From 2005 to 2016, the SAT had questions in three areas: Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing. Writing included a new essay section. The scores in each area go from 200 to 800, 800 being the best score. The scores in the three areas are added up, for a score between 600 and 2400. The average score is about 1500 in total. Getting near the highest or lowest scores is rare.