In this lesson, you'll learn what to expect on the reading section of the SAT, including how the sections are organized, how the scoring works and how this can help you raise your score on the test.
The SAT Reading Test
As you may have heard, the SAT has undergone some pretty big changes that begin with the March 2016 test. Some of the most sweeping changes are on the reading section of the test. However, that doesn't mean that you have to live in the dark until you take the test in order to find out more about them. In this lesson, we are going to learn about the new SAT Reading Test.
We'll start by going over some quick facts about it, then move on to how it is structured, how it is scored, and any patterns that will help you do better on test day.
Quick Facts About the Test
First things first, let's look at a few numbers. The new SAT gives you 65 minutes to complete the Reading Test, which is comprised of 52 questions. In the past, you had 70 minutes to do 67 questions, so if you are the type of person who likes to take your time when pondering a question on a standardized test, you're in luck.
However, time and question number changes were not the only differences that went into the design of the new test. Additionally, the reading passage changed. In an attempt to be more in line with what is being taught in classrooms, the SAT now uses the Reading Test as an opportunity to test your abilities to read not only literature, but also works of significance in history, social science, and natural science.
On one hand, there is a likelihood that you've seen these same texts before in different classes. On the other hand, it means you need to have some familiarity with how to read a scientific or historical text in order to do well on them. However, under no circumstances will you need to memorize any scientific or historical facts before the test to do well. Every question can be answered from the subject matter presented