SAT prep tips: Reading section
SAT
Talk to ExpertCritical Reading of the SAT exam questions test your ability to understand a written passage and the ability to answer questions on the basis of the passage. The first thing to do is to read the passage so that you have an idea of what the passage is all about and understand the author's tone and attitude along with the organization of the passage. The questions will test you on depth of your understanding of the topic; how well you understood the meaning and how well can you apply grammatical knowledge.
Number of questions - 67 questions (19 Sentence Completions, 48 Reading Comprehension)
Duration - 70 minutes (Two 25-minute sections, One 20-minute section)
Score Range - 200-800
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Critical Reading- Writing Comprehension
In sentence completion section, each question is a sentence containing either one or two blanks. Your job is to figure out which answer correctly completes the sentence. As you read, try to predict what word should go in each blank. Sometimes you can guess the meaning of one blank, but not the other. In that case, scan the answer choices, look for a word similar to the one you've predicted, and then eliminate the answer choices that don't match up
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Critical Reading: Reading Comprehension
The Critical Reading test includes both long and short reading passages. Skim each passage to see what it's about. Don't worry about the details, just look for the main ideas. Then tackle the questions that direct you straight to the answer by referring you to a specific line in the passage. Indirect or harder questions can be looked upon later.
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Tips
- Understand the test structure well. SAT questions can be divided into three levels of difficulty: easy, medium and hard. The questions in the first third of each section are easy, those in the second third are medium and those in the last third are hard. So you should spend your time making sure you get the easy and medium questions correct and tackle the hard questions if time remains. Rushing through the test to get to the hardest questions will only drag your score down.
- Practice reading unfamiliar subject matter before the test. Read a few paragraphs, then stop and try to identify the author’s argument. This will help you on the SAT reading comprehension passages, which will almost always be about strange subject matter.
Q: Which are the good books for SAT exam preparation?
Some of the best books for the preparation of SAT exam are:
1. KALLIS' Redesigned SAT Pattern Strategy + 6 Full-Length Practice Tests
2. McGraw-Hill Education SAT 2016
3. Barron's New SAT
4. Princeton Review's Cracking the New SAT
5. Dr. Steve Warner's New SAT Math Problems
6.Dr. Jang's SAT 800 Math Workbook for the New SAT
7. The Complete Guide to SAT Reading by Erica Meltzer
The students are free to choose their SAT prep books and resources and prepare as per their previous knowledge. Also there are materials available online also which can be used for preparation.
Q: What is the importance of SAT books?
SAT books hold a great importance in terms of SAT exam preparation. Applicants who are not comfortable with online prep materials can heavily rely on SAT books for preparation. There are a plethora of SAT books available online or in markets for preparation. SAT books play an important role to understand major concepts, track practice and revise important topics.
Q: Can students prepare from old SAT syllabus books?
Some of the old SAT books or study guides can still prove beneficial, depending upon the topic of preparation for each section. While others can check out some resources on the official website of the College Board and prepare accordingly. The SAT prep tips are not very different from the already existing exam prep strategy. Choose the appropriate SAT books for preparation only after checking out the SAT syllabus and also thoroughly understanding the SAT exam 2023 pattern before finally registering for SAT exam. Here we have curated a list of official resources by the College Board to help you prepare for the new redesigned SAT exam 2023.
Q: Are SAT books for preparation available online?
Yes, there is a lot of SAT exam resource books available online for applicants. Those who want to prepare for SAT exam and are comfortable studying online can download online versions of the books and read them, while the others can order online and prepare accordingly. There are downloadable PDFs also available for applicants who wish to study online and do not want to spend too much on purchasing the expensive books for SAT prep. It is completely up to the applicant whether or not they wish to study in the offline mode or they want to study online with online resources.
Q: What are the best books for SAT Reading and Writing?
The best books for SAT Reading and Writing preparation are given below for reference:
- The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar by Erica L. Meltzer
- The Critical Reader: The Complete Guide to SAT Reading, 3rd Edition
- 2018 SAT Reading: World Literature Practice Book
Apart from these the applicants can look for online resources and materials to help support them with their preparation for SAT Reading and Writing section commonly referred to as RW.
The applicants should also look for mocks and attempt them regularly so that there is enough practice in hand before appearing for the main exam on the set date.
Q: What are the best books for SAT Math?
Some of the best books for SAT Math prep for the year 2023 are as follows:
- PWN The SAT: Math Guide, 4th Edition
- 800 Math Workbook New Edition by Dr. Jang's SAT
- Barron's SAT Math Workbook, 7th Edition
- 500 New SAT Math Problems by Dr. Steve Warner
- Dr John Chung's SAT Math: 63 Perfect Tips and 16 Complete Tests
- SAT Math Workbook
Thus, applicants should choose their books wisely and strategise to work and prepare for SAT Math section questions accordingly.
Q: What are the best books for SAT syllabus for Math section?
Some of the best books to cover SAT syllabus for Math section are as follows:
- PWN The SAT: Math Guide, 4th Edition
- 800 Math Workbook New Edition by Dr. Jang's SAT
- Barron's SAT Math Workbook, 7th Edition
- 500 New SAT Math Problems by Dr. Steve Warner's
Students are free to consult other resources as well, based on their convenience of resource availability. In majority of cases, these books are suficient to cover the entire syllabus for SAT Maths section. More than syllabus coverage, it is important that applicants practice as much as possible and focus on mocks most importantly while preparing.
Q: Does reading books help in scoring better on SAT Reading section?
It is important to grow reading skills as it will help you in your studies ahead irrespective of the study area you choose. Reading should not feel like a task, it can be done as a fun activity. If you love to read novels, read them but you can also add more to it. Like if you love reading science fiction, then also try reading short stories or classic novels as it will widen your horizon. try things that challenge you and just don't restrict yourself to simple plain reads. Thus, it will only prove significant in the long run and not just for scoring higher on the SAT Reading & Writing section.
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