Find Out How To Get Ready For The SAT Reading Section
As high school students prepare for higher education, taking the SAT is an important milestone.
2.2 million students sit for the test each year after spending hours dedicated to self-paced study plans and prep programs.
The test consists of three sections: math, writing, and reading. Although the SAT math portion may seem intimidating to some, others find the reading section to be more of a challenge.
The SAT reading test is rigorous. The fiction passages tend to be challenging because of the vocabulary and complexity.
To excel in the reading section, you must hone your analytical and comprehension skills to help you find the correct answer to each question.
So how can students like you best prepare for the SAT reading test?
Let’s look at why this section is critical, what types of questions you can expect to see, and what you can do to best prepare to earn the most points possible on the reading section of the SAT.
Why Is The Reading Section Of The SAT Important?
The SAT reading section contains 52 multiple-choice questions over five unique passages. These passages are excerpts based on science, social studies, literary narratives, and history.
The SAT reading section is roughly a third of your overall SAT score. However, this score is often required during college admissions and is especially important if you want to gain entrance into honors programs and earn valuable scholarships.
The main purpose of the Reading section on the SAT is to test your ability to infer meanings, decode words in context, and identify key themes from the provided texts.
A high score on this section can tell future colleges you can use deduction skills to find answers, meaning you can comprehend college-level texts. And since the SAT doesn’t deduct points for missing or wrong answers, you must answer as many questions correctly as possible to warm the maximum amount of points.
By doing well on every part of the SAT and boosting your composite score, you increase the potential to be admitted into the college of your choice and earn scholarships.
This will allow you to choose the right college for you without having to compromise your academic vision.
Preparing for the reading section is incredibly important because there are no formulas or calculators you can use to answer the questions correctly. So you must boost your comprehension and literary analysis skills to earn as many points as possible.
So, let’s take a look at a breakdown of the current SAT reading section and what question types you’ll see on test day.
What Types Of Questions Are On The Reading Section Of The SAT?
The passage-based questions in the SAT reading section can be a real challenge. They require test-takers to use higher-level thinking skills and dig deep into their skillset to identify the correct answer.
The best way to begin preparing for SAT reading is to understand the types of questions you will see on the standardized test.
This will allow you to develop a plan of attack to work through the questions and better understand how to answer each one.
Let’s take a look at a breakdown of the current SAT reading section and what nine question types you’ll see on test day.
Big Picture Questions
As the name suggests, these questions relate to an author’s general point of view, the purpose of the passage, or a rhetorical strategy used within the text.
Big picture questions tend to be the more straightforward comprehension questions that just want to ensure you understand the passage. So you’re looking at the main idea of the overall passage rather than small details.
They may ask for the author’s point of view, any rhetorical strategies used by the author, or the passage’s primary purpose.
Little Picture/Detail
These questions refer to specific details within the piece, often giving you a line number or specific sentence to analyze for the answer.
In other words, the question will direct you to a specific line or paragraph and ask you to find a particular detail.
These questions can be answered quickly and are usually less complex than other types.
Function Questions
Function questions that ask you to determine the purpose or effect of a phrase or paragraph.
They may also ask you to determine why an author uses a particular phrase, quotation, or word choice in a passage.
It’s important to remember that this question type isn’t asking for your opinion but for specific reasoning as to why the author made a choice.
Vocabulary In Context
These question types will ask you to find the definition of a word in context within the provided passage.
You’ll need to understand the nuances of common words more than have an extensive vocabulary. This question type will require you to read a word within the context of the passage and determine its meaning.
For instance, a question may ask you to find the definition of a multi-meaning word that can have different connotations depending on the context. All the answer choices may be a word’s meaning, but there’s only one correct answer in this context.
Author’s Technique
Author technique analyzes an author’s tone and word choice throughout a passage and the mood it evokes in the reader.
You’ll have to be able to read a piece of text and understand how the word choice includes the overall tone and mood.
Remember, the SAT doesn’t want your opinion. Instead, they want you to use text evidence, such as word choice, dialogue, and evidence presented to the reader, to determine the author’s voice.
Inferencing
These questions ask you to make logical assumptions based on the provided details.
Their answers are often indirect, meaning your comprehension of the passage is extremely important.
You may have to infer information about a line or entire paragraph in a passage, identify the more profound meaning within a statement, or draw a logical conclusion from the author’s opinions.
Analogies
This question type has test takers detect similarities between a moment in the passage and an inferred relationship that does not appear in the selection.
You’ll need to find a potential relationship between the text and a different situation.
They are a subset of the inference questions that look for your ability to make available connections from life to the text. So expect to evaluate a specific scenario in the text and have to match a hypothetical situation to the passage.
Data Reasoning
Due to a recent update, the SAT reading section now includes data-driven figures, like charts, graphs, and informational graphics.
The test taker will need to determine how the data relates to the context of the paired passage. Some questions blend data reasoning with inferencing, making them extra challenging.
Evidence Support
In another new question type, you’ll need to answer a question about the assignment passage and cite evidence supporting your answer to the previous question.
Evidence-support questions are incredibly challenging because you must choose the correct answer for the first part to select the second one correctly.
Now that you know what to expect from the SAT reading section, you’ll need to start preparations as soon as possible.
Let’s look at some tried and true test-taking strategies you can use to earn more points on the SAT reading test.
How Do I Prepare For The SAT Reading Test?
As you approach your test day, you may be wondering what you can do to prepare, especially for the reading section.
Ultimately, your score will improve the more prep time you put in. So let’s take a look at how you can prepare for the SAT reading test and what you can do to boost your SAT score.
