Learn how the Reading and Writing section works and find the skill to work on first.
Goal: learn how the Reading and Writing section works and find the skill to work on first.
Help: do all of this alone or with your family. You do not need a tutor or teacher. The Forms score your answers, and the answer key explains every choice.
How it works: work down the page in order. When you reach a Stop here line, you are done for that day.
Get these ready:
Why it is built this way: a major review of study methods rated practice testing and spacing your study over time as the two most useful methods.
| When | What to do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sitting 1 | Try First Check, Part 1, then Game 1 | 30 minutes |
| Sitting 2, two or three days later | Replay Game 1, then Parts 2 to 4, then Game 2 | 30 minutes |
| Sitting 3, about a week after Sitting 1 | Replay Game 2, then Game 3, Part 5, and the Exit Check | 30 minutes |
| Return day, one to two weeks later | Replay one game, then retake the Exit Check | 15 minutes |
A family member does not need to know the answers. They can run the timer, read the game questions out loud, and ask, "Which words in the text prove that?" Game 3 has a version for two players.
Answer all 5 questions before you read anything below. Mark how sure you are on each one. It is fine to miss some, because trying first helps you remember the answers later. When you submit, choose View score and read why each answer is right or wrong. Write your score on the My Scores tab of your tracker.
Trouble with the box? Open it in its own tab.
Got 5 out of 5? Skip Part 1 and go to Game 1.
Open this part if you did not get 5 out of 5.
| Feature | What to know |
|---|---|
| Length | 54 questions in 64 minutes. |
| Test modules | Two equal test modules of 32 minutes each. That works out to about 1 minute and 10 seconds per question. |
| Adaptive second part | The first test module has a mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. Your results decide whether the second is more or less difficult. |
| Question format | Each short passage, or pair of passages, has one multiple-choice question. Passages run 25 to 150 words. |
| Question order | Questions that test similar skills are grouped together and go from easiest to hardest. |
| Type | About how much of the section | What it asks you to do |
|---|---|---|
| Craft and Structure | 28% | Choose the right word in context, explain why a writer made a choice, or connect two related texts. |
| Information and Ideas | 26% | Find the main idea, use evidence, draw a conclusion, or read a table or graph. |
| Standard English Conventions | 26% | Fix sentence structure, usage, or punctuation. |
| Expression of Ideas | 20% | Revise a text, such as choosing a transition or using notes to meet a goal. |
Question. Many hikers say the north trail is the steepest in the park. However, the south trail has so much loose rock that most hikers find it ______ to walk. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word? A) harder B) shorter C) newer D) prettier
| Plan step | What you think |
|---|---|
| Read the question first. | It asks for the most logical word. |
| Read the passage for that job. | "However" signals a contrast with the steep north trail. Loose rock makes a trail hard to walk on. |
| Predict before you look. | My own word is "tough." |
Your turn: prove your choice. Which choice matches "tough"? Which words in the text prove it? Write your answer, then check the Worked Example section of the answer key.
Name the type of question before the clock runs out. CS is Craft and Structure, II is Information and Ideas, SEC is Standard English Conventions, and EI is Expression of Ideas. Set the timer for 3 minutes, or play without it. Choose an answer for each item, then press Check.
Replay Game 1 and try to beat your score.
Test prep teachers often name these as the places students get stuck. Your own results may differ, so your tracker matters most. Read the What to do column now. You do not need to open every link. Come back and open the help when a question stops you.
