9 Ways to Improve Your SAT Reading Score
Are you struggling to find ways to improve your SAT Reading scores? Do you continue to miss the same types of questions? Is a particular passage type consistently more difficult for you?
Whether you are shooting to improve your score to 600+ or if you are consistently scoring in the low 700s and want to push for an 800, these strategies can help hone your test taking approach and allow you to reach your highest potential.
Strategy 1: Understand the Nature of the Test
The SAT is unlike any test you have taken in school. It isn’t designed by a teacher trying to emphasize aspects of a story, test your vocabulary, or even check your comprehension of a passage. Will the test do all of these things? Yes, but don’t mistake this for the design of the test. This test is designed to trick you. PERIOD.
If you’ve ever attempted to answer an SAT Reading question, narrowed your choices down to two possible outcomes, decided that they both sound appropriate and just guessed, then you have fallen prey to the design of the SAT. I’m willing to bet if you are reading this blog then this scenario sounds familiar. I’d also be lying if I said I have never faced the same situation. What can you do to avoid this problem? It all starts with understanding the test.
I’ll admit, this is really less of a strategy and more of an underlying principle that is the foundation of the test. However, understanding this principle is pivotal to improving your score and confidently answering everything the SAT Reading Test will throw at you.
To understand the test, we have to acknowledge that The SAT is not your English class. There is no “everyone can interpret things differently” aspect of the test. It is nationally administered and therefore must provide a level playing field for everyone involved. To that end, there is absolutely, unequivocally, only one correct answer for every question. There is no room for subtlety or nuance here. This may also seem a bit obvious, but let me rephrase this in a more applicable manner. In order for the SAT to fairly test all students, every single question has three undeniably incorrect answers. This brings us to strategy #2.
Strategy 2: Eliminate Three Incorrect Choices
You might be thinking, if there are always three incorrect choices, how do the writers trick students so often? They do this by infusing a hint of ambiguity in their questions. You probably won’t see a question be so blunt as to ask - “What does the author say about so and so?” However, you will see countless questions posed that imbue a sense of uncertainty. You’ve probably seen your fair share of questions like these:
The scientists in passage 1 would likely describe…
The word in line 24 most nearly means…
Paragraph 5 functions mainly to…
Don’t let the wording fool you. There is only one answer that is the best fit, and more importantly, there are three answers that are wrong for very specific reasons.
Approaching every problem with the mindset that you can eliminate every wrong answer will start you in the right direction. Instead of searching for reasons why an answer choice could be correct, start identifying specific reasons why each answer choice is wrong.
With focused practice, you will start to develop an eye for the patterns and common reasons that make many of the answer choices incorrect. Some common reasons for ruling out choices include answers being: too specific, too broad, tangential to the passage, or just completely unrelated. In the following strategies, I will give advice on specific problem types and how to rule out some particular answer choices for additional reasons. Before delving too far into strategy, we need a plan of attack - which brings us to strategy #3.
Strategy 3: Attack Each Passage with an Approach that is Right for You
Everyone has different skills when it comes to reading. A strategy the works for some people, may not work for you. If you have trouble finishing the test in a quick enough time, maybe you’ll want to try a strategy that improves your speed. If you have no problem with time, but often miss big picture questions, maybe you’ll perform better with a strategy revolving around reading more intently. To guide you in your decision making, I’ll outline a few common strategies and what I find to be their pros and cons.
Option 1: Read the Passage Intently, Then Answer Questions
Pros: This is certainly the best way to extract the most thorough understanding of each passage. Many of the higher difficulty questions hinge on nuances that can easily be missed when you skim a passage. Also, since you finish the passage with a good understanding, many times you are able to answer the questions quickly by referencing parts of the passage mentally.
Cons: Where do we begin? For starters, unless you read thoroughly AND quickly, you will probably not have enough time for this strategy. Even if you are safe on time, when you read through the passage this way you won’t have any idea what types of questions are about to be asked. You may spend a chunk of time understanding the fourth paragraph, when the questions may not even address that part of the passage. Not only is this a waste of time, but you may also develop a sense for the passage that is incorrect or unintended by the writers. This could lead you down the wrong path on many questions for the particular passage.
Verdict: This method can be utilized effectively if you are a seasoned SAT test taker and are capable of predicting the types of questions that can be expected while reading the passage. For most people, I would advise against a full adherence to this strategy.
Option 2: Skim the Passage, Then Answer Questions
Pros: If you are typically strapped for time, this could be the right method for you. By skimming, you avoid ingesting unnecessary details, you make it to the questions faster, and have extra time to go back and reread certain portions that are referenced in the questions.
Cons: Skimming can cause some pitfalls. When you skim, there is an opportunity to mischaracterize the passage and/or miss some of the subtleties in the text. Also, what exactly does it mean to skim? It’s easy for me to tell you to skim a passage, but the end result can vary from person to person. I’ve seen some people say they skim by reading the first and last sentence of each paragraph and skip the rest. Others might skim by skipping details and elaboration.
