sat test

It’s quite easier to tackle your study materials for the Writing and Math sections of the SAT. And that’s unlike the Reading topic of the same test. You see, the SAT Reading test is meant to challenge your reading comprehension. The better you can understand the passages in the said test, the higher your score will be. Then again, there are drawbacks because there is a limit to the extent of comprehension that people can handle under time constraints. In this case, you ought to look for ways on how to improve your SAT Reading score.

There are 3 factors that impede learners’ comprehension of a given text in the SAT, and namely, they are: limited time, the passages may be too long, and the topics at hand are dry and boring. The key then on how to improve your SAT Reading score is to implement the most appropriate approach. This means that you should rethink and change the way you deal with the SAT Reading test. Here are some valuable tips pertaining to this.

• Be An Adept In Linguistic Analysis
• Evoke A Criterion From Your Mind
• Read The Passages In Chunks
• Be Wary Of The Time So That You Can Work Efficiently
• Counteract The Effects Of Boredom
• Brain Cardio Does The Trick

Start reviewing with our helpful contents: SAT Languages Test

Every question that you encounter in the SAT Reading test has one correct answer, while the other 3 or 4 answer choices are incorrect. Be very keen because the right answers in the Reading test are as concrete and demonstrable as those in the Math section. There are no gray areas here, which means that the correct answers are lucidly supported by the respective text. Therefore, you have to think legally when choosing an answer wherein every word (in the answer choice) must be correct. It’s like what a detective does where he or she looks for evidence in the passage and treat every answer choice as suspects.

Related Topic: SAT Practice Tests

This particular tip on how to improve your SAT Reading score needs you to apply the “BOSS method”. Here, you formulate an answer in your mind before reading the answer choices. In the BOSS method, you’ll be forced to understand the correct answer by understanding the question. After formulating an answer conceived in your mind, you’ll be then ready to read the answer choices. Whichever comes close to the touchstone conjured from your wits is thus most likely to be the correct answer. This method takes practice, but with ample test prep, you can be very good at it.

Related Topic: SAT Math Practice Test

You’ll save more time utilizing the BOSS method if you read the passages in bite sizes. What you should do is to answer the line-cited questions first that refer to certain portions found in the text. Most of the questions in the SAT Reading test refer to particular lines or portions in the passage. Answer these line-cited questions first, which likewise tend to be in order. The broader questions can be skipped or saved for later because you shall have likely read the whole passage by the time you arrive in these items. This method of tackling the Reading test spares you from going back and forth and re-reading the text, which in turn can save you precious time.

Related Topic: SAT Test Dates

The SAT Reading test contains 5 passages and 52 questions that you have to accomplish in 65 minutes. You ought to make sure that you’re keeping up with a proper pacing so that you don’t run out of time. Therefore wear a watch, one which is approved by the College Board. Be efficient when answering the questions. You can, for instance, write your answers straight on to the test and take a moment to transfer them to your answer booklet after finishing your tasks for one passage. You then proceed to do the same in the next passage. Doing so prevents you from flipping your test booklet and answer sheet from side to side which can be time-consuming. Start answering the passages that you find easiest and save those that you find difficult for last.

Related Topic: SAT Overview, Registration, SAT Subjects, Test Dates, & Tips To Prepare For High SAT Scores

It’s faster to read books, articles, and letters that you find interesting. But that’s not usually the case in the SAT Reading test. You could anticipate that the passages in the test can be dull or boring, and it can slow you down. How do you overcome this boredom? This matter depends from one person to another, but the following tips may work. Try pretending that the text was written by your favorite actor (or someone you know). Make believe that you really find the text interesting and that it is crucial for you to understand it. Think of an intriguing, tangible or immediate reason to pay attention to the passage, and it has to be more than getting a high score in this section. Revert your thinking to critical reading mode. Focus and be sure that you don’t miss anything. Actively wonder about or question every statement that you come across with.

