SAT® Skills Insight™
© 2011 The College Board. College Board, achieve more, AP, SAT and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board. Skills Insight is a trademark owned by the College Board. All other products and services may be trademarks of their respective owners. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org.
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Using SAT® Skills Insight™
SAT® Skills Insight™ demonstrates how the SAT is linked to the knowledge and skills taught in the classroom. Educators can use Skills Insight to see the skills typically mastered at each score band and develop strategies for improvement, with a clear framework for integrating essential academic skill insights into classroom instruction and curriculum to increase college readiness.
Skills Insight provides:
➣ Skills and scores
➣ Detailed information on the academic skills related to students’ scores
➣ Real test questions and answers
➣ Suggestions by score band to help improve college readiness skills that are needed to succeed on the SAT, in the classroom, and in college
Step 1: Review student dataFind the student score data you would like to review. If you’re interested in viewing state and/or total group aggregate reports, you can find these at http://professionals.collegeboard.org/data-reports-research/sat/ under the tab College-Bound Seniors. If you’re interested in viewing reports for your students’ particular high school and/or district, go to http://professionals.collegeboard.org/testing/sat-reasoning/scores/cb-seniors-k-12 for a description of the types of reports available.
Step 2: Use Skills InsightOnce you’ve gauged your students’ general level of performance on the SAT, you can use Skills Insight to understand how students, as individuals or a group, are performing in specific academic skill areas. This valuable feedback helps identify the strengths and weaknesses of students in a given SAT score band.
Step 3: Review skills and suggestions for improvementThe listed suggestions not only provide ways in which students can move into a higher score band. These can be woven into lesson and curricular planning.
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No matter what your role, Skills Insight can be a valuable tool.
For state-level policymakers
Once you identify your states’ average scores, you can use the skills and suggestions for improvement to align curriculum and instruction with college readiness goals.
For superintendents/principals
You can use the skills and suggestions for improvements to inform curriculum and instruction in order to increase the level of college readiness at your school or district.
For classroom teachers
You can use Skills Insight to:
➣ Determine students’ individual skill strengths and weaknesses
➣ Understand the links between the skills being taught in the classroom and the skills covered on the SAT
➣ Focus instruction on areas where students need improvement, and adjust lesson plans accordingly
➣ Look at the types of skills tested in each score band and have students answer sample questions
4*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
SAT® SKILLS INSIGHT™
Critical Reading Academic Skills at Each Score Band and Suggestions for Improvement
200–290 300–390 400–490Determining the Meaning of Words
Academic Skills*A typical student in this score interval can do the following:
• Determinethemeaningofwordsinasimplesentencebyusingcontextcluesincludingfamiliarphrasesandothervocabularyinthesentence
• Usecontextclueswhenselectingmissingvocabularyat the sentence level
• Useknowledgeofrootwords,prefixesandsuffixeswhenselectingmissingvocabularyatthesentencelevel
• Usethecontextofasentenceorashortsectionoftexttoclarifythemeaningofunknownwordsortoselecttheappropriatemeaningoffamiliarandsimplewordsthathavemultiplemeanings
• Useknowledgeofrootwordstodeterminethemeaningofwordsneededtocompleteacompoundorcomplexsentence
• Recognizeandunderstandlesscommonwordsandspecializedvocabulary(termsusedinaparticularoccupationorfieldofstudy)
• Usecontextclues(suchasanembeddeddefinition)toselectmissingvocabularyatthesentencelevel
• Usethecontextofasentenceorashortsectionoftexttoclarifythemeaningofunknownwords(whendefinitionsmayormaynotbeembeddedinthetext)ortoselecttheappropriatemeaningoffamiliarandsimplewordsthathavemultiplemeanings
• Usesentencestructuretonegotiatethemeaningofthesentence• Makesenseofcomplexsentenceswithlogicalconstructions
thatincludetermssuchasbut,although,or,if,then and not
Suggestions for ImprovementToadvancetothenexthighestscoreband,students should focus on thefollowingskills:
• Whilereading,lookforwordswithfamiliarroots.Thinkabouthowroots,prefixesandsuffixesworktogether.
• Whilereading,usethecontextoftherestofthesentencetodeterminethemeaningsofunknownormultiplemeaningwords(suchaslight or run).
• Whenreading,considerrootwordstohelpdeterminethemeaningofanunknownordifficultword.
• Whenencounteringanunknownordifficultwordinatext,trytofindoutifthatwordisjargon,orthespecializedvocabularyofaspecificfield.
• Whenencounteringanunknownwordorawordwithmultiplemeanings(suchaslight or run)inatext,lookatthecontextofthesentenceforcluestowhatthewordmeans.
• Whenreading,pickoutalongsentenceandbreakitdownintosmallerparts.Thinkabouthowthestructure of the sentence creates relationships amongtheideasinthesentence.Thinkabouthowwordslikebut,although,andalso create certain relationships.
• Whenreadingatext,identifyacompoundorcomplexsentenceandbreakitdownintosmallerparts.Thinkabouthowthosepartsworktogetherandconsiderhowthestructureofthesentencesetsuprelationshipsamongtheideasinthesentence.
• Whenencounteringanunknownwordorawordwithmultiplemeanings(suchaslight or run)inatext,lookatthecontextofthesentenceforcluestowhatthewordmeans.
• Whenreadingatext(suchasanewspaperormagazinearticle)aboutanunfamiliarsubject,lookforwordsthatmightbepartofaspecializedvocabulary—thatis,wordsthatareprimarilyusedwithinacertainfield—anddeterminetheirmeaning.Chooseasubjectandfindabookwrittenbyaspecialistforotherspecialistsinthatfield,lookingforspecializedvocabularywordsinthetext.
Understanding Literary ElementsAcademic Skills*
Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthisscoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinthenexthighestscorebandwherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthisscoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinthenexthighestscorebandwherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthisscoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinthenexthighestscorebandwherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
Suggestions for Improvement
Therearenospecificsuggestionsforimprovementforthisskillgroupinthisparticularscoreband.However,we encourage students to review the suggestionsandexamplesinother scorebands.
Therearenospecificsuggestionsforimprovementforthisskillgroupinthisparticularscoreband.However,we encourage students to review the suggestions and examplesinotherscorebands.
• Whenreadinganovel,shortstoryorplay,trytoidentifythedifferentwaysauthorscreatecharacter.Whatisrevealedabouta character through his or her dialogue and interactions with other characters?
Organization and IdeasAcademic Skills*
Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthisscoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinthenexthighestscorebandwherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthisscoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinthenexthighestscorebandwherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
• Understandthecentralidea(s)inasimpletextorinashortsectionofalongertext
• Determinethemainideaofatextandapplyittoadifferentcontext
• Understandtherelationshipofideaswithinandacrossdifferenttexts
• Integrateinformationfromshortsectionsofdifferenttexts
Suggestions for Improvement
Therearenospecificsuggestionsforimprovementforthisskillgroupinthisparticularscoreband.However,we encourage students to review the suggestionsandexamplesinother scorebands.
• Whenreadingatext(suchasabook,anessay,anewspaperoramagazinearticle),identifytheauthor’sideasandthinkabouttherelationshipsamongthoseideas.Identifythemainideaandthesupportingideas.