Verdict: Simply advising someone to skim, does not a good skimmer make. Quality skimming requires practice. To utilize this method effectively, you have to be adept enough at skimming to maintain a clear understanding of the passage and be able to adapt to each question, recognizing that there may be details that you have missed. Personally, I skim newspaper and internet articles to get a quick overview, but I don’t like utilizing this method on the SAT exclusively. Some passages, like the historical and scientific ones, can be very difficult to accurately characterize if you aren’t closely reading at least some of the passage. If you find yourself struggling with the “main point” questions or having to go back and reread very often, then this method may not be best for you.
Option 3: Read Questions First, Reference Passage to Answer
Pros: The highlight with this method is that you have a sense of the intent of the authors of the SAT. By checking the questions first, you gain insight as to what you should put the most emphasis on when reading the passage. Many students will make marks or underline portions in the passage that are directly referenced by the questions. Some students even make notes about what they should be looking for when they reach those underlined parts. Having this preliminary knowledge can streamline your reading and actually make you a better skimmer.
Cons: Since you haven’t read any of the passage yet, many of the questions will make little to no sense. Even worse, the answer choices are going to be indifferentiable and impossible to remember while reading. If you skip the answer choices and only read the questions(which for time reasons is pretty much the only way to approach this), then you may be left with vague notions of a question and can end up wasting time searching for answers to a question that aren’t even possible options.
Verdict: This method starts you on the right foot and can give you perspective on how to approach the passage. It can improve your skimming and as such, reduce time spent on each passage. On the flip side, you may occasionally misdirect yourself and waste time in the process. This method I would consider the safest of the bunch, and if you were only going to use one method for the entirety of the test, I would suggest most students take this approach.
Option 4: A Little Bit of Everything
If I were to describe my methodology for attacking the SAT Reading portion, it would be a confluence of the above three methods. I start each passage by looking at the questions. Notice, I didn’t even say reading the questions, it’s more like skimming the questions. I certainly don’t read the answer choices, and I don’t necessarily read all of any question either. I’m looking for key words or indicators for which parts of the passage to focus most intently. If a question mentions specific lines or a specific word, I’ll underline those portions just to know I need high level comprehension of the surrounding parts.
Next, I read the passage. I read relatively quickly, but I wouldn’t say I’m skimming. I cruise through the portions that aren’t underlined just to maintain continuity in the passage and make sure I’m not missing anything, and when I am near my marked off portions, I change to closely reading every line.
Finally, I answer the questions. At this point, I’ve saved time by not overly scrutinizing every word in the passage and also have a very deep understanding of the intent of the authors and the core ideas of the passage. This means I can answer the questions very quickly. Often times I find that I’ll remember the exact words that support my answers to each question, and if I don’t, I know exactly where to find the answer in the text.
Verdict: This method isn’t easy, and it isn’t for everyone. It takes a ton of practice. However, I believe if used effectively, it has the highest upside.
Side note: Some passages are more difficult than others. I particularly have the most trouble with the historical text. When I reach this section, I spend more time reading intently and with a purpose. Since I’ve saved time on the other passages, I’m alright making this sacrifice to ensure I have a solid grasp of what I’ve read.
Strategy 4: Practice, Practice, Practice (With a Purpose)
The only way to determine which reading strategy is right for you is to try your hands at all of them. Once you have decided on an approach, practice is your best friend. Lots of students consider answering a bunch of problems a solid way to practice. I’ll say that it’s a solid place to begin, but without analyzing your mistakes and even the problems you did correctly you’ll struggle to make much progress.
In the Reading section it is of the utmost importance to revisit all your mistakes. After you complete some practice problems, make sure to analyze where you went wrong. Many students may just look for the correct answer, read the solution explanation and move on. I advise you to avoid this route. Any problems you miss, you should retrace and try to answer again yourself. Revisit the text and find evidence that shows why your answer choice is incorrect and why another possibility is correct. Then recheck to make sure you came to the correct conclusion.
You can even use this strategy when looking into your correct responses as well. It can be of value to revisit these problems and elaborate on what makes each of the other options wrong. The more you practice identifying reasons answer choices are wrong, the better sense you will have going forward. You are developing your radar for SAT trickery. The more data you have, the quicker you’ll be able to identify the same patterns in the future.
Strategy 5: Use the Structure of the Test to Your Advantage
You may have picked up on this through your studying, but the questions for each passage are delivered essentially in the order the answers appear in the text. Let’s say question 5 is about a specific word in line 28 and question 7 is about the meaning of lines 40-44. If I am stumped on question 6, the first place I am looking for support for my answer is between lines 28 and 40. Now, this isn’t exact, and you can find examples that don’t adhere exactly to this structure, but for the most part, the test is written in this manner.
This is not by any means a suggestion to throw out answer choices without reading them because they aren’t in the correct window in the text. However, I certainly keep this thought in mind as I progress through the questions. This strategy can be particularly useful for the best evidence questions that require you to find the right quote from the passage that supports the answer to the previous question. Although this isn’t a great stand-alone strategy, if strapped for time or stuck between two answer choices, you could use your knowledge of the structure of the test to augment your decision making.
