How to improve SAT Reading

The ones who just miss the perfect 800 by a few marks get how frustrating it can be. Most students even find it difficult to break through the 600 scores. In order to crack the SAT, it is mandatory to score well in all the sections. Even though reading is one of the most dreading sections, it can actually turn out to be quite scoring if you adopt the right approach for Sat reading practice. All you need is to follow some actionable strategies, and you are good to go.

How to improve your SAT reading score

Know that it is easy to reach 600. It doesn't matter whether you are a topper or an average student. You should know that you can easily reach 600. It is the last 200 points that distinguish the achievers from the mediocre. Your SAT score does not necessarily reflect how hard you work but also how smart you are with your study methodologies. When you have crossed the 600 bar, you are mostly left with tricky questions that make the elimination of answers very difficult in a reading test practice.

Even if you manage to eliminate some options, you are left with at least two choices that appear to be suitable. That is when most of the students tend to make mistakes. Those who make their brain work through those problems excel. If instead of throwing up your hands in the air and making a random guess, if you think wisely, finding the right answer is not as difficult as it seems. Every reading passage has one single correct answer, and if you wish to know it, there is no other way than to eliminate all the wrong choices. It is easier to eliminate wrong answers than to choose the correct one in the first instant.

How to get 800 on SAT reading

Let us take a look at some tips that are known to improve your reading score and help you reach the perfect 800 even in the sat reading comprehension practice.

Understanding your weaknesses

Some people need to work on their passage reading skills whereas others need a better time management plan. There are many skilled students who run out of time even though they are capable of answering most of the questions correctly. The way to combat this weakness is to focus on the reading section of mock tests for a while and figure out your weakness before you switch to other sections.

Treat the mock test like it is your real test. Time your attempt and make sure that you improve the next time you take the test. Consider the score you get within the time span prescribed as your real score. Also, calculate the score with the extra time taken. This way you will get an idea whether you are committing an error in your approach or time management is lacking.

Learning to eliminate the wrong choices

Most of the students are focused on finding out the correct answer while their focus should be on how they can eradicate the possibility of an incorrect answer and eliminate the wrong choice. We all know that only one answer is correct. But that also means that the other three answers are definitely wrong.

The ability to pick out the wrong answers is a game-changer that can help you move forward drastically as far as the SAT readability score is considered. One of the best ways to eliminate an answer is to scrutinize every word carefully. There is a reason why each sentence, each word is there on the paper. If you think that even a word is not compatible with the passage, this reason is enough in most cases to eliminate an answer and improve the sat reading score.

Let us take a look at how you can eliminate incorrect choices without guessing. These ways highlight processes that make you think before accepting or rejecting an answer.

1. When the answer seems too specific

Think about it. When an answer seems too good to believe and is extremely easy, it is most likely the wrong one. SAT is not as easy as some people take it to be. The paper setters won't make it a picnic for the students to answer the questions. Sometimes, when the answer is way too specific, you might think to yourself that you have seen this in the passage, so this might be the correct answer.

This approach is what gets most of the students unsuccessful in clearing the exam. In such cases, examine whether the choice clearly describes the gist of the entire passage. If it seems too concentrated to explain the whole passage, then it is better to keep it on hold until you examine all the other answers.

2. Totally unrelated

The obvious reaction to a totally unrelated answer should be a straight skip. But this is when the panicked mindset of students begin to take form. They think that they are too naive to think that it could be so easy to eliminate a choice in SAT. This overthinking makes them waste a lot of time. When the concept seems totally unrelated, there is a great possibility that this is the wrong answer.

3. Twisted relationship between words

When an answer is wrong, in most cases, all the right words are present in it to confuse the student. Even if the words sound-related and correct according to the passage, don't eliminate or select it merely by looking at them. Most often, the relationship between the words is twisted. If you fail to identify the relationship, it is likely that you mess up.

4. Way too broad

This is the option that is the most plausible, but mostly, it's not the correct one. This choice is mainly included to confuse the brightest students. This is included in the passage but the problems that a very broad aspect is included whereas the real answer only consists of a portion.

5 key SAT critical reading strategies to boost your SAT score

SAT is an exam that requires a strategic approach. Thus, on that note, let us take a look at the strategies that can aid you in making the right choice and achieve your desired choice.

