [Problem-Solving and Data Analysis](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/problem-solving-and-data-analysis)

- [Geometry and Trigonometry](https://testmigo.com/sat/question-types/geometry-and-trigonometry)