SAT Reading & Writing study guide
SAT Reading & Writing · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The SAT Reading and Writing section is one of the two sections of the SAT, the college admissions test administered by the College Board. It is taken by high school students preparing for college applications, and it is also used in school-day testing and in the PSAT-related assessments, which share the same content domains. The SAT Reading & Writing study guide has 4 sections and about 1,280 words.
01Craft and Structure: Words, Purpose, and Structure
Craft and Structure asks you to read like a writer: to determine what a word means as it is used in a passage , why an author makes a particular choice, and how a passage is built. The concepts you must control are contextual word meaning (including a word whose common meaning differs from its passage meaning), tone and attitude , text structure (how sentences and paragraphs relate: contrast, cause, example, sequence), point of view and purpose , and cross-text connections when two short passages address one topic.
346 words, about 2 min02Information and Ideas: Evidence, Central Ideas, and Inference
Information and Ideas is about getting information out of a text or graphic and reasoning with it. Core concepts: central idea and summary , command of evidence (which quotation or data point best supports a claim), quantitative reasoning with tables and graphs, and inferences that follow logically from stated information.
329 words, about 2 min03Standard English Conventions: Grammar, Punctuation, and Sentence Boundaries
This domain rewards knowing the rules , not ear alone. Concepts you must command: sentence boundaries (avoiding fragments and run-ons), comma use (between independent clauses, around nonessential elements, in lists), semicolons and colons , apostrophes (possessives vs.
319 words, about 2 min04Expression of Ideas: Rhetorical Purpose, Transitions, and Revision
Expression of Ideas asks you to improve writing at the level of organization and rhetoric . Concepts: choosing the most logical transition (contrast, cause, addition, example, sequence), deciding whether to add, keep, or delete information based on a stated goal, selecting the most precise and concise wording , and maintaining consistent tone and style .
286 words, about 1 min