My test is in about a month, and I make about 15-20 mistakes on each test, more than half of which are in the reading passages.
I have taken 25+ SAT tests and yet my score is stagnant. I review my mistakes, understand them, and study vocab. My sentence completion part improved, but passages have been the same for months. I don’t know what to do anymore. It also seems I’ve used up all possible SAT passage resources (authentic tests, I mean.)
Timing, by the way, is one thing that I really have issues with.
One of the most common problems is that students read too passively and superficially. They understand the topic of the passage, but not what or not everything the passage says about that topic. They fill in the missing information with their own opinions and ideas about that topic.
To improve on this,
another useful exercise is writing paraphrases. Take one of the short (4-5 sentence) passages, and write a paraphrase stating the meaning of each sentence using only your own words, not the words of the original.
When you have finished the paraphrase, write one sentence stating the main point of the paragraph.
Make a note of any tone-words and rhetorical devices.
This is what is supposed to be happening in your mind as you read: you explain to yourself the meaning of each sentence in words you can easily understand, then you summarize the main point of the entire paragraph or passage, also in words you can easily understand. Finally, note the tone (angry, cheerful, objective, skeptical, etc) or any special rhetorical devices used (questions, first person, repetition, metaphor, etc.)
If there are words you don’t know, try to guess their meaning from the context. Afterwards, look them up in the dictionary.
Practice with the short passages. When you can handle them well, move on to the long passages. For the long passages, you can complete the paraphrase/main point/tone-rhetorical device analysis out loud. Practice with long passages until you can complete them rapidly. Then proceed silently.
Many or even most of the reading comprehension questions can be answered easily if you are able to paraphrase the text in your own words, determine the main point of paragraphs and passages, and identify the tone and rhetorical devices. There are also some questions that involve determining point of view. Usually, if you have understood the meaning and tone well, the point of view is clear.
Having said all this, you should note that if you are not already a strong reader, it takes some time to get to the point that you can do all the required mental operations in the time available during the SAT. It is normal to get stuck at a score level for several months (or even longer). Speed comes with practice. You want to improve your natural speed, not to rush. Rushing leads to falling into traps. Reading high complexity books at least an hour per day helps to develop a faster natural reading speed, so try to add as much high complexity reading as you can to your daily routine. However, even if you just practice methodically with passages, you will definitely improve eventually, and if you persist a lot, you will improve a lot.
thanks for the super valuable tips!
I agree with all the advice above. One more thing that can help you with timing is reading to find the author’s argument. Every author has a point they want to make in SAT passages. If you can identify that point and focus on the parts of the passage that support the point you will read more effectively. To compensate for the extra time you take identifying the argument and looking for support, you can skim the portions that don’t support the argument. These parts can be extra details or other less relevant topics and are tested less often on the SAT. You can go back and find them if questions pertain to them, but otherwise they are not necessary.
A little practice is necessary to get this process down, but once you do your comprehension should increase and your time to read each passage should decrease.
I totally understand your concerns. I found this helpful from a friend who tutors: try “expanding and contracting your space,” then taking a deep dive into your results. It all comes down to timing and review. On your next practice section, try DOUBLING the amount of time you’re usually given. Rather than going really quickly, try spending extra long on each problem, being ludicrously careful, double checking your work, etc. Even if it feels painfully slow and like too much time, stick with it. When you’re finished, check the answer explanations for EVERY problem that you got wrong, or found tough, and check to see WHY the wrong answers were WRONG. Don’t look for “rightness” - instead, see where the errors are, what they look like, and what error(s) you THOUGHT you saw in the right answer that didn’t actually exist.
This will start to build your awareness of where your weaknesses and careless errors reside, what actually takes you tons of time, what’s quick but might require double checking, etc. Then, on your next practice section, try cutting the time allotted in HALF. Try to get through the entire thing in half the time given by the test and make sure to finish. Then review the same way.
Finally, alternate between the two methods back and forth three times each before doing another section at “normal” speed. The lessons you’ll learn about your own performance, speed, places where you need to double check your work, problem types that require more care, etc. will be incredible!
^Very good advice
If you’re still making more than 2 mistakes in sentcoms then (in my opinion, based on my experience) the fastest way to raise your score is to cram vocab like crazy. It’s far, far easier and faster to learn a thousand words than it is to develop good reading skills.
@marvin doing so. Thanks again. 
@Plotinus I am now using the critical reader. In my practice articles (long ones) I paraphrase each paragraph and summarize its structure, then I relate all the structures following her advice. I also write the prose type (informative? argumentative? etc) along with the main idea in a sentence and the passage overall tone. This has really helped me so I’ll continue doing so while solving practice sections. Thanks a bunch.