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The purpose of this page is to offer tips in the Reading content questions. Essentially these are the questions connected to the meaning of specific points of the passage or main ideas. It includes these types of questions (I have put the approximate % of overall reading and writing questions they occur in (ie the frequency they occur).
Central idea/ purpose/ structure (10%)
Vocabulary, (15%)
Function of Underline (3%)
Notes to Summary (12%)
Information (3%)
Logical Text Completion (8%)
Data Support (5%)

For the other types shown below click here
Linking Finding to claims (6%)
Synthesis (1%)
Function of Underline (3%)
Notes to Summary (12%)
Grammar (30%)
Linker Transitions (in underlined text) (7%”)


It is important to try and make sure that you create realistic conditions while doing the SAT test. Look carefully at the time for each section and make sure you time yourself with a clock. If you stop for a break or due to some interruption, you can no longer really call it a simulation exam.
 
The first time you see a practice test do not make that the one you do your first test because you will probably just need to use this one to familiarize yourself with the instructions. Make sure that you record and chart your score. Do not expect you will always do better than the last test but you see a general trend upwards, albeit often in a very non-linear way.
 

All of this should keep you busy for a very long time!

If you are looking for individual section tests click on the following displayed as a menu below: 

Menu of SAT Reading Content Tips (Click on the Tip You Want)

Main Idea, Purpose & Structure Questions Tip  
Word Choice to Complete Text Questions Tip
Information-Based" Questions (Evidence Questions) Tip 
Logical Text Completion" Questions Tip
Function of Underlined Sentence​ Questions Tip
Quote to Claim Questions Tip
Article Claim to Finding Questions Tip:  
Data to Findings Questions Tip:

SAT Main Idea, Purpose, and Structure Questions Tip: Identify type, read strategically for paragraph content, summarize passage through mental outlining, use 3 screen elimination for the MCQ options using 3 second rule.

Although SAT passages are not as long as they once were, every passage, no matter how short, still has a flow and structure. These questions are not extraction questions so it is important not to treat as such and think instead of how you might outline the passage and the employ an elimination strategies that works from the bottom up, eliminating the easiest wrong answers and then s[pending ore time with the remaining contenders. Hera re my specifric strategies :
1. Identify the Question Type

• Main Idea: "What is the central message of the passage?"
• Purpose: "Why was this written?" (e.g., to explain, persuade, reflect, contrast)
• Structure: "How is the passage organized?" (e.g., comparison, cause-effect, extended metaphor)

2. Read Strategically

• First & Last Sentences: Often contain thesis or concluding thoughts.
• Transition Words: Signal shifts (e.g., "however," "for example").
• Active Words: Verbs and imagery that reveal tone/purpose.

3. Summarize the Passage

• Mentally outline the passage (like a "table of contents").
• Ask: What is the author trying to convey overall?

4. Eliminate Wrong Answers

• Screen 1: Eliminate irrelevant or off-topic options.
• Screen 2: Eliminate too-specific or too-general options.
• Screen 3: Compare remaining choices critically (watch for confirmation bias).

5. 3-Second Rule for Elimination

• If an answer isn’t obviously wrong in 3 seconds, mark it as "maybe."
• Revisit "maybes" with a fresh look at the passage.

6. Avoid Elimination Bias

• Don’t dismiss early options too harshly; stay open to reconsidering.

For an example, model main idea, purpose, strategy task, answers and post-task reflections and assessment click here

SAT Word Choice to Complete Text Questions Tip: Read entire passage first, predict word before viewing selections, eliminate from easiest to more difficult, keep unknown words open, know source of referents

These questions test contextual understanding rather than pure vocabulary. Therefore the mistake many test takers make is to select according to a narrow context of only the line in question. More is needed. Read the entire passage and then predict your own word or phrase before looking at options. The problem with looking at the options too early is that many of them might lure you into the wrong answer. The can be legitimate in another context but not the one you are reading. Even as you do get a good match look at the others and do go through an elimination process. If you do not know one or more words, you will need to keep these words as options and carry on deducting the ones that you do know. Finally do not forget the effectiveness of tracking referent words that can help determine the correct words. For more specific details of these strategies and examples, follow these steps to master these types of tasks:

1. Read the Entire Passage First (Don’t Look at Choices Yet!)

• Focus on the logic and tone of the sentence.
• Pay attention to clues in surrounding clauses (e.g., contrast words like "although," cause-effect like "because").

