what type of essay is on the sat

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Test Prep 101: Guide to the SAT Essay

By IvyWise Master Tutor

Understanding test content, formatting, and changes are important when preparing for the SAT – especially the essay portion. There have been a number of changes to the SAT since the launch of the new exam in 2016, and our guide to the SAT Essay will help students better understand how to master this section should they choose to take it.

SAT Essay Structure and Content

The SAT Essay went through a total transformation in the most recent redesign of the SAT. The new SAT Essay is a lengthy and uniquely challenging section, and it addresses many of the problems that were evident in the prior version of the SAT Essay section.

The new SAT Essay section presents an extended piece of nonfiction prose, often times an article excerpted from the likes of Time Magazine , Condé Nast , or the Los Angeles Times ranging between 650-800 words then asks the student to write a five-paragraph essay that identifies, explains, and evaluates the stylistic, rhetorical, and logical elements of the text that contribute to its meaning.

All the prompts stick to the following template: “Write an essay in which you explain how [the author’s name] builds an argument to persuade his/her audience…your essay should not explain whether or not you agree with [the author’s] claims, but rather explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade his/her audience.

Now, this is a tough essay assignment under any circumstances, much less one that the student must complete in 50 minutes as the last section of the SAT. But the need for the new SAT Essay is evident once you look at old essay prompts pre-SAT redesign. The following one is from 2015:

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

“Is it necessary for people to combine their efforts with those of others in order to be most effective? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.” -Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Assignment: Can people have too much enthusiasm? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

The old essay prompts somehow seem both too specific and too general; the main question is too specific to understand—Can people have too much enthusiasm?—and the content the essay is supposed to cover is too broad—“reading, studies, experience, or observations.” Not only were students not required to read the quote given as part of the prompt, in this case an excerpt from Covey’s Seven Habits , it also didn’t represent the sort of reading students do in school.

College Board fixes these problems by looking in-house at the AP Language and Composition curriculum they already have, and adapting one essay assignment from that test to fit the SAT Essay. The ‘rhetorical analysis’ essay assignment from the AP Language and Composition test reads: “Students read a non-fiction text and analyze how the writer’s language choices contribute to his or her purpose and intended meaning for the text.” This could easily be lifted and used as the prompt for the SAT essay.

SAT Essay vs. ACT Essay

The new SAT Essay makes the case that its essay assignment is not only more representative of the reading and writing skills that students learn in school, but also more predictive of the sort of reading, analysis, and writing work that students will go on to do at the college level. Consider the following main differences between the ACT Essay and SAT Essay:

The SAT prompt does not ask for the student’s opinion on the passage, it tests for how well the student understands the passage’s argument and how the author makes the argument. For this reason, the student will receive three separate scores for the SAT Essay: a reading, analysis, and writing score.

The ACT Essay prompt is more compact than that of the SAT Essay; however, the SAT Essay is more closely geared to the sort of writing and reading work that students complete in school. The SAT Essay is also unique in that it tests for whether a student understands how an argument works, rather than asking the student to make an argument.

The new SAT Essay is not necessarily ‘harder’ than the old essay section, but it is designed to give universities a clearer picture of a student’s reading and writing abilities, which can be a really positive thing. For this reason, it is important for prospective SAT test takers to be aware of these changes, and familiarize themselves with the new look of the SAT essay!

Need additional help preparing for the SAT Essay?  Contact us today  for more information on our  SAT prep and other test prep services !

Also, be sure to read Peter’s other section breakdowns, including his  guide to the SAT Reading, Writing, and Math sections.

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Thinking about tackling the SAT Essay? Here's what you need to know: you'll be asked to read a text (typically a speech or editorial of some sort) and discuss how the author effectively builds an argument. This might be a familiar task if you’ve done it in school, but if not, don’t worry. The format is straightforward, and with some practice, you can learn how to write a great SAT essay.

What is the SAT essay?

The SAT essay is optional and costs an additional fee of $17.00. Currently, only 25 colleges and universities require the SAT essay. You can find a searchable list of school requirements for the essay here . If there is any chance that you might apply to one of those schools, you should sign up for the essay. If you are not sure where you will apply, you should strongly consider signing up for the essay. Your essay score will appear on every score report you send to colleges, regardless of whether or not the school requires an essay. 

Here are 5 tips for writing a killer SAT essay, should you decide to add on that section:

1. Stay Objective

The thing to remember here is that ETS (the company that writes the test) is not asking you for your opinion on a topic or a text. So be sure to maintain formal style and an objective tone. Tip: Avoid “I” and “you.

2. Keep It Tidy

Handwriting is becoming a lost art. Unfortunately, this is one occasion where your skill with a pencil matters. Graders read tons of essays each day. If they cannot decipher your script, they will lower your score. Do yourself a favor and write legibly.

3. (Indented) Paragraphs Are Your Friend

Remember the basic essay structure you learned in school: introductory paragraph, body paragraphs and a conclusion? The SAT essay graders love it! Your introduction should describe the text and paraphrase the argument being made, as well as introduce the specific elements of the passage and argument that you will discuss in the essay. Your conclusion should restate the goal of the passage/argument and sum up the points you made.

Read More: SAT Tips and Strategies

4. For Example…

Use your body paragraphs to back up your thesis statement by citing specific examples. Use short, relevant quotes from the text to support your points.

5. Don't Worry About the Exact Terms for Things

Blanking on terminology? When describing how the author builds his or her argument, “appeal to the emotions” is fine instead of specifically referencing “pathos.” And “comparison of two things” can be used instead of referring to a metaphor. If you do know the official terms, though, feel free to use them!

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What is the SAT? A Complete Guide to the Exam

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Virtually every college’s admissions committee uses the SAT as a way to compare students from different educational backgrounds. It is managed and published by the College Board, which makes sure that the test covers skills relevant to colleges.

The SAT has changed a lot over its history, including what it measures, who uses the exam, and even what the letters stand for. We’re going to focus on what you need to know about the SAT as it exists today.

Why Should I Take the SAT?

The SAT demonstrates your academic ability to colleges, especially in language arts and math. Colleges use these scores to gauge if you are ready for college classes. Based on your score, they may even award merit scholarships or admission to their honors programs, and sometimes place you in higher-level courses.

The SAT is not the only test that colleges look at—there is also the ACT, an exam used in the same ways the SAT is used. Most colleges require either an official SAT or ACT score.

While used in similar ways, the SAT and ACT have different test structures, and most students prefer one style of test over the other. For example, the ACT has a science section, a different format for the essay portion, and tighter time constraints than the SAT. For more information on the two exams and how the SAT can help you earn scholarships, check out these posts:

• Should You Take Both the SAT and ACT?
• Which is Easier, the SAT or the ACT?
• Which Colleges Award Automatic Scholarships Based on SAT Scores?
• How Your SAT Scores can Help You Earn Scholarships

What is the SAT like?

