SAT ENGLISH STUDY GUIDE
WITH HACK YOUR COURSE
DO NOT FRET IT
The SAT can seem daunting. That is probably why you are here, reading about it. It is a behemoth of an exam that lasts over three hours and can greatly affect your college applications. But don’t worry! With some hard work and the right preparation, an excellent score is always attainable.
While working with a tutor, teacher, or study group is absolutely the best way to prepare, there are still plenty of ways you study on your own for the SAT. Here is a quick study guide for all areas of the exam.
THE Digital ENGLISH reading and writing SECTION
While the SAT has changed somewhat in recent years, one thing remains the same: you will still need to have a strong handle on English to succeed. The first two modules of the Digital SAT will test your Reading and Writing capabilities
MODULE 1
The first module you will encounter during the SAT contains 27 Reading and Writing questions. You will have 32 minutes to complete it. Module 1 contains a mixture of easy, medium, and hard questions, covering everything from grammar rules to contextual analysis to structure and organization.
MODULE 2
In many ways, Module 2 is identical to Module 1. It also contains 27 Reading and Writing questions, which you will have 32 minutes to complete. The question types are also the same. The only difference between Module 1 and Module 2 is the difficulty of the questions.
While Module 1 is a mixture of easy, medium, and hard, the difficulty of Module 2’s questions is determined by how well you did in Module 1. For example, if you scored very high in Module 1, the questions you face in Module 2 will be harder. If you struggle in Module 1, the questions in Module 2 will be easier.
What Do the Questions Look Like?
In previous iterations of the SAT, you were required to read lengthy bodies of text and answer a series of questions corresponding to those texts. However, in its current Digital form, the SAT uses much shorter texts—typically only a paragraph or two—for each question. Thus, you will answer question per short text, rather than 10 to 11 questions per long text.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THIS SECTION OF DIGITAL SAT
While there is no substitute for studying with a tutor who understands the intricacies of the SAT, there are a few tips and tricks you can utilize to improve your score.
- Never leave an answer blank. There is no penalty for guessing. Whether you leave it blank or answer incorrectly, the result is the same, so it is always wise to pick an answer even if you are unsure. There is still a 25% chance you will choose correctly!
- You do not have to do the questions in order. If you are stuck on a particularly challenging question, mark it down and come back to it later. It is better to spend time on questions you are likely to answer correctly, rather than waste time on a question you might end up getting wrong anyway.
- Sometimes you may not know the particular grammar rule or vocabulary definition in a question, so choose the answer that sounds best. Have you heard this phrase or something similar before? If you say it out loud, does it sound right? Trust your instincts.
- Remember: if one part of the answer is wrong, the whole answer is wrong. Part of an answer may be correct, but if a single detail is not, then the whole answer is wrong.
- The English portion of the SAT only tests your knowledge of reading and writing. No question requires specialized knowledge to answer correctly. Even if a question has a topic (like microbiology or Mayan history) that you don’t understand, you should still be able to answer the question from the information provided.
- Similarly, since all the information required will be provided, do not rely on your outside knowledge of a topic to answer the questions. This is especially true if your knowledge or opinions contradict the information provided. In order to answer the question correctly, always assume the information provided in the text is true.
- Read the question carefully! Be sure to understand exactly what you are being asked. Sometimes, portions of the text will be irrelevant. Once you understand what the question is asking, you can disregard the red herrings and focus on the relevant information.
- There is no easy way to study for the vocabulary questions. Do not try to memorize the dictionary! The best way to increase your vocabulary is to read a lot and to challenge yourself by reading more difficult texts. It doesn’t have to be boring; find something you enjoy reading, whether that is news articles, science journals, autobiographies, or even fiction!
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