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SAT Reading: What to Expect

By posted February 3, 2012

Timing: SAT Reading is made up of two to three 20-25 minute sections, depending on which subject is unscored.  Pacing for SAT Reading can be a little more complicated than for other sections since there are passages to read.  Some people only feel comfortable answering the questions on a passage if they have read the whole thing; however, for many people, time constraints won’t allow them to both read the whole passage and answer all the questions.  If you find that time is an issue for you, first just read the opening and closing paragraphs, which usually contain the main idea, and perhaps skim the middle.  Then read the questions and go back into the passage knowing what you are looking for.  Try out a few different approaches to passage-based reading.  Ultimately, the right way to do it is the way that works best for you.

Try this SAT reading question for practice before test day!

Format: The two question types on SAT Reading are sentence completion and passage-based reading.  Both are standard multiple-choice.

Sentence Completion: You will have to choose the word or words (two) that best complete the sentence.  Unless you are a vocabulary genius, there are probably going to be some words on the test that you don’t know, so learn some strategies to up your chances of answering correctly even if you aren’t familiar with all the choices.

Passage-based reading: You will be given several passages throughout the course of SAT Reading, some short and some long.  Some may be easy to read; others might be dense and filled with unknown terminology.  Each passage will be followed by questions about the passage.

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The SAT Essay: What to Expect

By posted February 1, 2012

The thought of writing an essay before delving into three hours of multiple-choice testing might send shudders down your spine, but the more you know about the SAT essay, the less daunting it will seem.  Read on to learn all the basics of the SAT essay.

Timing: The essay portion of the SAT comes first on the test.  You will have 25 minutes to read the prompt, decide on your viewpoint, brainstorm, outline, write, and proofread your essay.  Whew, that’s a lot in such a short time!  Obviously steps such as outlining are going to be very condensed versions of what you would do with a take-home essay for school, and some steps you may have to skip altogether.  Definitely write timed practiced essays at home before the big day so you’re prepared for what a time crunch it can be.

Format: You will be given a short paragraph relating to the prompt, usually a quotation from a historical figure, literature, etc.  Don’t ignore this information!  It can give you valuable ideas for your essay.  This will be followed by the prompt itself, which will ask you to formulate a point of view on an issue and support that viewpoint with examples and analysis.  You will be writing your essay on the lined pages provided.

Content Overview: Read through old SAT essay prompts to get an idea of the type of topics the test makers typically use.  You can find the most recent ones at collegeboard.com.  You will find a common thread through the prompts of “life’s big questions,” covering everything from ambition to honesty.  Every prompt will tell you to use examples from “your reading, studies, experience, or observations.”  Go into the essay armed with several examples from these areas that you feel comfortable writing about to support a thesis.

Now that you know the basics of the SAT essay, start writing!  Find out how Grockit’s expert tutors can help you to critique your practice essays so that you can learn from your mistakes.

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SAT Strategy for “Except”, “Not”, or “Least” Questions

By posted September 1, 2011

In the Critical Reading section of the SAT test, you may find certain RC questions contains words like “Except,” “Not,” or “Least” in them. Use this 4-step strategy for better scores on the Reading!

Try this SAT reading question for practice.

1. Put the Question in your own words. “Dumb down” these long-winded questions using simpler terminology. This will help you understand what the question is really asking. You may want to “flip” the question to make it more clear for yourself.

2. Give yourself a task. Once you understand the question, write down your task. For example, if a question asks, “Which of the following does NOT match the tone of the passage?” your task might be to “eliminate choices that DO fit the tone.” This will give you a clear idea of how to approach the answer choices.

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When are the 2012 SAT test dates?

By posted August 17, 2011

The SAT is offered 7 times a year. You should be familiar with the college application deadlines for the schools you will be applying to and decide which SAT test date to register for. Most students will take the SAT the spring of their junior year and some will take the test again, or the first time, the fall of their senior year. Make use of SAT test prep to help familiarize yourself with the SAT before test day by knowing the SAT test structure and content tested.

