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SAT Language Test: Syllabus, Mean Score, Sample Papers

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Rituparna Nath

Content Writer at Study Abroad Exams

SAT Language Test is a 60-minute, 80 to 85 multiple-choice questions exam and you can choose which, among the offered Languages you can take for your SAT Language subject tests, is based on a series of reading passages that the candidates are asked to answer multiple-choice questions. The SAT writing and language test consists of 11 questions about each of 4 reading passages for a total of 44 questions, for which there would be 35 minutes. There are SAT Korean, French, Chinese, Italian, German, Latin, Japanese, and Spanish Subject Tests.

Language Spanish French Chinese Italian German Latin Japanese Korean
No. of Questions  85 85 70-75 80-85 85 70-75 80 80

SAT Language Test: Overview

Here is an overview of what skills are tested on these SAT Foreign Language Subject Tests:

  • The knowledge of which words, in particular, represents a specific part of speech.
  • The ability to recognize some fundamental idioms in cultural contexts.
  • The capability of selecting the most appropriate expression or word to complete a sentence is the grammatically correct way. Some of these problems are expressed as parts of a larger paragraph.
  • The understanding of concepts such as tone, style, themes, supporting ideas, main ideas, the temporal and spatial setting of a passage. These selections will be derived from letters, flyers, ads, articles, magazines, newspapers, historical works, fiction, and other written mediums.
  • The ability to comprehend spoken language in order to determine what is being presented or expressed.

The languages of the SAT subject test include 2 different segments: Language Listening test and Language Reading test.

Language Listening Language Reading
Chinese French
French German
German Modern Hebrew
Japanese Italian
Korean Latin
Spanish Spanish

Sectional Details of SAT Language Tests

The different Language tests for SAT are spread out in different schedules. Hence, preparing for a certain SAT language test would require careful planning. Below table below provides you the information necessary to know about the test.

Subject test name Duration Number of question Topics covered Skills Required Test conducting months
Spanish Reading 60 minutes 80 questions Reading Comprehension (33%) Paragraph completion (33%) Vocabulary and Structure (33%) Excellent vocabulary Strong grammatical knowledge Proper understanding of tone and style May, June, August, October, and December
Spanish Listening 60 minutes (20 minutes for listening and 40 minutes for Reading) 85 questions Pictures, rejoinders, and selections for the listening section (40%) Vocabulary and structure Paragraph completion Reading comprehension for the reading section (60%) Ability to select proper words and expression Compact understanding of spoken language Strong sense of grammar and vocabulary May
French Reading 60 minutes 80 questions Vocabulary in context (30%) Structure (30%–40%) Reading comprehension (30%–40%) Fundamentals of French Compact understanding with strong grammatical knowledge Ability of connecting and relating different points May, June, August, October, and December
French Listening 60 minutes (20 minutes for listening and 40 minutes for reading) 85 questions For the listening part (35%): Pictures - 8–12 questions, Short dialogues - 6–12 questions, Long dialogues - 10–15 questions For the reading part (65%): Vocabulary - 16–20 questions, Structure - 16–20 questions, Reading comprehension - 20–25 questions In-depth knowledge of the language from fundamentals to idioms and other complex parts Ability to understand spoken dialogues Ability to relate points Grammatical knowledge May
Chinese Listening 60 minutes (20 minutes for listening and 40 minutes for reading) 70-75 questions Listening comprehension (33%) Usage (33%) Reading comprehension (33%) Ability to understand spoken Mandarin Chinese dialogues Ability to complete sentences with accurate grammar, and vocabulary May
Italian Reading 60 minutes 80-85 questions Vocabulary in context (30%) Structure in text (30%) Reading comprehension (40%) High-frequency vocabulary with idiomatic knowledge Grammar and vocabulary knowledge Understanding of reading materials on diverse subjects June
German Reading 60 minutes 85 questions Vocabulary in context and structure in context (test on grammar) (50%) Reading comprehension (50%) Knowledge of basic language with idioms Proper word selection Ability to relate main ideas with supporting ideas. Ability to understand simple to difficult passages June
German Listening 60 minutes (20 minutes for listening and 40 minutes for reading) 85 questions Listening section (35%): Type One with short dialogues/monologues. Type Two with longer dialogues and monologues. Reading section (65%): Vocabulary in context Structure in context Reading comprehension Understanding of parts of speech Ability to understand spoken German Ability of connecting ideas Grammatical accuracy Strong vocabulary May
Modern Hebrew Reading 60 minutes 85 questions Vocabulary in context (30%) Structure in text (30%) Reading comprehension (40%) Understanding of parts of speech Ability of connecting ideas Grammatical accuracy with sufficient vocabulary June
Latin Reading 60 minutes 70-75 questions Grammar and syntax (30%) Derivatives (5%) Translation and reading comprehension (65%) Appropriate understanding of grammatical forms of Latin words Translation skills June and December
Japanese Listening 60 minutes (20 minutes for listening and 40 minutes for reading) 80 questions Listening comprehension (35%) Usage (30%) Reading comprehension (35%) Ability to understand spoken Japanese and to complete sentences appropriately with proper grammatical skills . May
SAT Korean Listening 60 minutes (20 minutes for listening and 40 minutes for reading) 80 questions Listening comprehension (35%) Usage (30%) Reading comprehension (35%) Ability to understand spoken Korean and to complete sentences logically with proper grammar May

SAT Language Average Score

There were 20 different tests in 2020, in which subject tests were offered, 12 of which being in foreign languages. Students were required to bring a CD player to take the language with listening tests. The below table shows the tests and scores.

