Sullivan Tutoring

By Kathryn Marquis Azevedo
Director of English, Sullivan Tutoring, Inc.

Adopting a judicious and focused study plan will always be the most effective route to improving SAT scores. Moreover, every study program should include the following 10 strategies for earning points on the SAT Writing.

1. Know subject-verb agreement
There is no way around this one. Subject-verb agreement errors are one of the most common errors on the SAT Writing, appearing anywhere from two to six times per section. More specifically, test writers often write sentences that confuse is with are, has with have, and was with were.

2. Know noun-pronoun agreement
There is no way around this one either, as noun-pronoun agreement is another one of the most common errors on the SAT Writing. Test writers frequently construct sentences that confuse it with they, often referring to the government, a team, a band, etc. as “they” instead of “it.” Also, students need to know when to use I or me in a sentence. For example: The agreement between the client and me was that I would finish the project before January.

3. Recognize illogical comparisons
Many of the incorrect answer options in the “Spotting Errors” section include illogical comparisons. To be logical, a comparison must relate things in the same category: one can compare people to people, places to places, and things to things. The following is an example of an illogical comparison: Her perspective on global diplomacy was more cosmopolitan than other people.

4. Know what a comma splice is
In the “Improving Sentences” section of the SAT Writing, answer options often contain sentences with comma splices. These answers are always wrong. A comma splice is when a comma is used to separate two independent clauses. For example: The magician dazzled the crowd with his sword-swallowing trick, his disappearing act was equally entertaining. Instead of using a comma in the preceding sentence, one would use a semicolon.

5. Know what a dangling modifier is
In the “Improving Sentences” section of the SAT Writing, answer options often contain dangling modifiers. Answer options with dangling modifiers are always incorrect. The following is an example of a dangling modifier: Known for her exaggerated stories and inflated rhetoric, we found Mary’s tale hard to believe. In the first part of this sentence, before the comma, Mary is the implied subject (Mary is the one who exaggerates). However, the rest of the sentence after the comma implies that we are the subject. That is incorrect. The sentence should read: Known for her exaggerated stories and inflated rhetoric, Mary often tells tales that we find hard to believe.

6. Avoid long answers
In the “Improving Sentences” section, many of the incorrect answers contain redundant and wordy language. Therefore, many of the incorrect answers are long. The correct answer is very often the answer with the most direct and succinct (i.e., short) language.

7. Use semicolons properly
Use a semicolon to connect two independent clauses (complete sentences). For example: Black Bear sightings are more frequent in the summer; during the winter months, the Black Bear is in hibernation. Or, use a semicolon before a conjunctive adverb such as however and therefore. For example: Anna took ballet, piano and art lessons; however, she still found time to volunteer at the local animal shelter once a week.

8. Write a long essay
On the SAT, thoroughly developed (i.e., long) essays usually score well. A single-paragraph essay, no matter how beautifully written, will not likely score as high as a four-paragraph essay. Students should augment their essays with ample supporting details and examples to fill up the two allotted pages. The ideal SAT essay should have an introduction paragraph, two or three supportive paragraphs (each presenting an example) and a conclusion.

9. Use big words and semicolons in the essay
Using a few solid SAT words throughout the essay is always a good idea, as long as the words are used correctly. Also, an essay punctuated with a semicolon or two may also score higher than an essay without. By nature, semicolons add variety to sentence structure, which is an element of intelligent writing.

10. Try not to skip grammar questions
The rule for all SAT sections is that students should take educated guesses when they have eliminated one or more of the answer options, but should leave a question blank if they are unable to eliminate any answers. On the “Improving Sentences” section, there is almost always at least one conspicuously wrong answer option, which students can eliminate with confidence. Even students with limited grammar skills can usually eliminate at least one answer option.

By Kathryn Marquis Azevedo

The SAT did not always include a writing section. In fact, the SAT writing section was not added to the test until 2005. Today, the writing portion makes up one-third of the test; students receive separate scores for the writing, reading and math, each ranging from 200-800.

