SAT

PREPARATOR
Y CLASS
WITH AYODEJI
 SAT pattern
You will given a specific time limit for
each exam section when taking the
test. Overall, you have three hours to
complete the exam, with different
times for each part.
The table below shows exactly how
the SAT structure looks.
 Reading test
You are given five separate
passages of around 500-700
words in the reading section
of the SAT exam. Then, you
answer sets of 10-11
questions on the subject
topics of each text.
 Format

Time limit: 65 minutes

Questions: 52
Passages: 5 (one of these is a
dual passage)
Genres of passages: History,
social science, natural science,
literary narrative
 Text content
Each passage has a different theme or topic in the SAT
exam syllabus. After reading the text, students must
show their understanding and evaluation of each text.
Below is a list of the different text types in the reading
part.
1 x text from a fiction book or passage.
1-2 x passages from a topic of global interest (e.g. a
famous speech or document).
1 x text from a social science document. This subject
can include history, economics or psychology.
2 x science passages covering earth science, biology,
chemistry, or physics.
Here are the types of questions you
can expect to find on SAT Reading:
Words in Context
Command of Evidence
Function / Purpose
Main Ideas
Detail or Line Reference
Inference
Charts & graphs
Reading question types
The SAT reading section has a
variety of question types that
assess students’ understanding of
the given passage.
All answers are provided in
multiple-choice format and each
question covers the following
categories.
 Understanding the
Author’s use of Evidence:
Here, you are asked to
pick the correct answers
that show how the author
used evidence to form an
argument.
 Meaning of Words in Context:
In this section, questions ask
you to select words or phrases
from the context in the text.
Also, you might have to show
how a specific word or phrase is
used by the author to shape
their tone and intention.
 Analysis of non-fiction:
Topics for this section generally
include history, social studies,
and science. You will examine
the argument and evidence in
the text and answer questions
about the given data, argument
and impact of the text.
 Writing and
language test
Students read four separate texts for
the writing and language section. You
then answer 11 multiple choice
questions about each text.
In this part of the test, you identify
grammar and punctuation mistakes in
the passage and try to fix any errors.
Each passage is around 400 to 450
words long and the topics of each text
vary.
 For example, one text could
be a narrative about history,
social science or science.
However, another could be
an argument or theory. In
addition, some texts can
contain graphs and graphics.
 Writing and language question types
This part of the exam has two different
question types looking at both the content
and the structure of the text. These are
1. Expression of the writer’s ideas
Students respond to questions about how
strong and well-argued the writer’s message
is. Through these questions, you identify
how good the author’s structure, language
and evidence is.
 Use of grammar and
punctuation:
Here, you identify any
mistakes in the text. The
mistakes could be around
sentence structure,
incomplete sentences or
incorrect punctuation use.
Tip #1: Don’t avoid the
“No change” answer
 Tip #2: Pace yourself
you find yourself spending
more than a minute on a
given question, make your
best guess and move on. You
can mark the question to
come back to at the end of
the section if you have
enough time.
Tip #3: Shorter is (almost
always) better
 Choose your own order.
Reading questions are not
presented in order of
difficulty, but they are in
chronological order. Don’t
be afraid to skip a hard
question, and don’t worry
if you can’t answer every
 Read what you need.
You don’t have to waste time reading
every single word of the passage and
trying to become an expert on
whatever the topic is. So, move back
and forth between the passage and
the questions, focusing only on what
you need instead of getting mired
down in all the little details.
 Leave your opinions at the door.
Often, in an English class, you are
asked to give your own opinion,
supported by the text. Not so on the
SAT. Be careful when you see a
question that contains the word
infer , imply , or suggest . The
answer may not be directly stated in
the text, but there will still be plenty
of evidence there to support the
correct answer.
 SAT Writing Tip #1
Answer questions as you read
With roughly 48 seconds to answer
each question, you certainly don’t
have time to read with much depth.
Begin skimming through the passage
to understand the main idea and to
identify the style. When you
encounter an underlined segment,
determine the issue—if there is one
—and select the best answer choice.
 Tip #2
Save longer questions
for the end
In addition to the underlined
segments scattered throughout
the passage, you will also see
actual question stems that may
ask you about sentence or
paragraph placement.
 Tip #3
Make sure your answer is
both concise and relevant
When more than one choice
seems to work well
grammatically in the passage,
you should gravitate towards
shorter choices to eliminate
wordiness.
 Tip #4
Know your punctuation
Roughly two questions per
passage on the Writing &
Language section will
specifically test you on
punctuation, and you’ll be able
to use your punctuating skills to
answer many others.
Commas (,) are used for many different
reasons, but the SAT tests them in four
main ways:
Separate three or more items in a list
(apples, bananas, and oranges)
Separate two or more independent
clauses with a FANBOYS (For, And, Nor,
But, Or, Yet, So) conjunction (My mom
was going to pick me up from school, but
my dad came instead.)
conjunction (My mom was going to pick
me up from school, but my dad came
instead.)
Set off introductory information from
the rest of the sentence (In 2008, the
Phillies won the World Series.)
Set off non-essential descriptive
information within or at the end of a
sentence (I ran across the floor, which
was painted with school colors, to meet
Steve. OR I ran across the floor to meet
Steve, who greeted me with a high five.)
 Colons (:) are used to introduce
and/or emphasize short phrases,
quotations, explanations, examples,
or lists.
The portion of the sentence before
the colon must be an independent
clause. (The greatest obstacle to
completing my homework was
imminent: the finale of Grey’s
Anatomy.)
Apostrophes (‘) also have 2
main purposes:
Indicate possession (Bob’s
book, my friends’ phones)
Create contractions (there’s
the rabbit, it’s important,
who’s in charge)
 Tip #5
Know the possible relationships between
ideas
Questions on the Writing & Language Test will
ask you to make appropriate and effective
transitions between ideas. In general, there
are 4 relationships you’ll need to know, and
you should select the right type of transition
word to establish the correct relationship.
When you see a transition word underlined,
ask yourself, “How are these ideas related?”
 Reinforcement means one idea supports or
builds off another, so transitions to use include in
addition, furthermore, for example, and also,
among others.
Contrast means one idea opposes another. Here,
the right transitions might be however, on the
other hand, despite, and unlike.
Cause-and-effect means one idea directly leads
to another. To indicate this relationship, use
transitions like consequently, therefore, since, and
because.
Sequence transitions are used for items part of
a series. Words like first, then, afterwards, and