• Whenreadingtwotextsbydifferentauthorsonthesametopicoronrelatedtopics,identifyeachauthor’sideasandthinkabouthowthoseideasrelatetoeachother.
• Whenreadingalongertext,noticehowitspartsworktogether.Consider how the author introduces and concludes his or her idea.Considerwhatsupportorevidencetheauthorprovides.
• Lookfortwotextsaboutthesametopicbydifferentauthors.Compareandcontrasthoweachauthorfeelsaboutthetopicandhoweachauthoraddressesthetopic.
• Afterreadinganessay,anewspaperarticleoramagazinearticle,considerwhatconclusionsandpredictionscanbemade.Considerwhatmightcomenextiftheessayorarticleweretocontinue.
5*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
Critical Reading, continued
500–590 600–690 700–800Determining the Meaning of Words
Academic Skills*
• Usethecontextofasentenceorlargersectionoftexttodeterminethemeaningofunknownwordsortodifferentiateamongmultiplepossiblemeaningsofwords
• Understandhowsyntax(thearrangementofwords and phrases in a sentence) influences the relationshipamongwordsandideaswithinasentence
• Demonstrateincreasedcomprehensionofspecializedvocabulary
• Understandfamiliarwordsinunfamiliarcontextsanddifferentiateamongmultiplepossiblemeaningsforwordsinunfamiliarcontexts
• Understandsophisticatedandspecializedvocabulary• Determinethemeaningofawordwhenthereislittle
ornosupportingcontext• Negotiatecomplexsyntax(thearrangementofwords
andphrasesinasentence),andintegrateideaswithin and across sentences
• Understandhowwordscansometimesbeusedinunusualwaysthatdirectlyrefutecommonusage
• Accessbroadandextensivevocabularywithincomplexsyntacticalstructuresandinavarietyofcontexts
• Analyzethecontextofasentenceorlargersectionsoftexttoclarifythemeaningofunknownwords,differentiateamongmultiplepossiblemeaningsofwords,detectnuancesandinferconnotations
Suggestions for Improvement
• Whenreadingatextaboutanunfamiliartopic,lookforfamiliarwordstohelpdeterminewhatanyunknownwordsmightmean.
• Whenencounteringanunknownwordoradifficultwordinatext,lookitupinadictionarythatprovidesinformationontheoriginsandhistoryofaword.
• Whenencounteringadifficultsectionoftext,breakdowntheideassentencebysentenceandevenwithinsentences.Thinkabouthowtheideasworktogether.
• Whenreadingadifficulttext,lookforfamiliarwordsthatareusedinunfamiliarways.
• Whenreadingatextaboutanunfamiliartopic,lookforfamiliarwordstohelpdeterminewhatanyunknownwordsmightmean.
• Whenencounteringadifficultwordinatext,usethecontextofthesentenceandsurroundingsentencestodeterminetheword’smeaning.Alsoconsiderthecontextwhendetermininghowawordisbeingused.Forexample,doestherestofthesentenceindicatethatawordisbeingusedwithacertainconnotation?
• Toimprovevocabulary,readadifficulttextandlookupanyunfamiliarwordsinadictionarythatprovidesinformationontheoriginsandhistoryofaword.
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,studentscanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
Understanding Literary ElementsAcademic Skills*
• Identifynuancesandattitudesofcharacters• Determinecharacterizationfromdialogue,thoughts
andactions,interactionsamongcharacters,andnarrative perspective
• Analyzecharacters’functioninanarrative• Interpretdialoguefromacharacter’sorthenarrator’s
perspective
• Analyzetherolesandrelationshipsamongcharactersandbetweencharactersandthenarrator
Suggestions for Improvement
• Whenreadinganovel,shortstoryorplay,chooseacharacterandthinkaboutwhatpurposeheorsheserves.Consider:Isthecharacteraprotagonist,anantagonistoranimportantminorcharacter?Isthecharacterafoiloratragichero?Doesthecharacterprovidecomicrelief?Howdoesthecharacterrelatetothestory’stheme?Howdoesthecharacteraffectthe plot?
• Whenreadinganovel,shortstoryorplay,pickoutalineofonecharacter’sdialogue.Thinkabouthowother characters would react to what that character says.Keepinmindwhatisknownabouteachcharacter.
• Whenreadinganovel,shortstoryorplay,identifythewaysinwhichthecharacters(includingthenarrator)contributetothework’soverallmeaningormessage.Considerthewaysinwhichthecharactersrelatetoeachotherandtothenarrator.
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,studentscanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
Organization and IdeasAcademic Skills*
• Integrateideaswithinandacrosssentencesandtexts
• Comprehendgeneralizationsabouttexts• Analyzeandcompareconceptsacrosstexts• Drawtext-basedconclusionsbeyondthemainidea• Determinethefunctionofaselectedportionoftext
withinalongertext
• Analyzemainideasandconceptswithinandacrosscomplexandsometimesopposingtexts
• Compareandcontrastexplicitandimplicitsupportingideasacrosstexts
• Recognizecomponentsofanauthor’sargumentwithinatext
• Analyzecontext,sentencestructureandsentencevariationtoconstructmeaningwithinandacrosssentencesandtexts
• Interpretmultiplelayersofatext
Suggestions for Improvement
• Findtwochallengingessaysbydifferentauthorsonthesametopic.Considerhoweachauthoraddressesthetopic.Thinkabouthoweachauthortreatsthemainidea.Considerwhethertheauthorsusesimilarevidenceandsupportingideasoruseothermethodstosupporttheirmainideas.
• Whenreadinganargumentativetext,identifythepartsoftheauthor’sargument.Consider:Whatisthethesis?Whatevidencedoestheauthorprovide?Doestheauthorciteothers?Howdoesheorsheconcludetheargument?
• Whenreadingatext,lookatitsorganizationanditsstyle.Considerhowtheorganizationandstyleworktogethertocontributetothework’seffectiveness.
• Whenreadingatext,thinkaboutthestatedtopicandalsoconsideritslargermeaningorpurpose.Considerwhetherornotthetexthasameaningbeyonditsstatedintention.
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,studentscanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
6*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
Critical Reading, continued
200–290 300–390 400–490Author’s CraftAcademic Skills*
• Usevocabularycluestodeterminethetoneofatext(theauthor’sattitudetowardthesubjectofthetextandtowardthe audience)
• Recognizeelementsoffigurativelanguage(suchasmetaphor)inatext
Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthisscoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinthenexthighestscoreband,wherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
• Identifyanauthor’spurposeforwriting• Identifyanddescribetheeffectsofliterarydevicesused
toachieveaspecificpurpose• Infertheauthor’sopinionconcerningthecentralideasin
atext• Usetonetoinferanauthor’sunstatedassumptions• Usecontextcluestoidentifyanauthor’srhetorical
purpose(forexample,topersuadetheaudience)inashortsectionoftext
Suggestions for Improvement
Therearenospecificsuggestionsforimprovementforthisskillgroupinthisparticularscoreband.However,we encourage students to review the suggestionsandexamplesinother scorebands.
• Whenreadingatext,thinkabouttheauthor’spurpose for writing(forexample,toexpresshisorherfeelingsaboutasubject,toinformthereader,topresentanargument).
