1. Module Structure & Format
Module 1
- • 27 questions, 32 minutes
- • Mix of easy, medium, and hard questions
- • Your performance determines whether Module 2 is the easier or harder version
Module 2
- • 27 questions, 32 minutes
- • Harder version = higher score ceiling; easier version = lower score ceiling
- • You cannot tell in advance which version you are getting
Passage Format
- • Short passages: 25–150 words each (much shorter than the old paper SAT)
- • One question per passage in most cases — no multi-question reading sets
- • One paired-passage set per full test (two short texts, one question about both)
- • Passages come from literature, history/social studies, humanities, and science
- • Some passages include a graph, table, or chart alongside the text
2. Information & Ideas Strategies
This domain (~26% of the section) covers comprehension, evidence, inferences, and main ideas. Because passages are short, you can re-read the entire passage quickly before answering.
Read for Main Point First
Before reading the answer choices, ask yourself: What is this passage mainly about? and What is the author's attitude or purpose? Anchoring your understanding prevents you from being misled by tempting distractors.
Command of Evidence — Paired Questions
These come in pairs: Question A asks for an inference or claim; Question B asks which quotation best supports your answer to A.
Strategy: Answer Question A first without looking at the evidence options. Then check which evidence answer supports your chosen answer. If no evidence supports it, revisit Question A — do not work backwards from the evidence choices.
Quantitative Evidence Questions
When a passage is paired with a table, graph, or chart, the question will ask which data point best supports a specific claim in the text.
Strategy: Identify the exact claim first — not just the topic. Then find the data row or bar that directly supports that specific claim, not just the general subject.
Central Ideas — Avoid Traps
Correct "main idea" answers cover the whole passage, not just one part. The SAT uses these common distractors:
- Too narrow: only describes one detail or paragraph
- Too broad: goes beyond what the passage actually says
- Opposite: contradicts the author's actual stance
- True but irrelevant: accurate statement that is not the main point
3. Craft & Structure Strategies
This domain (~28%) covers vocabulary in context, author's purpose, and text structure.
Words in Context — Step-by-Step Method
- Cover the answer choices.
- Re-read the sentence and any surrounding sentences.
- Predict your own synonym before looking at the options.
- Eliminate answers by part of speech first (if the blank needs a verb, cut any noun options).
- Then eliminate by connotation — does the context call for a positive, negative, or neutral word?
- Substitute your remaining choices back into the sentence and choose the best fit.
Avoid choosing a word just because it matches the word's most common definition — context always wins.
Text Structure and Purpose
When asked why the author includes a specific detail or example, ask: What job does this sentence do?
- • Provides supporting evidence for a claim
- • Introduces a counterargument the author then addresses
- • Establishes historical context
- • Illustrates an abstract concept with a concrete example
- • Acknowledges a limitation of the argument
Match the function to the answer choice — not just the topic.
4. Cross-Text Connections
One paired-passage question per test. You read two short texts and identify how they relate.
Read Text 1 and note the author's central claim and stance in one sentence.
Read Text 2 and do the same.
Before looking at answer choices, decide the relationship: do they agree, disagree, complement, or address different aspects?
Match your conclusion to an answer choice. The correct answer names the relationship accurately — not just any connection.
Common Cross-Text Relationships
| Support/Agree | Text 2 provides additional evidence for Text 1's claim |
| Challenge/Disagree | Text 2 refutes or complicates Text 1's argument |
| Complementary | The texts address different aspects of the same topic, together giving a fuller picture |
| Different Focus | The texts share a subject but one is broader, one more specific |
5. Transitions — The Most Common SAT Grammar Question
Appears in nearly every test. Master this and pick up easy points.
The Method (3 Steps)
- Read both sentences. Identify what each one says — do not just read the blank.
- Identify the relationship between the two sentences (see table below).
- Match a transition word that expresses that exact relationship. Eliminate all others.
Transition Words by Relationship
| Contrast | however, nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, still, on the other hand, in contrast, conversely, that said |
| Addition | furthermore, moreover, additionally, also, in addition, similarly, likewise |
| Cause / Effect | therefore, thus, consequently, as a result, hence, for this reason, accordingly |
| Example | for instance, for example, specifically, in particular, namely, to illustrate |
| Concession | admittedly, granted, of course, it is true that, while, although, even though |
| Sequence | first, second, then, subsequently, finally, afterward, meanwhile |
Watch out: "Similarly" and "moreover" signal addition/agreement. "However" and "nevertheless" signal contrast. These are the most commonly confused pairs on the SAT.
6. Boundaries: Punctuation Rules
Boundaries questions test whether punctuation correctly separates or joins sentence parts. Learn these rules and you can answer any Boundaries question mechanically.
