SAT Reading Tips and Tricks for International Students 2025

Students appearing for the SAT 2025 often consider the SAT verbal reading section tough. They need SAT reading tips and tricks and these SAT reading tips should be practiced from the initial stage of SAT preparation. SAT reading grammar tips, and SAT reading question tips all come with different strategies that students can use to aim high scores in the main SAT 2025.

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This Story also Contains

1. Understanding the SAT Reading Section 2025
2. Overview of the Reading Section Format 2025
3. Key Skills and Concepts Tested
4. Top 10 SAT Reading Section Prep Tips 2025

Understanding the SAT Reading Section 2025

Before we delve into the details of the SAT reading tips and tricks, let us understand what the SAT reading section 2025 assesses in the student. The SAT 2025 assesses a candidate's capability of linking the given textual information to a broader aspect and understanding the paraphrased information. The key to remember here is that the questions will not have answer choices with the same words and you are expected to search the information for its meaning and link it according to what is asked in the question.

Overview of the Reading Section Format 2025

The SAT reading module is divided into two sections. The first section has 27 questions that must be solved in 32 minutes. The second section is also the same, however, the difficulty level of the second section depends on the accuracy showcased by the candidate in section 1.

We recommend that students aim to get at least 11 wrong answers so that they get a chance to attempt the difficult section 2. In case the student gets the easy version of Section 2, the highest a student can score is not more than 600. This should be considered an important SAT reading tip so that students keep analysing their performance before they become confident enough to register for the main SAT exam.

Key Skills and Concepts Tested

The SAT reading section assesses a candidate’s ability to understand the given information from a broader perspective, analyse the tone, recognize the context, and then be able to relate it to a given information. It checks the reading comprehension skills, the level of vocabulary a student can use, using utility words and phrases, and making connections with the given information.

Top 10 SAT Reading Section Prep Tips 2025

Some of the useful SAT reading tips and tricks that can help students ace the exam and manage time well on the main SAT exam day are given below. We suggest that students should use the SAT reading tips and tricks from the initial stage of their preparation for the SAT. Please remember that the SAT is not an easy exam and students are expected to follow the right SAT reading tips and tricks.

Tip 1: Master the Types of Reading Passages

At the initial level of preparation for the SAT, students must know the types of reading paragraphs they might have to read and understand. They should make themselves familiar with such genres by engaging themselves in active reading habits.

Literary Narratives

These narratives often focus on themes, character development, and settings. These are excerpts from novels, short stories, or essays. We encourage students to read books and documentaries like the ones given below, these will not only help students to excel in understanding the English language for the SAT but also broaden their thoughts and understanding of various literary and historical contexts adding strong informational ideas into their intellects.

Literary Narratives:

• “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee - A classic novel that explores themes of racial injustice and moral growth.

• “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen - A timeless story about love, society, and the complexities of human relationships.

• “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald - A novel that delves into the American Dream and the decadence of the Jazz Age.

Documentaries:

1. “The Great Gatsby: Midnight in Manhattan” - Explores the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the creation of his famous novel.

2. “Harper Lee: From Mockingbird to Watchman” - A documentary about the life and works of Harper Lee.

Informational Texts

These contain factual information and evaluate a candidate's ability to analyse arguments, data, and analysis. Books and documentaries under this category are given below. However, regular practice of SAT reading questions should be done, and reading books serve as SAT reading tips that help in enhancing your language skills and understanding.

Books:

1. “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari - An insightful look into the history of human evolution and society.

2. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot - A compelling narrative about the woman whose cells revolutionised medical research.

3. “Freakonomics” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner - A fascinating exploration of economic theory applied to everyday life.

Documentaries:

1. “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” - Hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, this series explores the universe and scientific discoveries.

2. “The Social Dilemma” - Examines the impact of social networking on human behaviour and society.

Historical Documents

Speeches, letters, or essays written by historical figures fall under this category. These assess a candidate's ability to understand complex language structure, words, and phrases. We encourage students to read the given books to gain confidence in understanding and being able to relate different information.

Books:

1. “The Federalist Papers” by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay - A collection of essays promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution.

2. “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” by Frederick Douglass - An autobiography detailing the life of a former slave and his journey to freedom.

3. “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank - The poignant diary of a Jewish girl hiding from the Nazis during World War II.

Documentaries:

1. “Ken Burns: The Civil War” - A comprehensive documentary series on the American Civil War.

2. “13th” - Directed by Ava DuVernay - this documentary explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the nation’s prisons.

Tip 2: Develop Effective Reading Strategies

As encouraged and suggested above, students forming a habit of reading academic English texts will surely score high in the main SAT reading exam. Reading academic books and documentaries is one of the SAT reading tips.

Active Reading Techniques

Some of the active reading techniques include annotation, summarising the story in your mind, and even imagining the situation or relating it to something that you know about. Active reading involves retention so that you gain the style of delivering effective language. If you feel you cannot read it for long, read it in short breaks, and give yourself time to adapt your reading habits.

Identifying Main Ideas and Themes

While you read, gauge the main idea and themes, understand the main point, and develop your ideas, for example: if you reading about Renewable sources of energy, the main focus may be the advantages of solar energy.

Understanding the Author’s Tone and Purpose

As you read, focus on the tone of the text, and check if it is positive, negative, or neutral. This SAT reading tip will help you reach the answer quickly and also use the elimination method in the right way. Also, identifying the purpose of the text plays a very important role. For example: an author highlighting information about a new political system might use a neutral tone to make people aware of its benefits.