How the sat is structured.

The SAT is structured into three tests with an optional fourth test: Reading, Writing and Language, Math, and an optional Essay.

The Reading Test measures your reading comprehension and analysis skills using excerpts from literary fiction or academic texts. You have:

• 65 minutes to answer 52 questions.
• 4 single passages in prose, social studies, and sciences.
• 1 pair of passages in either social studies or science.
• 10 to 11 questions for each single or paired passage.
• All multiple choice questions.

The Writing and Language Test measures your proofreading and editing skills using unfinished drafts. You have:

• 35 minutes to answer 44 questions
• 4 passages in narrative nonfiction, social studies, science, and career/industry
• 11 questions per passage.
• All multiple choice questions

Note that the questions may be in an unfamiliar format. Many questions refer to an underlined portion within the passage as a point of reference, and you will be asked to choose the answer that best improves the passage. These questions will also include a “NO CHANGE” option, which means that the way it appears in the passage is the best choice.

The Math Test measures your logic and problem-solving skills using math concepts. You have:

• Two sections, a no-calculator and a calculator section
• 15 multiple choice questions
• 5 gridded-response questions
• 30 multiple choice questions
• 8 gridded-response questions

The SAT Essay is optional and allows you to demonstrate your reading, analysis, and writing skills. You have:

• 50 minutes to respond to 1 essay question.
• The question involves analyzing a provided argument and explaining how the author develops the argument to persuade the reader.
• The 50 minutes includes time for reading the argument, analyzing it, planning your essay, and ultimately writing it.

The SAT was significantly modified in 2016, both in structure and scoring. For more information about the new SAT, check out these posts:

• Ultimate Guide to the New SAT Reading Test
• Ultimate Guide to the New SAT Writing and Language Test
• Ultimate Guide to the New SAT Math Test

What to Expect when Taking the SAT

The SAT is offered a handful of times throughout the school year, usually on Saturdays. Some high schools participate in SAT Day, where you take the SAT in school instead of having to go on your own time.

You will probably need to sign up for the SAT on your own at least once, and we’ve compiled a list of the SAT dates for 2018-2019 to get you started.

On test day, you’ll need to bring the following:

• Your admission ticket
• Two no. 2 pencils with erasers
• An approved calculator
• Recommended: a watch without an audible alarm (not a smartwatch), extra batteries for your calculator or extra pencils, water and snacks

For a complete list of which items you are allowed to bring, check out College Board’s Test Day Checklist .

No matter where you take the test, the testing center doors open at 7:45 a.m. and testing starts between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. You will be assigned a seat and the testing coordinator will read you the testing instructions.

You will work on the Reading, then Writing and Language, then Math, then Essay portions of the test in that order. If you have extra time, you can check your answers in the current section, but you can’t move onto the next section or go back to a previous one.

Most students have one 10 minute break and one 5 minute break. You may use the restroom or eat a snack during the break, but you may not charge electronic devices, such as a phone, or else your scores will be canceled.

For students who don’t take the essay, they usually finish the test around 12:00pm. For students who do take the essay, they usually finish around 1:00pm.

How the SAT is Scored

Although the SAT has a whole suite of score assessments, the most common ways that people report scores is with the total score and section scores . There are two section scores on the SAT: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Math. Each section is scored from 200 to 800 points.

The total score is the sum of the section scores, so it ranges from 400 to 1600.

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Tips for Doing Well on the SAT

To do well on the SAT, you should do your best to simulate a real test using one of College Board’s free practice tests . This will give you the best idea of what taking the official SAT will be like as well as the types of questions you can expect to see.

Analyze your score and reflect on what the test was like for you. Did you second-guess yourself? Rush through the test? Develop strategies to prevent negative test habits from happening and brush up on any academic skills you may need.

Depending on how much you want to improve your score, you’ll want to give yourself enough time to practice and study before taking the official SAT. Create a consistent study schedule and stick to it, using practice tests to measure the effectiveness of your strategies.

Need more tips? Check out our free guide  with our top 8 tips for mastering the SAT.

For more information about the SAT and improving your score, check out these posts:

• How to Get a Perfect 1600 Score on the SAT
• What to Do if You’re Not Improving on the SAT
• How to Set a Realistic Target SAT Score

Want to know how your SAT score/ACT score impacts your chances of acceptance to your dream schools? Our free Chancing Engine will not only help you predict your odds, but also let you know how you stack up against other applicants, and which aspects of your profile to improve. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to gain access to our Chancing Engine and get a jumpstart on your college strategy!

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What’s on the SAT in 2024?

What’s on the sat in 2024 (with real example questions).

Bonus Material: PrepMaven DSAT Full Diagnostic

Taking the SAT in 2024? Looking for a good, great, or even perfect score to boost your odds of college admissions? Then this post is for you: we’ll cover exactly what content you need to understand to ace the SAT. 

At PrepMaven, we’ve helped thousands of students earn their dream SAT scores, with many of them scoring 1500+ on the SAT. We’ve also spent countless hours researching the SAT so that we can offer you the best advice on how to prepare for it. 

This post will cover the specific content tested on the SAT, breaking it down into clearly defined concepts that you can then study on your own or with one of our top-scoring tutors. While the College Board offers a broad overview of what’s tested, our guide will go further, using our research to give you more specific (and more helpful) direction on what you need to study. 

One key factor in SAT Prep is your goal score, which depends on what colleges you plan to apply to. Below, we’ve compiled the median SAT score ranges for the top 500 US universities–download it for free and start planning!

Download PrepMaven’s DSAT Full Diagnostic

Jump to section: SAT Reading and Writing: what’s tested on Reading? SAT Reading and Writing: what’s tested on Writing? SAT Math: what’s tested? Next steps

SAT Reading and Writing: what’s tested on Reading?

This post will give a broad overview of all content tested on the digital SAT, including eral sample questions! For a more granular breakdown of how each of the two sections is organized, you can check out our post here.

In the meantime, let’s dive into the kinds of questions you’ll see on SAT Reading and Writing! According to the College Board, the questions on the SAT Reading and Writing fall into four broad categories: 

• Information and Ideas
• Craft and Structure
• Expression of Ideas
• Standard English Conventions

But to tell you the truth, these categories are not the most helpful way to understand the test. (I mean, what doesn’t count as “information and ideas?) 

Instead, we recommend thinking about the SAT Reading and Writing section as being half-Reading, half-Writing, each of which with two broad question categories. 

