The SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section is a major part of the SAT—and a key area where you can make a big score impact. You’ll answer questions that test your reading comprehension, grammar, and ability to interpret and improve written passages. Knowing the structure, question types, and strategies can help you feel confident and prepared.
What Is the SAT Reading and Writing Section?
The SAT Reading and Writing section evaluates your skills in reading comprehension, grammar, and language usage. You will be given short reading passages (or passage pairs) followed by a single multiple-choice question.
Section Format and Timing
The SAT Reading and Writing section is divided into two modules:
- Number of questions per module: 27
- Time per module: 32 minutes
- Total time: 64 minutes
The test is adaptive, meaning that your performance in the first module determines the difficulty level of the second module. While each module is timed separately, strong pacing helps you finish all questions and avoid rushing at the end.
Types of Passages
Each passage is paired with one question, which keeps you moving quickly and requires focused reading. Passages cover wide range of content areas:
Reading Passage Types
- Literary Narrative: Excerpts from classic or modern literature. You'll need to identify literary devices, plot points, and character development.
- History/Social Studies: Passages about U.S. history, world history, or social sciences. You'll analyze arguments, evaluate evidence, and understand historical context.
- Science: Texts on scientific concepts, research, and experiments. These test your ability to interpret data and understand scientific reasoning.
- Humanities: Content from philosophy, arts, and other humanistic areas. These passages focus on arguments, perspectives, and evaluating evidence.
- Paired Passages: Two related texts offering different viewpoints or approaches. You'll compare and contrast arguments and perspectives.
Writing and Language Passage Types
- Argumentative: A claim with supporting evidence. You'll analyze the argument and evaluate the reasoning.
- Informational: A topic or process, often with data or research findings. You’ll interpret data and assess clarity and effectiveness.
- Narrative Nonfiction: A true story with a focus on personal experience or historical events, testing your ability to understand narrative structure and main message.
SAT Reading and Writing Question Types and Content Domains
Questions are designed to assess skills in four key domains. Here’s a breakdown with examples of what to expect:
Information and Ideas
Identify main ideas and central themes in a passage.
Example: You might read a passage about climate change and choose a statement that best summarizes the author's main argument.
Craft and Structure
Understand text structure and how sections contribute to the overall argument.
Example: You might be asked what effect a particular phrase has on the reader or why an author chose a certain organizational strategy.
Expression of Ideas
Improve organization and flow in a passage.
Example: You might revise a sentence to make it more direct or improve its transition between ideas.
Standard English Conventions
Correct errors in grammar, usage, and punctuation.
Example: You might choose the correct form of a verb or determine where a comma should be placed in a complex sentence.
How Questions Are Structured
All questions are multiple choice, with four answer options each.
There’s no penalty for guessing, so it’s always better to choose an answer than to leave it blank.
Scoring Explained
The SAT Reading and Writing section score ranges from 200 to 800.
Your raw score (number of correct answers) is converted to a scaled score (200–800), which accounts for differences in question difficulty across test forms.
Not every question you see may count toward your score; some are unscored pretest questions used to evaluate future content. The College Board discloses neither which questions are experimental nor the exact algorithm used for scaling.
SAT Reading & Writing Tips
- Know your Personal Order of Difficulty (POOD): Questions are grouped by type and follow an order of difficulty. Work through easier questions and then circle back to more challenging ones. This helps maximize your score by ensuring you secure points on questions you’re more likely to get right.
- Read actively: Engage with each passage by predicting, questioning, and summarizing as you go. Active reading keeps you focused and helps you better understand the main ideas and structure.
- Use Process of Elimination (POE): Cross out clearly wrong options to narrow down your choices. Even if you’re unsure, eliminating just one or two options can significantly improve your odds.
- Take advantage of digital tools: Use the built-in highlighting and strikethrough features to mark important details in the passage and visually eliminate incorrect answers.
- Use your Letter of the Day (LOTD): When you need to guess, always guess the same letter (such as B or C) rather than randomly choosing. This method helps you avoid wasting time and increases your chances of picking up extra points.
Essential Skills to Practice
Building strong foundational skills is the key to success on the SAT Reading and Writing section. Focus on these high-impact areas to boost your score:
Expand Your Academic Vocabulary
Read a variety of materials—classic novels, science articles, and opinion essays. When you encounter unfamiliar words, look them up and practice using them in sentences.
Try this: For SAT vocabulary practice, pick 5 new words each week and use them in your own sentences.
Strengthen Reading Comprehension
After reading a passage or article, pause and summarize the main idea in your own words. Practice identifying the author’s purpose and the evidence supporting their claims.
Try this: Use our reading comprehension practice questions to test yourself on main ideas and supporting details.
Master Grammar and Punctuation
Review key grammar rules tested on the SAT, such as subject-verb agreement, verb tense consistency, and comma usage. Edit sample sentences or your own writing for errors.
Try this: Complete drills from our SAT Grammar Rules guide .
Practice with Challenging Material
Don’t shy away from older literature or complex science texts. The more you practice with tough passages, the more confident you’ll feel on test day.
Try this: Read a classic novel or a science article once a week and discuss it with a friend or write a short summary focusing on the author’s argument and tone.
Stay Consistent
Short, focused practice sessions each day are more effective than cramming. Even 30 minutes daily can make a difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Reading and Writing questions are on the SAT?
There are 54 questions total — 27 questions in each module.
Each question is paired with a short passage or pair of passages.
What types of questions will I see on the Reading and Writing section?
All questions are multiple choice.
You’ll answer questions that test reading comprehension, vocabulary in context, grammar, and the ability to revise and improve written passages.
How is this section scored?
Your raw score (number of correct answers) is converted to a scaled score (200–800). Some questions are unscored questions, but you won’t know which ones.
What if I get stuck on a hard SAT passage?
Don’t let one tricky question eat up your time — every question matters, but not every question is worth getting stuck on.
Your performance in the first module helps determine your path in the second, so it’s important to answer accurately early on. But getting stuck on a single question can hurt your timing — and your overall score. Keep moving so you have a chance to earn points across the entire section.
- Cross out choices you know are wrong. Narrowing down options increases your chance of picking the right one.
- If you truly don’t know and are out of time, choose your pre-decided Letter of the Day rather than leaving it blank. There’s no penalty for guessing!
Remember, moving on doesn’t mean giving up — it means maximizing your score by getting to questions you can answer confidently.
Is vocabulary important for this section?
Absolutely. You’ll need to understand the meaning of words and phrases in context, especially for Craft and Structure questions.
Building a strong vocabulary through regular reading and focused word study can help you feel more confident on test day.
Can I skip questions and come back later?
Yes. You can move back and forth within the current module and return to questions, like those that you’ve marked for review.
Just be sure to watch the clock carefully so you have time to answer every question before the module ends.
Next Steps
With the right strategies and preparation, you can master the SAT Reading and Writing section.
Focus on understanding the structure, practicing key skills, and refining your approach with timed practice.
Ready to level up your SAT prep?
Find your b est-fit SAT course or try a f ree SAT practice test .