2. Predict Your Own Word/Phrase

• Cover the choices and fill in the blank with your own word based on context.
• Example
• Former astronaut Ellen Ochoa says that although she doesn’t have a definite idea of when it might happen, she _______ that humans will someday need to be able to live in other environments than those found on Earth. This conjecture informs her interest in future research missions to the moon.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) demands
B) speculates
C) doubts
D) establishes

• "She _______ that humans will someday need to live elsewhere."
• Prediction: "believes," "thinks," "argues" → Leads to B) speculates.

3. Match Your Prediction to the Choices

• Eliminate options that don’t fit your predicted word.
• If multiple seem close, reread the sentence with each choice.

4. Eliminate Based on Logic & Precision

• Too extreme? (e.g., "demands" vs. "speculates" in the astronaut example).
• Off-topic? (e.g., "unbiased" in the binary star example—irrelevant to planetary formation).
• Too vague? (e.g., "discernible" is less precise than "straightforward" for a clear explanation).

5. Use Process of Elimination (Even If You Don’t Know All Words)

• If you’re unsure about one word, focus on the ones you do know.
• choose the one that works.

 
Example
Beginning in the 1950s, Navajo Nation legislator
Annie Dodge Wauneka continuously worked to promote public health; this _______ effort involved  traveling throughout the vast Navajo homeland and writing a medical dictionary for speakers of Diné bizaad, the Navajo language.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) impartial
B) offhand
C) persistent
D) mandatory

• You know "persistent" fits (consistent work) and "mandatory" doesn’t. Even if you don’t know "impartial" or "offhand,"

6.  Use positive negative charge to eliminate

• Often you have positive and negative words
• Determine if the blank is positive or negative?

 
Example
Following the principles of community-based participatory research, tribal nations and research institutions are equal partners in health studies conducted on reservations. A collaboration between the Crow Tribe and Montana State University_______ this model: tribal citizens worked alongside scientists to design the methodology and continue to assist in data collection.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) circumvents
B) eclipses
C) fabricates
D) exemplifies

• Text suggests positive word
• A & C are negative

 
7.Know source of referent

• Look carefully at referents such as
  • This, that, such etc….
• Even if you don’t know the words, the referent can help eliminate 2 choices

 
Example
 
Seminole/Muscogee director Sterlin Harjo _______ television’s tendency to situate Native characters in the distant past: this rejection is evident in his series Reservation Dogs, which revolves around teenagers who dress in contemporary styles and whose dialogue is laced with current slang.
Which choice completes the text with the most
logical and precise word or phrase?
A) repudiates
B) proclaims
C) foretells
D) recants
 
We can take out B and C because the referent infers something negative

For an example, model word choice task, answers and post-task reflections and assessment click here

​SAT Information-Based Questions (Evidence Questions)Tip: Identify question type, use location strategies, have an elimination process, avoid traps

These questions test your ability to find, interpret, and apply evidence from the passage. These questions are seemingly extraction questions and you can pick up a lot of marks and even time but you have to respect them for tricks and traps that often occur. You need to identify them first, detemine the right keywords but expecting synonyms in your search and targetting the righ location. Subsequnetly you need an elinination process based on confirmation strategies,, always expecting the test to have built in traps to lure you into worn ganswers. Follow these steps:
1. Identify the Question Type

• "What is true about…?" → Direct evidence needed.
• "Why…?" → Requires cause-effect reasoning.
• "According to the text…?" → Must match exact wording or paraphrased evidence.

2. Locate Key Information

• Scan for keywords (but expect synonyms).
• Focus on relevant parts of the passage (e.g., if the question is about a "problem," ignore "solutions").

3. Eliminate Wrong Answers

• Contradictions: If the passage says the opposite, eliminate.
• No Evidence: If an answer isn’t supported, eliminate.
• Partial Truths: Some answers might be "half-right" but don’t fully match.

4. Beware of Traps

• Exact Keyword Matches ≠ Correct Answer (e.g., "blades" appears in both text and wrong answer B in the Mars helicopter example).
• Out-of-Scope Answers: Avoid choices that introduce new, unsupported ideas.