2012 SAT test dates:

Exam Date:          Register By:            Late Registration:

1/28/2012              12/30/2011                  1/11/2012

3/10/2012              02/10/2012                  2/22/2012

5/05/2012              4/06/2012                   4/18/2012

6/02/2012              5/08/2012                   5/16/2012

TBD                            TBD                            TBD

TBD                            TBD                            TBD

TBD                            TBD                            TBD

Check out this SAT Identifying Sentence Errors question. Good luck!

Register to take the SAT at collegeboard.org

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When are the 2011 SAT test dates?

By posted August 3, 2011

The SAT if offered 7 times a year. You should be familiar with the college application deadlines for the schools you will be applying to and decide which SAT test date to register for. Most students will take the SAT the spring of their junior year and some will take the test again, or the first time, the fall of their senior year. Make sure of SAT test prep to help familiarize yourself with the SAT before test day by knowing the SAT test structure and content tested.

2011 SAT test dates:

Exam Date:          Register By:            Late Registration:

1/22/2011              12/23/2010                  1/07/2011

3/12/2011              02/11/2011                  2/25/2011

5/07/2011              4/08/2011                   4/22/2011

6/04/2011              5/06/2011                   5/20/2011

10/01/2011            9/09/2011                   9/21/2011

11/05/2011           10/07/2011                 10/19/2011

12/03/2011          11/08/2011                  11/16/2011

Test your SAT skills on this SAT sentence correction question. Good luck!

Register to take the SAT at collegeboard.org

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SAT Reading—Strengthen/Weaken Questions

By posted July 21, 2011

Some SAT questions will ask you to find the answer choice that will either strengthen or weaken the argument of a reading passage. Being able to identify a passage’s main idea, or being able to quickly refer to a specific detail, will be an important skill to master for strengthen/weaken questions. It’s crucial to get plenty of test prep to master this question type. Make sure you play plenty of games and get assistance from trained instructors at Grockit . Before prepping for the test, remember these tips for any strengthen/weaken question:

  1. Read the passage first. Strengthen/weaken questions will test your ability to know the main idea, or purpose, of a passage. Reading the questions might mislead you when reading the passage. For this reason, make sure you read the passage before looking at any questions.
  2. Identify the purpose. Identifying the purpose of the reading passage is crucial. As you’re reading, make sure you understand the author’s argument.
  3. Take notes. You have plenty of space on your test to take notes. Taking notes will ensure that you’re being an active reader. And believe it or not, taking notes will save you time if you have to refer back to the passage.
  4. Carefully read the question. The test-makers will try to trick you. Make sure you look for the following key words when reading the question: LEAST, MOST, STRONGEST, and WEAKEST. Not reading the question carefully will result in you answering the question incorrectly.
  5. Read each answer choice. For strengthen/weaken questions you’re looking for the BEST answer. An answer choice may seem correct, but there could be a better choice. Make sure you read each answer choice and use process of elimination to get the correct answer.

Now that you know how to tackle strengthen/weaken questions, let’s try a sample question:

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SAT Reading: Roman Numeral Questions

By posted July 19, 2011

Roman numeral questions present many challenges to test-takers. They test your ability to read a passage closely, identify details, and understand the question being asked. You’ll need lots of test prep to be able to answer these questions correctly and quickly on test day. Nothing’s better for mastering Roman numeral questions than Grockit. Grockit has hundreds of sample questions, along with trained instructors, to help you prepare for SAT Roman numeral questions. Remember these tips and strategies whenever you get a Roman numeral question:

  1. Read the entire passage before you do anything else. Examining the questions and their accompanying answer choices is a HUGE mistake on the SAT. Doing this will mislead you when reading the passage. To avoid being misled, read the passage first.
  2. Take notes. Being an active reader is important for the SAT. To ensure you’re actively reading the passage, take notes on the purpose, or main idea, supporting details, and places where there are transitional words (however, on the other hand, etc).
  3. Don’t focus the details…yet. Never spend time memorizing any passage’s details. They’ll only be important if you’re asked about them. If you’re actively reading the passage, it’ll be easy to find any detail you need if you’re asked about a specific detail, something that’ll be likely for Roman numeral questions.
  4. Read the question and the Roman numeral choices carefully. Ensure you know what the question’s asking of you. And then don’t be tricked by the Roman numeral choices. Many test-takers get questions wrong because they’re careless when reading the question and Roman numeral choices.
  5. Find the Roman numeral choices in the passage. Check to see if the details described in the three Roman numeral choices are true. Once you verify the accuracy of these statements, it’ll be easy to find the right answer choice.