| Sticking point | Why students get stuck | What to do | Get help |
|---|---|---|---|
| Words in context | A familiar word can have a second meaning, or a choice is a true word that does not fit. | Cover the choices. Put your own simple word in the blank, then match it. | Video | Lesson | Practice |
| Main idea | A choice is true of one detail but does not cover the whole text. | Say the main idea in one short sentence before you read the choices. | Video | Lesson | Practice |
| Inferences | A choice sounds smart but goes further than the text does. | Ask: must this be true, based only on the text? | Video | Lesson | Practice |
| Evidence from a text | A choice is on topic but does not support the claim. | Write the claim in five words. Ask: does this choice prove those words? | Video | Lesson | Practice |
| Evidence from a table or graph | A choice reads the data correctly but does not match the claim. | Find the claim in the text first. Then find the numbers that match it. | Video | Lesson | Practice |
| Two related texts | You mix up which author said what. | Write one short line for each author's view before you read the choices. | Video | Lesson | Practice |
| Transitions | You choose the word that sounds good, not the one that fits the logic. | Name how the two ideas relate before you look: contrast, result, addition, example, or time. | Video | Lesson | Practice |
| Using notes to meet a goal | A choice is true but does not do what the question asks. | Underline the goal. Ignore the notes until you know the goal. | Video | Lesson | Practice |
| Sentence boundaries | You cannot see where one complete sentence ends. | Read each side of the punctuation. Can each one stand alone? | Video | Lesson | Practice |
Stuck on a grammar word? Open Grammar Help: Terms and Tools.
These are original practice questions. The Form asks how sure you are on each one, scores your answers, and explains every choice.
Trouble with the box? Open it in its own tab.
Prefer paper? Open the printable module doc and answer there.
Read the explanation for every choice, including the questions you got right. Write your score on the My Scores tab of your tracker. For each question you missed or rated 1 or 2, add a row on the My Mistakes tab. Each explanation names the sticking point to choose. Leave the Trap column blank for now.
Name how the ideas relate before you choose a transition. Set the timer for 3 minutes, or play without it. Choose an answer for each item, then press Check.
Replay Game 2 and try to beat your score.
Go back through Questions 1 to 5 of the Practice Set. For each wrong choice shown here, name the trap. Set the timer for 3 minutes, or play without it. Choose an answer for each item, then press Check.
With a family member or friend: Take turns naming a trap and proving it with words from the text. If the other person cannot prove theirs, you get the point.
| Sticking point | Domain | Skill | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Words in context | Craft and Structure | Words in Context | Easy |
| Purpose of a text | Craft and Structure | Text Structure and Purpose | Easy |
| Two related texts | Craft and Structure | Cross-Text Connections | Easy |
| Main idea | Information and Ideas | Central Ideas and Details | Easy |
| Inferences | Information and Ideas | Inferences | Easy |
| Evidence from a text | Information and Ideas | Command of Evidence | Easy |
| Evidence from a table or graph | Information and Ideas | Command of Evidence | Easy |
| Transitions | Expression of Ideas | Transitions | Easy |
| Using notes to meet a goal | Expression of Ideas | Rhetorical Synthesis | Easy |
| Sentence boundaries | Standard English Conventions | Boundaries | Easy |
| Verbs and word forms | Standard English Conventions | Form, Structure, and Sense | Easy |
No account, or the Question Bank will not open? Use the Practice link for that sticking point in Part 2, or the Khan Academy SAT Reading and Writing course.
Answer all 5 questions without your notes. When you submit, choose View score and read why each answer is right or wrong. Write your score on the My Scores tab of your tracker. Add any question you missed to the My Mistakes tab.
Trouble with the box? Open it in its own tab.
4 or 5 right: you are ready for your return day. 3 or fewer right: replay Game 3 and reread Parts 1 and 2 before your return day.
Set your return date. Pick a date one to two weeks from today. Write it on the Next Step tab of your tracker and on your calendar.
4 or 5 right: go to Module 2. 3 or fewer right: open the help for the questions you missed, then retake the Exit Check in a few days.
Part 6 below is the full official practice test.
Do this any time after Sitting 3, when you have about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Take a free, full-length official practice test, and treat it like the real test. This kit covers Reading and Writing only. The full test also includes Math.
Next step: open the Next Step tab of your tracker, then open the help for your top sticking point in Part 2. For more lessons, use the Khan Academy SAT Reading and Writing course.