The SAT writing section consists of 49 multiple-choice questions and an essay. The multiple choice questions are divided between two sections: one with 35 questions (25 minutes) and a shorter one with 14 questions (10 minutes). Students must also complete an essay in 25 minutes, which counts for about one-third of the overall writing score.

The SAT writing multiple-choice questions test students on three skills: correcting sentences, spotting grammar errors and revising paragraph and sentence sequence. Most of the multiple-choice questions require students to correct sentences (25 of the 49 questions are in this format), while 17 of the 49 questions require students to spot basic grammar errors. Only 6 of the 49 questions deal with paragraph and sentence sequence.

The good news about the SAT writing section is that it really only touches upon the most basic grammar rules. (The bad news is that many students have forgotten the basic grammar rules.) Furthermore, the grammar rules students must know for the test are not only basic, but also very repetitive. This means that with knowledge of what these common grammar rules are, along with sufficient practice, a student can master the SAT writing section with greater ease.

The eight common grammar errors are explained in detail on card 12 of the SAT English SullivanCards, but are also listed below.

• subject-verb agreement
• noun-pronoun agreement
• parallelism
• tense confusion
• preposition misuse
• illogical comparisons
• adverbs
• incorrect subject placement

The sentences often contain other grammar errors, such as confusing neither and nor with either and or, but students who have solid knowledge of the above eight grammar errors will be successful on the majority of the grammar questions. Also, when working on the SAT writing section, many students find it helpful to read each sentence aloud, under their breath, instead of silently in their head. Reading aloud gives students the opportunity to possibly hear an error, which can often be easier than trying to spot an error.

The SAT essay, when well-written, can increase a student’s overall writing score. The essay is scored on a scale of 2-12, in one-point increments. Essays written in a language other than English receive a 0, as do illegible and off-topic essays. Two trained readers read each essay, giving it between a 1 and 6; these two scores are then combined for a final score. If the two readers’ scores differ by more than one point, a third reader is summoned.

The SAT essay question is often very general, requiring only that students form and support an opinion on a broad issue. Well-developed essays, with four or five paragraphs, usually score higher than do shorter essays. Students should aim to support their thesis with concrete examples drawn from books, history, important figures, current events, etc. for maximum points.

With ample preparation (practice, practice, practice!), students should be able to pick up on the repetitive nature of the SAT writing section, and thus take the test with confidence.

By Kathryn Marquis Azevedo

Most students take the SAT timed, which means there is a time limit during which students can work on each section of the SAT. The shortest math section on the SAT has a twenty-minute time limit (for 16 questions), while the other two math sections have a 25-minute time limit (more time for more questions). Students who find it difficult to finish all the math questions in the allotted time may find the following time-saving strategies helpful.

It should be noted, however, that finishing all the questions in a section is not imperative to getting a high score. A student’s score is likely to be higher if he or she answers questions deliberately and thoughtfully – and thus answers questions correctly – than if he or she rushes through the sections, answering questions incorrectly, for the sake of finishing in time.

10 tips for saving time on the SAT Math

1.  On the math sections, answer the easier questions first, as these presumably take less time to answer. (A student can always attempt the harder questions if there is time at the end of the section). The math questions increase in difficulty. On the section with the grid-ins, the questions increase in difficulty from 1-8, and again from 9-18.

2.  On certain math questions, a student may arrive at an answer more quickly if he or she plugs in the answer options. When plugging in answers, it can be helpful to start with answer option C (the middle number), as doing so may reveal if a larger or smaller number is needed. Further details for this process are outlined on card 9 of the SAT Math SullivanCards.

3.  Cross-multiply early and often (see card 4 of the SAT Math SullivanCards), as the test-makers write certain questions with cross-multiplication in mind.

4.  Students should know their geometry (and other relevant) formulas, especially the ones that are not given at the beginning of each math section. See the SAT Math SullivanCards for all other significant formulas a student needs to know.

5.  Some questions become easier (and thus less time-consuming) when students throw numbers in for variables. When using this strategy, students should try to use numbers that make the question easier, such as using 100 for percent questions. More details about this process are on card 8 of the SAT Math SullivanCards.