When it comes to the Reading questions, it’s much easier to think of them as testing two key skills: 

• Literal comprehension
• Evaluating logical/scientific reasoning

For the “Writing” questions, the College Board categories are a bit more useful, and you can really think of the Writing questions as testing: 

Although Reading and Writing are combined into one section, there’s quite a clear divide between how the SAT tests each of these concepts. Understanding how the College Board has designed the format of the digital SAT’s sections is crucial for succeeding on the test, and you can read a full breakdown of the SAT Sections here . 

Roughly the first half of each Reading and Writing module tests the Reading skills, and the second half focuses on the two main Writing skills. 

When it comes to the Literal Comprehension questions, you’ll be presented with a series of short passages, each of which comes with one question. How long are the SAT Reading passages? Fortunately, only between 25-150 words! In other words, each reading passage is approximately one paragraph long. 

The first set of questions you see will specifically test Literal Comprehension, which means the following skills: 

• Fill in words in context:

• Summarize the main points of poems and short passages:

• Identify the meaning of specific lines within short passages

Then, you’ll encounter the next set of Reading passages, these ones testing your ability to analyze logical and scientific reasoning. These questions take two forms, generally: 

• Interpret charts and graphs

• Support, undermine, and complete logical arguments

Those are effectively all the question types you’ll see when it comes to SAT Reading! For a deep dive on how to recognize, approach, and answer each question type, you should check out our comprehensive SAT Reading guide here . 

Wondering how your SAT score stacks up against other applicants to your dream school? Check out the median SAT scores of admitted students with our free resource, PrepMaven’s DSAT Full Diagnostic .

SAT Reading and Writing: What’s tested on SAT Writing?

When it comes to SAT Writing, you’ll be tested on English Grammar and Expression of Ideas. Just like with SAT Reading, these break down into several predictable question types that you can learn to anticipate! 

For our comprehensive guide to every type of grammar question on the SAT Writing , click here . In the meantime, you should know that you’ll be tested on the following specific concepts and skills: 

• Subject Verb Agreement 
• Punctuation 
• Pronoun Antecedent Agreement
• Dangling modifiers
• Logical comparisons
• Transitions
• Redundancy 
• Sentence construction
• Synthesizing information from bullet-pointed notes

Although there are more question types here, most of these are specific grammatical concepts. All you really need to do is learn the concepts (which you can do with one of our top-scoring tutors ) and then learn how to recognize when the SAT is testing them. 

If you carefully read through our guides on each question type and put in the work to study, there’s really no reason you should ever miss a grammar question on SAT writing. They test objective rules, and they test them in the same way just about every time. 

SAT Math: What’s tested?

The new Digital SAT (for 2024 and beyond) tests exactly the same math concepts as the old SAT. The College Board offers a broad breakdown of what skills are tested and how often, and we have a more content-focused guide to the digital SAT Math here . Later in this section, we’ll dig into more specifics about question types and content: what exactly will you need to know for the Digital SAT Math?

Here is the breakdown of what concepts are tested and how often on the Digital SAT: 

SAT Algebra: what’s tested?

Algebra concepts make up a major portion of the Digital SAT Math section: 35%, or over one-third, of your questions will test fundamental algebra skills. What does the College Board mean when they talk about testing “Algebra?”

Fundamentally, the Algebra questions on the Digital SAT test your knowledge of linear equations and straight lines . Basically, any math question that involves two variables in a linear relationship to one another falls into the Algebra category. 

These SAT Algebra questions can take many forms! You’ll see graphs, word problems, equations, and input/output tables, all of which test the same fundamental equation: y=mx+b. Take a look at some real sample SAT Algebra questions below:

If you’re less than 100% confident on any of these concepts (especially on y=mx+b!), we’d really recommend working with a tutor to bring your math skills up to where they need to be. 

You can think of the Algebra section as your foundation for the SAT Math: if you’re struggling with any of these concepts, you probably will not be able to answer most of the questions on the SAT Math section correctly. 

Fortunately, this is a problem that’s easy to fix–if you get a head start! Building up the foundational SAT Algebra skills takes time, and you don’t want to be rushing to cram in a whole year’s worth of algebra knowledge before your test!

Our expert SAT tutors can help you identify exactly what Algebra concepts you need to work on to prepare for the SAT, ensuring that you don’t waste time learning concepts that aren’t tested. If Algebra is where you struggle, we strongly recommend starting professional math tutoring more than 3 months before your test date. 

SAT Advanced Math: what’s tested?

If you’re looking at what’s on the Digital SAT Math, you may be confused by what counts as “Advanced Math.” It’s especially important to know exactly what College Board means by this category, since “Advanced Math” SAT questions make up 35% of your total score!

Fortunately, there’s an easier way to think of what College Board calls “Advanced Math!” This section really just covers non-linear equations. What do we mean by that? It’s actually quite straightforward. The Digital SAT “Advanced Math” questions cover the following concepts: 

• Exponential functions
• Equations of circles 

Fuzzy on any of these? You’re not the only one. Fortunately, our team of expert tutors at PrepMaven has put together a targeted guide for each of these concepts. Check out our guide to the SAT Math section here : it focuses specifically on teaching you what you need to ace the SAT Math section, as opposed to just math skills in general. 

SAT Problem-Solving and Data: what’s tested?

This category is a lot smaller than the first two but presents serious problems for many students. Many students don’t have much experience with statistics or probability, so these questions can be tricky. 

The key concepts you need to understand to succeed on this section are: 

• Ratios, proportions, percentages
• Probability
• Measures of center (like mean, median, mode, range, and standard deviation)
• Interpreting charts and graphs (like stem and leaf plots, box and whisker plots, and histograms)
• Experiment/survey design

These concepts can be very unintuitive, and this is one of the key areas where a good tutor can make all the difference– try a session with one of our SAT Math experts and see how helpful they can be!

Wondering how your SAT Math score stacks up against other applicants’? Our free spreadsheet breaks down median SAT scores at top US schools by Math and Reading & Writing subscores so that you can better plan your test prep strategy. 

SAT Geometry: what’s tested?

This section is pretty predictable, and tests your knowledge of the properties of a few basic shapes. The most important concepts tested on the SAT Math when it comes to Geometry are: 

• Circles (area, circumference, arcs)
• Triangles (special right triangles, similar triangles, Sin, Cos, and Tan)
• Regular polygons (these are your squares, rectangles, parallelograms, hexagons, etc.)

Many students struggle most with these questions, often because they don’t know where to start! Take a look at the questions below: all of these are from the mock tests provided by College Board for the new digital SAT, and you can bet the real SAT you take will have similar questions.

 While the SAT Geometry questions only make up 15% of the test, you still need to master the content to have a shot at a high or perfect SAT Math score. And because there are relatively few Geometry questions despite there being many possible Geometry concepts, these questions can be harder to predict than the questions on other sections!

