<P> There are substantial differences in funding, curricula, grading, and difficulty among U.S. secondary schools due to U.S. federalism, local control, and the prevalence of private, distance, and home schooled students . SAT (and ACT) scores are intended to supplement the secondary school record and help admission officers put local data--such as course work, grades, and class rank--in a national perspective . However, independent research has shown that high school GPA is better than the SAT at predicting college grades regardless of high school type or quality . </P> <P> Historically, the SAT was more widely used by students living in coastal states and the ACT was more widely used by students in the Midwest and South; in recent years, however, an increasing number of students on the East and West coasts have been taking the ACT . Since 2007, all four - year colleges and universities in the United States that require a test as part of an application for admission will accept either the SAT or ACT, and over 950 four - year colleges and universities do not require any standardized test scores at all for admission . </P> <P> The SAT has four sections: Reading, Writing and Language, Math (no calculator), and Math (calculator allowed). The test taker may optionally write an essay which, in that case, is the fifth test section . The total time for the scored portion of the SAT is three hours (or three hours and fifty minutes if the optional essay section is taken). Some test takers who are not taking the essay may also have a fifth section which is used, at least in part, for the pretesting of questions that may appear on future administrations of the SAT . (These questions are not included in the computation of the SAT score .) Two section scores result from taking the SAT: Evidence - Based Reading and Writing, and Math . Section scores are reported on a scale of 200 to 800, and each section score is a multiple of ten . A total score for the SAT is calculated by adding the two section scores, resulting in total scores that range from 400 to 1600 . There is no penalty for guessing on the SAT: scores are based on the number of questions answered correctly . In addition to the two section scores, three "test" scores on a scale of 10 to 40 are reported, one for each of Reading, Writing and Language, and Math . The essay, if taken, is scored separately from the two section scores . </P> <P> The Reading Test of the SAT is made up of one section with 52 questions and a time limit of 65 minutes . All questions are multiple - choice and based on reading passages . Tables, graphs, and charts may accompany some passages, but no math is required to correctly answer the corresponding questions . There are five passages (up to two of which may be a pair of smaller passages) on the Reading Test and 10 - 11 questions per passage or passage pair . SAT Reading passages draw from three main fields: history, social studies, and science . Each SAT Reading Test always includes: one passage from U.S. or world literature; one passage from either a U.S. founding document or a related text; one passage about economics, psychology, sociology, or another social science; and, two science passages . Answers to all of the questions are based only on the content stated in or implied by the passage or passage pair . </P>

What is the first section of the sat