SAT History and Name Changes

Summary

The SAT was introduced in 1926 as a standardized college-admissions test in the United States. For much of its early history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and consisted of Verbal and Mathematical sections, each scored from 200 to 800. The test was originally designed to measure academic aptitude independently of high-school curricula, helping colleges compare applicants from different educational backgrounds. Over time, the SAT underwent several name changes that reflected shifts in how the test was described. It became the Scholastic Assessment Test, then the SAT I: Reasoning Test, followed by the SAT Reasoning Test, and eventually simply the SAT. The College Board later revised the test to align more closely with high-school learning, particularly in the 2016 redesign. The SAT also included related subject examinations: SAT Achievement Tests until 1993 and SAT II: Subject Tests until 2005; these were discontinued after June 2021. In the 2020s, the SAT moved from paper to a shorter, adaptive digital format administered through Bluebook.

Key Points

• 1

  The SAT began in 1926 as a college-admissions examination.

• 2

  Its original name was the Scholastic Aptitude Test, with Verbal and Mathematical sections scored from 200 to 800.

• 3

  The name later changed to Scholastic Assessment Test, SAT I: Reasoning Test, SAT Reasoning Test, and finally SAT.

• 4

  The 2016 version was revised to correspond more closely with high-school curricula.

• 5

  SAT Subject Tests were previously called SAT Achievement Tests and SAT II: Subject Tests; they were discontinued after June 2021.

• 6

  The SAT transitioned from paper-based testing to a shorter, adaptive digital test internationally in 2023 and in the United States in 2024.