SAT Reading section techniques, strategies & approaches
SAT Reading section
Overview[edit | edit source]
- SAT Reading Section Test Directions:
- Students are to answer questions based upon:
- what is stated" in the text or graphs (explicit meanings, textual and direct comprehension)
- what is "implied" in the text or graphs (implicit meanings, inference, deduction, identification of author purpose and techniques)
- Students are to answer questions based upon:
- SAT Reading Test Structure
- Students have 65 minutes to answer 52 questions
- Reading test has five readings with 10 or 11 questions each
- = average 13:00 min per reading passage
- note: two readings contain 11 questions so may take longer
Difficulty level[edit | edit source]
- difficulty level is based on the passage and not the questions
- there can be difficult questions on easy passages, but the bulk of "hard" questions will coincide with difficult passages
Strategies & Techniques[edit | edit source]
- The test "Directions" instruct students, "After reading each passage or pair, choose the best answer to each question"
- Other approaches include:
- read carefully and annotate
- might include summarizing each paragraph
- previewing questions, then reading and/or skimming
- "cherry picking" questions and finding them in the text by skimming
- read carefully and annotate