SAT Reading Strategies by Laura from STP

Introduction

• Addressing common struggles:
  • Running out of time.
  • Difficulty understanding passages.
• Personal experience: Scored 780 in Math, 640 in English on SAT.
• Mission: Develop strategies to enhance confidence and reduce stress.
• Achieved a 1580 on the SAT by using these strategies.

Strategies for SAT Reading

Strategy 1: Execution Strategy

• Consider starting at question 27 and working backward.
• Break reading into two blocks:
  • Work on questions 1-10 first, then switch to grammar 15-27, and return to 11-14.

Strategy 2: Process of Elimination

• Find three wrong answers instead of focusing on one right answer.
• Avoid trap answers by thinking critically.

Strategy 3: Identifying Synonyms

• Look for synonyms in answer choices and text.
• Correct answers convey the same idea with different wording.

Strategy 4: Adverbs of Degree

• Pay attention to adverbs of degree (e.g., largely, partly, significantly).
• These can change the correctness of an answer choice.

Strategy 5: Simplifying Hard Names

• Use initials for hard-to-pronounce names to maintain reading flow.

Strategy 6: Skipping Difficult Words

• Skip big, unknown words and rely on context clues.

Strategy 7: Extracting Keywords

• Simplify complex passages by focusing on keywords and phrases.

Strategy 8: Annotation

• Annotate minimally; use symbols and shorthand.
• Use scrap paper instead of digital tools for better visibility.

Strategy 9: Avoiding Inferences

• Do not make inferences unless specified by the question.
• Stick to information explicitly stated in the passage.

Strategy 10: Understanding Correlations in Science Passages

• Know the difference between direct and indirect correlations.
• Understand positive vs. negative correlations.

Strategy 11: Literal vs. Symbolic Understanding

• Avoid literal interpretations in poems and fiction passages.

Strategy 12: Positive/Negative Tone

• Determine the passage’s tone as positive or negative to guide answer choices.

Advanced Strategy

• Laura has developed a highly effective strategy not shared publicly.
• 2-hour crash course available for further learning.

Conclusion

• Encouragement to comment biggest struggle and suggest future video topics.
• Offers links to courses and crash courses for more intensive preparation.

---

Happy SAT prepping!