How to Ace SAT Reading & Writing: Strategies for Every Question Type
Understanding the Reading & Writing Section
The Digital SAT Reading & Writing section has 54 questions in 64 minutes across two adaptive modules. Each question is paired with a short passage (1–5 sentences) — a huge change from the old long-passage format.
The 4 Question Categories
1. Information and Ideas (~26% of questions)
These questions test your ability to:
- Identify the main idea of a passage
- Draw logical conclusions supported by evidence
- Interpret data from charts integrated with text
Strategy: Always locate the direct evidence in the passage before selecting an answer. Eliminate choices that require outside knowledge.
2. Craft and Structure (~28% of questions)
This is the highest-weighted category. It tests:
- Vocabulary in context (word meaning in the passage)
- Text structure and purpose
- Cross-text connections (comparing two passages)
Strategy: For vocabulary questions, always substitute your answer choice back into the passage and check if it makes logical sense. For cross-text questions, identify the author's stance in each passage first.
3. Expression of Ideas (~20% of questions)
These test rhetorical choices — how a writer achieves a specific goal.
Strategy: Read the "goal" in the question stem carefully. The correct answer must accomplish that exact goal — not just be grammatically correct.
4. Standard English Conventions (~26% of questions)
Grammar and punctuation rules: comma usage, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, apostrophes, sentence structure.
Strategy: Learn the five most-tested grammar rules cold: comma splices, run-on sentences, colon/semicolon rules, apostrophes for possession, and subject-verb agreement with intervening phrases.
Time Management
You have about 71 seconds per question. If a question takes more than 90 seconds, flag it and move on. Return to flagged questions after you've answered everything else.
Vocabulary Building for Bangladeshi Students
SAT vocabulary questions often use academic English words that are less common in British English (which many Bangladeshi students learn). Focus on: substantiate, corroborate, idiosyncratic, ephemeral, pragmatic, ambiguous and similar Tier 2 academic vocabulary words.