• Whenreadingatext,lookforliterarydevicessuchaspersonification,metaphorandhyperbole;thinkaboutwhateffectthesedeviceshaveonthetext.
• Whenreadingatext,considertheauthor’stone.Lookforspecificwordsandphrasesthatmakethetextsoundhumorous,angry,earnestorobjective.Considerwhytheauthorhaschosentousethistone.
• Whenreadingatext,thinkabouthowtheauthorusesrhetoric.Forwhomistheauthoriswriting?Identifyhowheorshehooksthereader’sinterest,andhowtheauthortriestomakehimselforherselfbelievable.Consider how the author uses evidence to support his or herpoint.
• Whenreadingalongertext,pickoneparagraphandcarefullyanalyzethevocabulary,sentencestructuresanddevicesinit.Thinkabouthowanauthoruseslanguagetoachieveapurposeinjustashortsectionoftext.
• Whenreadinganovel,shortstoryorplay,thinkabouttheauthor’sstyle.Considerwhatkindoflanguagetheauthoruses—flowerylanguageorstraightforwardlanguage,forexample.Thinkabouthowthestyleaffectsthetext.
• Whenreadingatext,lookforliterarydevicessuchassymbolismandirony.
Reasoning and InferencingAcademic Skills*
Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthisscoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinthenexthighestscorebandwherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
• Performclear,simplestepsofreasoning• Recognizeageneralidea,suchasaparaphrase,thatis
supportedbyseparatebutrelatedpointsindifferentsentences
• Performmultiplestepsofreasoning• Makemultiple,layeredinferences
Suggestions for Improvement
• Whilereadingatext,thinkabouthowtheauthorsupportshisorhermainidea.
• Whilereadingatext,chooseasentenceandrestateit,andthenchooseawholeparagraphandrestateit.
• Whenreadingatextandconsideringtheideasinit,thinkabouthowconclusionsarereachedbasedonthoseideas.Thinkaboutwhatcanbeguessedabouttheauthorandhisorherfeelingsaboutatopicbasedonwhatisinthetext:Istheauthor suggesting rather than statingacertainidea?Doesitseemthattheauthorissayingsomethingorbelievesinsomethingevenifitisnotdirectlystated?Canconclusionsbedrawnorpredictionsmadebasedoncluesinthetext?
• Afterreadingatextanddetermininghowtheauthorfeelsaboutacertaintopic,considerhowheorshewouldfeelaboutarelatedargument.Thinkabouthowsomeonewithanopposingviewpointwouldrespondtothetext,andhowtheauthorwouldrespondtoanopposingargument.
• Whenreadingalongertext,noticehowtheauthordevelopsanidea.Thinkabouthowtheideaisintroducedandhowtheideaisdevelopedthroughoutthetext.
7*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
Critical Reading, continued
500–590 600–690 700–800Author’s CraftAcademic Skills*
• Inferanauthor’spurposeforwriting• Recognizetheuseofironyandtheeffectsofother
sophisticatedliterarydevices,suchassymbolism,inatext
• Determinethefunctionofwordsanddevicesinlimitedsectionsoftext
• Analyzehowanauthorachievesspecificeffectsusing rhetorical devices and strategies
• Analyzeanauthor’sexplicitandimplicitpurposesforwriting
• Analyzetheeffectsofanauthor’srhetoricalandstylisticchoices
• Distinguishamongopinion,fact,conjectureandhypothesisinatext
• Recognizehowanauthorusesevidencetosupportaparticular position
• Recognizesubtletiesanddifferencesintone,suchastheuseofhumororironytoachieveaspecificeffect
• Analyzetheoverallpurposeofanauthor’stext• Analyzehowsophisticatedrhetoricaldevices
support an author’s purposes• Analyzehowthesophisticateduseofliterary
devicesandfigurativelanguage(suchasextendedmetaphors,complicatedanalogiesandsymbolicimages)achievespecificeffects
Suggestions for Improvement
• Whenreadingatext,thinkaboutwhytheauthorchosetowriteit.Considerbothwhattheauthorsaysinthetextandwhatcanbeinferred.
• Whenreadingatext,considerhowtheauthor’slanguageandthestructureofthetextaffectthewaytheauthormakeshisorherpoint.Thinkaboutwhatkindofsupporttheauthorprovides.Consider:Doestheauthorspeculate,citefactsorexpressanopinion?Howdoestheauthor’stonerelate to the topic?
• Whenreadingatext,considertheauthor’suseofrhetoric.Thinkabouthowtheauthortriestomakehimselforherselfbelievableandhowtheauthorusesevidencetosupporthisorherpoint.Thinkabouthowtheauthor’suseofrhetoricsupportshisorherpurpose.
• Whenreadingatext,considerhowtheauthorcarefullyusesliterarydevices(suchasunderstatement,mood,allusion,allegory,paradox,voiceandauthorialpersona)andfigurativelanguage.Thinkabouthowtheauthor’slanguageanduseofdevicesaffectthetext.
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,studentscanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
Reasoning and InferencingAcademic Skills*
• Makelayeredinferencesandapplythoseinferencestodifferentbutrelatedsituations
• Makeaconnectionbetweenonepartofatextandalaterpartofthatsametexttoenhancecomprehension
• Performcomplexreasoningtasksonshortsectionsoftext
• Determineanauthor’sunstatedassumptionsanddevelopinferencesfromexplicitevidenceindifferentsectionsofatext
• Drawmultipleextendedinferencesthatrequireseveralsteps of reasoning
• Drawinferencesbasedonimplicationsthroughoutatext• Considertheentiretextwhenmakinginferences,linking
informationtoideasbothbeforeandafteraspecificsection
• Integratebothgeneralanddetailedinformationacrosstexts
• Makeinferenceswhenthereisnoexplicitreinforcementinthetextorwheninformationismissing,andusethoseinferencestodrawfurtherconclusionsaboutthetext
• Applyconclusionsdrawnfromatexttoothercontexts,understandingsimilaroranalogoussituations in the process
• Identifyanauthor’sunstatedassumptionsanddrawfurtherconclusionsaboutthetextbasedontheseassumptions
• Analyzeandrelatemultipleperspectivesonsimilartopicsacrosstexts
• Compareandcontrastdeeplyembeddeddetailsorideasacrosstexts
Suggestions for Improvement
• Whenreadingatext(suchasanessayornewspaperarticle),thinkaboutwhattheauthoristryingtosay,eitherdirectlyorindirectly.Thinkaboutwhattheauthorstates,andwhatcanbeguessedaboutwhatheorshethinksorfeels.Identifytheevidenceinthetextthatsupportsanyassumptions.
• Findtwochallengingtextsbydifferentauthorsonthesametopic.Synthesizethemainideasandsupportingdetailsfromeachtext.Thinkaboutwhatconclusionscanbedrawnfrombothtexts.
• Afterreadingatext,thinkabouttheconclusionsthatcanbedrawnfromthattext.Considerhowtheseconclusionsmightapplytoadifferentscenarioorsituation.Thinkaboutothertextstheseconclusionsbringtomind,andconsiderhowtheseconclusionsmightrelatetothem.
