SAT/ACT Test Prep: Introduction to Reading Comprehension
This chapter will give you an overview of basic strategies, structures, and practice problems for the SAT/ACT reading comprehension section as it stands in 2023. Going through this chapter, we will discuss some general and rudimentary strategies to tackle speed-reading for various types of reading passages along with some tips and pitfalls to be aware of on the SAT and ACT. Keep in mind that the SAT and ACT are highly similar, despite what the SAT and ACT themselves tell you. We will point out important differences when they arise, but generally, the strategies and skills you will learn herein are equally applicable on both tests.
1. Reading Comprehension Test Format: SAT/ACT
| SAT | ACT |
| One test section | One test section |
| 65 minutes | 35 minutes |
| 5 passages – 4 individual, long passages – 1 paired, shorter passage | 4 passages – 3 individual, long passages – 1 paired, shorter passage |
| 52 questions (10 to 11 per passage) | 40 questions (10 per passage) |
| c. 13 minutes per passage | c. 8-9 minutes per passage |
| Graphics (tables, graphs, charts, etc.) will appear in 2 passages |
Time Management:
The SAT and ACT are long tests and timing on each section is crucial. Timing issues will vary from student to student and section to section based on the nuances of the section itself and the student’s individual strengths and weaknesses. There are different strategies to handle time management in each section (Reading, Math, Grammar, etc.). We will handle strategies for each section individually.
Content & Question Classification:
While the SAT and ACT proport to test somewhat different things on the Reading Comprehension, they fundamentally do not. They are highly similar, though they might use different descriptions and “classification” names todescribe their questions, sections, and tested skills, they are testing precisely the same skills; don’t be fooled by their marketing. Reading comprehension on both the SAT and ACT is designed to test your ability to find evidence (comprehension), understand the author’s choices (rhetoric), and determine the meaning of words (vocabulary).
Questions fall into three general categories. Each category is given below with a basic breakdown of what these categories encompass.
| “Information and Ideas” (SAT wording) or “Key Ideas and Details” (ACT wording) |
| Determine Meanings both explicit and implicit |
| Comprehend and determine relationships |
| Determine central ideas, theses, and arguments |
| Cite textual evidence |
| Summarize information |
| Interpret language based on context, denotation, and connotation |
| “Rhetoric & Author’s Choice” (SAT) or “Craft & Structure” (ACT) |
| Analyze structure and intent of structure |
| Analyze and assess purpose and argument |
| Analyze point of view and audience |
| Analyze and assess word choice |
| “Synthesis & Meaning” (SAT) or “Integration of Ideas” (ACT) |
| Analyze/compare multiple texts and views |
| Analyze quantitative information (both graphical and textual) |
2. Rudimentary Test Strategies and Tips
While this course will help you to practice and navigate the SAT and ACT, the best regular practice you can do for reading comprehension is to simply read more! There is lots of different kinds of reading materials on the SAT and ACT from old-fashioned English literature excerpts, news articles, informational documents, scientific expositions, historical documents, sociological research presentations, to short stories. The more your read and the more broadly you read in your daily life, the better you will be at adapting to and comprehending all the different kinds of readings you will potentially see on the SAT and ACT. So get reading!
Passage Types:
Both the SAT and ACT Reading Comprehension test sections will contain fiction and non-fiction passages. While the two tests proport to have different kinds of readings, they are fundamentally the same.
| History & Social Studies (SAT) | Social Studies & Humanities (ACT) |
USA founding documents, anthropology, archaeology, biography, business, economics, education, geography, history, political science, psychology, sociology, architecture, art, dance, ethics, film, language, literary criticism, music, philosophy, radio, television, and theater.
c. 50% of test
| Science (SAT) | Natural Sciences (ACT) |
Earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, astronomy, botany, ecology, geology, medicine, meteorology, natural history, technology, and zoology.
c. 25% of test
| US and World Literature (SAT) | Prose Fiction/Literary Narratives (ACT) |
Complete very short stories or excerpts from longer short stories or novels, potentially including passages from memoirs and personal essays.
c. 25% of test
Keep in mind that all the topics and even literature selections are available to the above-average high schoolers, meaning that all the topics are potentially ones that you could have or should have seen in a high school class. It is unlikely, for example, that the Natural Science reading will be on General Relativity, but it is likely that the Natural Science reading will be on the nature of light, the orbits of planets, the life cycle of stars, or the atom. While some of the topics you might not remember or might have not seen in a typical high school (perhaps yet), they are commonly taught in high schools across the US, and so are fair. Having some knowledge of these topics prior to taking the test will give you an advantage; however, foreknowledge of these subjects is not necessary to do well, since all the knowledge you will need to answer any of the questions will be contained in the reading itself.
