The reading section of the SAT is composed of 52 multiple-choice questions that students have 65 minutes to complete. Students may earn from 200 to 800 points for this section and the writing section combined. During the allotted time, students are asked to read five different passages and answer questions that correspond with each passage. On average, each passage consists of 500-750 words followed by ten questions. These passages are broken up into the following categories:
Fiction
Students will read one passage of fiction from a piece of literature that has been established in the modern canon. For these passages, students will be asked to analyze plot structure, recognize literary devices, and have a general knowledge of the characterization, themes, and tones expressed throughout the passage.
Historical/Global Studies
Students will read one passage relating to historical/global studies. These texts are made up of U.S. founding documents or pieces of literature from the larger global discussion. These passages often focus on topics of liberty, human rights, and social justice.
Economics, Psychology, or Social Science
Students will read one passage that pertains to either economics, psychology, or social science. These passages are often followed by graphs or tables which the reader must be able to interpret.
Science
Students will be asked to read and interpret two science passages. These are typically peer-reviewed studies from scientific journals or databases and often include tables and graphs. As these passages are usually full of complicated language, it is less important to understand every small piece of data and more important to have a complete picture of what the body of literature is saying as a whole.
It is important to note that the reading section of the SAT is composed of one set of “paired passages.” These are passages that relate to each other but offer different perspectives or varying evidence-based information. Questions relating to these passages will ask students to engage with each text individually as well as draw conclusions based on both pieces of information.
Altogether, the Reading section of the SAT is designed to test each student’s reading comprehension ability while allowing them to engage with different mediums of text in a variety of ways. Most commonly, students will be asked to engage critically with literature, draw rational conclusions based on inference, interpret scientific/historic data, and synthesize information between multiple passages. To have the best chance of success, it is important that students feel comfortable with the formatting and time restraints of the reading section before taking the test.
Kayley Horton, Tutoring Coordinator
kayley@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266
Sources:
https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/official-sat-study-guide-about-reading-test.pdf
https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/whats-on-the-test/reading/overview