• Whenreadingachallengingtext,thinkabouttheassumptionsthatunderlietheauthor’sposition.Thinkaboutwhattheauthorassumesabouttheworld.Consider:Aretheauthor’sassumptionslogical?Arehisorherassumptionsdefensible?Doesthereader’sviewoftheauthorandhisorherassumptionsaffectthereader’sunderstandingofthetext?
• Readessaysbydifferentauthorsonthesametopicorrelatedtopics.Analyzetheessays’similaritiesanddifferencesfrommanydifferentperspectives.Considerthingssuchaseachauthor’sreasoning,evidenceandlogicalappeals.
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,studentscanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
8*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
SAT® SKILLS INSIGHT™
Mathematics Academic Skills at Each Score Band and Suggestions for Improvement
200–290 300–390 400–490NUMBER AND OPERATIONS
Academic Skills*A typical student in this score interval can do the following:
• Identifyfactorsofwholenumbers• Solvewordproblemsusingaddition,
subtraction,multiplicationanddivisionofwholenumbers
• Recallbasicmathematicalfacts/definitionsaboutexponentialnotation,includingscientificnotation
• Identifyarulethatdescribesanumericalpatterninasequence
• Identify,useandrepresentfractionsandpercentsinarithmeticandalgebraicsettings
• Usepropertiesofevenandoddnumbers,multiplesandfactors• Identifyandusethenamesforplacevaluesinsolvingproblems
involvingdecimalrepresentations(e.g.,tenthsandhundredths)• Usepropertiesofinequalitiestocompareandordernumbers
Suggestions for ImprovementToadvancetothenexthighestscoreband,students should focus onthefollowingskills:
• Recallbasicmathematicalfacts/definitionsaboutexponentialnotation,includingscientificnotation
• Identifyarulethatdescribesanumericalpatterninasequence
• Identify,useandrepresentfractionsandpercentsinarithmeticandalgebraicsettings
• Usepropertiesofevenandoddnumbers,multiplesand factors
• Identifyandusethenamesforplacevaluesinsolvingproblemsinvolvingdecimalrepresentations(e.g.,tenths and hundredths)
• Usepropertiesofinequalitiestocompareandordernumbers
• Solveproblemsusingideasfrombasicsettheoryandbasicnumbertheory
• Recognizeandapplyratio,proportionorpercentinsolvingproblems
• Usepropertiesofrealnumberoperations,orderingandthezero-product property
• Solveproblemsinvolvingcountingtechniques
ALGEBRA AND FUNCTIONS
Academic Skills*
• Uselettersasplaceholdersforunknownvalues
• Treatexpressionssuchasa + basasinglequantityinlinearproblemsituations(e.g.,solving2(a + b) = 6 to findthevalueofa + b)
• Verifythatavalueisasolutiontoalinearorquadraticequation(e.g.,substituteandsimplify)
• Usefunctionnotationinsimplesituations(e.g.,evaluation)• Usevariablesinmultistepabstractsettings(e.g.,applythe
distributivepropertyacrossseveralvariables)• Solveproblemsinvolvingpositive-integerexponents• Solvewordproblemsinvolvinglinearrelationships• Substitutevaluesinandsimplifysystemsofequationsintwo
variables• Solvetwo-steplinearequations• Evaluateanoperationintwovariablesrepresentedbyunfamiliar
symbols
Suggestions for Improvement
• Treatexpressionssuchasa + b as asinglequantityinlinearproblemsituations(e.g.,solving2(a + b) = 6 to findthevalueofa + b)
• Verifythatavalueisasolutiontoalinearorquadraticequation(e.g.,substituteandsimplify)
• Usefunctionnotationinsimplesituations(e.g.,evaluation)
• Usevariablesinmultistepabstractsettings(e.g.,applythedistributivepropertyacrossseveralvariables)
• Solveproblemsinvolvingpositive-integerexponents• Solvewordproblemsinvolvinglinearrelationships• Substitutevaluesinandsimplifysystemsof
equationsintwovariables• Solvetwo-steplinearequations• Evaluateanoperationintwovariablesrepresented
byunfamiliarsymbols
• Formulateandsolveproblemsinvolvingproportions• Solvemultistepproblemsinvolvinglinearandquadratic
relationships• Useandinterpretgraphs,includinggraphsofstepfunctions• Solveproblemsinvolvingalgebraicinequalities• Solveproblemsinvolvingexponentialgrowthanddecay• Evaluateanoperationinthreevariablesrepresentedbyunfamiliar
symbols
GEOMETRY AND MEASUREMENT
Academic Skills*
• Solvegeometryproblemsinvolvingbasicshapes(e.g.,triangles,circlesandsegments)
• Recallbasicmathematicalfactsabouttriangles(e.g.,propertiesofisoscelestrianglesandthe180˚anglesumproperty)
• Applypropertiesoftriangles,includingcongruence• Applyanglerelationships,includingthoseinpolygonsandcircles• Solveproblemsinvolvingthelengthoflinesegments
Suggestions for Improvement
• Recallbasicmathematicalfactsabouttriangles(e.g.,propertiesofisoscelestrianglesandthe180˚anglesumproperty)
• Applypropertiesoftriangles,includingcongruence• Applyanglerelationships,includingthosein
polygons and circles• Solveproblemsinvolvingthelengthoflinesegments
• Recognizeandusethefollowing:■ Simpleinscribedandcircumscribedfigures■ ThePythagoreanTheorem■ Coordinategeometry(e.g.,slopecalculations)■ Parallelismandperpindicularity■ Two-andthree-dimensionalfigures■ Figurescomposedoftwoormoresimpleshapes
• Interpretandsolvetwo-stepproblemsinvolvinggeometricproportions
9*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
Mathematics, continued
500–590 600–690 700–800NUMBER AND OPERATIONS
Academic Skills*
• Solveproblemsusingideasfrombasicsettheoryandbasicnumbertheory
• Recognizeandapplyratio,proportionorpercentinsolvingproblems
• Usepropertiesofrealnumberoperations,orderingandthezero-productproperty
• Solveproblemsinvolvingcountingtechniques
• Determinevaluesorpropertiesofnumbersinasequencewhengivenadescriptionofthesequence
• Createanduseratios,fractionsorpercentsinsolvingproblems
• Solvemore-complexcountingproblems(e.g.,permutations,combinationsandinclusion/exclusion)
• Useπinalgebraicandgeometriccontexts• Createanduseratios,fractionsorpercents,
includingalgebraicexpressions,insolvingproblems
Suggestions for Improvement
• Determinevaluesorpropertiesofnumbersinasequencewhengivenadescriptionofthesequence
• Createanduseratios,fractionsorpercentsinsolvingproblems
• Solvemore-complexcountingproblems(e.g.,permutations,combinationsandinclusion/exclusion)
• Useπinalgebraicandgeometriccontexts• Createanduseratios,fractionsorpercents,including
algebraicexpressions,insolvingproblems
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,studentscanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
ALGEBRA AND FUNCTIONS
Academic Skills*
• Formulateandsolveproblemsinvolvingproportions• Solvemultistepproblemsinvolvinglinearand
