Expectations for the SAT Reading Test?

I've been studying for the SAT and focusing a lot on the reading test lately. What are they expecting students to do in this section? Any tips or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

The SAT Reading Test evaluates your ability to comprehend and analyze passages from different genres and subjects. It aims to measure your critical reading skills, understanding of vocabulary in context, and ability to draw evidence from the text to support your answers. Here are some tips and guidance to help you prepare for this section of the test:

1. Familiarize yourself with the structure: The SAT Reading Test consists of 52 questions based on 4-5 passages, with a total time limit of 65 minutes. Passages may be focused on literature, history/social studies, and natural sciences. Each passage is followed by 10-12 questions that assess a variety of skills.

2. Focus on active reading: As you go through the passages, underline or highlight important details, main ideas, or key arguments. Doing so will help you retain information and quickly refer back to it when answering questions.

3. Manage your time wisely: You have approximately 13 minutes for each passage, to read it and answer the questions. Keep track of your time and practice pacing yourself so that you can cover all the passages and questions within the allotted time.

4. Read the questions first: Before diving into the passage, skim through the questions, so that you have an idea of what to look for while reading the passage, and can focus on the relevant details. Do not try to actually answer the questions before reading the passage, though, as that could lead to confusion or misinterpretation.

5. Use process of elimination: If you're stumped on a question, eliminate the answer choices that seem obviously incorrect or least likely to be correct. Doing so will increase your chances of selecting the right answer even if you're guessing.

6. Pay attention to context: Many questions will ask about the meaning of specific words or phrases in context. Read the sentences surrounding the term in question to gather clues regarding its meaning or function in the passage.

7. Refer back to the passage: When answering questions, always refer back to the passage for evidence or confirmation. Don't rely solely on your memory or intuition.

8. Beware of extreme language: Answer choices with extreme language, such as "always" or "never," are often incorrect. These terms can signal overgeneralization or oversimplification, so approach them cautiously.

9. Practice, practice, practice: Take full-length practice tests and timed Reading Test sections to get comfortable with the format, timing, and question types you'll encounter on the actual test day.

By following these tips and consistently working on your reading skills, you'll be better prepared for the SAT Reading Test and improve your ability to tackle its challenges. And if you want even more tips on how to succeed on the SAT as a whole, many of which can also be applied to the Reading Test specifically, check out CollegeVine's series of test-prep blog posts, such as this one: https://blog.collegevine.com/10-tips-to-improve-your-sat-score

Good luck!