Test Subject Mean Score Standard deviation Number of students appeared
SAT Subject Test in Chinese with Listening Chinese 761 66 4,925
SAT Subject Test in French French 634 121 6,800
SAT Subject Test in French with Listening French 664 113 1,533
SAT Subject Test in German German 636 124 621
SAT Subject Test in German with Listening German 629 121 479
SAT Subject Test in Modern Hebrew Modern Hebrew 614 145 344
SAT Subject Test in Italian Italian 677 114 488
SAT Subject Test in Japanese with Listening Japanese 704 116 1,317
SAT Subject Test in Korean with Listening Korean 764 64 1,891
SAT Subject Test in Latin Latin 632 109 2,483
SAT Subject Test in Spanish with Listening Spanish 660 108 2,914

SAT Writing and Language Test

assess your ability to revise and edit texts about a range of topics. SAT writing and language consists of four passages with 11 questions each. You will be provided with 35 minutes to complete the SAT language test. Here is the brief of writing and language test:

  • The writing section is now called Writing and language
  • This section focuses on both little picture editing-grammar, word choice, punctuation, and big picture editing- flow, organization, and tone.
  • All of the questions are passage-based
  • Your SAT writing and language score will be combined with your Reading score to make one verbal score, on a range from 200-800.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.

SAT 2021 : 5 answered questions

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Ques. Is 1160 a good score in the SAT to get a call from the IIM Ranchi IPM program?

● Top Answer By Radhika Srivastava on 19 Jan 23

People with scores of 1500 or higher often aim for the IIM Ranchi IPM program. With a score of 1160, you may not be in a strong position to get a call from IIM Ranchi, but if you have strong extracurricular activities and good academic performance in the past (e.g. in 10th and 12th grade), you may still have a chance.  If you do not receive a call from IIM Ranchi, you can still try for the IIM Indore IPM-AT program. You must keep in mind that IIM Ranchi may also consider applicants for the IIM Indore IPM-AT program. It's worth giving it your best effort....Read more

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Ques. Do I have to take the SAT for the IPM course provided by IIM or only for IIM Ranchi?

● Top Answer By Yashluv Virwani on 19 Jan 23

IIM Ranchi has not disclosed a specific cutoff score for the SAT for admission to their Integrated Program in Management (IPM) program. However, according to an interview with the IIM Ranchi IPM admission panel, students who score highly on the SAT may be invited to participate in a personal interview.  It is worth noting that this information is based on assumptions and research, and a score of 1400+ on the SAT may be considered a safe bet for admission consideration. However, it is also possible that a score of 1350+ could be sufficient if luck is on your side....Read more

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Ques. I got 1090 in my SAT attempt. Will my marks be eligible for the IIM Ranchi IPM program?

● Top Answer By Juhi Gupta on 12 Jan 23

I am willing to give you my honest opinion in this regard. Your score is good but not at par with the competition posed during IPM admissions. I have seen scores higher than this while attempting to get admission to the IPM program. But don’t let this discourage you as Indore also conducts an aptitude test IPMAT and admission is based on that too. You can work on this exam and compensate for your past low scores.  Another option to compensate for your low marks is to upgrade your extracurricular background. IIM Indore actively considered extracurricular activities during admissions. But in the end I will still ask you to depend on IPMAT mostly for your admission...Read more

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Ques. I'm in the ST category. I got 930 in my SAT. Is it good enough to get into IPM IIM Ranchi?

● Top Answer By Ankur Shukla on 12 Jan 23

IIM Ranchi offers an IPM Program based on SAT / IPMAT Scores. The Expected Cutoff for IPM via SAT is 930. Apart from this, we don’t have many criteria to base this admission on. So the benefit of the doubt goes to applicants having SAT scores soaring at about 1100–1600. The admission criteria for other programs are more flexible as it is based on parameters such as 10,12, UG scorecards. So it’s highly unlikely that even high marks will get you into IIM Ranchi....Read more

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Ques. What will be a good SAT score to get into IIM Ranchi with decent academics?

● Top Answer By Saurav Pandey on 11 Jan 23

The admissions to the IPM Program are based on SAT / IPMAT Scores. The Expected Cutoff for IPM via IPMAT is 265 / 300 . SAT Expected Cutoff for IPM Admission 2023 is as follows:   Category  SAT Cutof f General 1350 Other Backward Classes (OBC) 1050 Emotionally Weaker Sections (EWS) 1030 Scheduled Caste (SC) 930 Scheduled Tribes (ST) 930 Differently Abled (DAP) 800...Read more

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