quadraticrelationships• Useandinterpretgraphs,includinggraphsofstep
functions• Solveproblemsinvolvingalgebraicinequalities• Solveproblemsinvolvingexponentialgrowthand
decay• Evaluateanoperationinthreevariablesrepresented
byunfamiliarsymbols
• Applytheconceptofabsolutevaluetoalgebraicexpressions
• Identifyandanalyzethequalitativebehaviorofgraphsofnonlinear functions
• Solveproblemsinvolvingnonlinearfunctionsandequations(e.g.,quadratic,exponentialandrational)
• Solveproblemsinvolvingfractionalandnegativeexponents• Identifysolutionsetsinalgebraicsituationsinvolving
inequalities• Solveproblemsinvolvingcompositionoffunctions(e.g.,use
theoutputofonefunctionastheinputtobeevaluatedinasecond function)
• Solveproblemsinvolvingvariableswithoperationsrepresentedbyunfamiliarsymbols
• Generalizeanexponentialpatternfromageometricsequence
• Solveforonevariableorexpressionintermsofanother• Workwithsystemsofequationsinvolvingthreeormore
variables
• Solveproblemsinvolvingcomplexfractions• Solveproblemsinvolvingfunctionsdefinedwith
unfamiliarsymbolsinoneormorevariables• Identify,applyandrepresenttransformationsof
functions,graphicallyandalgebraically• Applypropertiesofnon-integerexponents• Solvemultistepproblemsinvolvingalgebraic
inequalities• Solvewordproblemsinvolvingrateofchangein
nonlinearorpiecewise-linearsettings• Identifyandusetherelationshipbetweentheslope
ofalineandalgebraicrateofchange• Interpretandsolvewordproblemsusingmultistep
proportional reasoning• Transformanequationorexpressionbyraisingittoa
power
Suggestions for Improvement
• Applytheconceptofabsolutevaluetoalgebraicexpressions
• Identifyandanalyzethequalitativebehaviorofgraphs of nonlinear functions
• Solveproblemsinvolvingnonlinearfunctionsandequations(e.g.,quadratic,exponentialandrational)
• Solveproblemsinvolvingfractionalandnegativeexponents
• Identifysolutionsetsinalgebraicsituationsinvolvinginequalities
• Solveproblemsinvolvingcompositionoffunctions(e.g.,usetheoutputofonefunctionastheinputtobeevaluated in a second function)
• Solveproblemsinvolvingvariableswithoperationsrepresentedbyunfamiliarsymbols
• Generalizeanexponentialpatternfromageometricsequence
• Solveforonevariableorexpressionintermsofanother
• Workwithsystemsofequationsinvolvingthreeormorevariables
• Solveproblemsinvolvingcomplexfractions• Solveproblemsinvolvingfunctionsdefinedwithunfamiliar
symbolsinoneormorevariables• Identify,applyandrepresenttransformationsoffunctions,
graphicallyandalgebraically• Applypropertiesofnon-integerexponents• Solvemultistepproblemsinvolvingalgebraicinequalities• Solvewordproblemsinvolvingrateofchangeinnonlinear
orpiecewise-linearsettings• Identifyandusetherelationshipbetweentheslopeofaline
andalgebraicrateofchange• Interpretandsolvewordproblemsusingmultistep
proportional reasoning• Transformanequationorexpressionbyraisingittoapower
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,studentscanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
GEOMETRY AND MEASUREMENT
Academic Skills*
• Recognizeandusethefollowing:■ Simpleinscribedandcircumscribedfigures■ ThePythagoreanTheorem■ Coordinategeometry(e.g.,slopecalculations)■ Parallelismandperpindicularity■ Two-andthree-dimensionalfigures■ Figurescomposedoftwoormoresimpleshapes
• Interpretandsolvetwo-stepproblemsinvolvinggeometricproportions
• Recognizeandusevolumeinsolvingmultistepproblems• Usetherelationshipsbetweentheslopesofparalleland
perpendicular lines in the coordinate plane
• Determinetheeffectofchangesinthelineardimensionsofafigureonothermeasuresofthefigure,suchasarea
• Interpretandsolvemultistepproblemsinvolvinggeometricproportions
• Solveproblemsinvolvingnetworks
Suggestions for Improvement
• Recognizeandusevolumeinsolvingmultistepproblems
• Usetherelationshipsbetweentheslopesofparalleland perpendicular lines in the coordinate plane
• Determinetheeffectofchangesinthelineardimensionsofafigureonothermeasuresofthefigure,suchasarea
• Interpretandsolvemultistepproblemsinvolvinggeometricproportions
• Solveproblemsinvolvingnetworks
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,studentscanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
10*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
Mathematics, continued
200–290 300–390 400–490DATA, STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY
Academic Skills*
• Readsimpledatadisplays(e.g.,bargraphs,linegraphs,pictogramsandtables)
• Readandinterpretbargraphs • Extractanduserelevantinformationfromtables,graphsanddiagrams
Suggestions for Improvement
• Readandinterpretbargraphs
• Extractanduserelevantinformationfromtables,graphsanddiagrams
• Interpretandsolveproblemsinvolvingdatadisplays(e.g.,circlegraphs)
PROBLEM SOLVING
Academic Skills*
• Setupandsolveone-stepproblemsinvolvingrates
• Applyasimpleproceduretosolveanarithmeticproblem
• Solveone-stepproportionalreasoningproblems • Read,extractanduserelevantinformationfromwrittendescriptionsandgeometricfigurestosolveaproblem
• Solvesomemultisteproutineproblems• Solveproblemsinvolvingratesandunitconversions
Suggestions for Improvement
• Solveone-stepproportional reasoning problems
• Read,extractanduserelevantinformationfromwrittendescriptionsandgeometricfigurestosolveaproblem
• Solvesomemultisteproutineproblems• Solveproblemsinvolvingratesandunitconversions
• Usemultistepstrategiestosolveaproblem,suchasthefollowing:■ Drawingauxiliarylines■ Breakingalargerproblemdowntosmallercomponents
• Solvemultistepnonroutineproblems(e.g.,bytrialanderror)• Solvemultistepgeometryproblemsinvolvingthefollowing:
■ Anglemeasuresandrelationships■ Triangles
REPRESENTATION
Academic Skills*
• Readpictorialandtabularrepresentations to identify an answer
• Selectanappropriaterepresentation for a proportion
• Translateverbalstatementsintoalgebraicexpressions • Createandapplyanappropriaterepresentationforarate• Visualizeorcreateageometricrepresentationtosolveaproblem• Translatebetweenverbalandsymbolicrepresentationsoflinearexpressions• Translatebetweenequivalentsymbolicrepresentationsoflinearexpressions
Suggestions for Improvement
• Translateverbalstatementsintoalgebraicexpressions
• Createandapplyanappropriaterepresentationforarate
• Visualizeorcreateageometricrepresentationtosolveaproblem
• Translatebetweenverbalandsymbolicrepresentationsoflinearexpressions
