SAT TIPS: It’s challenging to achieve an 800 on each the SAT Writing & Reading. It will call for near perfection and a command of both Reading, essay writing and grammar rules. But you can achieve it if you put in the effort and use the SAT writing and reading tips I’ve provided below. I know what it takes because I routinely received an 800 on the Writing section of the real SATs. If you heed my recommendations, you’ll achieve perfection—or a score very near to it.
Note: This article is appropriate for students who have already achieved writing and reading score of 600 on the SAT or above (which translates to a writing test score of 30 or higher out of 40 on the New SAT). If your score is lower than this range, you should read my post on “How to Improve Your SAT Writing & reading Score to a 600.” When you have a 600, return to this article and follow the suggestions there.
Let’s start with writing, The majority of online resources for getting an 800 on the SAT Writing are of rather low quality. They are frequently written by those who have never received an 800. You can tell because their counsel is frequently ambiguous and unpractical.
In comparison, I’ve created what I think is the best 800-level study guide anywhere. Because I personally used these techniques to consistently get 800 on the SAT Writing, I am confident that they are effective. Additionally, they have helped thousands of my students at PrepScholar.
This post will cover why getting an 800 is a good idea, what it takes to get an 800, and the nine essential SAT Writing methods so you can learn how to do it.
You likely already know this since you’re an advanced learner. But understanding the value of an 800 writing score is crucial since it will encourage you to achieve a high score.
You may be sure that my recommendations will work for the test you’re going to take because this guide has been revised for the New 2016 SAT Writing and Language portion.
As a last point, I focus mostly on reaching an 800 in this tutorial. However, these techniques still work if your target is a 700. SAT TIPS
For the avoidance of doubt, a perfect 1600 on the SAT is equivalent to a 1540 or higher. You won’t receive more credit for a 1600 than a 1540 at any prestigious college. Your application’s remaining components will determine whether you are admitted now even though you have already exceeded their cutoff point.
Therefore, don’t waste your time studying to earn a 1600 if you already have a 1560. Your time would be better spent working on the remainder of your application as you are already prepared for the best institutions.
However, it’s worthwhile to work on raising your score to a 1530 or higher if you’re scoring a 1520 or lower AND you want to attend a top 10 college. There is a significant difference between a 1460 and a 1560, mostly because it is far simpler to obtain a 1460 (and many more candidates do so) than a 1560.
At Harvard and Princeton, a 1540 positions you right around the average, and being average is problematic for admissions because the acceptance rate is often under 10%.
Why then did you score 800 on the SAT Reading+Writing? because it enables you to make up for areas where you may have fallen short. Schools typically give greater weight to your composite score than to the scores from each individual section. You only need a 750 in SAT Math if you can score a perfect 40 on the SAT Writing and a perfect 40 on the SAT Reading. You have a lot more flexibility as a result.
A score of 800 on the SAT Writing is crucial if you intend to apply to a top university as a humanities or social science major (such as English, political science, or communications).
Respond to inquiries as you read.
You don’t have much time to read deeply because you have about 48 seconds to respond to each question. Start by quickly skimming the text to get the primary point and determine the writing style. If there is a problem with a section that has been underlined, figure it out and choose the best solution.
Second SAT Writing Tip
HOLD OFF ON LONGER QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END
You will notice genuine question stems that may elicit answers to questions concerning sentence or paragraph placement in addition to the marked passage sections that are sporadically placed throughout. Alternatively, they can ask you to assess whether the passage satisfies the author’s objectives and, if not, why. These inquiries are best addressed after you’ve read the entire passage because they are dependent on it as a whole. SAT TIPS
Third SAT Writing Tip
Make sure your response is succinct and pertinent.
You should tend toward shorter options when more than one appears to be grammatically sound in the section in order to avoid wordiness. Additionally, if one of the response options appears to veer off topic, remove it right away. The right response will always be pertinent to the information presented before it.
Fourth SAT Writing Tip
APPRECIATE PUNCTUATION
You will be tested on punctuation in about two questions each passage on the Writing & Language part, and you can use your knowledge of punctuation to correctly answer many other questions as well. A list of some significant punctuation rules is provided below. SAT TIPS
There are MANY PURPOSE FOR COMMAS (,), BUT THE SAT TESTS THEM IN FOUR PRIMARY WAYS:
Separate a list of three or more items (apples, bananas, and oranges)
Use the conjunction FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So) to break up any number of independent clauses (My mom was going to pick me up from school, but my dad came instead.)
Separate the sentence’s initial information from the rest of it (In 2008, the Phillies won the World Series.)
Distinguish non-essential descriptive material from a sentence’s body or conclusion (I ran across the floor, which was painted with school colors, to meet Steve. OR I ran across the floor to meet Steve, who greeted me with a high five.)
TO JOIN TWO SEPARATE CLAUSES WITHOUT USING A FANBOYS CONJUNCTION, SEMICOLONS (;) ARE USED.
A semicolon must be followed by entire, independent sentences on both sides. (I entered the competition early; nevertheless, a week later, I made the decision to withdraw.)
A COLON (:) IS USED TO INTRODUCE AND/OR EMPHASIZE SHORT PHRASES, QUOTATIONS, EXPLAINATIONS, EXAMPLES, OR LIST.