Whether you’re just starting out SAT Prep or are aiming for a retest to lock in that 1600, your path to a great score depends on you knowing not just what’s on the digital SAT, but how it’s tested. 

This guide has been intended as a breakdown of what you need to know. If you’re ready to actually start learning it, we’ve developed comprehensive strategy and content guides for SAT Reading , Grammar , and Math questions. There, you’ll find lists of all possible question types, real SAT example problems, and step-by-step guides for each type of question. 

Of course, there’s no substitute for an expert to actually guide you through real questions and push your thinking further. Our team matches every student with their tutor through a personalized, hands-on process, ensuring that your tutor will be an expert in the specific areas you need support in. 

As you start your test prep journey, be sure to keep your end goal in mind: what’s a good SAT score for your target schools? There’s no easier way to find out than by downloading the free resource below, which contains the median SAT scores for 500 top US universities!

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How the SAT Is Structured

The digital SAT is composed of two sections: Reading and Writing and Math. Students have 64 minutes to complete the Reading and Writing section and 70 minutes to complete the Math section for a total of 2 hours and 14 minutes.

Each section is divided into 2 equal length modules, and there is a 10-minute break between the Reading and Writing section and the Math section. The first module of each section contains a broad mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. Based on how students perform on the first module, the second module of questions will either be more difficult or less difficult.

Compared to the ACT ® , the SAT provides 68% more time per question:

Most of the questions are multiple choice, though some of the math questions ask you to enter the answer rather than select it.

On all questions, there's no penalty for guessing: if you're not sure of the answer, it's better to guess than leave the response blank.

SAT Test Sections 2023: Comprehensive Format Breakdown

Aaron • Last updated on January 5, 2023

Are you taking the SAT in a few months? Or, maybe you just want to know what this test is all about? Either way, it is a great idea for you to know its content. If you’re taking the test soon, you’re probably asking:

What does the SAT consist of? 

What sections are on the SAT? 

How is the SAT structured?

In this article, we break down the SAT according to structure, time breakdown, section times, and question types. Each section measures different skills and abilities, so answering them requires different approaches. We will then look at some tips on how to perform well in each section of the SAT. 

So, what’s on the SAT?

Different SAT sections

The SAT is administered to measure how much you learned in high school and to assess your readiness for college. As mentioned, it tests your skills and abilities in different aspects. 

There are four SAT test sections:

• Writing and Language
• Essay (optional)

The Math section has two parts: No calculator and With Calculator. Aside from the Essay section, which you may or may not take, all questions on the admissions test are in a multiple-choice format.

How many questions are on the SAT? There are a total of 154 questions + 1 essay question. 

The total SAT time is 3 hours if you skip the essay and 3.50 hours if you answer it. 

Now, let’s break down the SAT format. 

SAT Breakdown

The table above shows the SAT breakdown of sections, their corresponding number of questions, and SAT time per section. 

As you can see, the Math section covers the biggest chunk of the SAT test length with 58 questions. It also covers most of the SAT time length with 80 minutes in total. 

What does the SAT test you on? First and foremost, the SAT measures your readiness for college. If we get down to specifics, however, you will see particular topics that are covered.

Check out the chart below to see the different question types you are going to encounter on the test. Also, indicated in the table is the breakdown for scoring on the SAT.

The scoring range for the whole SAT is 400-1600, and the scoring range for each section is 200-800. The optional Essay section’s scoring range, on the other hand, is 2-8.  

The SAT Reading Section

Let’s look closely at each section of the SAT and the skills being measured in each one.

The first section of the SAT is the Reading section. It measures how well you can absorb, process, and use information. It will test your reading comprehension skills, as well as your understanding of vocabulary in context.

In the SAT Reading section, you will be given 5 passages:

• 1 passage from a classic or contemporary work or world literature
• 1 passage from a U.S. founding document or a text in Global Conversation they inspired
• 1 passage on social sciences
• 2 passages on science

Each passage or set of passages is about 500-750 words long. Some of these come with an infographic, chart, or graph, in which you will be asked to interpret data. There’s also a possibility of having paired passages, which discuss the same theme or topic. 

What are the SAT test types for reading? Let’s expound on them one by one.

Reading question types

1. big picture/little picture.

This type of question will ask you what the main point or the purpose of the passage is. What is the passage about? What is it trying to tell you? A big picture type of question will measure your ability to identify the general idea of the passage.

On the other hand, a little picture type of question will ask you what the purpose of a specific line(s) is/are. What you’ll do here is find evidence that will support the purpose of a specific line or the passage as a whole.

2. Inference

In this type of question, you are asked to basically interpret the meaning of a line or a set of lines. Sometimes, you will be asked to interpret the meaning of the whole passage.

3. Vocabulary/context

Questions on vocabulary don’t need much explaining. This type of question asks you to define a word from the text. However, some words are used in an unusual way, so comprehension is key.

4. Author Analysis

This type of question will ask you to identify and analyze the author’s technique and style of writing. You will be asked about the author’s tone, voice, point of view, and the like.

5. Evidence support

Questions on evidence support will require you to find evidence to support your answer to the previous question. You will have to look for specific lines on the text to answer it.

6. Data Interpretation

As mentioned, some passages will come with sets of data, charts, or a graph. With that said, some questions will ask you to interpret data and identify how it is related to the passage.

Tips and Strategies on answering the Reading Section

1. read, read, and read..

Since we’re talking about the reading section, is there any better way to practice than reading passages? Read those that are provided in the College Board’s official practice tests ( 1 ). Those are the closest you can get to the actual passages given during the SAT.

You should not just simply read those passages, however. As you practice, make sure that you consider how fast you are reading them. The SAT is a timed exam, so you should balance your time reading the 5 passages with the given time for the section. This, of course, should be done without sacrificing your comprehension of the text. 

Good sources of passages for reading are The New York Times and The Atlantic. Most passages on the SAT were adopted from these sources.

2. Work on dual passages one at a time.

Dual passages are common on the SAT. These are two shorter passages that are related to each other. One tip in answering the Reading section is to take dual passages one at a time. 

It is recommended that you answer questions about the first passage first, then you answer questions about the second passage next. Lastly, you answer questions on both passages. With this, you can avoid confusing the two texts and mixing ideas.

3. Process of elimination

One of the best strategies in answering the Reading section is to eliminate answers that are obviously incorrect. There are four choices for each question, and only one is correct. The other three choices will show clear signs that they are incorrect. Some even have no connection to the question or do not make sense at all. It is a great idea to eliminate these choices.

The SAT Writing and Language Section

The Writing and Language section of the SAT is similar to the Reading section because it also deals with passages. Unlike the Reading section, however, it’s not your reading comprehension skills that are being tested. Rather, it will measure your skills in identifying and correcting grammatical errors.