Check our SAT Reading Practice Tests

And that is to read and read more. It will increase your reading comprehension and writing skills. Review the passages featured in The College Board practice tests. Read about various and pertinent topics during your free time and whenever you can. Expand your attention span and vocabulary by reading materials that you find interesting. More importantly so, read about unfamiliar subjects or authors, and even texts that you haven’t been acquainted with. Accustom yourself to the readings that are typically used by The College Board.

These simple but valuable tips on how to improve your SAT Reading score can come in handy. Incorporate them in your test prep so that you can obtain the best possible results that you want.

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• SAT Languages Test
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• SAT Requirements
• SAT Registration
• How To Choose Your SAT Subject Tests: Highlight Your Academic Strengths And Interests
• SAT Reading Practice Tests
• SAT Writing Practice Tests

You might be wondering at this point if you’re going to take the SAT French subject test. If you decide to do so, note that it is a great way for you to highlight your proficiency in written French and at the same time demonstrate your inclination to the French language. If you obtain a good score in this subject test, you could be able to complete basic language competency requirements and be exempted from introductory French courses in college.

You will be given 60 minutes to answer 85 multiple-choice questions in the SAT French subject test. Your score could range from 200 to 800 points in this section. How do you get ready for this particular test?

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How To Get Ready For The SAT French Subject Test

Skills needed for taking the SAT French subject test include the knowledge of French words and how they represent the different parts of speech of the language. You need to be familiar with some basic idioms as well and how they are used in corresponding cultural settings. You should be able to make proper word and expression choices and use them in grammatically-correct sentences.

In one part of the French test, you’ll come across structure and vocabulary questions that are infused in lengthy paragraphs. Your SAT French test prep should also include honing your skills in understanding main topics and supporting ideas and the setting and themes of passages. Selections that you will encounter in the test are derived from historical works, essay, fiction, magazine and newspaper articles along with everyday resources such as tickets, advertisements, forms, and timetables. You can check out our Kaplan SAT Prep Review here.

Related Topic: SAT Test Dates

What Is The Recommended Preparation Time For The SAT French Subject Test?

You should have 3 to 4 years of French language study in high school or its equivalent or at least two years of keen study of the language. Your competence in the French language should have gradually developed over the years. As part of your preparation, you can likewise consult your guidance counselor so you can purchase a practice CD from the College Board. You’ll be using it so that you can study sample listening questions.

We have SAT Writing and Laguage Practice Tests

Topics That Are Covered In The SAT French Subject Test

Vocabulary makes up 30% of the test; the structure comprises 30% to 40%, while reading comprehension encompasses 30% to 40% of the test.

You might be wondering when the right time is to take the French test. You need to consider a few factors. At least two years of robust preparation in the French language is required, but the longer, the better. You can also take the test by the end of the most advanced French language class that you intend to take. While doing such, be sure to balance your placement and admission requirements for college. You could fall short of your anticipated score if you take the French test after skipping a French class for a period of several months.

Are you a senior who’s studying French? If you are strong in the language, you can take the French test just in time for your target colleges to perceive your score. If you are taking the test for placement purposes and not for application intentions, wait to take the test until you have gone further in your course. If you plan to take the French with Listening test, be aware that it is administered only in November. If this is part of your test-taking agenda, be sure to bring a portable CD player and earphones with you.

Related Topic:  SAT Registration

How Is The French Test Different From The French With Listening Test?

In the French test, you’ll merely be dealing with reading. You’ll mainly be reading in the French language and answer subsequent multiple-choice questions. Whereas in the French Listening test, you’ll be listening to a test rendered in the French language and answer multiple-choice questions. As mentioned earlier, the French Listening test is given in November only. Although students have reported that they experience more anxiety when faced with the listening portion, they are still able to do well on the test. Another benefit of taking the French with a Listening test is that it better signifies the language ability of the students and may be more effective for placement endeavors.

You need not fret or be anxious about taking the SAT French subject test. Aside from the fact that you’ve taken the course in high school, you can augment your SAT test prep program with an efficient online SAT study guide that will give you more opportunities to hone your skills through practice tests and equip you with valuable SAT test-taking tips and tricks.