6.  Students should re-read questions that seem harder than they should. The SAT math questions can be wordy, and understanding what questions are really asking is essential to saving time in the long run.

7.  Students should skip certain hard questions. Unless a student’s goal is to score in the high 600’s or above, he or she should skip questions that are very difficult. This is important since all questions are worth the same (ie: the questions are not weighted).

8.  Practice! The more practice SAT tests a student takes, the more confidence he or she will have. Students who take sufficient practice tests before the real SAT also become familiar with the test instructions, format and common questions, which naturally increases one’s testing pace.

9.  Do not spend too long on any one question. Some questions are certainly more difficult than others, but students should be aware of the questions that are taking “too long” and either take an educated guess (if they have eliminated one or more answer options) or skip the question.

10.  Be okay with skipping questions. Many students panic when they run out of time on a section, falsely believing that a few blank answers will profoundly affect their score. If a student panics on one section, he or she is likely to approach subsequent sections with an unfocused mind, which can lead to leaving even more questions blank on the rest of the test.

By Kathryn Marquis Azevedo

Most students take the SAT timed, which means there is a time limit during which students can work on each section of the SAT. The shortest English section on the SAT has a ten-minute time limit (for 14 grammar questions), while other sections have 20- or 25-minute time limits (more time for more questions). Students who find it difficult to finish all the English questions in the allotted time may find the following time-saving strategies helpful.

It should be noted, however, that finishing all the questions in a section is not imperative to getting a high score. A student’s score is likely to be higher if he or she answers questions deliberately and thoughtfully – and thus answers questions correctly – than if he or she rushes through the sections, answering questions incorrectly, for the sake of finishing in time.

10 tips for saving time on the SAT English

1.  Consider skipping the last one or two questions in each of the three sentence completion sections. The sentence completions increase in difficulty, which means the last one or two questions are not only going to contain difficult words, but are also going to consume a lot of time to answer.

2.  On the reading comprehension sections, students may want to read the passages one paragraph at a time, and answer corresponding questions as they go. Doing so may lessen the likelihood that a student will “zone out” while reading the passage, and consequently have to spend time re-reading large portions of the text. (The steps for this process are detailed on card 3 of the SAT English SullivanCards.)

3.  Study the common SAT vocabulary words. Obviously, knowing the vocabulary words can lead to less time spent solving the sentence completions.

4.  On the SAT essay, it can be helpful if students have between five and ten examples prepared ahead of time, which they can use to support their thesis. Examples should be drawn from literature, history, current events, important figures, etc. (More details about preparing for the SAT essay can be found on card 23 of the SAT English SullivanCards.) Whereas most SAT essay questions are general, students may find they can use the same examples to answer multiple essay questions.

5.  On the SAT essay, students can save time by limiting their introduction and conclusion to around three sentences each. By keeping these paragraphs concise, students will have more time to spend writing the middle paragraphs.

6.  On the SAT writing sections (grammar), students should spend some time looking for the eight common grammar errors (explained on card 8 of the SAT English SullivanCards). However, if the sentence appears to contain no error, students should quickly and confidently choose the “No Error” option. Many students spend too much time trying to find an error in every sentence, convinced there must be one in there.

7.  Students should re-read each question to make sure they truly understand what it is asking. Students should follow this strategy for both the math and English sections, as answering the wrong question is clearly a waste of time.

8.  Practice! The more practice SAT tests a student takes, the more confidence he or she will have. Students who take sufficient practice tests before the real SAT also become familiar with the test instructions, format and common questions, which naturally increases one’s testing pace.

9.  Do not spend too long on any one question. Some questions are certainly more difficult than others, but students should be aware of the questions that are taking “too long” and either take an educated guess (if they have eliminated one or more answer options) or skip the question.

10.  Students should know their weaknesses. If a student consistently answers “main idea” questions wrong on the reading comprehension sections, he or she should consider skipping all of those kinds of questions, at least until the end of the section. Similarly, if a student consistently answers vocabulary-in-context questions wrong, he or she should consider skipping all of those kinds of questions.