SAT Writing and Critical Reading

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SAT Writing and Critical Reading
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Timing

• SAT Writing
• 25 minutes - Essay
• 25 minutes - 35 questions (improving sentences
  and paragraphs, identifying sentence errors)
• 10 minutes - 14 questions (improving sentences)
• SAT Critical Reading
• 25 minutes - 24 questions (sentence completion,
  short and reading comprehension)
• 25 minutes - 24 questions (sentence completion,
  short and reading comprehension)
• 20 minutes - 19 questions (sentence completion,
  long reading comprehension)

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Writing

• Essay
• 25 minutes to write about a given topic
• Tests you on your grasp of English language
  conventions and your ability to develop a point
  of view supported by evidence based on reading,
  experience, and studies.

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Writing

• Multiple Choice
• Two sections
• Identifying sentence errors
• Improving sentences
• Improving paragraphs

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Critical Reading

• Short Passages
• 1-2 paragraphs long
• 1-2 questions for each passage
• Tests you on your reading comprehension, not
  prior knowledge

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Critical Reading

• Long Passages
• 3-5 paragraphs long
• 3-5 questions per passage
• Main ideas and a couple of details
• All of the answers are in the passage

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Critical Reading

• Sentence Completion
• Read a sentence with missing word(s) or phrase(s)
  and choose an answer to fill in the blank

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SAT Writing Score

• Your essay is scored by two SAT graders who will
  each give a score from 1-6 where 6 is the best
  and 1 the worst. The essay score that you see on
  your score report will be the sum of the scores
  by both graders.
• Multiple choice writing is on a 20 to 80 scale.
  If you answer a question correctly, you get one
  point if you answer a question incorrectly, you
  get -1/4 point if you omit a question, you get
  zero points. Your multiple choice score and essay
  score is then converted into one score on a scale
  from 200-800.

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SAT Critical Reading Score

• The Critical Reading score are computed similarly
  to the multiple choice section of SAT Writing. A
  correct answer earns one point, an incorrect
  earns -1/4 point, and an omit earns zero points.
  Again, your raw scores will be converted on
  200-800 scales.

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Sample Essay Question

• Heroes may seem old-fashioned today. Many people
  are cynical and seem to enjoy discrediting role
  models more than creating new ones or cherishing
  those they already have. Some people, moreover,
  object to the very idea of heroes, arguing that
  we should not exalt individuals who, after all,
  are only flesh and blood, just like the rest of
  us. But we desperately need heroes to teach us,
  to captivate us through their words and deeds, to
  inspire us to greatness.
• Adapted from Psychology Today, "How To Be Great!
  What Does It Take To Be A Hero?
• Assignment
• Is there a value in celebrating certain
  individuals as heroes? Plan and write an essay in
  which you develop your point of view on this
  issue. Support your position with reasoning and
  examples taken from your reading, studies,
  experience, or observations.