All passages are from previously published sources, and the Evil Testing
Serpent assures us, with a sadistic gleam in its eye, that they represent the top
writing and thinking in their respective fields. You’re also going to see
something a little strange: Informational graphics will accompany one or two of
the passages, and questions will be asked about the graphics. Don’t worry—
we’ll talk about this later. Literature passages can be old or new, American or
international—they will always be written in English. If you encounter a passage
written in Serbian, please show it to a non-Serbian proctor. Science passages
can be about scientific concepts that have been around for a long time, or more
recent discoveries. History/social studies passages come from articles and book
excerpts on social science topics such as education, anthropology, and sociology,
as well as from founding documents in U.S. history and, in Serpent-speak, “texts
in the Great Global Conversation.” Although you could argue that the Great
Global Conversation is happening on Twitter these days, we would recommend
you shelve those arguments while you’re taking the SAT. These passages are
from speeches and other important documents about political philosophy or
ethics. They will probably be about justice, freedom, rights, the tension between
equality and liberty, or the best way to keep your wig powdered and fresh during
a long Continental Congress.
If all your proctors are Serbian, we cannot help you.
—Samantha
Unfortunately, all of the passages will be much longer than a tweet.
We’ll go over each type of question that you’ll encounter on the Reading
Test, so you know what to expect. But first, there are seven essential rules that
you should familiarize yourself with.
THE SEVEN KEY RULES
RULE 1: KNOW YOUR SPEED.
One of the most important strategies for improving your score on the Reading
Test is to use the time well. You can lose a lot of points if you don’t get through
all the passages, but you’ll also be penalized if you work too quickly and make
dumb mistakes. If you get the timing just right, then you’ll read with the right
balance of care and speed, and you’ll answer questions with the right amount of
precision and time to check your work. Most important, knowing your speed
helps you relax and feel like you are “in the zone.”* The two key aspects of