The passages you’ll encounter in this section are of the same nature as the ones in the Reading section. They cover topics like history, social sciences, humanities, and even career. However, these passages can come in the form of narratives or arguments. 

Writing and Language question types

Here are the types of questions that you can expect to encounter in the Writing and Language section of the SAT:

1. Command of Evidence

This type of question will ask you if a particular change or addition to the text should be done. However, it is not just a matter of yes or no. You must find the right evidence on why you should or should not make that specific change.

2. Word change

Questions on word change will ask you which word from the choices would best replace a specific word from the text. There is also a “NO CHANGE” option for this type of question if you believe that there is no need to replace the word on the text.

3. Arrangement of ideas

This type of question will require you to rearrange or combine statements/sentences on the text. Basically, your job will be to find the most appropriate way to combine or rearrange the statements or sentences.

4. English conventions

English-conventions-related questions will ask you to choose a particular phrase or sentence that is more grammatically correct than the underlined one. For this type of question, you will need to have good knowledge of English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure.  

Questions on English conventions cover almost half of the SAT Writing section, so you should focus on them as you prepare for the test.

Tips and Strategies on answering the Writing and Language section

1. work on the questions as you read the passages.

The SAT Writing section is composed of 44 questions and has a time allotment of 35 minutes. This means the average time for answering a question is 48 seconds. For more efficient answering, it is recommended that you already identify the error (if there is one) on the underlined phrases or sentences as you read the passage. 

2. Choose a relevant but concise answer

There will be instances when you think that two choices would both make complete sense. In this case, try to choose a more concise option. One of the objectives in answering the Writing and Language section is to eliminate wordiness.

3. Master grammar and punctuation rules

As mentioned earlier, questions on English conventions cover a huge chunk of the SAT Writing section. If you want to get a high score on this particular part of the test, it is necessary for you to master your grammar and punctuation skills. You should know the proper usage of commas, colons, semicolons, dashes, and apostrophes. 

4. Read well-written essays

One of the best ways to prepare for the Writing and Language section of the SAT is to read plenty of articles and essays. Newspapers, journals, magazines, and persuasive essays are among great types of text to read. 

Reading well-written essays will help you familiarize proper grammar and punctuation rules, as well as the proper arrangement or organization of topics, ideas, and sentences.

The SAT Math Section

From words and passages, let’s get into numbers! The Math section is the third section on the SAT. Obviously, it is nothing similar to the first two sections. 

It is divided into two parts: no calculator and with a calculator. The first part, where you will not be allowed to use your calculator, will run for 25 minutes and will consist of 20 questions. 

For the second part of the Math section, you will be allowed to use a calculator that is approved by the College Board ( 2 ). The SAT calculator section is composed of 38 questions, and the SAT test time for it is 55 minutes.

Both sections will begin with questions in a multiple-choice format, then you will be asked for student-produced responses known as “grid-ins”.

Questions in the Math section deal with practical and real-world mathematical topics that are essential to your college years. 

The chart below shows the different areas covered by the Math section and their corresponding number of questions.

Math question types

1. heart of algebra.

Algebra covers most of the SAT Math section. It deals with:

• Systems of equations
• Linear equations
• Expressions
• Inequalities
• Absolute values
• Rearrangement and interpretation of formulas

2. Problem Solving and Data Analysis

These types of questions are found in both no calculator and with calculator sections. Here, you will be asked to analyze relationships and interpret data. The sets of data that you will analyze will come from charts, graphs, tables, and the like. Moreover, you will deal with rates, ratios, proportions, percentages, and probability.  

3. Passport to Advanced math

Passport to Advanced Math questions will measure your understanding of the structure of expressions. You will also be required to rewrite and rearrange these expressions and equations. In these types of questions, you will deal with:

• Quadratic equations
• Exponents and exponential functions
• Manipulation of polynomials

4. Additional topics in Math

The last question type, which also covers the least number of questions in the Math section, is Additional Topics in Math. It covers topics in:

• Trigonometry
• Volume calculations
• Investigating lines

Tips and Strategies in answering the Math section

1. understand the concepts.

The truth is, you won’t get a high score in the Math section if you just focus on strategies. You have to understand the basic concepts in Mathematics to be able to answer the questions. 

While reviewing, make sure that you understand how to arrive at a certain answer. You may be able to memorize all the formulas needed, but if you do not know the concept behind them, you can only get too far. 

2. Memorize common formulas

If the Math section is war, mathematical formulas are your weapons. To get a high score, you will need to memorize formulas ( 3 ) on areas, volumes, right triangles, percentages, probabilities, and other topics in the Math section. 

3. Plug and play

One of the best strategies in answering the Math section is a direct substitution of choices. Whenever you have no idea at all how to solve a particular problem or expression, you can plug in the choices one by one. 

It is recommended that you plug in the middle choices first (B or C), so you’ll know if you should substitute higher or lower values.

The SAT Essay Section (Optional)

The last section of the SAT is the Essay section. While it is optional, some colleges and universities require applicants to answer it. So make sure to check if the school you want to enroll in wants to see your score in this part of the exam. 

What skills are measured in the Essay section? 

In this section, you will be given one passage consisting of 650-750 words. Your job here is to respond to the passage by analyzing the author’s arguments. You will be asked to examine the author’s claims and how the arguments are presented. 

Your task for the Essay section is not to simply write about what the passage is about. The task is also not about presenting your own opinions about the topic. The Essay section requires you to analyze how the author built their claims and arguments. To do this, you will have to use examples from the passage itself.

Tips and strategies in taking the Essay section

1. be objective.

As mentioned earlier, it is not your task to share your own opinions about the topic of the passage or what the author is saying. Instead, your job is to analyze the author’s arguments. With that said, it is important that you stay objective and not be influenced by personal feelings or opinions. It is also recommended that you avoid using the words “I” and “You”.

2. Consider the structure

One of the best characteristics of a great essay is that it follows the proper structure. Always remember the structure of an essay, which includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. 

Here’s what we recommend you to write in each part of your essay:

• Introduction – Describe the text and paraphrase the author’s argument. Also, introduce the elements of the passage.
• Body – Describe how the author presented the arguments. Discuss how the author assembles the arguments to make a point or support the overall claim.
• Conclusion – Restate the goal of the passage and sum up the points that you made.

3. Keep it clean

Your essay will be handwritten, so it is important that you write legibly in such a way that it will be easy for the scorers to understand your essay. If the Essay scorers happen to not understand your penmanship, regardless of how good your content is, they will give you a low score. So, always remember to keep it tidy.

Frequently Asked Questions

THE SAT has 5 sections: 4 mandatory and 1 optional. The SAT sections are Reading, Writing and Language, Math (No calculator and with a calculator), and Essay (optional).

