The critical reading section has a sentence completion section which often gives students problems

1. Skip if taking too much time but mark it to recall.

2. Deduction is essential. Eliminate one blank at a time. With two-blank questions, try eliminating some answers based on just one blank. If one word in an answer doesn't make sense in the sentence, then you can rehect the entire choice.

3. Look at + and – and the double negatives. Be aware that some of the most difficult sentence completion questions conttain negatives, which can make following the logic of the sentences challenging.

4. Much of it relates to adj and adv and their noun forms.

5. Transitional words are important – underline them, Eg but, although, however, even though, therefore. Keep in mind that introductory and transitional words are extremely important. They can be the key to figuring out the logic of a sentence

6. Use your own synonym before choosing  the ones given.

7. Guess the blank before looking at the choices. Figure out what sort of word(s) should fill the blank(s) before looking at the choices; then look for a choice that is similar to the one(s) you thought of.

SAT Critical Reading and Writing sections contain multiple choice questions and this means that you need to be skilled at them. Typically in a multiple choice format you have the following arrangement 

1.     One or two answers are either highly unlikely or slightly unlikely. Common sense can rule these out - perhaps they do not fit the mindset of the author and at other times they just seem like 'trap' answers designed to make it look too easy an answer. The may turn out to be the right answers. Still it is useful to determine to yourself that these are most likely not to be right. 

According to the character of the protagonist, what would be the ideal location for Mr. Prufrock to end his days
E.g.      A. In a forest somewhere in South East Asia  
           B. In the arms of his lover who he has never managed to find  x
           C. In his deathbed  X
           D. In the town in which he grew up

Here you might cross out C and B before even reading the passage because it might seem unlikely. In C, a deathbed does not seem ideal and in B, the arms are not really a location. It does not mean they could not be choices but you out little x's beside them just to show your deduction


     2. Of the remaining answers one may seem more likely based on your background reading of other stories and so you mark that preference. You might think that often dying people have a wish to return to their roots. You mark a little o beside the one you think could be right

            A. In a forest somewhere in South East Asia -
           B. In the arms of his lover who he has never managed to find  x
           C. In his deathbed  X
           D. In the town in which he grew up  o

3. Now you are ready to read for confirmation rather than purely for comprehension. Research indicates that when you use a cycle of guess/confirm, reading is enhanced. But there is another benefit as well. You have just picked up important clues about the story you are about to read! You know now that

1. The story involves a man nearing his end
2. He has a wish to be somewhere before he dies
3. he most likely has a lover he is thinking about, he probably has been to SE Asia and he is probably thinking about his hometown

Very rarely will SAT exam creators insert multiple choice answer selections have no relationship to the story. They won't insert SE Asia if there is nothing mentioned in the story, nor will they put in a lover if there is nothing in the story about a lover because that would make the selections too easy. 


Therefore, even wrong answers give you clues about the story (sometimes more so than the right answers).

 When we pick up important clues this builds our 'picture' (in fancy terms - our schema), this has also shown to improve reading comprehension. 

Before you even begin your study of SAT, know the structure and types of questions of the SAT test. If you have a good knowledge of the SAT test before you begin lessons, you will find it easier to work with a tutor to plan a course that targets your needs better. Having to spend time learning about the test can be costly and time wasting. I do not usually make overly prescriptive advice about study processes but in general I would recommend the following general process:

1.      Take notes on the parts of the test, types of question and the time involved. Look at the amount of time you are given for each section. Ask questions on google that more experienced test takers might be able to answer. For example if you ask “Which part is hardest on the SAT exam” Google comes back with some interesting replies just as a search asking “Which part of the SAT is most important”? gives informative answers

2.      Test yourself with a practice test. Start with the SAT exam page and look at the SAT practice of reading, writing and verbal sections. Do one under time with no distractions.

3.     Note which parts that you found difficult. Which questions – for example, in the reading section did you find the paired reading more difficult than the single passage ones, did you find the vocabulary term questions in the reading easier or harder than the gist questions? Was it a time management problem? What was confusing to you? – was it the vocabulary, instructions or grammar sturctures?

4.     Discuss your discoveries with a tutor and make it part of the plan. If your tutor knows your concerns and particular areas that need to be in balance, a better program can be developed