The SAT Writing and Language Test measures a student’s grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, and paragraph structure.
Some people say that you can’t study for the SAT Writing Test–that you must build these skills over a long period of time. However, this isn’t the case. You can substantially increase your SAT Writing score by taking practice tests and applying strategies, like the ones outlined below.
This article outlines 6 tips for the SAT Writing and Language Test, including real-test examples of how to apply each strategy.
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What is the SAT Writing and Language Test?
The SAT Writing and Language Test is the second section of the SAT, consisting of 44 multiple-choice questions that test students’ writing and grammar skills. The test lasts 35 minutes and includes four passages, with 11 questions per passage.
The Writing and Language Test evaluates multiple types of writing skills:
Grammar: Identify correct punctuation, subject-verb agreement, verb-tense agreement, complex and compound sentences, run-on sentences, dependent clauses, and appositive phrases
Style: Select the best language and wording to communicate an idea
Vocabulary: Choose the best word for a certain spot in the text
Paragraph structure: Determine the most logical way to introduce a paragraph, order sentences within a paragraph–and revise, add, or remove sentences
Transitions: Choose the best word or phrase to transition between sentences or ideas
What Does the SAT Writing and Language Test Ask Students to Do?
The SAT Writing and Language Test asks students to determine the best phrasing for underlined portions within a passage. Each multiple-choice question correlates to an underlined word or phrase from the text, and students must determine which answer choice uses the correct phrasing.
Questions provide four answer choices: Choice A is typically “NO CHANGE,” if the text’s original phrasing is better than the alternatives. Each passage mixes question types–style questions, grammar questions, vocabulary questions, and so on.
The SAT Writing and Language section is similar to the ACT English section.
6 Tips for the SAT Writing and Language Test
Based on my experience teaching SAT prep, these are the most helpful tips for the SAT Writing and Language Section:
1. Know The Difference: Style Questions vs. Grammar Questions
Most of the SAT Writing Test’s questions fall into one of two categories: style questions or grammar questions. It’s important to differentiate between these two question types because their right and wrong answers follow different patterns. In the image below, question 13 is a grammar question, and question 14 is a style question.
Grammar Questions
Grammar questions evaluate your punctuation and vocabulary skills. As you may expect, the three wrong answers for these questions are grammatically incorrect–Google Docs would underline them in red.
How to Answer: Pay attention to patterns like subject-verb agreement, commas vs. periods, and verb tense. In question 13, the right answer is A because it uses the correct spelling for “peak” and the right preposition–“of,” not “for.”
Style Questions
Style questions measure your ability to write with efficiency, formality, and style. For these, all answer choices are grammatically correct. You need to pick the most appropriate, least awkward answer.
How to Answer: Find the most concise and formal answer choice. Wrong answers are usually repetitive, excessively wordy, or use casual language. For question 14, the right answer is D–all the other options use unnecessary words.
2. The Shortest Answer is Usually Correct
Style questions evaluate your ability to use language efficiently. This means that wrong answers are unnecessarily wordy, repetitive, and too long. If you’re stuck between two answers on a style question, pick the shorter answer.
Questions 14 (above) and 6 (below) are both style questions. In both cases, the correct answer is the most concise–the shortest.
Question 14 (pictured above): The three wrong answers use too many unnecessary words
Question 6 (below): The three wrong answers use unnecessary words to combine the two sentences. Once again, the correct answer is the most efficient and concise.
3. The Most Formal Answer is Usually Correct
On the SAT Writing Test, the correct answer is usually the most formal. This is especially true on style questions and vocabulary questions, where each answer has correct punctuation. If you come across an underlined phrase where all answers are grammatically correct, eliminate the answers with the most awkward or childish phrasing.
In question 26, all answer options are grammatically correct and have nothing to do with punctuation. The correct answer is B because it is the most formal, and therefore the most appropriate for academic context. Phrases like “big-name,” “primo,” and “hotshot” are too conversational.
4. Know the Difference: Comma, Dash, Colon, Semicolon, and Period
Most SAT Writing Test grammar questions assess basic punctuation: comma, dash, colon, semicolon, and period. While each punctuation mark denotes a pause in the sentence, they have slightly different rules.
General guidelines for using a comma, dash, colon, semicolon, and period:
Comma: Separates non-essential information and phrases from the sentence’s main clause (subject+verb). Commas usually go before or after dependent clauses or appositive phrases. If you combine two complete sentences with a conjunction (but, and, so…) you must use a comma before the conjunction. This creates a compound sentence.
Example: I like cheese, so I bought a whole wheel.
Dash: Basically a more intense comma. Use a dash instead of a comma when the added phrase might get confused with the rest of the sentence. You can also think of dashes as a more formal version of parentheses.
Example: My three favorite cheeses–manchego, gouda, and cheddar–taste great in a quesadilla.
Colon: A colon comes after a complete sentence and signifies that the following part elaborates on the sentence in some way. Usually, the following part is a list or explanation.
Example: I never forget my mom’s number one rule: always have cheese with dinner.
Semicolon: A semicolon is basically a period, but it suggests that the two sentences have a close relationship.
Example: I walked to Trader Joe’s to buy cheese; they were sold out.
Period: A full pause between complete sentences that contain a subject and a verb.
You can think about these 5 punctuation marks as increasing in pause intensity, along a spectrum, like shown below. Commas denote the least-intense pause, dashes are slightly more intense, colons even more, semicolons are nearly as intense as periods, and periods are the fullest and most intense pause.
5. Identify the Verb’s Subject
Grammar questions commonly test your awareness of subject-verb agreement, with both plurality and verb tense. Subjects, verbs, and pronouns–like he, her, theirs, etc–must always match across a sentence and paragraph.
The subject and verb must match in two ways:
Plurality: Singular vs. plural
Time: Past tense, present tense, or future tense
To answer these questions correctly, determine which subject or verb corresponds to the underlined word. Question 6 underlines the verb “were,” which is past tense and plural. However, the verb’s subject is Mayor Andrew Ellicott, and the sentence also says he “needed” a capable assistant. This context calls for a singular, past-tense verb instead of “were.” Therefore, the correct answer is D–“was.”
6. Notice How Each Sentence Develops the Paragraph
The SAT Writing Test includes many questions about structure, asking you to select the best sentence or word to introduce a paragraph or transition between ideas. For structure questions, note how each sentence builds on the one before it to develop the paragraph.
Each paragraph’s first sentence introduces the paragraph’s main idea or topic, and each successive sentence elaborates on the one before it. This means that when you have a transition or structure question, pay the most attention to the sentence immediately before and after the underlined part.
Question 42 prompts to rephrase the underlined portion to introduce the sentences that follow. The very next sentence lists different types of stores: “grocery stores, convenience stores, and numerous other businesses…” and says they were all able to pay relatively high employee wages. Since these stores and “numerous other businesses” all share this same quality, you can deduce that the club store chains are not unique but rather indicate a larger trend. Therefore, C is the best answer.
Boost your SAT Writing Test Scores
These strategies about punctuation, concision, and formality will help you determine the right answer to SAT Writing and Language questions. However, in addition to these strategies, it’s important to take as many practice tests as you can before your SAT test date. Practice tests will help you keep these strategies in mind and apply them in context.
If you’re preparing for the SAT, also check out my SAT Reading Tips and question types.
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