• Translatebetweenequivalentsymbolicrepresentationsoflinearexpressions
• Recognizeandtranslateamonginformationrepresentedverbally,graphically,numericallyandsymbolically
• Visualizeorsketchafigurebasedonaverbaldescriptiontosolveaproblem• Interpretfunctionsandgraphsasmodelsinappliedsituations
REASONING
Academic Skills*
• Applyreasoninginsolving straightforward problemsinfamiliarsettings
• Reasonabout,structureandsolveproblemsaboutratesand proportions
• Considerandcomparedifferentcasesinreasoningaboutaproblemsituation
Suggestions for Improvement
• Reasonabout,structureandsolveproblemsaboutrates and proportions
• Considerandcomparedifferentcasesinreasoningaboutaproblemsituation
• Makeandtestconjecturesinvolvingbasiclogicandsettheory• Usebasicnumbertheorytoinvestigateconjectures(e.g.,conjecturesaboutodd/
even,positive/negativeandconsecutiveintegers)
CONNECTIONS
Academic Skills*
• Makeconnectionsbetweendataanalysisandnumberandoperations(e.g.,usenumericaljudgmentinreadingasimpledatadisplay)
• Usevariablesinageometriccontext(e.g.,workwithunknownanglesidentifiedbyx and y )
• Usevariablesinareasotherthanalgebra
Suggestions for Improvement
• Usevariablesinageometriccontext(e.g.,workwithunknownanglesidentifiedby x and y )
• Usevariablesinareasotherthanalgebra • Useconnectionsbetweenareasofmathematics,suchasthefollowing: ■Algebraandgeometry(e.g.,connectgeometricslopewithanalgebraic
expression)■ Dataandalgebra(e.g.,computemeanofalgebraicexpressions)■ Applyingproportionsingeometricsituations
COMMUNICATION
Academic Skills*
• Usethefollowingnotationandterms:■ Factor(wholenumber)■ Radius
• Usethefollowingnotationandterms:■ Congruent angles
• Usethefollowingnotationandterms:■ Function notation■ Parallel
Suggestions for Improvement
• Usethefollowingnotationandterms:■ Congruent angles
• Usethefollowingnotationandterms:■ Function notation■ Parallel
• Usethefollowingnotationandterms:■ Consecutive integers■ “NOT,”“CANNOT,”“must,”“whichofthefollowing”■ Arcs■ Anglebisector
Mathematics, continued
11*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
500–590 600–690 700–800DATA, STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY
Academic Skills*
• Interpretandsolveproblemsinvolvingdatadisplays(e.g.,circle graphs)
• Interpretandsolvemultistepproblemsinvolvingdatadisplays• Interprettheeffectofchangesindataonmeasuresofcenter• Solveproblemsinvolvingprobability
• Solveconditionalprobabilityproblems
• Solvegeometricprobabilityproblems
Suggestions for Improvement
• Interpretandsolvemultistepproblemsinvolvingdatadisplays
• Interprettheeffectofchangesindataonmeasuresofcenter
• Solveproblemsinvolvingprobability
• Solveconditionalprobabilityproblems• Solvegeometricprobabilityproblems
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.
PROBLEM SOLVING
Academic Skills*
• Usemultistepstrategiestosolveaproblem,suchasthefollowing:■ Drawingauxiliarylines■ Breakingalargerproblemdowntosmallercomponents
• Solvemultistepnonroutineproblems(e.g.,bytrialanderror)
• Solvemultistepgeometryproblemsinvolvingthefollowing:■ Anglemeasuresandrelationships■ Triangles
• Solveproblemsusingmultiplestrategies,including the following:■ Visualization■ Estimationskills■ Recognizingrelevant
information■ Function notation
• Useinsightinsolvingnonroutinegeometricproblemsinvolvingthe following:■ Triangles■ Patterns■ Perimeter■ ThePythagoreanTheorem■ Propertiesofcircles
• Solvethefirststageofaproblem,and then apply that solution to solve thenextstageoftheproblem
• Recognizecomplexityinproblemsthatappearatfirsttoberoutine
• Developandapplyaneffectivestrategyandkeeptrackofinformationinsolvinganonroutineproblem
• Identifyrelevantandirrelevantinformationwhenchoosingasolutionstrategy
• Solvemultistepproblemsinvolvingproperties of integers
Suggestions for Improvement
• Solveproblemsusingmultiplestrategies,including the following:■ Visualization■ Estimationskills■ Recognizingrelevant
information■ Function notation
• Useinsightinsolvingnonroutinegeometricproblemsinvolvingthefollowing:■ Triangles■ Patterns■ Perimeter■ ThePythagorean
Theorem■ Propertiesofcircles
• Solvethefirststageofaproblem,andthenapplythatsolutiontosolvethenextstageoftheproblem
• Recognizecomplexityinproblemsthatappearatfirsttoberoutine
• Developandapplyaneffectivestrategyandkeeptrackofinformationinsolvinganonroutineproblem
• Identifyrelevantandirrelevantinformationwhenchoosingasolution strategy
• Solvemultistepproblemsinvolvingpropertiesofintegers
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.
REPRESENTATION
Academic Skills*
• Recognizeandtranslateamonginformationrepresentedverbally,graphically,numericallyandsymbolically
• Visualizeorsketchafigurebasedonaverbaldescriptiontosolveaproblem
• Interpretfunctionsandgraphsasmodelsinappliedsituations
• Translateverbaldescriptionsintoalgebraicrepresentationsinsolvingcomplexproblems
• Translateamongequivalentrepresentationsofexpressionsinvolvingexponents
• Compareandcontrastalgebraicandgeometricrepresentations
• Translateverbaldescriptionsintononlinearalgebraicrepresentationsinsolvingcomplexproblems
Suggestions for Improvement
• Translateverbaldescriptionsintoalgebraicrepresentationsinsolvingcomplexproblems
• Translateamongequivalentrepresentationsofexpressionsinvolvingexponents
• Compareandcontrastalgebraicandgeometricrepresentations• Translateverbaldescriptionsintononlinearalgebraic
representationsinsolvingcomplexproblems
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.
REASONING
Academic Skills*
• Makeandtestconjecturesinvolvingbasiclogicandsettheory
• Usebasicnumbertheorytoinvestigateconjectures(e.g.,conjecturesaboutodd/even,positive/negativeandconsecutive integers)
• Recognizeandusecounterexamples• Considermultiplecases• Investigateandcoordinatemultipleconjecturestodrawalogical
conclusion
• Decidewhichcasestoconsiderinordertoreach a conclusion
• Makeandtestconjecturesaboutproperties of operations represented byunfamiliarsymbols
Suggestions for Improvement
• Recognizeandusecounterexamples• Considermultiplecases• Investigateandcoordinatemultipleconjecturestodrawa
logical conclusion
• Decidewhichcasestoconsiderinordertoreachaconclusion• Makeandtestconjecturesaboutpropertiesofoperations
representedbyunfamiliarsymbols
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.
