SAT · Reading and Writing and Math

Find the questions that cost you points, then fix them one type at a time

Both sections are split into 19 question types the way the College Board groups them, with 76 lessons in all. Take a short check or enter your PSAT or Bluebook scores. Your plan starts with the types where you lose the most and counts down to your test date, about 15 minutes a day.

Start freeHow a type is taught

The starting check is 4 questions per section. Free, no card.

Test on Dec 5 · 47 days away

Sample

Predicted total

13101250–1370

Reading and Writing
640610–670
Math
670640–700

Fix these three first

  1. 1R&W1.1Run-Ons and Comma SplicesJoins two sentences with a comma−30 pts
  2. 2Math7.1Quadratic Functions and Vertex FormReads the vertex sign backward−30 pts
  3. 3R&W2.1Subject–Verb AgreementMatches the verb to the nearest noun−20 pts
What's on the test

The SAT, split into 19 question types

Reading and Writing has 9 and Math has 10, grouped into the four domains each section reports. The units marked below hold the sample student's three biggest losses.

Score
200–800 per section, 400–1600 in total
Modules
2 per section. Module 2 gets harder or easier depending on how module 1 went.
Reading and Writing
54 questions in 64 minutes
Math
44 questions in 70 minutes, with Desmos

Reading and Writing

9 types · 2 modules, 27 questions and 32 minutes each

Standard English ConventionsAbout 26%

  • Sentence Boundaries and Punctuation#1 for points lost
  • Agreement, Verb Forms, and Modifiers#3 for points lost

Craft and StructureAbout 28%

  • Choosing the Precise Word
  • Purpose, Structure, and Paired Texts

Information and IdeasAbout 26%

  • Main Ideas and Details
  • Using Evidence: Quotes and Data
  • Drawing Inferences

Expression of IdeasAbout 20%

  • Writing from Notes
  • Transitions Between Ideas

Math

10 types · 2 modules, 22 questions and 35 minutes each

AlgebraAbout 35%

  • Linear Equations and Inequalities
  • Linear Functions and Systems

Problem-Solving and Data AnalysisAbout 15%

  • Ratios, Rates, Percentages, and Units
  • One- and Two-Variable Data
  • Probability and Statistical Inference

Advanced MathAbout 35%

  • Equivalent Expressions and Quadratics
  • Nonlinear Functions and Exponentials#2 for points lost

Geometry and TrigonometryAbout 15%

  • Lines, Angles, and Triangles
  • Right Triangles and Trigonometry
  • Circles, Area, and Volume

Example resultYour plan starts with the marked units.

How a type is taught

Learn the rule behind each type, then practice it

One of the sample student's top losses is subject–verb agreement: matching the verb to the nearest noun. Reading and Writing 2.1 shows how to set aside the phrases in between and find the real subject. Math 3.4 shows why back-to-back percent changes multiply. Each lesson takes 10 to 14 minutes.

Reading and Writing · 2.1Find the Subject FirstScreen 1 of 4

Find the subject's head

Compare 'The arrangement of mirrors directs sunlight' with 'The arrangement of mirrors direct sunlight.' Both mention several mirrors, but only the first agrees. What actually directs the sunlight: the individual mirrors as a plural subject, or one arrangement?

A subject names what the clause makes a statement about; its head is the central noun controlling agreement. The marks contrast a singular head with a plural one, then expose a mismatch. In the simple present, third-person singular subjects generally take an -s verb; plural subjects take the base form.

The arrangement of mirrors directs sunlight toward a central chamber. The mirrors in the arrangement direct sunlight toward a central chamber. The arrangement of mirrors direct sunlight toward a central chamber.

  1. 1

    Arrangement names one configuration, so singular directs agrees even though the configuration contains multiple mirrors.

Step 1 of 4
Math · 3.4Combine and Reverse Percent ChangesScreen 2 of 5

Multiply successive changes

An $80 item first increases in price by 25%25\%, then receives a 20%20\% discount on its new price. What is the final price? Each percentage acts on the price immediately before that change, so the two bases differ.

  1. 1
    1+25100=1.25;1−20100=0.80\displaystyle 1 + \frac{25}{100} = 1.25; 1 - \frac{20}{100} = 0.80

    Keep the full price plus `25%` for the increase, and keep `80%` of the updated price for the discount.