The SAT Reading, Writing, Math sections combine for a total of 154 questions. The Essay section (if you take it) has one passage/question. The total SAT length is 3 hours for those not taking the Essay section and an additional 50 minutes for those who will answer it.

Final thoughts

There you have it, the complete breakdown of the SAT sections for 2020. Different sections of the admissions test measure different skills and abilities to assess how much you learned in high school and how prepared you are for college. 

Use this breakdown to guide you on what to study and focus on when preparing for the SAT. All information, tips, and strategies presented on this article are based on the College Board’s official full-length practice tests. Application of these tips and strategies will surely boost your confidence and preparedness on the test day. 

Now that you have all the information on the SAT sections, what’s next? The next thing to do is to apply the information and strategies on your preparation for the SAT. At the end of the day, it’s not just your knowledge of the sections that will help you on the exam. Constant practice and discipline in studying will help bring your A-game on the test day. Good luck!

• https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests
• https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/taking-the-test/calculator-policy
• https://blog.prepscholar.com/critical-sat-math-formulas-you-must-know

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The SAT Optional Essay – To Write or Not to Write

April 2, 2020

By: Jordan Salley

The SAT optional essay is a section designed to test students’ ability to write under strict time constraints. For many, this can be an intimidating concept. After all, almost every student has encountered writer’s block at some point. However, this can be a great opportunity to demonstrate your ability to communicate, create, and build an effective argument. This is a skill set that you will carry throughout your pursuit of higher-level education and is necessary in almost every industry or field.

However, this component is optional for a reason. Many colleges don’t ask to see your score and eliminating this essay out of your practice sessions saves you time, allowing you to focus more on nailing the math and reading sections. On the flipside, if you’re shooting for highly selective schools, an impressive performance on the SAT optional essay might strengthen your profile. To guide you through this component, I’ve talked more about the logistics as well as outlined the pros and cons of opting for the essay.

Let’s talk about the logistics of the SAT optional essay . Your response is graded independently and does not impact the composite score for the test. Two graders analyze the essay across three categories: reading, writing, and analysis, which are scored between one to four. They then average the score between the three graded elements, each of which ranges from two to eight. The reading section evaluates the writer’s understanding of the paragraph provided. The analysis portion assesses you on your ability to make and support claims.

The writing score depends on the clarity of the essay and language choices. You have fifty minutes total to respond to the prompt. The standard approach to writing the SAT optional essay includes:

• Reading the prompt
• Understanding the question
• Writing a thesis or central argument
• Outlining the essay
• Proofreading

The goal is to analyze how an author would build an argument based on the statement or argument listed in the prompt. Now that we’ve discussed the layout of this test, let’s dive into reasons why you should or shouldn’t consider writing this optional essay.

Why you should write the optional essay:

Reason #1: it might not actually be optional.

Over the years, the College Board has changed its policy towards the SAT writing section. With that, universities have also taken to adapting to changes in testing policy. A few programs have started requesting an alternative way to evaluate this skill (e.g. Brown and Princeton requested a graded humanities paper, Harvard will accept a written publication by a student). Though the essay is optional, many undergraduate institutions and scholarships have begun to require it. Moreover, you cannot take the essay separate from the SAT test.

If you have already secured an SAT score that you are satisfied with but realize you need the essay portion, you will have to retake the entire test. This can be a scheduling nightmare, especially as you close in on application deadlines. It is worthwhile to make a list of schools that you’re interested in attending prior to planning for your SAT so that you can look into their policies towards the optional essay. If you are looking at applying to Ivy League or top tier schools, this is almost definitely a required component of your application. Nearly every university requires essays or written exams in a freshman seminar course, so it is natural that schools want to see your writing ability to ensure you would succeed in their academic setting.

Reason #2: An opportunity to shine  

Whether you are a future Pulitzer prize winning author or someone struggling in high school English, the SAT optional essay is a component that most students can study for in order to perform well. This is an extremely technical writing exam and can easily be boiled down to a structure that can be applied to almost any prompt. The majority of test-takers are able to score between the 25 th to 75 th percentile of this portion of the exam even with a small amount of preparation.

This portion of the test is an invaluable opportunity to showcase your ability to synthesize and create within a narrow window of time. It can be used as a comparison to affirm the quality of your college admissions essays. Moreover, it evidences your ability to communicate. Communication is a skill that universities and employers look for and is generally difficult to teach.

Taking an optional section is also a great way to show that you are an individual who is willing to go above and beyond what is asked of you. As a student, this shows a concrete level of drive beyond the qualities that you have described in your admissions essays or that your teachers discussed in your recommendation letters.

Reason #3: An opportunity to overcome a deficiency  

Almost every candidate has a setback at some point in their career. For some students, it is a failed class, a bad score on the advanced placement test, or a weak grade point average. For a student who struggled in an English based course – literature, writing, or grammar – the SAT optional essay is the perfect opportunity to show growth. This section should absolutely be taken by students with a weakness in English as a way to convey to colleges that the deficiency has been overcome. It removes concern that you will not be able to keep up with writing requirements that most college freshman face. It also shows grit and determination, which are necessary skills to carry into your undergraduate education.

Reason #4: Your school requires it to super score  

Super scoring is a practice that allows college applicants to combine their most competitive section scores from multiple SAT exams. Some universities may require the SAT optional essay in order to super score. This is another factor to take into consideration when reviewing your list of schools to apply to. Super scoring can allow you to advance your application to the top of the pile statistically. If this is applicable to you, I highly recommend taking this optional section in order to secure your ability to super score.

Why you shouldn’t write the optional essay:

Reason #1: you did not prepare.

There are a number of reasons to take the SAT optional essay . However, preparing for this section of the exam does require additional time and effort. I personally recommend my students work on writing prompts multiple times throughout the week leading up to their SAT date. The more prompts a student practices writing, the easier it will be to develop an argument in a short period of time on test day. There are a number of preparation books, and a simple Google search yields a number of prompts to get you started.

Ultimately, the first time you sit down to write the SAT essay should not be on test day. This is a difficult process if you have never completed writing an essay like this in fifty minutes and could result in a poor score. If you do not have adequate time to prepare for this section or do not feel that you will perform well based on your estimated scores, I would not recommend taking it.

Reason #2: None the schools you are applying to require the SAT Essay section  

If you plan to apply to schools and scholarships that do not require the SAT optional essay , it may not be worth spending the extra money. The addition of the essay costs $14 more. Notably, this cost can be eliminated if you qualify for a fee waiver. I would not let cost be your determining factor on taking this section, but it is something to keep in mind.

