3 SAT reading tips that will help improve your reading exam score

Are you ready to retry those tricky SAT reading questions and achieve your best score?

Photo by Leon Wu on Unsplash

Don't let low reading scores hold you back from your dream college! With the right knowledge, you can boost your SAT reading performance and take the first step toward achieving your academic goals.

Use these 3 SAT reading tips to help you improve your ability to tackle reading questions on the exam.

Look for patterns in your mistakes and practice those areas where you typically struggle.

Remember that it's important to learn from your mistakes, as they can provide valuable opportunities for growth and development. 

There are 4 skill areas you should focus on to strengthen your weaknesses when reading a passage:

Information and Ideas

Clearly identify the following:

• topic

• main ideas

• major and minor supporting details

Summarizing

Say what is important:

• determine key elements

• condense essential information

• express meanings in your own words

Rhetoric

Analyze the following:

• points of view

• purpose

• arguments

Synthesizing

Show that you can do the following:

• reflect on the text

• merge important elements

• generate original insights and perspectives

Wayne's Reading Weakness

Wayne is trying to determine where his weak areas lie for reading comprehension. Which of the following actions will help Wayne?

A) Memorize a short passage and recite it to someone

B) Read a passage and identify what the author's main point is

C) Identify the parts of a passage that he finds difficult to understand

If you encounter too many unfamiliar words, you'll struggle to understand the overall meaning of a text.

To fully grasp its meaning, it's necessary to understand at least 98% of the text.

Enhance your vocabulary by:

Developing a steady reading habit

• Read texts comparable to those you'll encounter on the SAT.

• Keep a dictionary and thesaurus (or your smartphone) close by so you can easily research unfamiliar words.

Completing word games or puzzles

• Play games like Scrabble with your family or friends.

• Complete crossword puzzles.

You should take at least two practice tests before taking the actual SAT.

Taking practice tests lets you know what to expect, helps you identify your weak areas, and teaches you to work within the test's time limits.

Set up a simple SAT preparation plan for yourself to follow:

1. Consider the score range you want to achieve based on the colleges you plan to apply to.

2. Create a study plan comprised of regular SAT practice exams and study sessions.

3. Closely adhere to your plan and consider getting professional help if you're unable to achieve your desired score.

Avril's SAT Preparation Plan

Avril is creating a plan for how she'll prepare for the reading comprehension section of the SAT. Which of the following actions should she include in her plan?

A) Create a practice test schedule that involves her taking at least three practice tests before the SAT

B) Create a study schedule that compliments her practice test schedule

C) Hire a tutor to teach her the fundamentals of university-level English literature

D) Determine the minimum scores required by the universities she's interested in attending

It's time to take aim and hit your target for the reading comprehension section of the SAT!