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The Digital SAT Reading and Writing Section

By the Cheetah Prep team

Reading and Writing is the first section on the digital SAT. It combines what used to be two separate sections into one, with 54 questions across two 32 minute modules. Every question is its own short passage. Here is what it tests.

Short Passages, One Question Each

Gone are the long passages with a dozen questions apiece. Each question now comes with its own passage of about 25 to 150 words, and you answer one question about it before moving on. The passages jump between literature, history, science, and the social sciences, but you never need outside knowledge. Everything you need is in the text.

The questions are grouped loosely by type and get a little harder as the module goes, so the grammar and vocabulary questions tend to come before the harder reading and rhetoric questions. Knowing the order helps you pace.

The Four Domains

About a quarter of the section is Standard English Conventions, which is grammar and punctuation. This is the most learnable part, because the rules are finite. Craft and Structure covers vocabulary in context, a writer's purpose, and how two texts relate. Information and Ideas asks for main ideas, supporting evidence, and inferences, including from small graphs. Expression of Ideas covers transitions and rhetorical synthesis, where you use notes to meet a stated goal.

Grammar is the fastest place to gain points, since a fixed set of rules covers most of those questions. A focused review of them pays off quickly.

Put this into practice

The Digital SAT Reading and Writing Section: Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are in digital SAT Reading and Writing?
54 questions, split into two modules of 27, with 32 minutes for each module.
Are there long passages on the digital SAT?
No. Each question has its own short passage, usually 25 to 150 words, with a single question.
How much of Reading and Writing is grammar?
About a quarter of the section is Standard English Conventions, which is grammar and punctuation, and it is the most learnable part.

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