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• SAT Science Test
• SAT Scores
• SAT Overview, Registration, SAT Subjects, Test Dates, & Tips To Prepare For High SAT Scores
• ACT vs SAT: A Comparison of basic structural and logistical differences & ACT vs SAT: Scores
• SAT Reading Practice Tests
• SAT Writing Practice Tests
• How To Improve SAT Reading Score

The ACT and SAT tests generally contain similar types of content. Both are used for college admissions and applying for scholarships. The huge difference between the ACT vs SAT test is that the ACT has a science test while SAT doesn’t have this. Also, the SAT Math section doesn’t allow calculator use, unlike the ACT. Nonetheless, colleges in the U.S. don’t prefer one over the other, so you must explore both ACT and SAT tests to determine which one is ideal for you.

Learn more review materials here: Practice Tests for ACT Science

How to Choose ACT vs SAT

The best way to determine if the ACT or SAT is ideal for you is to take a full-length practice test in each of the tests. Considering the content and style of the ACT and SAT tests are similar, factors like what types of questions you find most challenging as well as how you handle time pressure can help you decide which test is most suitable.

For instance, the SAT test’s pace gives you a bit more time to analyze the questions, while taking an ACT test will put you under pressure. A number of students prefer the extra time to ponder a question, while others really do well under the time pressure.

Despite all the similarities of ACT and SAT tests, there are still a number of ways in which the tests differ from each other. The ACT test is overall slightly shorter compared to the SAT test. Also, the time limits and the number of questions are contrasting for corresponding sections.

Check our ACT Practice Tests for English

Here is an overview of the basic structural and logistical differences between ACT vs SAT:

Related Topic: SAT Practice Tests

Additional information about the similarities and differences between ACT vs SAT – Math tests:

• The new SAT test has leveled up its game. Students will encounter some questions on advanced Math as well Trigonometry. Nonetheless, as SAT expert Chris Lele reported that at least right now, students who will take the ACT Math test will see more questions in the realm of Trigonometry and Algebra II. All of the Trigonometry tests on either the ACT or SAT is at a very basic level.
• Usage of Calculator: Test-takers can utilize a calculator on every single question on the ACT Math test. However, the SAT Math test will be about 25 minutes with 20 questions and no calculator. The SAT Math test is easy enough for test-takers, but it is noteworthy that test-takers might want to refresh their mental Math skills. Nonetheless, if you are extremely clever with numbers and can do a mathematical calculation in your head, you might stand out on the SAT Math test over many of your peers.
• Multiple Choice vs  No answer choices: All of the ACT Math tests contain multiple choice questions, which means test-takers will have at least a 20% of chance of getting the correct answer – even if the students have no idea what they are doing. Meanwhile, the SAT Math test has 20% grid-ins and 80% multiple choice, which means test-takers will have to fill in the blanks with their own answers.

Related Topic: SAT Math Practice Test

ACT vs SAT: Scores

• The ACT uses a composite score to provide test-takers an overall score. The overall composite score would range from 1 to 36, and it would be an average of the scores on each of the multiple-choice sections. Students will also receive their individual section scores, but for most colleges in the United States, it is the student’s composite score that matters.

So, for instance, if you received a 32 on Math, 28 on Reading, 24 on Science and 25 on English, your overall composite score would be (32 + 28 + 24 + 25)/4 = 27.5 – this will be rounded to the nearest whole number – 28.

• The SAT score ranges between 400 and 1600, which is based on adding the student’s Math score from 200-800 and Reading/Writing score from 200-800 together.

It is noteworthy that even though the SAT test has three main multiple-choice sections (Reading, Math, and Writing), SAT will combine Writing and Reading into one score out of 800. This is much different from the old SAT test, on which test-takers will receive a score out of 800 on each of the three main multiple-choice sections, which means students will receive the highest score of 2400 on the old SAT test.

See our post here if you want to know the difference between Old SAT vs New SAT.