1. Prediction of the correct answer

One of the most crucial aspects that separate bright students from the struggling ones is the ability to predict answers even before looking at the choices. SAT sets the paper in such a way that it brings all the viable answers close to each other and puzzles the student. But picking the most plausible answer is not what the examination is about. It is about selecting the correct answer and gaining marks that get a student into a good university after high school. When you read the passage, you get an idea of what the content is about.

When you check out the question, it is a possibility that the right answer is just a few thoughts away. Try not to look at the options straight away after reading the question. Instead, come up with your own answer on the basis of your reading of the passage. This way, when you have your own ideal answer for picking, you don't feel biased by the options provided by the paper setter. Look at the big picture. Make up your own title of the passage by summing up the entire concept.

2. Read the questions first

One of the most foolproof strategies that are effective in improving the reading score to a great extent is reading the questions before reading the entire passage. The conventional method dictates that you should first read the passage and then check out the question. Even though this method has been going on for years, only a handful of students are able to finish the section on time. Thus, this stagnation calls for a change in the methodology. Instead of reading the passage in-depth, a better way is to get an idea of the types of questions. Then skim through the passage and mark the answers.

There are many parts of the passage that don't have any questions asked from them. If you waste your time reading through those parts, it cannot be beneficial. This is a skill that requires a lot of practice. Only if you have sufficiently practiced with mock tests and practice sheets you can master this approach. The power of anticipation and intuition plays a crucial role.

3. Understanding the mistakes

Nowadays, there is a lot of hype on working on your strengths instead of weaknesses to make yourself an expert on things, but unfortunately, this doesn't work in the case of the SAT. If you don't understand your mistakes, you will keep repeating them. Don't let your weaknesses exploit you or your perfect 800 will only be a dream.

4. Stop making excuses

"I couldn't appear for this practice test because I needed more time to prepare." This a classic example of a student that doesn't want to leave the comfort zone and is making an excuse to stay in the zone. If you don't want to make extra efforts, then the SAT is not the right exam for you.

5. Special focus on the italicized passage intro

A context to the complete passage is present in the italicized introduction that is present at the beginning of the passage. It shows what the main point of the passage is and helps a student in answering the question more judiciously. It helps you consider the big picture and provides a gist of the entire passage in a few lines. If you adopt the technique where you don't read the entire passage and read the questions first, then you can really improve on your reading score.

6 Ways to Boost your SAT reading score

Let us take a look at 6 sure shot ways to boost your SAT reading score.

1. Develop an interest in the subject matter

Remember studying those tough history lessons? You could only memorize the stuff easily that you read like an interesting story. Thus, treat your passage the same way. When you are interested, you can retain the information more clearly and thus, answer more correct questions.

2. Don't overestimate vocabulary

Most of the students tend to give too much attention to vocabulary because they overestimate its importance in SA. It is true that it is essential, but you shouldn't do it at the expense of any other section. Do not give all the time to the vocabulary section and provide enough time for practicing reading.

3. Select your own order

If you get stuck at a question, don't spend all the time pondering over it. If a question seems too hard, skip it temporarily and come back to it when you have solved other easy and short ones. When you overthink a hard question, chances are that you are going to take forever solving it. Even if you manage to solve it correctly, you will suffer as a large amount of time is wasted.

4. Read-only what you need

Instead of examining every little detail. Read what is required to answer the questions. Time is precious, don't waste it in anything futile.

5. Save the typical questions for the last

If two options are causing a lot of confusion, make sure you leave the question for the last.

6. Don't waste time reading magazines

One of the most common advice to SAT aspirants is that they should read as many magazines as possible. Thus, make your preparation to the point according to the SAT reading tips.

Importance of solving the best SAT reading practice tests and questions

When you appear for the SAT practice test, it gives you the real exam experience that can help a lot when you actually appear for the main test. Anything can get better with practice, and once you are used to the actual examination experience, it works in your favor.

Conclusion:

To sum up, I would like to state that if you put the right amount of effort and follow all the measures mentioned above, there is nothing that can stop you from improving your SAT reading score. The important thing is that you cannot afford to leave any mistake unattended. As long as you polish your strengths and work on your weaknesses, you will keep on rising towards betterment.