5. Match the Best Evidence

• The correct answer will align with the passage’s logic, even if phrased differently.

For an example, model information based strategy task, answers and post-task reflections and assessment click here

SAT Logical Text Completion" Questions Tip: Identify argument structure, focus on role of last sentence, eliminate new or contradictory ones, check for flow, paraphrase last sentence

These questions test logical reasoning—you must complete the text in a way that follows from the given evidence. The first step is to identify the argument structure. Arguments tend to flow in patterns that adhere to normal human reasoning such as cause-effect, problem-solution, general-specific, hypothesis-support. In these questions it is important to focus on the last sentence and its role. Does it summarize, conclude or extend an issue? If it tends to introduce a new, unsupported idea or even contradict the prior evidence eliminate as an option. Check to see the answer is in general flow of the passage and as a final check try to paraphase the conclusion to see that it matches the passage. Her are these recommendations in short and ordered form: 
1. Identify the Argument’s Structure

• Cause-Effect: Look for words like "therefore," "thus," "suggests."
• Problem-Solution: Often ends with a consequence or unresolved issue.
• Research Findings: Typically concludes with what the evidence implies.

2. Focus on the Last Sentence’s Role

• It should summarize, conclude, or extend the preceding logic.
• Avoid answers that:
  • Introduce new, unsupported ideas (e.g., "discouraging learning" in the Nagoya Protocol example).
  • Contradict the evidence (e.g., "unique to A. thaliana" when the study compared species).

3. Match the Scope

• The correct answer will stay within the passage’s topic (e.g., confidentiality → independent observers, not monetary rewards).

4. Eliminate Incrementally

• Step 1: Cross out irrelevant or off-topic choices.
• Step 2: Eliminate contradictions or unsupported leaps.
• Step 3: Compare remaining options for precision (e.g., "ELF3 enables" vs. "increases ELF3 production").

5. Paraphrase the Conclusion

• Before looking at choices, predict the ending in your own words.
  • Example (Nagoya Protocol): "Secrecy might hide unfair compensation." → Matches C.

For an example, model logical completion strategy task, answers and post-task reflections and assessment click here

SAT Function of Underlined Sentence​ Questions Tip: Read passage first, examine context around underlined sentence, identify key function words, check content alignment, beware of partial matches, predict before looking at choices

These questions give a set of options that best be the bridge in a paragraph. It is important not to see these options in a narrow location. It is important to read the full passage first, examining the context around the underlined sentence including before and after, identify the key function words, particularly active verbs and the relationship to the surrounding text.. Have some check processes and finally try to make some predictions of the general nature of what the option should be before looking at the choices. Here is an outline of these recommendations:

1. Read the Full Passage First
   • Understand the main idea and structure of the paragraph before analyzing the underlined portion.
2. Examine the Context Around the Underlined Sentence
   • Before the underline: What idea is introduced?
   • After the underline: Does it support, contrast, or elaborate?
   • The function is often a bridge between these parts.
3. Identify Key Function Words in Choices
   • Active verbs (e.g., illustrates, establishes, contrasts, elaborates) indicate the sentence’s role.
   • Match these to the relationship between the underline and surrounding text.
4. Check Content Alignment
   • Does the choice accurately describe the content of the underlined sentence?
   • Eliminate options that misrepresent the text (e.g., calling it a "conflict" when it’s a description).
5. Beware of Partial Matches
   • Some choices may be half-right (e.g., "describes setting" when the focus is on mood).
   • The best answer will fully align with the purpose of the underline.
6. Predict Before Looking at Choices
   • Ask: What is this sentence doing here?
   • Example: "Is it proving a point? Giving an example? Shifting focus?"

​For an example, model function of underlined sentence strategy task, answers and post-task reflections and assessment click here

SAT Quote to Claim" Questions Tip: Identify the claim, focusing on the last line & paraphrasing correct choice content, simplifying main message, identifying keywords, emotional language & direct evidence, eliminating easiest choices first, using confirmation strategies for contenders, testing for fit.  

