SAT Critical Reading Help

Spring 2016 will see a revised SAT launching, and this revised test will differ greatly from previous versions of the SAT. Many students have been excited to hear that the most familiar layout with analogies and obscure vocabulary may give way to a more progressive exam. However, the new exam still tests many of the same qualities that the previous version of the SAT has been testing for years. Instead of a simple breakdown with Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing sections, the new exam involves a more complex layout. Starting in Spring 2016, the new SAT will include the Mathematics and Writing sections, but will also include the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Test. This section is further divided into the Reading subsection and the Writing and Language subsection. Whether you need SAT tutoring in Atlanta, SAT tutoring in Houston, or SAT tutoring in San Francisco, working one-on-one with an expert may be just the boost your studies need.

The SAT Reading section of the revised 2016 exam has been thoroughly described by The College Board to help students adequately prepare for the exam. You will have sixty-five minutes to answer fifty-two questions based on prose and graphical material prepared from high-quality, established primary sources. The revised SAT’s Reading section will test three major topics: Words in Context, Command of Evidence, and Analysis in History, Social Science, and Natural Science. You will be expected to take information presented to you in passages or graphical depictions, make sense of the material, and draw appropriate conclusions or inferences necessary to answering multiple-choice questions. Questions testing your ability to use and recognize words in context will likely be similar to the more familiar SAT vocabulary questions of the past. The remaining questions, however, are direct measures of your ability to reason critically. All the information you need is there in the material provided; it’s up to you to access and analyze it! 

For example, an SAT Reading passage might outline a historical event, describing how participants in the event behaved. They could then ask you why the author chose to discuss the participants behaved in a certain way. In this context, what precisely does a certain word mean? Clearly, this test will reward careful preparation over a long period of time! It is no longer going to be advisable to memorize vast troves of vocabulary words in the weeks leading up to the exam. Instead, the best preparation is to begin early in high school, reading challenging material and working collaboratively with others to improve your ability to distill major points from complex passages and draw subtle but logical conclusions. Varsity Tutors offers resources like a free SAT prep book to help with your self-paced study, or you may want to consider an SAT Critical Reading tutor.

The SAT Reading test is also potentially stressful for students because it involves presenting passages and information concerning a wide variety of topics. On a single exam’s Reading section, you might see passages or graphs that concern the American Civil War, Shakespeare, and evolutionary biology. Having the mental agility to move from one topic to a widely different one is something that only comes with exhaustive practice.

You can start practicing for your SAT by making use of Varsity Tutors’ free SAT Critical Reading Help content. Our SAT Critical Reading content is divided into passage topic and concept tested and offers you the chance to read through model problems that include answers and full explanations. If you’re not sure where to start in reviewing a skill you know you need to work on, our SAT Critical Reading Help page is a great place to begin. After you familiarize yourself with a question type that has given you particular trouble in the past, you can proceed to answering practice questions by using our free SAT Critical Reading Practice Tests and Diagnostics. You can continue to consult the fully-explained model problems available through our SAT Critical Reading Help page until you are confident in your ability to handle every SAT Critical Reading problem type that might appear on your exam. In addition to the SAT Critical Reading help content and SAT Critical Reading tutoring, you may also want to consider using some of our SAT Critical Reading flashcards.

The time that you invest preparing for your SAT Reading test now can not only help put you on the path to success on this exam, but can help you develop the critical reasoning skills you need for success in college and on the job. It is no coincidence that the SAT Reading test prioritizes those same skills you will need in college, graduate school, and your career!