Core Punctuation Rules
| Mark | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Period (.) | Ends an independent clause (complete sentence). | The results were conclusive. The team published their findings. |
| Semicolon (;) | Joins two independent clauses without a conjunction. Both sides must be complete sentences. | The results were conclusive; the team published their findings. |
| Colon (:) | Introduces a list, explanation, or elaboration. What comes before the colon must be an independent clause. | The study had three phases: design, data collection, and analysis. |
| Comma (,) | Cannot join two independent clauses alone (comma splice). Correct uses: FANBOYS conjunction, after introductory phrases, around non-essential clauses. | The experiment failed, but the team learned from the results. [with FANBOYS] |
| Dash (—) | Introduces an explanation or aside (single dash). Pairs of dashes set off a non-essential interruption. | One result surprised everyone—the placebo outperformed the drug. |
| No punctuation | Often the correct answer when a verb follows its subject, or when a restrictive clause follows its noun. | The study that the team published attracted international attention. |
The Two Most Common Errors
- Comma splice: Using only a comma to join two independent clauses. Fix with a period, semicolon, or comma + coordinating conjunction.
- Run-on sentence: Two independent clauses with no punctuation between them. Fix the same way.
7. Grammar: Form, Structure & Sense
Subject-Verb Agreement
Find the true subject by stripping out all prepositional phrases and relative clauses between the subject and verb.
The results [of the three-year study conducted by the team] were surprising.
True subject: "The results" (plural) → "were"
Indefinite pronouns (each, every, anyone, nobody, someone) take singular verbs.
Pronoun Agreement & Case
A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and gender. Identify what the pronoun refers to before choosing.
- • Singular antecedents: use he/she/it/one/their (singular "their" is now accepted)
- • Collective nouns (team, committee, government) are typically singular in American English
- • Pronoun case: subjects use I/he/she/they; objects use me/him/her/them
Verb Tense & Form
Verb tense should be consistent with the time frame established by the rest of the passage. Look at surrounding sentences for time-signal words.
- • Simple past for completed actions: The scientists discovered...
- • Present perfect for actions relevant to now: Researchers have found...
- • Past perfect for actions before another past action: The data had been collected before the lab closed.
Modifier Placement
A modifier must be placed directly adjacent to the word or phrase it modifies.
✗ "Having studied the data, the results were published."
(The results did not study the data — dangling modifier)
✓ "Having studied the data, the researchers published the results."
Parallel Structure
Items in a list or paired with coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or) must have the same grammatical form.
✗ "The study examines air quality, water levels, and how temperatures change."
✓ "The study examines air quality, water levels, and temperature changes."
8. Adaptive Scoring — What It Means for You
How It Works
- • Module 1 is the same for every student — a mix of difficulty levels.
- • Your performance in Module 1 determines whether you get the harder or easier Module 2.
- • Harder Module 2 = higher possible score. The maximum score is not achievable from the easier module.
- • The scoring algorithm accounts for module difficulty when calculating your final score.
What This Means in Practice
If Module 2 feels very hard — that is a good sign.
The harder module means you performed well in Module 1 and are competing for a higher score. Do not panic. Keep your approach consistent, use your strategies, and manage your time carefully.
Conversely, if Module 2 feels easy, that may indicate a lower score ceiling — focus on getting every question right rather than rushing.
9. Practice Tips
Read Academic Texts Regularly
The SAT uses passages from science, history, economics, and literary criticism. Reading publications like Scientific American, The Atlantic, or academic summaries trains you to extract information quickly from dense, formal prose.
Memorize Transition Word Categories
Transitions questions are predictable and free points. Knowing which words signal contrast, cause/effect, addition, and example lets you answer these in 20–30 seconds.
Practice Punctuation Rules Actively
When editing your own writing, ask: "Could I replace this comma with a period or semicolon?" If yes and the two parts are independent clauses, a comma alone is incorrect. This habit internalizes the rules faster than memorization.
Time Management
Each module has 32 minutes for 27 questions — about 71 seconds per question. Passages are short, so most questions should take 60–90 seconds. Flag difficult questions and return to them rather than getting stuck.
Eliminate, Don't Just Choose
For every question, eliminate the three wrong answers rather than just hunting for the right one. Wrong answers on the SAT have identifiable flaws: too extreme, not supported by text, irrelevant, or outside the scope of the passage.
Review Mistakes by Category
After every practice set, categorize your mistakes by question type. If you miss three Transitions questions, that is more useful information than knowing you scored 80% overall. Fix weaknesses at the category level.
Apply These Strategies Now
Try realistic SAT sample questions to put this guide into practice.