The Digital SAT begins with two Reading & Writing Modules. To prepare for Reading & Writing on the Digital SAT, students should start with a diagnostic test to find their strengths and weaknesses, then develop a plan based on the assessment.
1. Start with a Diagnostic SAT
Starting with a diagnostic SAT is the most important step for three reasons. First, it will introduce you to the format of the test. Second, it will give you your baseline score, so you know how much you need to improve to reach your target. Third, a good diagnostic test will inform you about which topics you need the most help with.
2. Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses From Your Diagnostic Test
There are 15 topics that are tested on the Digital SAT Reading & Writing Modules. The Digital SAT Reading & Writing Topics are listed below.
- Sentence Completions
- Punctuation
- Summary Notes
- Transitions
- Verb-Tense
- Function & Purpose
- Supporting & Undermining
- Graphs & Charts
- Text Completions
- Fact or Detail
- Main Idea & Structure
- Pronouns
- Dangling Modifiers
- Paired Passages
- Inference
3. Get Help to Prepare for the SAT
It is important to get professional help to prepare for the Reading & Writing section of the SAT. There are a lot of rules in English and a lot of ways questions can be asked in reading comprehension. However, the test is predictable. Since there are 15 topics on the SAT that Caddell Prep has categorized all of the College Board Digital SAT questions into, there are specific English rules and reading comprehension questions to prepare for. An expert will teach you what is necessary to improve on the SAT. Expert help can come in the form of live classes, tutoring, on-demand course, and/or books.
Reading & Writing Resources
Students who need to improve on sentence completions, should study vocabulary. Here are free SAT vocabulary flash cards and quizzes with the most important vocabulary words for the Digital SAT.
Students who need to improve on transitions should review the transition words that appear on the test and practice questions with filling in transition words.
4. Create a Schedule for Studying
Create time in your schedule for SAT prep. A detailed schedule can create a routine and accountability. If you proactively set aside time to study with a plan, then you’re more likely to actually study.
It’s a good idea to plan your test and studying at a time of the year when you don’t have a lot of other commitments, such as sports or AP exams.
5. Take Another Test
After studying concepts for the SAT and practicing test questions, take another test.
6. Reassess Your Strategy Based on Your Latest Assessment
At this point, some of your weaknesses may have become strengths or at least improved. Reassess the most important topics to study.
7. Continue Studying
Based on your new assessment, continue studying. Study the topics that will improve your SAT score the most.
8. Take More Practice Tests
Take more practice tests. This will get you used to the pacing of the test and prepare you for the real test. We have ten Digital SAT practice tests on our website for students to refine their SAT math skills.
After your tests continue to assess your strengths and weaknesses to determine your study plan. A tutor will be able to help you focus and work on areas that you may still be struggling with.
The 15 Reading & Writing Topics on the Digital SAT
The 15 Reading & Writing topics that you need to prepare for a below.
i. Sentence Completions
Sentence completion questions are reading questions test students’ vocabulary and reasoning.
ii. Punctuation
Punctuation questions are writing questions that test students’ understanding of commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, and apostrophes.
iii. Summary Notes
For these questions, five bullet points are provided. They are supposed to be notes that a student took. The question asks the test-taker to choose the option that best accomplishes a certain goal such as introducing an idea or emphasizing a point.
iv. Transitions
Transition questions are writing questions that typically ask the test-taker to choose the best transition to connect two sentences.
v. Verb-Tense
The question tests subject-verb agreement and also students understanding of the five forms of a verb.
vi. Function & Purpose
Function & Purpose questions are reading questions that ask the test-taker what the function or purpose of a certain line in a paragraph serves.
vii. Supporting & Undermining
Supporting & undermining questions are reading questions that ask test-takers to identify which answer choice would best support or undermine the claim presented in the provided text.
viii. Graphs & Charts
Graphs & charts questions are reading questions that ask students to answer a question based on the text provided and the the included data.
ix. Text Completions
Text completions are reading questions that ask a test-taker to determine what the ending sentence or clause should be based on the previous text.
x. Fact or Detail
Fact or detail questions are reading questions that are straightforward and ask for a specific piece of information stated in the text.
xi. Main Idea & Structure
Main idea & structure questions are reading questions that either ask for the main idea of the text or the structure of the text.
xii. Pronouns
Pronouns questions are writing questions that ask students to fill in a blank with the appropriate pronoun. Students must analyze the text to determine the antecedent in order to identify the correct pronoun.
xiii. Dangling Modifiers
Modifiers questions are writing questions that ask students to fill in the blank with a long clause without creating a modifier error such as a dangling modifier or misplaced modifer.
xiv. Paired Passages
Paired passages questions are reading questions that include two related passages and a questions that normally asks the test-taker to make a comparison between the two texts.
xv. Inference
Inference questions are reading questions that ask the test-taker to make a logical inference based on the text provided.
Common Mistakes in Preparing for Reading & Writing on the Digital SAT
Common mistakes in preparing for the reading & writing part of the Digital SAT include not allowing for enough time to prepare, not studying often enough, and using outdated SAT materials.
Not Allocating Enough Time to Prepare
To improve 130-250 points on the SAT, students need approximately 80 hours of effective studying. If a student studies two hours per week, it would take 40 weeks to get to 80 hours. If a student studies 6 hours per week, it would take about 14 weeks to get to 80 hours. Students need to start preparing early in order to reach their goals.
Not Studying Often Enough
Another common mistake is not studying often enough. Students should study multiple times per week in order to retain the information. For tutoring, we recommend at least twice per week. This results in four days per week of studying because the students need to complete homework in between the session, so two days of tutoring and two days of homework.
Studying with Outdated Material
Studying with outdated material is another common mistake when preparing for the Reading & Writing modules on the Digital SAT. The passages on the Digital SAT are much shorter than the passages on previous versions of the SAT. Also, on the Digital SAT, there is only one question per passage. Additionally, there are new question types such as summary notes and text completions. Make sure to use the most recent version of a review book when studying for the test.