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• SAT Writing And Language Questions
• Practice Tests for SAT Reading
• 3 Things You Need To Do On Actual ACT Test Date
• Guidelines About Choosing The SAT Vs ACT
• How Hard Is The ACT Test?
• SAT Reading Practice Tests
• SAT Writing Practice Tests

Achieving a great SAT score can open new and promising doors for you. Especially if you need to take that exam so that you can study in the college of your choice. There are two main topics covered by the SAT, and they are Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. The Essay test is optional, and you need to take it if required by your target college.

The SAT Reading test is an important component of the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section. Fifty percent of your score in the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing topic of the SAT is obtained from the Reading test. The other 50% comes from the Writing and Language test.

You can definitely surmount the SAT Reading test with proper studying and preparation. You’ll need to implement an effective and efficient test prep in order to get a good SAT Reading score. You wouldn’t need to memorize rigid grammar rules or formulas. However, you need to gain knowledge about the best approaches to reading each of the passages included in the test. See our full review of the Best SAT Prep Courses here.

Related Topic: Related Topic:  2021 – 2022 SAT Test Dates for US and International Students

6 Important Strategies To Get A Good SAT Reading Score

Be aware of what to expect in the test.

There are 5 passages featured in SAT Reading, and they are based on the topics of Social Studies, Literature, History, and Natural Science. You should be able to read these passages and answer the corresponding 52 questions in a time limit of 65 minutes. Several skills are required for getting a good score in this test. For one thing, you ought to know how to determine what some words mean according to their context, decide about the reasons why the author included specific details, figure out the main idea of particular passages, pinpoint facts and details in a graph and compare one passage to another.

Related Topic:  SAT Requirements

Choose the order you are most comfortable with.

You can choose to answer easier questions first and even skip the hard ones. Questions in SAT Reading may be presented in a chronological sequence, but you have the option to answer them in the order that you want.

Related Topic: SAT Math Practice Test

Read the parts in the passage that you only need to read.

It’s actually a waste of time to read every word and detail in the SAT Reading passages. Nor would you need to be an expert in their respective topics. Considering that the passage is right there in front of you, a practical strategy is to move forward and backward between the pertinent portions in the passages and their corresponding questions. Skip reading all of the minute details, but focus on obtaining the information that you need to respond to the questions.

Related Topic:  SAT – Suite of Assessments | Scholastic Assessment Test Overview, Registration, SAT Subjects, Test Dates, & Tips To Prepare For High SAT Scores

Steer clear of giving your opinion.

SAT Reading will not require you to state your opinions, unlike in your English class. Be especially careful when you encounter the words, “infer”, “suggest” or “imply”, among others. Reckon that although the answers aren’t directly stated in the content, there still may be ample evidence in there that supports the right answers.

Related Topic:  SAT Registration

Read dual passages one by one.

In either of the History or Science topics, you’ll find that they are presented in dual passages. That is, it tends to be comprised of two shorter texts about the topic. You can save time in tackling these items by first responding to the first passage, next on to the items in the second passage and lastly answer the questions about both the passages. Doing this strategy will also spare you confusion when you’re assessing the answer choices when reading both of the passages.

Related Topic: SAT Practice Tests

Answer the main idea questions last.

The SAT Reading passages tend to first ask questions about the purpose or main idea of the text, the point of view of the narrative and the shift that takes place in it. Since you haven’t read the passage yet, it is not advisable to initially answer these general questions. It’s best to deal with the other questions first so that you can gain a good idea of the overall themes incorporated into the content.

These are some of the valuable tips about how to get a good SAT Reading score. Equip yourself with these along with the necessary knowledge and information about the section by way of a smart and effectual test prep method so that you can attain the results that you want.

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• SAT Scores
• Guidelines About Choosing The SAT Vs ACT
• How To Improve SAT Reading Score
• Old SAT vs New SAT
• SAT French Subject Test? Here’s What You Should Know
• SAT Reading Practice Tests
• SAT Writing Practice Tests

In March of 2016, the College Board implemented the administration of the new SAT. What’s the new vs old SAT test? How was the new SAT revised from its old counterpart? It has been quite some time when its creating body has stirred things up for the SAT, considering that its last revision took place in 2005.

As a college-readiness assessment test, the new SAT is more closely aligned with the Common Core State Standards and is much more similar to the ACT. Here is a comparison between the old SAT and the new SAT.

