Reading & Writing

54 questions across two 32-minute modules. Each question is a short passage (25–150 words) followed by a single multiple-choice question. The four content domains repeat in roughly fixed proportions in every test.

One question, one passage. Unlike the old paper SAT, you don't read a long passage and answer 10 questions about it. Every question stands alone. That changes strategy: there's no reward for "settling in" — read fast, attack each question, move on.

The four content domains

Domain	Approx. share	What it tests
Information & Ideas	~26%	Central ideas, supporting details, inferences, command of evidence (including quantitative)
Craft & Structure	~28%	Vocabulary in context, text structure & purpose, cross-text connections
Expression of Ideas	~20%	Rhetorical synthesis, transitions
Standard English Conventions	~26%	Sentence structure, punctuation, agreement, verb form, modifiers

Information & Ideas

Central ideas & details

The passage states something explicitly or strongly implies it. The right answer paraphrases the passage. The wrong answers add extra claims, flip the polarity, or generalize beyond what the text says.

Strategy: Find one sentence in the passage that the answer choice paraphrases. If you can't, it's not the answer.

Inferences

"Which choice most logically completes the text?" The blank usually appears at the end of a short argument. The correct fill-in must be supported by something already in the text — not a plausible-sounding extra.

Command of evidence (textual)

The passage describes a hypothesis or claim. The question asks which finding from a study would best support it. Find the answer that directly matches the claim's variables and direction.

Command of evidence (quantitative)

A short passage plus a graph or table. The question asks which choice "best completes" or "best supports" a statement using the data. Read the axes carefully; the wrong answers usually swap units or compare the wrong rows.

Craft & Structure

Vocabulary in context

A word in the passage is underlined; pick the answer choice with the same meaning in this context. The trap is the word's most common dictionary definition when the passage uses it more specifically.

Strategy: Read the sentence, predict your own one-word replacement before looking at the choices.

Text structure & purpose

"What is the main purpose of the underlined sentence?" or "How does the second paragraph relate to the first?" Identify the rhetorical role: example, counterargument, restatement, qualification, transition.

Cross-text connections

Two short passages from two authors discussing the same topic. The question asks how Author B would likely respond to Author A's claim. Map their positions; identify the precise point of agreement or disagreement.

Expression of Ideas

Rhetorical synthesis

You're given a list of bullet-point notes about a topic. The question asks which sentence best accomplishes a specified goal (e.g., "introduce the study to an audience unfamiliar with X").

Strategy: Re-read the goal carefully. The right answer is the one that completes the stated goal, even if other choices state true facts. SAT loves "true but doesn't match the goal" distractors.

Transitions

A blank between two sentences. Pick the transition word (However, Therefore, For example, Similarly, In contrast, As a result, Specifically, Nevertheless, etc.).

Strategy: Classify the relationship between the two sentences first (contrast, cause-effect, example, restatement). Then pick the transition that matches.

Standard English Conventions

Sentence structure

Fragments & run-ons. Every sentence needs a subject + verb + complete thought.
Joining clauses. Two independent clauses: comma + FANBOYS, semicolon, or em dash. Independent + dependent: subordinator (because, although, while, since).
Comma splices (two independent clauses joined by just a comma) are always wrong.

Punctuation

Commas. List items; non-essential modifiers (which clauses, appositives); after introductory phrases.
Semicolons. Join two independent clauses without a conjunction.
Colons. Introduce a list or explanation — what comes before the colon must be a complete sentence.
Em dashes. Same job as commas / parentheses / colons in many cases. Must come in pairs if non-essential.
Apostrophes. Possessive (the student's book, the students' books) vs. plural (no apostrophe).

Agreement & verb form

Subject-verb agreement. Identify the actual subject (not the prepositional phrase between subject and verb).
Pronoun-antecedent. Singular antecedent → singular pronoun. "Each", "every", "neither" are singular.
Verb tense consistency. Within a sentence (and usually a passage), tenses align unless context demands a shift.

Modifiers

Dangling modifier: A sentence-opening phrase must modify the subject that immediately follows.
Misplaced modifier: Place modifiers as close as possible to what they describe.

Section-wide strategy

Pace. 32 minutes ÷ 27 questions ≈ 71 seconds each. Don't camp on any one question past 90 seconds — flag and move.
Eliminate first. Two wrong answers are easier to spot than the right one. Cut to 50/50, then commit.
Trust the passage. The SAT does not require outside knowledge. If your answer relies on something the passage doesn't say, you're wrong.
Use the mark-for-review. Better to flag a hard question and come back than to spend 3 minutes on it and lose 2 others.
Don't change answers without a reason. First-instinct answers are right more often than second-guessed ones — change only if you spot a concrete reason.