​Here we turn to questions that matches ​a quote to the claim of a passage. It means that you need to pout together evidence. In order to even start, we need to identify the claim, which means focusing on the last line of the prompt and paraphrasing to yourself what the correct quote should include. This might includes simplifying the main message, identifying  keywords, emotional language and direct evidence. Then you need to go through a process of eliminating the easiest ones first before using confirmation strategies to deduct the remaining contenders. Finally test it out to see if it fits. Here are these strategies in simplified form:

1. Identify the Claim
   • Focus on the last line of the prompt (the claim).
   • Paraphrase it in your own words to ensure understanding.
   • Example: "Alexandra has a deep emotional connection to nature."
2. Simplify Each Quote’s Main Message
   • Summarize each option in a few words.
   • Eliminate quotes that don’t directly support the claim.
3. Predict What the Correct Quote Should Include
   • Keywords or ideas that align with the claim.
   • Emotional language (if the claim is about feelings).
   • Direct evidence, not just tangential descriptions.
4. Process of Elimination

             1.  Cross out options that are irrelevant or only partially related.
             2. Compare remaining choices to see which is strongest.
   5. Match the Best Fit
            1. Avoid "keyword traps" (quotes that mention nature but don’t show emotion).
            2. The best answer will fully illustrate the claim, not just touch on it.


​For an example, model function of quote to claim strategy task, answers and post-task reflections and assessment click here

SAT Article Claim to Finding Questions Tip: Identify claim, predict claim support, simplify findings conclusions, matching claim, use elimination process

Similar to the quote to claim, this time you look at the findings and match to the claim. This means making sure you know what the claim and predict what needs to be there to support it. At that point you look at the findings and match to what you expected. Finally, go through the process of eliminating those that are obvious first and then using confirmation to deal with those not so easily eliminated. Here is a summary of the recommendations:

1. Identify the Claim
   • Locate the hypothesis or central claim in the passage.
   • Paraphrase it in simple terms (e.g., "The plants dissolve rock to grow and get phosphorus.").
2. Predict What Would Support the Claim
   • Ask: What evidence would confirm this idea?
   • Look for findings that:
     • Demonstrate cause-and-effect (e.g., acids dissolving rock).
     • Show a necessary condition (e.g., phosphates are essential).
     • Rule out alternative explanations.
3. Simplify Each Finding’s Conclusion
   • Summarize each option in a few words.
   • Eliminate findings that:
     • Are irrelevant to the claim.
     • Only partially relate.
     • Contradict the hypothesis.
4. Match to the Claim
   • The best answer will directly support the hypothesis, not just mention related details.
   • Avoid "keyword traps" (e.g., options that mention acids but don’t link them to growth/nutrients).
5. Process of Elimination
   • Cross out clearly wrong answers first.
   • Compare remaining options to see which most strongly supports the claim.

​For an example, model function of quote to claim strategy task, answers and post-task reflections and assessment click here

SAT Data to Findings Questions Tip: Identify claim, predict expected completion, check data accuracy, match to claim, use elimination process

These questions use actual visual data and so one needs to gain a conclusion from the data. When we look at the numbers what do they tell us? before that, however, it is best to look at what the claim is first. For that look at the last sentence and paraphrase it? Then, we can look at the data and determine what logical statement would match the data to claim. A last check to use elimination deduction process should be used to avoid confirmation bias or traps.

1. Identify the Claim
   • Focus on the last sentence before the blank (the claim/hypothesis).
   • Paraphrase it (e.g., "Counts are likely undercounts—actual numbers may be higher.").
2. Predict the Expected Completion
   • Ask: What kind of statement would logically fit?
   • Look for:
     • Undercounts (if the claim suggests data is incomplete).
     • Trends (if the claim is about patterns).
     • Comparisons (if the claim contrasts groups).
3. Check Data Accuracy
   • Eliminate options that misrepresent the table (wrong numbers, reversed roles, etc.).
   • Ignore true but irrelevant data (e.g., correct stats that don’t support the claim).
4. Match to the Claim
   • The best answer will directly extend the claim using table data.
   • Avoid options that:
     • Restate the table without adding new insight.
     • Introduce unsupported assumptions.
5. Process of Elimination
   • Cross out clearly wrong answers first.
   • Compare remaining options for best fit.

​​For an example, model function of quote to claim strategy task, answers and post-task reflections and assessment click here