Tip 3: Improve Your Vocabulary

One of the most useful SAT reading tips and tricks to ace the exam is to enhance the English vocabulary, students are expected to be well-versed in using high-utility words and phrases and even idiomatic expressions. The books recommended above will surely help you in achieving this target.

Study High-Frequency SAT Vocabulary

Apart from reading, you should use vocabulary-building applications and use flashcards to retain the difficult words. One best SAT reading tips is to maintain a separate book for noting all new words, along with their meanings, synonyms, and sentences.

Use Context Clues to Infer Meaning

When you do not understand some words or just a word, you should use contextual clues to reach the exact meaning of the different words you have come across. For example: The agricultural land once had an arid climate, the word arid would mean dry over here.

Tip 4: Practice Analyzing Textual Evidence

Analyzing the information or texts that are given will help you answer questions that require referring to specific parts of the passage.

Referencing Specific Passages

Practice locating and referencing specific information given in the passage to support your answers. For example: if a question asks about the author’s argument, find the exact sentence or paragraph where the argument is presented.

Understanding How Evidence Supports Claims

You should understand how the evidence supports the claim given in the question. For example: if an author claims that “exercise improves mental health” then they might provide studies showing reduced anxiety levels in people who exercise daily.

Tip 5: Enhance Your Time Management Skills

It is significant for the candidates appearing for the SAT to have effective time management skills and be able to decide and use time strategically so that they can give a little more time at the end to the questions they have flagged.

Allocate Time Per Passage and Question

The best time management SAT reading tip is that students should not spend more than one minute on each question, if they feel that they are not sure of an answer, the question can be flagged to return and check again.

Practice Timed Reading Exercises

As you progress from the initial stage of SAT reading preparation, you should start practising SAT reading questions under timed conditions. This will help you build speed and also check the accuracy levels you have gained.

Tip 6: Familiarize Yourself with Common Question Types

The most important SAT reading tip is to familiarise yourself with all types of SAT English section questions.

Detail and Inference Questions

The Detail type of questions ask about the specific information in the passage and the Inference questions require you to read between the lines. For example: the questions will be asked in the given way.

Question Identifier:

Detail Question: What is the main character's profession?

Inference Question: What can be inferred about the characters' feelings towards their job?

Function and Evidence Questions

Function questions ask about the purpose of a specific part of the passage while the evidence requires you to identify supporting examples and pieces of evidence. For example: the questions will be asked in the given way.

Question Identifier:

Function Question: What is the purpose of the given information?

Evidence Question: Which statement best supports the author's argument?

Tip 7: Use SAT Reading Practice Tests

Practising the SAT reading practice test designed by SAT experts will help students become familiar with the pattern of the SAT exam.

Take Full-Length Practice Tests

Attempting full-length SAT reading practice tests under timed conditions will give proper exam-like environments to the student and this way they will be able to build their stamina, analyze time management requirements, and boost confidence for the exam.

Review Answers and Learn from Mistakes

The best SAT reading tips include reviewing all the answers that you have attempted and noting the correction of all the mistakes you have made. This will help you overcome the weaknesses and make you SAT exam-ready.

Tip 8: Utilize Study Resources

Although there is a lot of material available online and offline for the SAT exam, we suggest you practice SAT reading questions and SAT reading practice tests only from authenticated and official resources.

SAT Prep Books and Online Guides

The official SAT study guide by the college board provides practice tests and a detailed explanation of all the question types that are assessed in the SAT reading section.

SAT Practice Tests and Digital Tools

SAT practice tests and digital tools are available on websites like Khan Academy. They offer a lot of resources and personalized feedback.

Study Apps and Online Forums

One of the famous SAT study apps is Reddits, students are also recommended to use SAT vocabulary building and grammar accuracy applications and flashcards for better progress in the SAT reading section.

Tip 9: Review and Refine Your Skills

Each time you practice for the SAT reading section, you should make it a point to check all your mistakes and also the correct answers. Appreciate yourself for the correct answers and work on the mistakes you have made.

Regularly Review Key Reading Strategies

By regular review of mistakes, you should be able to create a study plan that gives focused attention to the concepts you are weak in. SAT reading and grammar tips should be noted separately regularly to use as SAT reading last-minute tips.

Focus on Improving Weak Areas

SAT reading section tips and tricks and SAT reading test-taking tips should aim to improve all your weak areas, apply all the tips and tricks, and see what works best for you. You will gradually improve by reading academic texts and practising SAT reading questions under timed conditions.

Tip 10: Stay Calm and Focused During the Test

Do not panic, as the SAT demands you to have exceptional language skills and maintain consistency and you will be able to see a change in your language.

Practice Relaxation Techniques

Engage yourself in mindful activities, and breathing exercises and keep yourself fit. Think positive and trust your preparation. Regular practice and noting the progress will help you. If you feel you are stuck, seek help from SAT expert trainers who can give you individual attention and clear your doubts.

Develop Confidence in Your Reading Skills

As you read more academic books, understand them, and practice the SAT reading questions, you will develop confidence and be exam-ready.

We wish you ALL the best for your SAT preparation.

About the Author:
Pooja Aggarwal: She is an experienced SAT/GMAT/TOEFL/IELTS/PTE trainer with over 15 years of expertise in helping students achieve their English language goals. With a degree in Education from Maharishi Dayanand University, she focuses on clear, patient, and personalized instruction. Her approach has successfully guided students from diverse backgrounds, preparing them for both Academic and General Training modules of English language exams in a supportive and engaging environment.