Last spring, we said goodbye to the traditional paper-and-pencil version of the SAT and hello to the Digital SAT. So far, as students adjust to the updated content and testing mode, the transition to the new test has been met with mostly positive reviews. As we sit back and reflect, let’s take a closer look at one of the more significant differences between the old SAT and the new Digital SAT: the Reading and Writing section. Not only is Reading and Writing combined into two modules with fewer questions and shorter passages, it now features questions about poetry and places even more emphasis on vocabulary knowledge. Most test prep approaches will focus on strategies like active reading and process of elimination, but you can give yourself an even stronger advantage by honing your poetry analysis skills, building your vocabulary, and most importantly, reading more.
Power Up on Poetry
Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, E. E. Cummings, William Shakespeare, are all poets that you may or may not have encountered in your English classes over the years. Still, just because you’ve studied some poetry doesn’t necessarily mean you are ready to tackle each line and stanza you’ll see on the SAT, which has added poetry passages to more broadly assess students’ ability to understand the types of genres they are likely to study as college freshmen. Most students have an antagonistic relationship with poetry—its mysterious meter and complex figurative language creating comprehension roadblocks.
So, what can you do to get ready for poetry questions on the SAT? Two things: actively read and strategically practice. Part of what makes poetry so intimidating is a lack of familiarity, so making a commitment to exposing yourself to not only more poetry but the type of poetry you’re likely to see on the test is one way you can promote your poetry prowess and alleviate anxiety. The poems you are likely to see on the SAT include works from classic and modern poets, many from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. You might see poems from Angelina Weld Grimké, a Black American writer, or William Shakespeare. Poetry anthologies like The Norton Anthology of Poetry and Poetry 101 are a good place to start reading more poems. As you read, exercise your poetry analysis skills with annotations: paraphrase lines, identify themes, decode imagery, break down structure, and interpret mood and tone.
Then, take practice tests and answer practice questions to apply and assess your new skills. Approach each question strategically by first reading and understanding what the question is asking, reread the relevant part of the poem (don’t forget the title!), think of your own answer, and then use the process of elimination to evaluate the answer choices. The hardest part is going to be deciphering the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words or complex figurative language, so carefully reread more than the referenced lines for context clues.
Upgrade Your Vocabulary
Having a robust vocabulary is one of the key indicators of whether or not a student has the verbal skills to handle college level classes, so it’s no surprise that the success on the SAT’s Reading and Writing section requires a strong vocabulary, especially for sentence completion questions. Most of our vocabulary knowledge comes from exposure, picking new words up as we hear or read them used in different contexts. Your typical high school student, however, is probably most familiar with the flashcard method of studying vocabulary.
To prepare for the SAT, combine both vocabulary acquisition strategies: read more and review flashcards. Both methods will not only build the vocabulary you need to boost your SAT score, but they will also improve your overall reading and writing skills. Since spacing out vocabulary study is the key to long-term retention, start working on adding to your vocabulary early on in the test prep process by committing to reading more in your free time, preferably texts similar to the ones you will find on the SAT in terms of reading level and genre. Seek out famous essays and speeches, read scientific articles, and read works of fiction and nonfiction. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
- The Awakening by Kate Chopin
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
- Selected Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson
- The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Walden by Henry David Thoreau
- Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Create flashcards based on new words you encounter as you read or rely on a list of recommended SAT vocabulary words. Focus on understanding how words are used in different contexts, especially words that can have multiple meanings like “acute” or “base” and study word roots to make it easier to decode unfamiliar words.
How A+ Can Help
By getting comfortable with poetry and adding vocabulary words to your test prep toolbox, you are setting yourself up for success on the new Digital SAT. You are likely to do even better if you add reading in your free time to your agenda, exposing yourself to a wide range of genres and words that reflect the content of the test and developing a habit that will serve you well into college and beyond. Don’t forget that taking practice tests and test prep tutoring are still some of the most effective ways to boost your SAT score. A+ Test Prep and Tutoring is proud to offer free proctored practice tests and test prep tutoring services.
At A+ Test Prep and Tutoring, our practices are based on the latest developments in educational theory and research. We have an excellent team of tutors who can help you with standardized testing, executive functioning, or achievement in any other school subject. If you want to find out more about our services, contact us here.
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