An independent clause must come before the colon in the sentence. (The Grey’s Anatomy season finale presented the biggest barrier to finishing my assignment.) SAT TIPS
SLIPS (—) HAVE 2 PRIMARY GOALS:
Show reluctance or a pause in thought (I recently saw John, and he looked fantastic; no, it was Greg.)
Set the rest of the statement apart from an explanation, example, or list. (Jill is a wonderful friend and person because of many aspects of her personality, including empathy, respect, and kindness.)
APOSTROPHES (‘) HAVE 2 ADDITIONAL PRIMARY PURPOSE:
Possession is indicated (Bob’s book, my friends’ phones).
Construct contractions such as “there’s the rabbit,” “it’s crucial,” and “who’s in control.”
Fifth SAT Writing Tip
KNOW THE POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN IDEAS,
Writing and language test questions will test your ability to transfer ideas in a suitable and effective way. There are four relationships in general that you should be aware of, and you should choose the proper kind of transition word to establish each relationship.
Think about the connections between the concepts when a transition word is underlined.
Transitions to utilize include additionally, furthermore, for instance, and also, among others, since reinforcement refers to how one notion supports or builds off another.
In contrast, one thought is opposed to another. Here, though, on the other hand, despite, and unlike may be appropriate transition words.
Cause and effect refers to the idea that one thing causes another. Use transitions like consequently, therefore, since, and since to denote this link.
For elements that are a part of a series, sequence transitions are employed. This link would be established by using words like first, then, afterward, and lastly. SAT TIPS
SAT writing is intended to trick you; you must learn how to avoid it.
The SAT is a peculiar test, which is why. Don’t you feel when you take it that the questions are completely different from what you saw in school?
You’ve already studied grammar at school. Basic grammatical principles are familiar to you. The SAT questions, however, just seem so much stranger.
This is how it was intended to be. Because it would be unjust to assess complex ideas on the SAT for kids who have never taken AP English, this is not possible. It cannot demand that you analyze The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. Since the SAT is a national exam, all students across the nation must take it on an even playing field.
Therefore, it MUST test material that all high school students will learn. Run-on phrases, subject verb agreement, choice of pronouns, etc. All of this was taught to you at school.
The SAT must, however, test these ideas in unusual ways in order to maintain its level of difficulty. This frustrates unprepared pupils while rewarding those who have a solid grasp of the test. SAT TIPS
Your score on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing component of the SAT is based in part on how well you do on the SAT Reading Test. (The Writing and Language Test provides the remaining portion.)
The Reading Test is significant as a result of this breakdown, but it is manageable. You merely need to understand how to approach each reading section; there are no formulae or comma rules to learn.
Use these crucial reading techniques to prepare for a high SAT reading score.
Great SAT Reading Strategies
1. Know what to anticipate.
You will have 65 minutes to read five texts from the humanities, sciences, social sciences, and history, and to respond to a total of 52 questions. The questions will challenge you in a variety of ways, such as asking you to interpret words in their context, determine why an author included a particular detail, identify the primary idea of an entire section, contrast two passages, or even identify data on a graph.
2. Pick your own sequence.
The order of the reading questions is chronological rather than in terms of difficulty. Don’t be afraid to skip a challenging question, and don’t stress yourself if you can’t respond to all of them. Learn more about the SAT’s problem-solving techniques. SAT TIPS
3. Read what you require.
You don’t have to spend time attempting to become an expert on the subject at hand by reading every word of the passage. The passage is immediately in front of you. Therefore, switch back and forth between the passage and the questions, concentrating just on what you need and without becoming bogged down in the plethora of little details.
4. Leave your personal opinions outside.
You will frequently be asked to present your own viewpoint, backed up by the text, in an English class. Not the SAT, though. Watch out for questions that include the words “infer,” “imply,” or “suggest.” Even if the answer isn’t stated explicitly in the text, there will still be a ton of supporting information. SAT TIPS
5. Save the core idea-related queries for last.
The very first question for many of the Reading sections will provide a general inquiry regarding the paragraph’s principal idea or aim, the narrative point of view, or a transition that takes place during the passage. You shouldn’t answer those broad questions first because you haven’t read the complete passage. You’ll have a solid understanding of the text’s major topics once you’ve answered the majority of the other questions.
Test out these reading techniques. Practice answering some SAT reading exam questions.
6. Consider each dual passage separately.
One of your science, history, or social studies sections will consist of two shorter paragraphs that discuss the same subject. Ask questions regarding the first passage first, the second passage next, and the two passages together finally. This will save time and prevent you from mixing up the two paragraphs when analyzing the possible answers. SAT TIPS
Can you retake the SAT? Yes, you can take it as many times as you like. The College Board provides no restrictions on how often you can take the SAT — they’re happy to let you do so.
Preparing for the college admission process in advance is crucial for reducing the level of stress. If you’re wondering how to improve scores, the early prep process is your key to success. Besides, if you start preparing beforehand, you’ll have more time to retake the test. According to the College Board, students who take the more than once usually improve their results.
So, make every effort to prepare, but if your first SAT score isn’t what you expected to get, you can try to improve it.
There are a few popular methods that students use to prepare for the:
However, for some learners, it may be hard to stay motivated and stick to their study plans. Also, they can face challenges when self-diagnosing their strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, guidance is helpful sometimes.
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