SAT™ Reading Section: Overview & Skills Tested
Contents
What is the SAT™ Reading Section?
The Reading section is the first section of the digital SAT™. It’s designed to assess your ability to understand and analyze written material: the kind of reading you’ll do in college. This section is part of the overall Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score, a crucial component of your my SAT results that colleges review during admissions.
Structure and Timing
The Reading section presents you with passages and asks you questions about them. It is combined with the Writing and Language section, sharing time and questions across two modules. You are given a total of 64 minutes, 32 minutes for each module, to complete both the Reading and Writing and Language sections, which have a total of 54 questions. It tests how well you use evidence, understand words in context, and analyze arguments and data. See more details about time management, at SAT Time Management: Tips & Strategies.
Skills Tested
The Reading section assesses a range of critical reading skills, vital for success in college and beyond. These skills can be broadly categorized, and improving them should be a core part of any SAT prep:
- Reading Closely: Can you identify explicitly stated information and draw logical inferences from a text?
- Citing Textual Evidence: Can you identify the specific part of a passage that supports a given claim or answer?
- Determining Central Ideas and Themes: Can you identify the main point or underlying message of a passage?
- Summarizing: Can you accurately and concisely condense the key information from a passage or part of a passage?
- Understanding Relationships: Can you identify and understand cause-and-effect, comparison-contrast, and other relationships presented in a text?
Rhetoric
- Analyzing Word Choice: How do specific word choices impact the meaning and tone of a passage?
- Analyzing Text Structure: How does the organization of a passage (e.g., chronological, problem-solution) contribute to its meaning?
- Analyzing Point of View: Can you identify the perspective from which a passage is written and how it influences the content?
- Analyzing Purpose: What is the author’s main goal in writing the passage: to inform, persuade, entertain, or something else?
- Analyzing Arguments: Can you identify an author’s claims, reasoning, and evidence, and evaluate their effectiveness?
Synthesis
- Analyzing Multiple Texts: Some question sets will present two shorter, related passages. You need to analyze information across both.
- Analyzing Quantitative information: Certain questions are tied to informational graphics, charts, graphs, tables, that relate to the passage. You will integrate this with passage information.
Passage Types
The Reading test features passages from a variety of fields:
- U.S. and World Literature: Expect to see at least one passage from a classic or contemporary work of literature.
- History/Social Studies: Passages may cover topics such as history, economics, civics, and sociology.
- Science: Expect passages that discuss concepts and developments in Earth science, biology, chemistry, or physics.
It’s important to develop familiarity with the types of writing and topics you’ll encounter. Reading widely in your coursework and personal time is excellent, and free, SAT practice test material. Learn more on SAT Reading Passage Types: What to Expect
Preparing for the SAT™ Reading Section
Effective preparation is key to performing well. Start early, create a study plan (see SAT Study Planning: Create an Effective Study Schedule), and practice consistently. Make use of full-length practice exams to simulate testing conditions (SAT Practice Tests: Take Full-Length Practice Exams). Remember to review your answers and understand why you got certain questions right or wrong.
Consider using our “SAT™ with Panchi” app for additional practice and support. Remember, SAT registration deadlines are important, so plan your study schedule accordingly.
