Some things to know about the format and structure of the SAT...
Standardized tests can be intimidating for sure - they aren’t quite structured the way we are used to seeing tests in school, and ultimately, the approaches can be rather different as well.
Here we will examine some structural and scoring aspects of the SAT that are often overlooked.
Reading Comprehension
Many consider this the toughest section of the test. At the end of the day, there are three things that you will need to keep in mind:
The five types of passages will always be the same but may require different approaches. A scientific passage will have a different structure compared to historical literature.
They do not necessarily have to be done sequentially, nor do they even all need to be completed! Oftentimes, a student will rush through and make several mistakes just to complete the section. An error is an error, and there is no bonus for completion- sometimes, it may make sense to devote more time to the passages a student is most comfortable with, and make educated guesses or pick off the low hanging fruit for a “tougher” passage.
The test is about comprehension, not “hidden meanings” or “memorizing details”- keep a broad approach, and be comfortable with your intuition
Grammar
Everything in the grammar section is rule based - period. Every correct answer has a grammatical rule that makes it correct, and there are no varying degrees of “correctness.” This is to say, there is no “better” answer- just one correct answer, and three incorrect answers. Focus on what grammatical rules are at play, and avoid going by which choice “sounds right” or “makes more sense.”
The grammar section offers 35 minutes for 44 questions, or nearly a minute per question. A student truly has the luxury of time on this section to think methodically through each question.
Math
(No Calculator Section, Calculator Section)
The math sections, similar to grammar, test application of rules and concepts. There is benefit in investing some time at the beginning of a problem to identify the rules at play.
Additionally, the Math sections go from easy to hard, and this trend resets for the grid in problems (#16- 20 on the non-calculator section, #31-38 on the calculator section). As always, all questions count the same, and there is no partial credit. Making a careless error on an easier #3 counts just as much as spending 3 minutes on the hardest problem of the test, only to still get it wrong.
If you find yourself struggling with difficult questions towards the end of the multiple-choice portions, you may benefit from flipping to the grid-in section and answering the easier questions at the beginning.
Pranoy Mohapatra
Pranoy has been a private tutor since 2010. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Biological Sciences, attended Des Moines University School of Medicine, and obtained his master’s degree at Columbia University.