While there are arguments for or against taking the optional essay section of the SAT, the pros tend to outweigh the cons. Planning on doing this section of the test sets you up on a successful timeline for college applications. Scheduling an additional test if you end up needing the essay could be a difficult and stressful process. Including the additional essay also opens opportunities to apply to schools that require it should you decide to add schools later on in the application process.

In addition, it provides you with an opportunity to overcome a deficiency such as a failed class or a low grade. It allows you to super score your tests at some institutions. Ultimately, this can be a great opportunity to shine and show undergraduate universities another skill set that makes you a desirable candidate. Strong writing abilities are applicable in almost every field or industry. The hard work in preparing for college applications will serve you well in the long run. Best of luck!

About the Author

Jordan Salley is a senior test prep instructor for MyGuru, a boutique tutoring company. For more information on SAT prep, MyGuru’s approach, and SAT tutors, visit https://www.myguruedge.com/sat-tutoring .

Tags : SAT prep , SAT tips , SAT optional essay , should i write the sat optional essay , SAT essay tips , SAT practice

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How to Read SAT Passages: 4 Easy Steps

SAT Writing , SAT Reading

The SAT Reading and Writing section presents you with a challenge. Now that the digital SAT has been rolled out , this section contains over 50 passages you'll need to read and answer questions on! The passages will come from a wide variety of sources and test you on everything from critical reading to grammar.

How can you attack these passages to get a high SAT Reading and Writing score? This guide will discuss the best strategies for reading the SAT passages for each question type you'll see.

What Do SAT Passages Look Like?

There are 55 passages in SAT Reading and Writing on the digital SAT, one passage per each of the 54 questions, plus one cross-text connections question that includes two passages you need to compare. 

That's a ton of passages to read through, especially since the Reading and Writing section is only 64 minutes (divided into two 32-minute modules, each with 27 questions).

Fortunately, passages on the digital SAT are much shorter than they were on older versions of the exam. Passages now range from 25-150 words. However, be aware that these shorter passages will be just as challenging, if not more so, than the older, longer passages in terms of the reading comprehension level required.

As with older versions of the SAT, the passages on the digital SAT cover a variety of sources from literature, history, social studies, the humanities, and science. However, there are now more questions that focus on the humanities, as well as a few poetry questions (often by authors from the early 1900s and before).

Reading and Writing questions on the digital SAT are organized into four main categories that test these skills:

• Information and Ideas (12–14 questions): Tests your ability to use details from brief texts, tables, and/or infographics to determine the main idea, choose the best evidence to support a claim, answer comprehension questions, or infer the most logical way to complete an excerpt.
• Craft and Structure (13–15 questions): Tests your ability to define words and phrases in passages, evaluate how passages are making arguments, or connect ideas presented in two excerpts.
• Expression of Ideas (8–12 questions): Tests your ability to select the transitional word or phrase that makes the author’s meaning clearer for readers, or use a short set of provided notes to decide which of the answers achieves a particular purpose (e.g., which answer represents a comparison, or which answer represents a contrast).
• Standard English Conventions (11–15 questions): Tests your ability to select answers that reflect your knowledge of conventional grammar and mechanics.

We dive into these question types further in the next section.

Types of Questions on SAT Reading and Writing

As mentioned above, there are four main skill areas tested in Reading and Writing, each with several question types, for 11 total types of questions. Each of these questions tests information in passages in a different way.

Below is a brief overview of each of the question types. To see official sample questions for each question type, and to also learn how many of each question type you can expect to see on the SAT, check out our article on the breakdown by percentage of every type of question on SAT Reading and Writing.

Information and Ideas Questions

• Command of Evidence (Textual): Introduce a claim and ask you to identify the piece of evidence from the passage that most strongly supports that claim.
• Command of Evidence (Quantitative): Contain a graph or table. They'll provide some context and ask you to complete a sentence by using the data from the graph/table.
• Central Ideas and Details: Ask you to identify the main idea of a passage or answer a specific question based on the passage.
• Inferences: Include an incomplete passage and ask you to select the answer choice that most logically completes the passage. 

Craft and Structure Questions

•  Words in Context: Ask for the most logical and precise word/phrase in a given context.
• Text Structure and Purpose: Ask you to identify the main purpose or overall structure of the passage.
• Cross-Text Connections: These questions will contain two passages! You'll be asked to compare the points of view of the authors of the two passages. 

Expression of Ideas Questions

•  Transitions: Ask you to select the most logical transition word or phrase to connect information and ideas within a passage.
• Rhetorical Synthesis: Include a series of bulleted notes and ask you to use relevant information from the notes to answer the question.

Standard English Conventions Questions

• Boundaries: Contain a passage with a blank and ask you to complete the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard English. They focus on how phrases, clauses, and sentences are linked together in written English.
• Form, Structure, and Sense: Contain a passage with a blank and ask you to complete the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard English. They focus on the rules surrounding various parts of speech (nouns, verbs, etc.) and their usage.

How to Approach SAT Reading and Writing Passages

Now you know what the passages will be like and the types of questions you'll be asked, but what's the best way to tackle these SAT passages? Below are the four steps to follow every time on reading passages for SAT success. 

Step 1: Decide If You'll Read the Passage or Question First

First, you need to decide if you're going to read the passage first or the question. Some students like reading the passage all the way through then focusing on the question, others prefer to read the question first, then read the passage with the question in mind. Still others will skim the passage, looking for important information, read the question, then go back and read the passage more thoroughly. No method is inherently better than the other; it's all about choosing what works best for you.

Take this example of a rhetorical synthesis question:

Some students may prefer to read the bullet points of the passage first so they have a solid idea of what's being discussed before reading the four answer choices. Others may want to read the answer choices first so they know what to look for when they read the passage itself.

How can you decide which method is best for you? By answering a lot of practice questions! This is one of the many reasons we recommend practice SATs so strongly. There's no better way to learn which testing method you should use. You may even decide to use different methods for different questions, such as reading shorter passages before the questions but, if the passage is longer, reading the answer choices first.

Step 2: Get Clear on What the Question Is Asking

Whether you read the question before or after the passage, you'll want to make sure you understand exactly what you're being asked. The SAT is notorious for having tricky wording that can cause students to misread a question even when they think they've answered it perfectly. 

Read through each question carefully, and be especially on the lookout for words like "except," "not," and "only" that can trick you into choosing the wrong answer. Taking a moment to pause and ensure you fully understand each question can significantly raise your score on exam day.

Let's look at this cross-text connections question:

This is a classic SAT question where it's easy to get confused on what exactly is being asked for. To conquer SAT passages, you'll need to be able to break down each part of the question. Let's do it for this one. The question is asking:

• For the author of Text 2's opinion…
• On the perspective of bluegrass purists based on Text 1

That's two pieces of information you need to sort out before you can answer the question. What does Text 1 say about bluegrass purists? From looking at the first passage, Text 1 states that the purists believe bluegrass must adhere to folk music influences.