Mathematics, continued
12*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
500–590 600–690 700–800CONNECTIONS
Academic Skills*
• Useconnectionsbetweenareasofmathematics,suchas the following:■ Algebraandgeometry(e.g.,connectgeometric
slopewithanalgebraicexpression)■ Dataandalgebra(e.g.,computemeanofalgebraic
expressions)■ Applyingproportionsingeometricsituations
• Useconnectionsbetweenareasofmathematics,suchasthe following:■ Coordinategeometryandalgebra■ Numberandoperations,anddata,statistics,and
probability■ Numberandoperations,andgeometry■ Numberandoperations,andalgebra■ Data,statistics,andprobability,andgeometryand
measurement■ Algebraandfunctions,anddata,statistics,and
probability
• Solvenonroutineproblemsinvolvingtheapplicationofconceptsfromthefollowing:■ Algebraandfunctions,andnumberandopera-
tions■ Geometryandmeasurement,andalgebraand
functions■ Data,statistics,andprobability,andnumberand
operations
Suggestions for Improvement
• Useconnectionsbetweenareasofmathematics,suchas the following:■ Coordinategeometryandalgebra■ Numberandoperations,anddata,statistics,and
probability■ Numberandoperations,andgeometry■ Numberandoperations,andalgebra■ Data,statistics,andprobability,andgeometryand
measurement■ Algebraandfunctions,anddata,statistics,and
probability
• Solvenonroutineproblemsinvolvingtheapplicationofconceptsfromthefollowing:■ Algebraandfunctions,andnumberandoperations■ Geometryandmeasurement,andalgebraand
functions■ Data,statistics,andprobability,andnumberand
operations
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.
COMMUNICATION
Academic Skills*
• Usethefollowingnotationandterms:■ Consecutive integers■ “NOT,”“CANNOT,”“must,”“whichofthe
following”■ Arcs■ Anglebisector
• Usethefollowingnotationandterms:■ Median■ Random
• Usethefollowingnotationsandterms:■ π■ Tangent(linetoacircle;circletoacircle)■ “morethan”■ Symmetryabouttheorigin
Suggestions for Improvement
• Usethefollowingnotationandterms:■ Median■ Random
• Usethefollowingnotationsandterms:■ π■ Tangent(linetoacircle;circletoacircle)■ “morethan”■ Symmetryabouttheorigin
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.
13*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
SAT® SKILLS INSIGHT™
Writing Academic Skills at Each Score Band and Suggestions for Improvement
200–290 300–390 400–490Manage Word Choice and Grammatical Relationships Between WordsAcademic Skills*A typical student in this score interval can do the following:
• Recognizesimplepronounreferences• Recognizeincorrectpronouncase
• Recognizevaguepronounusage(i.e.,thepronounhasnoclearorspecificreferent)
• Recognizeappropriatepronounusage(i.e.,pronounagreeswithreferentintermsofnumber)
• Recognizesubject–verbdisagreementwithbriefinterrupterthatdoesnotalterthenumberconsidered and that does not shift the focus away fromthepropersubject
• Recognizeinappropriatesequenceofverbtenses• Recognizeredundancy(e.g.,“Annuallyeach
year...”)
• Recognizevaguepronounusage• Recognizeshiftinperson(e.g.,fromthirdpersonto
second)• Recognizesubject–verbagreementwithbrief
interrupterthataltersnumberandshiftsfocusawayfromthepropersubject
• Recognizewhenasubordinateclausemustincludeasubjectandaverb
Suggestions for ImprovementToadvancetothenexthighestscoreband,students should focus on thefollowingskills:
• Whenreading,focusonspecificparagraphsthatcontain pronouns in order to see how writers use pronounsappropriately.Whenwriting,checktosee that any pronouns refer appropriately to a noun earlierinthesentenceorinapriorsentence.
• Whenreading,chooseaparagraphandidentifythesubjectsandverbsinthesentenceswithinthatparagraph in order to see that writers pay careful attentiontogender,numberandperson.Whenreading,noticethatwritersuseconsistentverbtenseandactivevoice.Whenwriting,checktoseethatsubjectsandverbsagreeingenderandnumber.
• Whenreading,focusonspecificparagraphsthatcontainpronouns,notingthatpronounsmustagreeinnumberandperson,andmustrefertospecificnouns.Whenwriting,besuretousepronounsappropriately.
• Whenreading,chooseaparagraphandidentifythesubjectsandverbsinthesentenceswithinthatparagraph in order to see that writers pay careful attentiontogender,numberandperson.Whenwriting,payattentiontosubject–verbagreement,evenwhenthesubjectandverbarenotnexttoeachother,toensurethatsubjectsandverbsagree.
• Whenreading,chooseaparagraphandexaminetherelationshipbetweenthepronounsandtheirlogicalantecedents.Whenwriting,makesurethatanypronounsreferspecificallytologicalantecedents.
• Whenreading,trytobecomeawareofidiomaticexpressions,especiallytheuseofprepositions.Whenwriting,peereditorproofreadfortheidiomaticuseofprepositions.
• Whenreading,payattentiontohowtemporalelements(dates,times,etc.)dictatetheappropriateverbforms.Whenwriting,besuretouseconsistentverbtense.
Manage Grammatical Structures Used to Modify or CompareAcademic Skills* Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthis
scoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinthenexthighestscorebandwherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
• Recognizeproperusesofadverbsandadjectives• Recognizeappropriatecomparativestructures• Recognizeimpropermodification(e.g.,introductory
clausedoesnotlogicallymodifythesubjectofthesentence)
Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthisscoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinthenexthighestscorebandwherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
Suggestions for Improvement
• Whenreading,chooseaparagraphandidentifytheadjectivesandadverbsinthesentencesandthewordstheymodify.Whenwriting,checktoseethatadjectivesareusedtomodifynounsandthatadverbsareusedtomodifyverbs.
• Whenreading,focusonsentencesthatcontaincomparativephrases(e.g.,“asstrongas”or“morefitthan”).Whenwriting,checktoseethatappropriatestructuresareusedtocomparethingsandideas.
• Whenreading,payattentiontohowwritersuseintroductoryclausestologicallymodifythesubjectofasentence.Whenwriting,checktoseethatintroductoryclausescorrectlyandlogicallymodifythesubjectofasentence.
Therearenospecificsuggestionsforimprovementforthisskillgroupinthisparticularscoreband.However,we encourage students to review the suggestions and examplesinotherscorebands.
• Whenreading,payattentiontohowwritersuseintroductoryphrasestologicallymodifywhatfollows.Whenwriting,checktoseethatallmodifiersandmodifyingphrasesareusedappropriately.
14*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
Writing, continued
500–590 600–690 700–800Manage Word Choice and Grammatical Relationships Between WordsAcademic Skills* • Recognizetheantecedentofapronoundespite
multipledistractorsthatchangethenumberand/orthesubjectofthereferentwithinthesentence
• Recognizetheinappropriateuseofapluralpronountorefertoasingular,collectivenoun
• Recognizehowtemporalelementsinfluenceverbformsinasentence
• Recognizesubject–verbagreementdespitemultipledistractorsandcomplexitiescausedbypassiveconstruction
• Recognizetheneedfortheeffectiveuseofconcision
• Recognizesubject–verbagreementevenwhenthedistractorstoagreementoccurinasubordinateclause
Suggestions for Improvement
• Whenreading,chooseaparagraphandidentifythesubjectsandverbsinthesentenceswithinthatparagraph in order to see that writers pay careful attentiontosubject–verbagreement,evenwhenaword,phraseorclauseintervenesbetweenthesubjectandtheverb.Whenwriting,checktoseethatsubjectsandverbsagreeinnumber.
Therearenospecificsuggestionsforimprovementforthisskillgroupinthisparticularscoreband.However,we encourage students to review the suggestions and examplesinotherscorebands.
