Grockit SAT ACT Prep

Learn more about Grockit's SAT and ACT test preparation

SAT Writing Posts

Top 10 Tips for SAT Writing, pt 2

This top 10 list gives some of the most common grammatical patterns on the SAT as well as some general strategies to keep in mind. Here’s the second half of the Top 10 Tips for SAT Writing, pt 1.

6. Make sure your modifiers are placed correctly. -  The modifier that typically shows up on the SAT writing section is located at the beginning of the sentence and is followed by a comma.  A modifier is a dependent clause (cannot stand on its own as a sentence) that must be directly followed by the noun it describes.  Here is an example of a modifier used correctly:

Running through the forest, the boy tripped on a branch.

The modifier “running through the forest” describes the noun that directly follows, “the boy.”

Here is an example of a modifier used incorrectly:

Running through the forest, the branch was tripped on by the boy.

The placement of words indicates that the branch is running through the forest, when we know it is in fact the boy who is running.

7. Keep verb tense consistent. - Generally you want to keep all the verbs in a sentence in the same tense on the SAT writing section.  If you are working on improving a writing passage, usually you can refer to the sentences around the one in question and keep the tense the same. However, there will be cases in which different clauses refer to different time periods and different tenses are appropriate.  When dealing with verb tense and only one verb, remember to look for clue words in the sentence that indicate when the action took place.

Read more »

Top 10 Tips for SAT Writing, pt 1

During your SAT review, make sure to familiarize yourself with each section and some of the types of questions that show up over and over again.  As you do your SAT prep and SAT practice tests, keep this helpful information in mind and you will be on the road to acing the SAT!

The good news about the multiple choice part of the SAT writing section is that the same twenty or thirty grammatical concepts are tested over and over.  The more you practice, the more familiar you will become with these patterns.  This top 10 list gives some of the most common grammatical patterns on the SAT as well as some general strategies to keep in mind.

Find out how Grockit predicts your score based on your answers and tracks your performance and improvements.

1. Keep it simple! - The number one thing to keep in mind is that you want to pick the answer that is the most concise and simple, while still grammatically correct.  I throw in “while still grammatically correct” because following grammar rules means that the best answer choice is not always the shortest one.  If an answer choice seems wordy or overly elaborate, it’s probably wrong.

2. Don’t be redundant. - If something has already been stated or implied, there is no need to state it again.  For example, if a man’s name is included in a sentence, there’s no need for a phrase stating that he is a man.  The reader can infer this without the extra words.  Similarly, pronouns should not be thrown in that serve no purpose.

3. Look for parallel structure. - Parallelism shows up often in the writing section.  A sentence that is parallel contains phrases that match each other in structure.  For example, if the first item in a series of three contains a verb in present tense form, the other two items should also be verbs in present tense form.  This applies to all different types of speech.

Read more »

The SAT Essay: What to Expect

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.

SAT Writing: What to Expect

The SAT Writing multiple-choice sections test your knowledge of grammar, mechanics, and written conventions of the English language.  This section can be especially tricky for non-native speakers.

Timing: SAT Writing is made up of one or two 20 or 25 minute sections (depending on the unscored section), and one 10 minute section.  As with every SAT subject, time yourself during practice so you can adjust your pacing accordingly.

Format: There are three different question types on SAT Writing, each with a different format.  All three do offer the familiar five multiple-choice answers.  Get to know these three formats well so that you feel comfortable with them come test day.

Try this SAT writing question for practice!

Improving Sentences: These questions give you a sentence with an underlined portion and ask you to pick the answer choice that best fits the underlined area.  The first choice will always be the same as in the original sentence, while the other four choices will offer different options.

Read more »

SAT Practice: Best Tips for Acing SAT Writing

During your SAT review, make sure to familiarize yourself with each section and some of the types of questions that show up over and over again.  As you do your SAT prep and SAT practice tests, keep this helpful information in mind and you will be on the road to acing the SAT!

The good news about the multiple choice part of the SAT writing section is that the same twenty or thirty grammatical concepts are tested over and over.  The more you practice, the more familiar you will become with these patterns.  This top 10 list gives some of the most common grammatical patterns on the SAT as well as some general strategies to keep in mind.

1. Keep it simple! – The number one thing to keep in mind is that you want to pick the answer that is the most concise and simple, while still grammatically correct.  I throw in “while still grammatically correct” because following grammar rules means that the best answer choice is not always the shortest one.  If an answer choice seems wordy or overly elaborate, it’s probably wrong.

2. Don’t be redundant. – If something has already been stated or implied, there is no need to state it again.  For example, if a man’s name is included in a sentence, there’s no need for a phrase stating that he is a man.  The reader can infer this without the extra words.  Similarly, pronouns should not be thrown in that serve no purpose.

Test your SAT writing skills with this improving sentences practice question.

Read more »

When are the 2012 SAT test dates?

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

When are the 2011 SAT test dates?

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

SAT Writing: Participles

Chances are you don’t remember the lesson on participles from high school English.  Technically speaking, a participle is a non-finite form of a verb that is either used as an adjective or as a verb used to form compound tenses. Don’t fret about the grammatical jargon, here. For the purposes of the SAT Writing, just be able to identify the two forms of participles: past and present.

Present Participles, a.k.a. ‘-ing’ verbs

The present participle is formed by adding ‘-ing’ to the base form of the verb. There are three main uses of present participles:

  1. Progressive verbs: “I am running to my classroom.”
  2. Adjective form: “The actress’s dress is stunning.
  3. Gerund (i.e. noun form): “Exercising is my favorite activity.”

Test your SAT skills with this SAT writing practice question.

Read more »

SAT Writing: Purpose of Passage or Sentence

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:

Read more »

SAT Writing—Organization of Ideas

Organization of ideas questions are particularly difficult on the SAT Writing section. These questions will ask you to insert, delete, or modify sentences within a short reading passage. Your challenge will be to choose the answer choice that lets the ideas conveyed in the passage flow most smoothly from one idea (or sentence) to the next. The key to doing well on organization of ideas questions is test prep. Grockit has interactive games and trained instructors that will help you prepare for organization of ideas questions. Following these tips and you’ll be able to get any organization of ideas question on test day:

  1. Read the passage first. Read the passage to understand its purpose. Although all SAT Writing questions will give you a specific word or sentence to alter, understanding the flow of ideas will be important to answer any organization of ideas question.
  2. Finding the context. You’ll need to be able to figure out the context of your sentence. It’s important for each sentence’s ideas to flow, but you may need to read two or three sentences before and after the one you’re trying to fix to figure out the correct answer.
  3. Know “continuing” transition words. Words that indicate the meaning of the sentence will remain the same include: therefore, and, as well as, additionally, moreover, furthermore, and also. If your modified sentence is continuing along the same train of thought as the sentence(s) before it, you may find one of these “continuing” transition words in your answer choices.
  4. Know “change” transition words. Words that indicate the meaning of the sentence will change include: however, but, although, though, still, nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, and on the other hand. If your modified sentence is changing the direction of the passage, you may find one of these words in your answer choices.
  5. Review the rules of writing. Review what you’re not good at, whether it’s comma placement, adverb agreement, pronoun use, or anything else. It’ll be a great help on test day

Try this SAT writing question for more SAT practice!

Now, use these tips while you try to answer a sample question, as you would see it on the test:

Read more »