I am planning to take the SAT in october… I took it before and got 580 EBRW and I want to raise my score. My problem is with the reading section. I’ve been studying for a long time but I’m always getting 30-33 questions correct out of 52.
I have time problems and I’m reaching the last passage with just 7 mins left at best.
Is there a way to improve?
How can I learn from my mistakes in the reading section? I know that learning from mistakes is beneficial for both the math and language section.
But how to do that on the reading section ?
Anyone under 650 is definitely suffering from inadequate vocab knowledge, no two ways about it. Trying to figure out words’ meanings from context is possible, but it’s hard, risky, time-consuming, and energy-draining. Far better to just learn all the words–doesn’t take that long and doesn’t rely on being “intelligent” or anything like that.
I missed 20 reading questions on my March SAT but only 3 writing questions. I’m not sure about why that disparage is so huge, and vocabulary and time were not problems. My problem was concentrated on the context questions, aka most of the questions on the test. I was highly disappointed with my overall score because my 630 in the EBRW section was the only thing bringing it down.
I’m taking the August SAT and I’ve done numerous passages in the last 4 months and I’m still practicing. My recent EBRW score? 750. I barely practiced the reading sections for my first SAT. Practice makes perfect, and I’m living proof. If you want some tips and tricks, PM me. I’d be happy to help. A higher score is hard work, but certainly achievable.
@marvin100 , so glad you popped in! You have been missed!
May I ask what you recommend for vocab? D will hit the “MOM-PSAT/SAT” next summer (2019) for her try and NMF Oct 2019.
I have on hand Direct Hits 5h ed Vol 1 and 2 and Larry Krieger & Erica Meltzer’s new SAT vocab book. D has not looked at them yet. Thank you!
@MorhafLababidi sure, no problem. you can also verify my tips online and you don’t need to follow every single tip on each question.
For the reading section, in no particular order:
Most importantly: Try to get interested in the passage you’re reading. Sure, women’s rights may not be your favorite thing to read about, but being interested will help you confidently know and answer the context of the questions asked.
There were always be 3 completely wrong answers in each question that you can eliminate. The SAT makers do not try to trick you on ANY section. As long as you understand the passage fully, you should be able to eliminate at least 2-3 options on each question.
DO NOT READ THE QUESTIONS BEFORE THE PASSAGE. It gives you no advantage, even on the vocab questions.
Underline and highlight the passage as you read. Anything you think is important will probably show up in the questions.
Read the questions carefully. Maybe this is a no brainer, but when you're nervous, you may skip words in sentences and read words wrong.
Try to have a watch that doesn't make noise or an eye on the clock to time yourself. You should be spending on average 13 minutes per passage.
If you get stuck, move on. if you have time you can come back to the question. There are no penalties for blank questions.
Have a special letter (A, B, C, or D) to answer questions that you have no idea about. For example, if you choose B as your special letter, you can bubble B for all the answers you can't answer. This is a LAST RESORT. For example, if you're running out of time or want to move on from the question.
This is all I can think about at the moment. Sorry if I missed some, but there will be more online.
^ “7. If you get stuck, move on. if you have time you can come back to the question. There are no penalties for blank questions.”
Well, there is a penalty for a blank question - you’ll get it scored as blank and get no credit if you don’t go back to answer it or guess and fill in a bubble. Guessing is better than leaving an empty bubble.
@aneem00 - have it your way, but if you’re missing that many, you’re misunderstanding sentences and paraphrases (vocab) or you’re pressed for time (because you’re wasting time and mental energy trying to understand words from context because you don’t really know what they mean).
This is untrue. On all easy questions, it’s true–process of elimination is the only method you need. But on 25-30% of questions (hard ones), there are two answers that are demonstrably wrong, a right answer, and a distractor. The latter may not be provably wrong; the author may agree with it; it may even be in the next chapter of her book. But it’s not in the passage. That’s why you have to find the correct answer in the passage (because all right answers are in the passage…except vocab in context, of course).
Hi my S is having the same issue. He is consistently getting 15 wrong in reading. It is kind of frustrating and not sure how to help. We will appreciate any pointers if there is a vocabulary list can I also get it.
Hi, My D has a challenge to improve her SAT reading score. She took 6 SAT practices and she got only max 37 right answer out of 52 questions and inconstant (right answers on each attemp: 25, 30, 18, 37, 30, 26). Much appreciate if you can share your experience on tips and tricks to pump up the score for SAT reading. Thank you so much for your hell in advance.