• • Differences In The Components Of The Old vs New SAT
  • What Are The Important Features Of Each Test?
  • The Essay Test Is Optional In The New SAT
  • Score Reporting Updates In The New SAT
  • Test Length And Time Limits Of the New vs Old SAT Test

Check our SAT Reading Practice Tests

1. Time limit. The old version of the SAT took 3 hours and 45 minutes to finish, whereas for the new test, it lasts 3 hours, but if you take the optional Essay test, you will have an additional time of 50 minutes to accomplish it.
2. Subjects. There were 4 components in the earlier test, and they are Critical Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Essay. If you take the current SAT test, you will encounter the topics of Evidence-Based Reading and Writing with the sub-topics of the Reading test and the Writing and Language test. The two other main topics in the new test are Math and the optional Essay test.

Related Topic:  SAT Requirements

The old SAT emphasized the general reasoning aptitude of test-takers, whereas the current SAT focuses on the knowledge, skills, and understanding of students, which research has cited as most significant for their college and career readiness and success. The 2005 SAT accentuated vocabulary that was often found in a limited context while the 2016 test highlights the meaning of particular words as featured in extended contexts. It stresses the way word choices signified the meaning of words together with its tone and impact.

The scoring of the old test was quite complex wherein a point was given for a correct answer and every incorrect answer has an equivalent deducted point. If a student leaves an item blank, it will not impact their score. The scoring of the new test is only about giving a point for every right answer with no penalty for wrong answers.

The Essay test was given at the beginning of the old SAT, while in the new SAT, this test became optional and is administered at the end of the exam. It now depends on particular colleges or universities if they require their applicants to have an Essay score.

The previous test allocated 25 minutes to compose an essay while the current SAT imposes a 50-minute time limit for this test. The old SAT aimed to test the writing skills of students where they were required to take a specific position about a presented issue. Meanwhile, the new SAT tests not only the writing skills of learners but also their reading and analytical abilities. The Essay test in the new SAT requires test-takers to accomplish a written analysis based on a given source text.

Related Topic: SAT – Suite of Assessments | Scholastic Assessment Test Overview, Registration, SAT Subjects, Test Dates, & Tips To Prepare For High SAT Scores

The score reporting of the old and new SAT predominantly differs as well. The former SAT imposed a score ranging from 600 to 2400 points but the current test implemented a 400 to 1600 score range. For the Critical Reading topic, the old SAT scaled the scoring from 200 to 800 points; Mathematics 200 to 800 points and Writing for 200 to 800 points. There was no subscore reporting in the old SAT.

What about the scoring of the 2016 SAT? That’s 200 to 800 points for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing; 200 to 800 points for Math; and 2 to 8 points for every one of the three dimensions of the Essay test. Subscores are imposed for every topic in the new SAT, and they tend to give more insight about the test-takers’ skills and know-how to the students themselves as well as their parents, educators, admissions officers and school counselors.

Check our SAT Practice Tests for Reading

How does the test length of the new SAT vs old SAT compare? The Critical Reading component of the old test was comprised of 67 questions with a time limit of 70 minutes. This previous test’s Writing topic had 49 questions that had to be accomplished in 60 minutes.

There is 1 required essay in this test that had a time allocation of 25 minutes and its Math section had 54 questions with a 70-minute time limit. Overall, the 2005 SAT had a total of 171 test questions that students had to finish answering in 225 minutes.

The testing length of the 2016 SAT is as follows:

• • • The Reading section has 52 questions with a time limit of 65 minutes.
    • The Writing and Language test is composed of 44 questions that have to be done in 35 minutes.
    • The optional Essay test requires students to write 1 essay in 50 minutes.
    • The Math topic has 58 test items that have to be completed in 80 minutes.

To sum up, the new SAT totals to 180 minutes in length, or 230 minutes with the Essay test and a 154-items test questions or 155 with the Essay test.

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• How To Improve SAT Reading Score
• How To Choose Your SAT Subject Tests: Highlight Your Academic Strengths And Interests