Grockit allows you to review your answers with detailed explanations and strategies.

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Reading Comprehension on the SAT—Interpreting Facts and Details in Context

By posted July 13, 2011

The SAT likes to make you think, and rarely will the test-makers give you a simple question. That’s why interpreting facts and details in the context of a reading passage can be difficult. And that’s why getting tons of test prep, especially at Grockit , which has interactive games and trained instructors to help you, is important. Before taking a look at a sample question, it’s important to remember the following tips for reading comprehension on the SAT :

  1. Always read the passage before answering a question. Many interpreting facts and details questions on the SAT will guide you to where the fact or detail is within the passage, but it’s impossible to interpret a fact or detail if you cannot put it into the larger context of the passage.
  2. Remember to take notes while you read. You have plenty of room in the test booklet to underline important events, annotate in the margins and/or circle things you don’t understand. Taking notes will ensure that you’re actively reading the passage.
  3. Don’t fret over memorizing anything in the passage. If you’re asked about a specific detail or fact, you’ll be able to return to the text and remind yourself of the specifics.
  4. While you’re reading, notice if the passage “changes direction.” For example, if the author is discussing how the great works of Edith Wharton, but then says her writing pales in comparison to John Steinbeck’s, you should make a note of it. Chances are you’re going to have to interpret some fact or detail when a passage changes directions like this.

See how you can study online anywhere, any time for any amount of time on Grockit.

If you want to practice these tips and strategies, you should print this blog with the example below. If you don’t have access to a printer, I suggest you take notes on a piece of scrap paper to get some practice being an active reader. Now let’s see if you can get answer the following question:

Every day, 420 women go out and start their own businesses–twice as many as men do so. And these businesses are growing revenue, profits and jobs faster than is business as a whole.
The explosion in women-owned businesses explains why women’s companies now employ more people than America’s largest 500 companies combined. Women now own 46% of the private businesses in the U.S., demonstrating daily just how tough, innovative and commercial women can be.
However, a review of the history of business, as well as much of contemporary writing and media coverage of entrepreneurship, would seem to contradict the data. Women’s contributions to the evolution of American business has long been ignored or minimized despite the fact that women played key roles in the early American economy through the development of cottage industries and in the organization and work of charitable organizations…

The purpose of the first sentence of the third paragraph (“However…data”) is to

  1. compare a range of statistical results on women and entrepreneurship.
  2. celebrate diverse perspectives on gender in the history of American business.
  3. downplay the contributions of men in business.
  4. introduce the idea that women and their contributions are underrepresented in discussions of American business.
  5. analyze historical trends in female entrepreneurship

For this question, you can break down the answer choices into two parts. There’s the first word in each choice: compare, celebrate, downplay, introduce and analyze. When you look at the third paragraph, you should think if any of these verbs fit. Can you eliminate any of the answer choices based on this alone? It’s probably safe to say that this introductory sentence isn’t celebrating anything, so B can be eliminated. The word “however” also indicates that there’s a “change in direction” from the paragraph before it. This means the paragraph is could be comparing, downplaying or introducing something new, and probably not analyzing what came before it. This helps us eliminate E. Now let’s look at the content and figure out if it’s A, C or D. The paragraph discusses women’s contribution to business throughout history. There are no statistics in the passage, so A cannot be correct. Does it ever downplay the contributions of men to business? No, so C’s not right, either. We’re left with the correct answer: D) introduce the idea that women and their contributions are underrepresented in discussions of American business.

Using process of elimination helped us with this question, but a close reading of the passage, complete with taking notes and noticing the change in direction, might have made figuring this question out very easy. No matter how easy you thought this question was, make sure to go to Grockit to practice hundreds of other SAT reading comprehension questions. After getting some help from the trained instructors, you’ll be ready for any question on the test.

Try this SAT reading passage for more SAT practice.