Strategy 6: Avoid Primary Definitions on Vocab Questions
This is a fairly specific piece of advice, but it can help rule out answer choices if you struggle on the questions that ask you which choice most nearly means the same as a specific word in the text. For example, if the word in question is “hold”, I am avoiding answer choices that would be considered the main definition or usage of the word. Any choice like “grasp”, or “carry”, or “restrain”, I am likely to rule out as a possibility. Could those be correct? Yes. Again, I’m not advising you to blindly cross off options. But the answer to the question is more likely going to be a secondary or even more rare usage like “maintain” or “withstand”.
Keep in mind, this strategy is merely supplemental in nature. Historically speaking, the SAT does not tend to use primary definitions. So any time you see a main definition as an answer choice, it should stick out like a sore thumb. You still need to go back and substitute all the choices in for the designated word, but you’ll have an advantage going into each of these problems by keeping this in mind.
Strategy 7: Answer the Question Before Looking at the Answers
Depending on your reading strategy, your level of understanding of the text could vary. For this strategy to be effective, we need to have a solid grasp of the passage. If we do, then answering the questions instinctively before looking at the answer choices can be a great aid in boosting our score. If you take notes beside paragraphs, or if you are able to recall phrases and positions of arguments in the passage then you have a leg up on the SAT.
I use this strategy as often as I can, and it can be helpful in many question types. If a question asks for the main point of a paragraph, or what the author’s opinion would be, I answer based on my understanding of the passage and perspective of the author and search for the answer choice that best fits my answer. If the question is asking for the best substitute for a word, I find a word or small phrase that I believe fits best in the passage and try to link that to one of the choices. I even use this on the questions that ask for which lines best support my answer to the previous question. Because my strategy is to skim questions and hone in on parts of the text when reading, I will often recall specific lines that I believe confirm my previous answer without needing to look to the answer options. If the lines I recall match an option, then I feel very confident that I’ve nailed the question, and am happy to move on quickly.
Strategy 8: Avoid Extrapolation! (Keep It Simple)
Every student enters the SAT with a different background of experiences and knowledge. This can be one of the most difficult things to manage, but when it comes to the Reading portion, you need to check that knowledge at the door. Every correct answer choice is going to have evidence that supports it from the passage.
If you find yourself saying, “Well, I know B is true because in 3rd grade I had a friend whose Mom was a librarian”, then you’re probably working too hard to convince yourself an answer is correct. You should be using that effort to find evidence in the text showing that choice B is incorrect instead. If you’re down to two choices and can’t decide which one fits best, then it tends to be the choice that asks you to extrapolate the least. If I can provide support for an answer choice in a sentence or less, or even better, if I can point to the line that says exactly what I want to say, then I know I’ve avoided excess extrapolation.
This strategy is really just a continuation of the basic timeless advice to TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. In other words, do not second guess yourself. You’ve put in the time. You have studied your mistakes, decided on the best reading strategy, and utilized the structure of the test to your advantage. So above all else, trust yourself. You arrived at your first choice for a reason.
Clarification: Second guessing is changing your first, instinctual answer to another answer without evidence to support such a change. The change is simply made from a lack of trust in your original response.
Strategy 9: Check Your Answers
While taking the test, if you have extra time, it is a great idea to go back and check your answers for all questions on which you have any degree of uncertainty. This means that while taking the test it can be beneficial to star questions and answer choices where you are not 100% positive. This makes it easier to go back and easily identify the questions you want to spend extra time on.
When checking your answers, if you find new evidence that supports changing your answer, then you should change your answer. You may be thinking, “Hey, wait! Didn’t you just tell me to trust my instincts?”. You’re right, I did. And you should not change your answers arbitrarily. If you are stuck between two answer choices, choose one of them, revisit the problem and still are unsure, then keep your initial response. Changing here would be second guessing. However, if you search the passage and can find lines that support one answer or show that your first answer is incorrect, then of course change your answer!
Your first guess is only as good as the evidence you can provide to support it. Upon revisiting a question, You could find lines in the passage that show your answer is wrong or lines that illustrate how another answer is better. In these cases, it is statistically shown that changing your answer is the best option! In fact, a study published in The Teaching of Psychology(Ludy T. Benjamin, et. al., 1984) found evidence that 57.8% of people who change their answer, change it from wrong to right, while only 20.2% change from right to wrong. So, while checking your problems in the extra time, if you are able to clearly determine a new path, trust yourself, and make the change.
Conclusion
Everyone has the ability to improve their SAT test taking skills and ultimately improve their score. However, the most difficult portion for students to make progress in is the SAT Reading section. The students who end up performing the best are the ones who prepared the best. So when prepping for this section, make sure you find the right reading approach that works for you, scrutinize and learn from every mistake, and work on effectively managing your time so you’re ready for test day.
To prepare for test day, many students benefit from a tutor who can help identify their weaknesses, suggest ways to hone their strategy, and provide expert feedback on their practice tests. If you’re looking for help or just have a question about your preparation for the SAT, visit us at Tutor With The Best. We specialize in online tutoring and have helped students nationwide improve their scores. We are extremely flexible and work to meet the individual needs of every student we work with. Check out our SAT resource page that has links to multiple official College Board practice tests. Best of luck in your studies!
