How to Improve Your Score on the SAT Reading Comprehension Test
College-bound students around the country diligently complete the SAT test each year. This standard aptitude test serves as a popular measure of student's academic abilities. Major colleges and universities use student scores on this test to make admission decisions. The reading portion of the SAT test consists of sentence completion and reading passage questions. This test is intended to measure a student's English language competency and general reading comprehension skills. While much of the score on the SAT is determined by overall intelligence, there are steps that conscientious students can take to ensure that they score to their maximum potential.
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Instructions
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Expand your vocabulary. Your SAT reading score depends heavily on your vocabulary. Spend some extra time studying your vocabulary in the months leading up to the test to ensure that your vocabulary is as extensive as you can possibly make it.
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Practice with daily sample question. The College Board provides a rotating selection of daily test questions. Quiz yourself using the provided question each day to prepare.
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Take a practice test before your scheduled test date. The College Board provides an online practice test. Take this test a week before your SAT. Time yourself, and take the test in a quiet, secured environment to practice testing in an environment similar to the one you will encounter on test day.
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Focus your last-minute preparations on areas in which you struggled while taking your practice test. Look through the questions you missed during your practice test, and look for any trends. If you find an area of weakness, do some last-minute study to strengthen your knowledge in that area.
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Complete sentence-completion questions before reading questions. The SAT sentence-completion questions take less time than the reading questions, so answer these first to ensure that you make the most out of the allotted time.
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Look for line numbers. Line numbers are often provided in the reading test questions. Do not miss these helpful clues in your haste to complete the test.
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Don't jump around. Do not move on in the test until you have answered all of the questions for your current reading passage. If you jump around, you will likely become confused and get the reading passages jumbled up in your head.
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Consider word parts. If you encounter words with which you are not familiar, do not allow them to slow you down. Consider your knowledge of roots and affixes, and use this information to deduce a meaning for the unfamiliar word.
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