The SAT covers both “English” and “Math.” Of the “English” section, there are three parts: Reading; Writing and Language; and Essay. In this and the following post, we will primarily look at the Reading section and the Writing and Language section.

Though I help prepare students for the essay section, it is an optional section. Some students choose to complete the essay portion because they are confident they can do well; a high essay score could strengthen a college application. However, the main reason to take the essay portion is if the school applied for requires or recommends it.

Before looking at individual sections, let’s look at the test as a whole. The test covers skills most students have already learned in school: comma usage, subject-verb agreement, commonly confused words, pronouns, and so on. It is a good idea to review basic components of grammar to make sure they’re fresh.

As for the questions, they all count the same number of points, whether they are difficult or easy. Also, the questions are not necessarily in order from easy to hard. Furthermore, there is no penalty for incorrect answers–so students should answer all of them. Leaving a question unanswered automatically forfeits points; it’s better to guess and have a chance at earning the points.

Regarding scores, the test is scored on a scale of 400-1600: 200-800 for Math; 200-800 for combined Reading and Writing/Language.

One useful tool for multiple choice is the process of elimination. First, the student should eliminate the distractors or obvious wrong ones. There are some answer choices that are just clearly wrong! Second, the student needs to eliminate the half-truths, the hyperboles, and incorrect assumptions. Just because it’s “kind of right” doesn’t mean it’s the best or correct answer. Finally, the student should determine which one is most accurate in answering the question.

A main component that slows students down is the actual reading of the passages that are questioned. It’s essential to make a conscious effort to read faster. The best way to do this is to practice. Taking practice tests allows the student to learn to read fast. It also gives the student a strong idea of what the time limit feels like; this will help with pacing.

Here are some other tips to help the student succeed:

• Work to gain points in your strongest areas.
• Don’t waste time on the toughest questions.
• Make an intelligent guess on all questions to which you do not know the answer.
• Careless errors can occur easily. Pay attention to detail.
• Avoid “jumping” to conclusions. Pay attention to all parts of the questions.

In the next post, we look at how the sections are set up.