Reading and Writing · 15 · Getting Started · Free
SAT Verbal Strategy
Notes
Key points
- Read the question first: know what you're reading for.
- Predict an answer in your own words before you look at the choices.
- Eliminate: off-topic, too strong, or only half right — cross it out.
- The right answer is backed by the text, never by outside knowledge.
- Conventions: compare the four choices — what changes tells you the rule.
- Transitions: read the sentences before and after the blank, then name the relationship.
- Rhetorical Synthesis: the goal in the question decides; a true note that misses it is wrong.
Common traps
- Picking an answer that sounds true but the passage never supports.
- Rhetorical Synthesis: choosing the most detailed option instead of the one that meets the goal.
- Spending three minutes on one question — flag it and come back.
SAT tip
Words in context: cover the choices, fill the blank with your own word, then pick the closest match.
Test yourself
10 official SAT questions on SAT Verbal Strategy, easiest first.