Using SAT® Skills Insight™
closeSAT Skills Insight is only a general guide. Its goal is to help you determine and improve your current skill levels in the areas tested on the SAT.
Review Your Options: Begin by determining the level your skills are at right now. Look at each score band to see what types of skills it requires. Decide how comfortable you feel with the skills described. Don’t worry if you’re not an exact match for any one score band; it’s normal to have some of the skills in the next higher or lower band.
Make Your Selection: Start by looking at the scores you earned on the PSAT/NMSQT®, SAT, and any practice tests you have taken. Then choose a separate score band for each section of the SAT—for example, 300–390 for math, 400–490 for critical reading, and 500–590 for writing.
Once you’ve chosen your bands, you can look at the areas that need improvement to help you achieve more.
1. Determining the Meaning of Words
NextAcademic Skills
A typical student in this score band can do the following:
- SKILL 1: Determine the meaning of words in a simple sentence by using context clues including familiar phrases and other vocabulary in the sentence
Suggestions for Improvement
To prepare for the next score band, try the following:
- In your reading, look for words that have a root you already know. Think about how roots, prefixes, and suffixes work together.
- In your reading, when you come to a word you don’t know or a word that can mean more than one thing (such as light or run), see if the words in the rest of the sentence can help you define it.
Skill Examples
The example questions below demonstrate the Academic Skills found in this score band. Without looking at the answers, try out the questions to see how comfortable you feel with the skills they test.
Skill 1—Example
Determine the meaning of words in a simple sentence by using context clues including familiar phrases and other vocabulary in the sentence
A poisonous substance in an animal’s bloodstream, known as a -------, often presents an immediate danger to the animal’s health.
- microbe
- solution
- component
- toxin
- salve