However, the author of Text 2 believes that bluegrass was created by combining  folk music with commercial genres of music. Because of those origins, there should be no restrictions on bluegrass musicians incorporating influences from other music genres into their work. 

To sum up, Text 1: purists think bluegrass can only have folk music influences. Text 2: bluegrass can be combined with other music genres because it always has been.  These are opposite perspectives, therefore, we'd expect the author of Text 2 to disagree with the bluegrass purists mentioned in Text 1. Answer Choice D correctly represents all that information, so it's the correct answer.

Step 3: Find the Key Information in the Passage

When you read the passage, you should read fairly quickly, even skimming for important features. Many passages begin with a brief introduction that explains who wrote the passage, when it was written, key characters, setting, etc. This often contains very useful information! If there's a chart/graph/etc in the passage, make sure to analyze that too for key information.

Also, look out for transitional words and phrases, like however, additionally, and despite , that might mark a shift in or continuation of ideas. This step is especially important for cross-text connections questions, where you'll see two passages and need to answer a question on both of them. The paired passages are always about the same topic. The most important thing to pay attention to when reading paired passages is the relationship between ideas about the topic. A great way to find the relationship between the passages is to ask yourself where they agree and where they disagree. Doing so will give you a good sense of what each passage is stating and key similarities and differences between them.

Let's look at this command of evidence (quantitative) question:

There's a lot of information to take in here. You'll need to understand what both the graph and passage are conveying. 

Let's start with the graph. Make sure to read the title and the axis labels. The graph shows the line count of six ancient epics. The line counts range from about 3,900 lines (The Epic of Gilgamesh) to about 24,000 lines (The Ramayana). 

Now the passage. It discusses the Ramayana and major similarities it has with other epics. All this information is important to correctly understand before attempting to answer the question. You'll need to be able to know how to read the graph to choose Answer Choice A as the correct answer.

Step 4: Always Backup Your Answer With Evidence

You've read the passage, you've read the question, and you have an answer choice you feel is correct. How strongly can you back that choice up? Don't just choose an answer that "feels" right—instead, make sure you can back up all your answers with direct evidence from the text.

None of the questions based on the passages require you to have any pre-existing knowledge of the topic. Instead, they're testing your reading comprehension. All your answers should be proven and supported by the passage. 

This is an important point to remember for SAT passages, which will use texts you may be familiar with or that are especially relevant to history or contemporary life. To answer questions correctly, it's crucial that you turn off your personal opinions and base your understanding completely on the text at hand. You want to be able to point to the part in the passage that supports your answer choice. In the examples above, we could point to parts in the passage that fully supported our answer choice (as well as parts in the passage that ruled out the other answer choices).

Let's look at this central ideas and details question:

If you read the answer choices first, all of them seem like they could be possible . That's the point; the SAT will almost never include answer choices that appear immediately wrong without reading the passage. But you need to be able to determine what's being discussed in the passage. 

Key points from this passage are: 

• Portrait miniatures lost popularity at the same time photography became more popular
• Photography's impact on portrait miniatures may be overstated
• Portraits were losing popularity before photography became popular

From the answer choices, only Answer Choice D is supported by the text. Portrait artists and the career choices they made aren't mentioned in the passage, so Answer Choice A is incorrect. Answer Choice B is directly contradicted by the passage which states portrait miniatures were losing popularity earlier than thought. Artistic merit is never mentioned in the passage, so Answer Choice C is also incorrect.

Tips and Strategies for SAT Reading and Writing Passages

Beyond practicing your reading efficiency, you can use other strategies as you answer the questions and prep for this section. Read on for a few more useful strategies that will help you do your best on SAT Reading passages.

#1: Look to Eliminate Wrong Answers

None of the answers will be glaringly wrong. In fact, they're worded in such a way that they'll often all seem plausible!

This means you'll have to play interception with your own brain. You may be easily distracted by answers that seem sort of right, but you have to halt your distracted thought process. If you find yourself overly rationalizing or justifying an answer, it's probably not the correct one.

There is only one 100% correct answer , and it won't cause you too much overthinking.

Generally, wrong answers are too specific, too broad, describe a relationship in reverse order, or just present a totally unrelated concept. This article goes into further detail about how to eliminate wrong answers in order to land on the one 100% correct one.

A good rule of thumb is to avoid extremes. Words like "never" or "always" are not usually present in the correct answer. But to follow our own advice, never say never!

#2: Practice Data Analysis with ACT Science Questions

Those who consider themselves English buffs may not love the addition of charts, tables, and graphs in their SAT Reading and Writing questions. What's this data doing in a reading comprehension section, anyway? According to the College Board, the inclusion of data analysis is part of its attempt to connect the SAT with what students are learning in the classroom and with real-world skills.

If you run out of command of evidence (quantitative) practice questions, you can sharpen your data interpretation skills by practicing with ACT Science questions . The ACT questions may call for more specialized scientific knowledge, but they still demand the same skills of interpretation as will the SAT Reading questions.

By referring to charts and graphs for your answer and looking for evidence in data, you'll be better prepared for the data and evidence-based Reading and Writing questions on the SAT.

#3: Know Your Literary Terms and Techniques

SAT Reading and Writing is primarily concerned with understanding function (of words, sentences, paragraphs) and argument. Therefore, most of your practice for this section should focus on deciphering the logic and structure of a piece.

However, it's still useful to review the most common literary terms , like theme, style, tone, foreshadowing, and imagery, as well as some of the most common words to describe them. In addition to reviewing definitions, you should learn how to apply and find them in something you read. It's one thing to know that a tone can be somber, hopeful, or suspicious; it's another to determine the tone of a given passage.

Test prep will help you get better and better at this, along with reading and analyzing as much as you can in and out of the classroom.

Conclusion: How to Approach SAT Reading Passages

When you take the SAT Reading and Writing section, you'll be faced with over 50 passages to read and analyze. There are eleven question types based on SAT Reading passages, and they'll test you on a variety of skills, so it's important to know how to tackle those SAT passages. For each question, follow these four steps for how to read SAT passages.

#1: Decide whether you'll read the passage or the question first #2: Get clear on what the question is asking #3: Find the key information in the passage #4: Always backup your answer with evidence

What's Next?

Want more information on the many passages you'll see on SAT Reading and Writing?  Our expert guide explains exactly how many passages you'll need to read and what topics they'll test you on.

Practice tests are one of the best ways to prepare for the SAT. Find all the best SAT Reading and Writing practice tests in one place here!

For more information about the college admissions process, check out our complete guide to applying to college .

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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