If you have every taken a test before, these rudimentary strategies will be obvious to you, and you are certainly welcome to skim this section. It is worth pointing out these basic testing strategies, but most people will be very familiar with them. I will point out some of the particular nuances to the SAT and ACT in regards to these common strategies, so it might be worth taking note of the boldened remarks. Click on each to read more.
1. Reading the questions VERY carefully and understand exactly what they ask and imply.
Reading the passage quickly and at a surface level might be desirable, but reading the questions with precision and care is very important. Often the questions will have subtle aspects that will utterly change the requirements for a correct answer. Absolutisms are a great example: words like “all” and “every” will complete change the meaning of an answer and questions and generally will lead to over simplifications/generalizations that are not entirely true.
Some quick things to be warry of:
- Absolutisms in answer choices like “all,” “every,” “never,” “always”
- Questions that ask in the negative (i.e. “which of these is NOT correct” or “all of the following are true EXCEPT”)
- Answers with data and numbers; often the numbers might be in the reading but have been swapped in their placement in some way in the answer. Be sure everything lines up correctly.
2. Attempt to develop and answer before reviewing the answer choices, unless you have no idea what the answer might be.
Often there is one or more answers designed to sound right or be almost right. Such pseudo-answers are intended to distract you, confuse you, and potentially bias you. It is better to have an idea of what the correct answer should be before reviewing the answers available lest you fall into a trap of tricky pseudo-answers.
If the question refers you to a specific part in the passage, be sure you fully understand the question before going back so that you don’t waste your time in going back and reading. Be sure to read the information around this referenced section to get the full context of the moment in question.
Some quick things to be warry of:
- Answer choices that contain true information from the passage but do not answer the question be asked.
- Answers choices that are true but contain truths that are not actually given in the passage. Despite the information being relevant and true, the answer must be substantiated in the passage regardless.
- Answer choices that sound very complex and eloquent, but which are simply not correct or distracting from a more simple and correct answer. Often, the answer is not actually complicated. Keep Occam’s Razor in mind: “the simplest answers to a question is most likely the correct one” assuming it is logical and substantiated.
3. Identify the correct answer by eliminating the obvious incorrect answers first.
Sometimes the correct answer is obvious without eliminating the incorrect answers, but sometimes it is best to start by identifying the wrong answers and winnowing down you options until you are left with two potentially good answers. At this point, critically think about the difference in these two answer choices. Which answer choice can be justified by the passage? The correct answer must be proven by the passage. Even if both answers are true in the world of knowledge generally, the one that has no corresponding proof in the passage under consideration is not correct. While outside knowledge can be a powerful tool on the test, it is not required and can lead you to wrong answer if you lean upon it too much. Always be sure there is evidence in the passage to justify your conclusion.
Some quick things to be possibly eliminate:
- Answer choices irrelevant to the passage
- Answer choices with information not specifically mentioned in the passage
- Answer choices that contain true statements but are not actually answering the given question.
4. Prioritize the questions you are answering initially, medially, and ultimately.
It might seem obviously. But you do not have to answer the question in the order they are given. Sometimes it makes sense to follow the given order, but sometimes skipping more difficult questions while prioritizing the easy question is best for time management. It might be the simple case that you will not be able to get to all the questions or have time to carefully answer all the questions, so you want to answer the one’s that are easy and you feel most confident about first and save the one’s you will likely miss for last. Thus, follow this approach:
- First Pass: answer all the questions that you come to that you feel like you can answer in a reasonable amount of time, skipping the question that you feel you can answer but suspect or know will take more careful time and consideration as well as those that you have no idea how to answer. Be sure to mark the questions that you will return to differently for those that you can answer well and those that you do not feel you can answer well
- Second Pass: return to those questions that you feel like you can answer but suspected would take longer to answer. Answer these questions.
- Third Pass: finally return to the questions that you had no idea how to answer. You might be running out of time at this point, but that is okay. You already know that these questions are unlikely to be answered correctly, so these are the questions wherein guessing strategies will be best employed. Use whatever time you have left to attempts to answer then and make reasonable guess as time runs out.
NOTE: You are not penalized for guessing on the SAT and ACT. Never leave a question blank. Always provide an answer; there is a chance you might get it right. If you get it wrong, it’s the same as having left it blank, so not worries!