  2. 2
    80(1.25)=100\displaystyle 80(1.25) = 100

    The first multiplier raises the price to $100, which becomes the base for the following discount.

  3. 3
    100(0.80)=80\displaystyle 100(0.80) = 80

    The discount removes $20 from the updated $100 price, leaving a final payment of $80.

  4. 4
    1.25(0.80)=1\displaystyle 1.25(0.80) = 1

    These particular multipliers have product `1`, explaining why this chain returns exactly to its original price.

  5. 5
    1.20(0.80)=0.96\displaystyle 1.20(0.80) = 0.96

    An equal `20%` increase and decrease instead leave `96%` of the original, because the decrease uses the larger updated base.

An increase keeps the original amount and adds a fraction; a decrease keeps only the remaining fraction. Use those multipliers in sequence, then compare with a 20%20\% increase followed by a 20%20\% decrease to see why opposite percentages need not cancel.

Key idea

Successive percent changes multiply because each change acts on the updated amount.

After the explanation, every lesson has a worked example, a step you fill in yourself and 10 practice questions. Every wrong choice says why people pick it.

Remember

What you learned comes back right before you forget it

You learn a rule, and a few weeks later it's gone when a question needs it. Before test day it's hard to know what to review. After every lesson, its key points become 3 to 4 flashcards: 304 across Reading and Writing and Math. When you flip a card, you say how well you knew it. The better you knew it, the longer it waits before coming back.

  • Key points from every lessonRules, formulas, graphs and the most common mistakes are added when you finish the lesson. You don't make cards yourself.
  • Questions you got wrongThe step you got wrong becomes a card. The question comes back as a similar one after 1, 3 and 7 days. Get two right in a row and it's cleared.
  • No guessing what to reviewEach day's set holds only the cards and mistakes due that day, mixed across Reading and Writing and Math and their question types, the way the test mixes them.
Card 1 of 3Sample
RuleR&WFrom a lesson

Subject–verb agreement trick

Say the answer in your head, then flip.

304 flashcards from 76 lessons

  • R&W140 cards
  • Math164 cards
Your plan

A plan that counts down to test day

Pick a test date and every week gets a job. One day a week is for rest.

Upcoming SAT dates

Dec 5

7 weeks until Dec 5. At 15 minutes a day, you can work through 11 of the 19 types, worst first.

1234567
Find the gapsClose the biggest gapsTimed reviewRest dayTest day

  1. Week 1

    Find the gaps

    The starting check, then your first lessons.

  2. Weeks 2–5

    Close the biggest gaps

    One type at a time, starting with the one that costs the most points.

  3. Weeks 6–7

    Timed review

    Mixed timed sets from every type, then redo every miss.

Every day

About 15 minutes a day, already planned

Open it and today's set is ready: the next lesson in your weakest type, flashcards and the questions you missed, in order. Miss a question and a similar one comes back a few days later.

Today · about 30 minSample

47 days until the exam on Dec 5

Work down the list and you're done for the day.

  1. 6 flashcards dueR&WMathFlashcards4 min
  2. 4 mistakes to retryR&WMathA similar question for each one6 min
  3. Find the TrunkR&WNew lesson4 min
  4. Quadratic Functions and Vertex FormMathPractice · 10 questions16 min

On days you haven't practiced, one reminder by email, browser notification or Google Calendar. Never more than one a day.

Start today's set

After a wrong answer

Math3.4 Percent Change and Successive Changes

Sample
An item priced at $250 is discounted by 20%. A 5% sales tax is then applied to the discounted price. What is the final payment?
  • A$210.00\$210.00
  • B$190.00\$190.00
  • C$247.50\$247.50
  • D$212.50\$212.50

Why people pick B

“I treated the tax as another 5% discount.”

Explanation:The discounted price is $200, and tax makes the payment 200(1.05) = $210.

Missed questions come back like this

  1. Today
  2. 1 days later
  3. 3 days later
  4. 7 days later

Each time it's a new question of the same kind. Get two right in a row and it's done.

Why wait a few days? Psychologists compared ten common study techniques. Only two, testing yourself and spreading practice over time, were rated most effective.Dunlosky et al., 2013, Psychological Science in the Public Interest

Pricing

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Questions

See where you lose points

Pick a test date, or skip it for now. After 4 questions per section, you'll know which types to work on first.

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