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SAT Reading: Author’s Purpose or Method

By posted July 11, 2011

Purpose and method are vastly different things. Finding a passage’s purpose means finding its main idea. Deciphering the passage’s method might be recognizing if the author uses metaphors, similes, humor, sarcasm or any other tactic to get her point across. Being able to identify a passage’s purpose or its method is crucial for doing well on SAT Reading. Getting the necessary amount of test prep will be key for getting the score you want. Go to Grockit to play fun, interactive games. You’ll be able to chat with others studying for the test and even get help and advice from trained instructors. And remember these tips to ensure you get any purpose or method question right on test day:

  1. Read the entire passage first. Understanding an author’s purpose or method will require that you read the entire passage. If you look at the questions, and especially the answer choices, you may be misled when reading the passage.
  2. Brush up on literary terms. You should know and be able to identify the following literary terms: metaphor, simile, hyperbole (exaggeration), onomatopoeia, and irony. Any other terms you’ve learned in English could be important for the test as well.
  3. Take notes. Taking notes while you’re reading will ensure that you’re being an active reader. When taking notes you should focus on four things:
    1. The author’s purpose, usually stated in the first or second paragraph
    2. Transitional words, such as however, on the other hand, therefore, etc.
    3. Evidence that supports the author’s purpose
    4. Any method used in the passage
  4. Don’t focus on the details. Focus on the big picture; never try to memorize a passage’s details. Details will only be important if you’re asked about them.

With these tips in mind, see if you can solve this sample problem:

Of all the musicians of the twentieth century, none embodied the idea of reinvention as fully as Frank Sinatra. During the course of a career that spanned decades, and ranged from solo music to working with an orchestra to Academy Award-winning acting roles, Sinatra’s ups and downs, both personally and professionally, rivaled those of the most unpredictable roller coaster. And like the amusement park thrill-ride, Sinatra’s life and work, while tumultuous and sometimes unpleasant, were never boring. He was not only a great entertainer, but also a true celebrity, and the only thing that stopped this phoenix was his actual death in 1998.

In lines 2-4, the author develops her point through:

  1. Humorous asides
  2. onomatopoeia
  3. differentiation of key elements
  4. metaphorical device
  5. irony

Try this practice SAT reading question for more practice!

This is a method question, so it’s important to know your literary devices for this particular question. The author compares Sinatra’s career to a roller coaster. If you know this is a metaphor, it’ll be easy to eliminate the incorrect choices and focus on finding the correct answer, D) metaphorical device. If you don’t know that lines 2-3 use a metaphor you’ll have to use process of elimination to improve your chances at getting the question right. You’ll be able to eliminate A, “humorous asides,” quite easily since the author doesn’t use humor at any point in the passage. B, “onomatopoeia,” is also not right, for onomatopoeia is when a word is used that imitates the sound made by what the word refers to. (Think “moo” for a cow.) C, “differentiation of key elements,” is extremely vague and is meant to distract you. And if you read the sentence again, nothing is different in the sentences described. And E, “irony,” isn’t correct either since irony implies a humorous outcome to events that is opposite to what might have been expected. Using process of elimination, then, could have helped to solve this question.

Mastering purpose and method questions will be important for scoring well on SAT Reading . If you only had time to practice one question type for the SAT, this should be the one you focus on. Head over to Grockit to make sure you’re ready for these questions come test day.

Find out how Grockit allows you to track your progress across specific skills and target your efforts accordingly.

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SAT Writing: Purpose of Passage or Sentence

By posted July 7, 2011

On the Improving Paragraphs section, purpose questions come in two varieties. In the more common variety, purpose questions ask you to examine the entire passage and identify the main idea or the author’s purpose. Because these questions require a thorough understanding of the entire passage, students tend to find these particular questions difficult. The second, less common variety asks you to identify the purpose of a particular sentence in context.

You may notice that these questions may seem to belong to the SAT Reading section. Indeed, purpose questions abound in the Reading section, and you should approach purpose questions in Writing in much the same way. The main difference between the two is that the purpose questions in Writing may catch you off guard. Many Writing questions focus on grammar and writing skills, so they may not require a deep understanding of the passage’s content. Thus, it’s a good idea to get in the habit of reading the entire passage so that questions like these will not catch you off guard.

Try this SAT improving paragraphs practice question for more SAT practice!

Before we check out an example, look over these common traps set by the test-writers:

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