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. Manage word choice and grammatical relationships between words
NextAcademic Skills
A typical student in this score band can do the following:
- SKILL 1: Recognize simple pronoun references
- SKILL 2: Recognize incorrect pronoun case
Suggestions for Improvement
To prepare for the next score band, try the following:
- In your reading, focus on specific paragraphs that contain pronouns in order to see how writers use pronouns appropriately. In your own writing, check to see that the pronouns you use refer appropriately to a noun earlier in the sentence or in a prior sentence.
- In your reading, choose a paragraph and identify the subjects and verbs in the sentences within that paragraph in order to see that writers pay careful attention to gender, number, and person. You should also notice in your reading that writers use consistent verb tense and active voice. In your own writing, check to see that your subjects and verbs agree in gender and number.
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
Recognize simple pronoun references
The following sentence tests your ability to recognize grammar and usage errors. The sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. The sentence will not contain more than one error. The error, if there is one, is underlined and lettered. If the sentence contains an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence is correct, select choice E. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.
| If you | want to | get your car fixed | without | paying too much money, you should bring |
| A | B |
| them | to my mechanic, who | always | gives a discount. | No error |
| C | D | E |
Skill 2—Example
Recognize incorrect pronoun case
The following sentence tests your ability to recognize grammar and usage errors. The sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. The sentence will not contain more than one error. The error, if there is one, is underlined and lettered. If the sentence contains an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence is correct, select choice E. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.
| Beth and | me | are | committed to | balancing our school work with our community |
| A | B |
| service: if the amount of homework we have keeps | increasing, | the time we devote to |
| C |
| volunteering will have to increase | as well | . | No error |
| D | E |