Take A Diagnostic Test
Taking a diagnostic test can help you understand where your knowledge lies before taking a test. As a result, you can identify any learning gaps and adjust your study plan accordingly.
Whether it’s your understanding of vocabulary or specific ideas within a passage, these tests can zero in on qualities you aren’t adequate in and help you improve through regular practice.
Websites like Khan Academy have full-length practice tests that will give you a glimpse of the test. You can also choose from their smaller-scale diagnostic quizzes to test yourself on each area of the SAT to identify areas of need.
They also provide a detailed data breakdown and free learning materials to enhance your knowledge and boost your score on your next practice test.
Be sure to take the diagnostic in a quiet test-like setting so you can put forth your best effort for the most accurate results.
Once you identify the question types that are most challenging for you, you can focus your study on content review and strategies to help you succeed.
Use SAT Reading Practice Tests
Using SAT reading practice tests will allow you to practice answering authentic questions to sharpen your reading skills.
Through these exams, accessible from The College Board, you can see what the reading section of your SAT will be like from the organization that administers the test itself.
SAT prep books are also available from test prep companies, like Kaplan and The Princeton Review, filled with practice questions and answer explanations to help you get in the zone and fix any gaps in your knowledge base.
Participate In An SAT Prep Course
SAT prep courses range from low-cost, self-paced options to private tutoring. The advantage of participating in a prep course is that you’ll work with materials and instructors who are considered SAT experts.
SAT prep courses are available online and in person. They usually come with valuable materials and offer an in-depth, rigorous study plan to help you score higher on the SAT.
In fact, many of these test prep courses offer a money-back or score improvement guarantee, which means they stand by their test prep approach.
Review Answer Explanations
As you take SAT practice tests, you must review the answer explanations that accompany each sample question. Even if you got the correct answer, these in-depth insights could help you understand WHY the answer was correct for that question type.
Since question types are repeated on the SAT test, you’ll be able to easily recognize the question type on test day and use your experience to decode the answer choices and find the correct one right away.
Give yourself plenty of time to study for not only the reading section but the math and writing sections as well.
How To Boost Your SAT Reading Score
Explicit, focused SAT prep isn’t the only way to boost your reading score on the test.
There are test-taking strategies you can use during the test to increase your chances of choosing the right answers and bank lots of points for the reading section of the test.
Here are some types you can use on your test day to improve performance and boost your score.
- Only read what you need: The SAT is a timed test, so you only have a certain amount of minutes to complete each section. Move between the passage and questions, looking for the information you need to answer the question correctly. This will help you save time and keep the small details from slowing you down.
- Choose your question order: Reading questions are not sorted by difficulty, just presented in chronological order. If you encounter a challenging question, mark it and skip to the next. Remember, you only earn points for your right answers, so working through all of the questions and circling back to the difficult ones is the best course of action.
- Tackle paired passages one at a time: One of your assigned history/social studies and science passages will be two short paired passages. Focus on one text at a time, answering each question. Once you’ve responded to these, you’ll be better prepared to answer the questions that address both passages.
- Avoid using your opinion: While your English class assignments may ask for your perspective, the SAT is looking for you to make specific inferences based on the text. When asked to figure out what the author implies or suggests, be sure to find text evidence to support the answer.
- Answer the main idea questions last: Even though these questions come first, you’ll probably have a better idea of how to answer the main idea questions once you’ve worked with the passage. Save them for after you’ve read through the selection and answered some of the other questions.
Between your test prep efforts and solid test-taking strategies, you’ll be confident and prepared as you approach the SAT reading section.
How Is The New SAT Reading Test Different?
The College Board announced changes to the SAT reading section that will change how future test takers study for the test.
The reading section will be called “Evidence-Based Reading and Writing” and will be comprised of two parts. There will always be at least one historical document and one excerpt from contemporary, classic, or global literature.
Test takers will also read natural science passages rooted in biology or chemistry, and one from the social sciences, like psychology or economics.
For starters, there will be more questions asking readers to read between the lines and infer the author’s purpose within the text. It will also include the following types of questions:
- Command of evidence: Students must identify how authors use informational graphics, graphs, and evidence to support their claims.
- Analysis of academic text: Test-takers will evaluate hypotheses and data and consider the implications of scientific and historical writings.
- Words in context: Readers will be asked to use context clues to determine word meanings as they are used in the provided passage.
This more targeted test version will also be made available exclusively online, making the test-taking process more manageable. The new online-exclusive version of the SAT also means students will receive their test scores faster.
For students applying to college in the near future, this test format likely won’t become available during their time in high school. The College Board will implement these changes in 2023 for international students and in 2024 for those in the United States.
Improve Your Reading Score With The Right SAT Test Prep
At the end of the day, the SAT reading section is a third of your score. Your goal is to answer as many questions correctly in the 65-minute window as possible.
But with a targeted approach and the right study techniques, you’ll be ready to tackle the reading section of the SAT and boost your overall score.
So focus your study plan on reading test prep, do a deep dive using practice questions, and you’ll see a considerable improvement in your reading score on the SAT.
References
College Board, . (2020, September 9). Nearly 2.2 Million Students In The Class Of 2020 Took The SAT At Least Once. The College Board. https://newsroom.collegeboard.org/nearly-22-million-students-class-2020-took-sat-least-once
FAQs
Should I cram for the SAT test?
While you can technically cram for a test, it’s best to give your brain a rest the night before your SAT testing day.
What is academic integrity?
Academic integrity refers to the practice of students producing their academic work with fairness, honesty, and responsibility.
What is a good SAT score for the reading section?
Anything above 533 is considered a good score on the reading portion of the SAT.
