SAT – Reading and Writing

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The current digital SAT combines reading and writing into a single Reading and Writing section. It measures a student’s ability to understand and analyze written texts, interpret information and evidence, understand vocabulary in context, revise writing, and apply Standard English conventions.

The Reading and Writing section contains 54 questions and lasts 64 minutes. It is divided into two 32-minute modules, with 27 questions in each module.

Unlike the previous paper SAT, students no longer read several long passages followed by sets of questions. On the digital SAT, students generally read a short passage or pair of passages and answer one multiple-choice question about it.

Passages represent literature, history/social studies, humanities, and science and may also include tables, graphs, or other informational graphics.

What Skills Are Tested on SAT Reading and Writing?

College Board organizes Reading and Writing questions into four major content domains:

1. Information and Ideas

These questions measure a student’s ability to understand, analyze, and reason with information presented in a text or informational graphic.

Students may be asked to:

• Identify central ideas and details
• Draw reasonable inferences
• Find textual evidence
• Interpret information in tables, graphs, or other graphics
• Determine which evidence best supports a conclusion

2. Craft and Structure

These questions focus on vocabulary, purpose, text structure, and relationships between texts.

Students may need to:

• Determine the meaning of a word or phrase in context
• Analyze an author’s purpose
• Understand how a passage is structured
• Compare two related texts
• Make connections between ideas and perspectives

3. Expression of Ideas

These questions ask students to improve the effectiveness of written communication.

Skills include:

• Determining the best way to achieve a particular rhetorical goal
• Using information from notes effectively
• Choosing appropriate transitions
• Improving organization and logical connections between ideas

4. Standard English Conventions

These questions measure a student’s command of English grammar, usage, sentence structure, and punctuation.

Students may encounter questions involving:

• Sentence boundaries
• Clauses and phrases
• Subject-verb agreement
• Pronoun agreement
• Verb forms
• Modifier placement
• Possessives
• Commas, semicolons, colons, and other punctuation

How Is the Digital SAT Reading and Writing Section Organized?

The Reading and Writing section includes:

• 54 total questions
• 64 minutes
• 2 modules
• 32 minutes per module
• 27 questions per module
• Short passages or passage pairs
• One multiple-choice question associated with each passage or pair

The digital SAT is adaptive by module. All students begin with a first module containing questions of varying difficulty. How a student performs on that module helps determine the difficulty of the questions in the second module.

What Do SAT Reading Passages Look Like?

Reading passages on the digital SAT are much shorter than those on the previous paper SAT. Instead of reading a 500–750-word passage and answering several questions about it, students work with many short passages throughout the section.

A question might ask a student to read a short passage and:

• Identify its main idea
• Make an inference
• Choose evidence supporting a conclusion
• Determine a word’s meaning in context
• Analyze an author’s purpose
• Compare two authors’ viewpoints
• Interpret data presented with a passage

This means students must repeatedly shift between different texts, topics, and question types.

Digital SAT Reading Sample

Read the passage and answer the question that follows.

Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist drew public attention to the harsh conditions experienced by poor and orphaned children in nineteenth-century England. Although the novel did not immediately change British law, its portrayal of workhouses helped make their conditions a subject of public discussion. Similarly, Upton Sinclair intended The Jungle to expose the exploitation of workers in Chicago’s meatpacking industry. Instead, many readers focused on the unsanitary handling of food described in the novel, helping generate support for food-safety reforms.

Sample Question

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. Authors who write about social problems usually persuade lawmakers to change laws immediately.

B. Works of literature can draw attention to social problems and contribute to public pressure for change.

C. Dickens and Sinclair wrote their novels primarily to improve conditions in food-production industries.

D. Readers generally misunderstand the social messages authors intend to communicate.

Answer: B

Explanation: The passage gives two examples of literature bringing public attention to social problems. Choice A is too strong because the passage specifically states that Oliver Twist did not immediately change the law. Choice C incorrectly combines the two authors’ purposes. Choice D applies to the reaction to The Jungle but not to the passage as a whole.

How Should Students Prepare for SAT Reading and Writing?

Preparation should reflect the current digital SAT, rather than the format used on older paper SATs.

Students should practice:

1. Reading short, challenging passages efficiently.
2. Identifying central ideas and supporting details.
3. Making evidence-based inferences.
4. Understanding vocabulary from context.
5. Comparing related passages.
6. Interpreting tables and graphs alongside written information.
7. Recognizing an author’s purpose and rhetorical choices.
8. Revising sentences and passages for clarity and organization.
9. Applying grammar and punctuation rules.
10. Working efficiently within the time allowed for each module.

Because most passages have only one associated question, students should also become comfortable moving quickly from one text and topic to another.

Tips for SAT Reading and Writing

Use the text as evidence. Don’t choose an answer simply because it sounds reasonable. Look for information in the passage that supports it.

Read the question carefully. Knowing what you are looking for can help you focus on the relevant information.

Pay attention to context. Vocabulary questions often test the meaning of a familiar word as it is used in a particular passage.

Eliminate incorrect choices. An answer may sound plausible but still be unsupported, too broad, too narrow, or inconsistent with the text.

Practice grammar as well as reading. Reading and Writing are now combined, so students need both comprehension and Standard English skills.

Practice digitally. Students should become comfortable with the Bluebook testing application and the tools available during the digital SAT.

Practice for the Digital SAT

TestingMom offers practice to help students strengthen reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, writing, and reasoning skills used on the SAT.

Practice with the current SAT question format can help students become familiar with short passages, changing question types, and the pacing required for the digital assessment.

See if TestingMom.com supports your child’s test by your school district. If you don't see your child's school district listed, check with us! We have practice for other tests as well.