The 29 SAT Skills
Last updated: June 18, 2026
The digital SAT tests 29 specific skills — 11 in Reading and Writing and 18 in Math. College Board calls these Skill/Knowledge Testing Points. Every question on test day maps to one of them. That means every wrong answer traces back to a specific gap you can close.
Most SAT study resources give you a score and leave you to figure out what to do with it. This list is built for a different approach: label every wrong answer by skill, track which ones repeat, and study those specifically.
Reading and Writing Skills
Information and Ideas
Central Ideas and Details — What is the main point of the passage? What does a specific detail illustrate or support? These are the most direct questions in the section — they ask what the text says, not what it implies.
Command of Evidence (Textual) — A conclusion is presented, and you choose the sentence or quote from the passage that best supports it. Wrong answers often address the same topic but support a different conclusion.
Command of Evidence (Quantitative) — A passage makes a claim alongside a chart, graph, or table. You identify the data that supports that claim. Read the passage claim first — not the chart — before evaluating answer choices.
Inferences — Based on what the passage states, what can be logically concluded? The answer is not in the text — it follows from what the text says. The most common mistake is picking the option that repeats information rather than extending it.
Craft and Structure
Words in Context — Which word best completes the sentence given the meaning and tone of the surrounding passage? These are not vocabulary memorization tests. The right answer fits the argument, not just the definition.
Text Structure and Purpose — Why did the author include this paragraph? How is this text organized? Identifying the purpose of a structural choice is the core skill.
Cross-Text Connections — Two short passages on the same topic. How do the authors' views relate? What would one author say about the other's argument? These almost always ask about agreement, disagreement, or qualification between the two.
Expression of Ideas
Rhetorical Synthesis — You're given 3–5 bullet-pointed notes. Combine them into a single sentence that meets a stated condition. These are predictable once you know the format.
Transitions — Which transition word or phrase fits the logical relationship between the two sentences? Knowing the categories (contrast, addition, cause and effect, elaboration) makes these fast.
Standard English Conventions
Boundaries — Where does the comma, semicolon, colon, or period go? The core skill is recognizing whether each clause is independent or dependent.
Form, Structure, and Sense — Does the verb agree with its subject? Does the pronoun match its antecedent? Is the verb in the right tense and form? This skill covers subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, and verb tense and form in a single testing point.
Math Skills
Algebra
Algebra accounts for roughly 35% of your Math score.
Linear Equations in One Variable — Solve for a single variable. Many of these are word problems where you construct the equation from a description.
Linear Equations in Two Variables — Work with equations in y = mx + b or standard form. Interpret slope and intercept in context.
Linear Functions — Questions about rate of change, what a linear model represents, and how changes to the equation affect the graph.
Systems of Two Linear Equations in Two Variables — Two equations, two unknowns. Solve using substitution or elimination, or interpret a graph showing intersection points.
Linear Inequalities in One or Two Variables — Solve inequalities with one or two variables. Interpret shaded regions on graphs.
Advanced Math
Equivalent Expressions — Rewrite or factor an expression. Includes factoring quadratics, completing the square, and simplifying rational expressions.
Nonlinear Equations in One Variable and Systems of Equations in Two Variables — Solve quadratic equations, and systems that mix one linear and one nonlinear equation.
Nonlinear Functions — Exponential and polynomial functions. Interpret their values, graphs, and what they model in context.
Problem Solving and Data Analysis
Ratios, Rates, Proportional Relationships, and Units — Set up and solve proportion problems. Includes unit conversions.
Percentages — Calculate percent change, percent of a total, and solve for tax and interest. A straightforward skill once you have the formula locked in.
One-Variable Data: Distributions and Measures of Center and Spread — Interpret histograms and dot plots. Calculate or compare mean, median, and range.
Two-Variable Data: Models and Scatterplots — Read a scatterplot, identify the line of best fit, and interpret what slope and intercept mean in context.
Probability and Conditional Probability — Calculate probability from frequency tables and two-way tables. Conditional probability is the tricky version — know how to read it from a table.
Inference from Sample Statistics and Study Design — Interpret what a sample statistic tells you about a population. Understand why randomization matters for making valid inferences.
Geometry and Trigonometry
Area and Volume — Area and perimeter of 2D shapes, volume of 3D solids. Some questions give you the formula; for basic shapes, know them.
Lines, Angles, and Triangles — Parallel lines cut by a transversal, angle relationships, and triangle congruence and similarity.
Right Triangles and Trigonometry — Pythagorean theorem, properties of 30-60-90 and 45-45-90 special triangles, and sine, cosine, and tangent in right triangles.
Circles — Arc length, sector area, central and inscribed angles, and the standard equation of a circle. These are tested more than most students expect.
How to use this list
Keep it open while you review practice tests. For every question you get wrong, find the skill it belongs to and log it. After three or four sessions, the pattern is clear — you'll see which two or three skills are costing you most of your points.
HIROSCORE does this automatically. After each session, it shows your performance broken down by skill — what's solid, what's at risk, and what to fix next. Track your skills with HIROSCORE.
You show up. HIROSCORE does the rest.