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,studentscanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
Manage Grammatical Structures Used to Modify or CompareAcademic Skills* • Recognizeillogicalsentencescausedbydangling
modifiers• Recognizeinappropriatecorrelativeconstructions
(e.g.,neither…nor)• Recognizenoun–noundisagreement
• Recognizeidiomaticuseofadjectives/adverbs• Recognizesophisticatedcomparativestructures• Recognizeappropriateplacementandwordingof
parallelinformationincorrelativeconstructions(e.g.,“notonly...butalso”)
• Recognizethatillogicalsentencescausedbydanglingmodifierscanbecorrectedbyusingthepassive voice
• Recognizetheunidiomaticuseofprepositions
Suggestions for Improvement
• Whenreading,chooseaparagraphandidentifytheadjectivesandadverbsinthesentencesandthewordstheymodify.Whenwriting,checktoseethatadjectivesareusedtomodifynounsandthatadverbsareusedtomodifyverbs.
• Whenreading,focusonsentencesthatcontaincomparativephrases(e.g.,“asstrongas”or“morefitthan”).Whenwriting,checktoseethatappropriatestructuresareusedtocomparethingsandideas.
• Whenreading,payattentiontotheplacementofmodifyingwords,phrasesandclauses.Whenwriting,checktoseethatmodifiersareusedappropriately.
Therearenospecificsuggestionsforimprovementforthisskillgroupinthisparticularscoreband.However,we encourage students to review the suggestions and examplesinotherscorebands.
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwilllikelyhavemasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,studentscanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
15*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
200–290 300–390 400–490Manage Phrases and Clauses in a Sentence
Academic Skills* • Recognizeawkward/unidiomaticconnectives• Understandbasiclogicalcomparisons
• Recognizeappropriaterelationshipsbetweenclausesincompoundsentencesanduseconnectivescorrectly
• Recognizesimpleparallelstructure• Recognizesentencefragments• Recognizeappropriateandlogicalrelationships
betweenpartsofasentence
Suggestions for Improvement
• Whenreading,examinecompoundsentencestolookattherelationshipbetweentheclausesandtheideasexpressedbythoseclauses.Whenwriting,payattentiontohowrelationshipsbetweenclausesandideasarebeingpresented.
• Whenreading,chooseaparagraphandexaminehowwritersusesubordinationandcoordinationtoconstructcompletesentencesthatclearlyexpresstherelationshipsamongtheideaswithinasentence.Whenwriting,usesentencevariety,employingbothsubordinationandcoordinationtoconstructsentences.
• Whenreading,chooseaparagraphandbeabletodistinguishgerundsfrommainverbs,especiallywhenbothendin“ing.”Whenwriting,besuretousegerundsandparticiplesappropriately.
Recognize Correctly Formed SentencesAcademic Skills Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthis
scoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinthenexthighestscorebandwherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
• Recognizecorrectlyformedsentences • Recognizecorrectlyformedsentences
Suggestions for Improvement
• Inyourreading,payattentiontothepartsofspeechandhowtheyagreeinwell-formedsentences;noticemodifyingwordsandphrasesandhowtheyfunctionwhenusedcorrectly;andnotetherelationshipsbetweenphrasesandclausesinwell-formedsentences.Inyourownwriting,makesurethatsubjectsagreeinnumberwiththeirassociatedverbsandthatmainverbsareusedtoconstructcompletesentences;thatpronounsagreeinnumber,genderandpersonwiththeirlogicalantecedents;andthatverbformsareusedconsistentlyandlogically.Besuretousecorrectlyformedmodifyingwords,andmakesurethatmodifyingwordsandphrasesareplacedcorrectlytoshowlogicalmodification.Usepropersubordinationandcoordinationtojoinideasandtoformcompletesentences.
• Inyourreading,payattentiontothepartsofspeechandhowtheyagreeinwell-formedsentences;noticemodifyingwordsandphrasesandhowtheyfunctionwhenusedcorrectly;andnotetherelationshipsbetweenphrasesandclausesinwell-formedsentences.Inyourownwriting,makesurethatsubjectsagreeinnumberwiththeirassociatedverbsandthatmainverbsareusedtoconstructcompletesentences;thatpronounsagreeinnumber,genderandpersonwiththeirlogicalantecedents;andthatverbformsareusedconsistentlyandlogically.Besuretousecorrectlyformedmodifyingwords,andmakesurethatmodifyingwordsandphrasesareplacedcorrectlytoshowlogicalmodification.Usepropersubordinationandcoordinationtojoinideasandtoformcompletesentences.
• Inyourreading,payattentiontothepartsofspeechandhowtheyagreeinwell-formedsentences;noticemodifyingwordsandphrasesandhowtheyfunctionwhenusedcorrectly;andnotetherelationshipsbetweenphrasesandclausesinwell-formedsentences.Inyourownwriting,makesurethatsubjectsagreeinnumberwiththeirassociatedverbsandthatmainverbsareusedtoconstructcompletesentences;thatpronounsagreeinnumber,genderandpersonwiththeirlogicalantecedents;andthatverbformsareusedconsistentlyandlogically.Besuretousecorrectlyformedmodifyingwords,andmakesurethatmodifyingwordsandphrasesareplacedcorrectlytoshowlogicalmodification.Usepropersubordinationandcoordinationtojoinideasandtoformcompletesentences
Manage Order and Relationships of Sentences and Paragraphs
Academic Skills* Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthisscoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinthenexthighestscoreband,wherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthisscoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinthenexthighestscoreband,wherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
• Recognizethefunctionofapieceoftext(e.g.,addssupportingdetail,servesasatransitionfromoneideatothenextorfromoneparagraphtothenext)
• Recognizecontextbeyondthesentenceinquestioninordertomaketheappropriatecorrection
• Recognizetheneedforspecificexamplesinordertodevelop ideas appropriately
Suggestions for Improvement
Therearenospecificsuggestionsforimprovementforthisskillgroupinthisparticularscoreband.However,we encourage students to review the suggestions and examplesinotherscorebands.
• Whenreading,developanawarenessofhowwritersconnectideaslogicallytooneanother.Whenwriting,besuretoconnectideaslogicallywhendevelopingparagraphs.
• Whenreading,beabletorecognizecoherence,eveninparagraphswithacomplexdevelopment.Whenwriting,developmultiplemeansofelaboratingideaslogicallywithinaparagraph.
Writing, continued
16*Real SAT Questions and Answers are available on the Web: www.collegeboard.org/SATSkillsInsight
500–590 600–690 700–800Manage Phrases and Clauses in a Sentence
Academic Skills* • Recognizethedifferencebetweenmainverbandparticiple/gerundwhileworkingwithparallelstructure
• Recognizewaystocombineideasusingappropriate,concise syntactic structures
• Recognizesyntacticalstructuresthatincludeparallelelements
• Recognizerelationshipsbetweenphrasesandclausesintermsofpunctuation,subordination/coordinationandsemanticrelationship
• Recognizeproperplacementofmultipleparallelstructures within a single sentence
• Recognizethecorrectuseofthecolontojoinideasin a sentence
Suggestions for Improvement
• Whenreading,chooseaparagraphfromamoredifficultpieceofnonfictionprosethatcontainscomplexsyntacticalstructures.Whenwriting,attempttoemploymoresophisticatedsyntacticalstructureswhenappropriate.
• Whenreading,examinetextsthatcontainsophisticatedanddifficultsentencestructures.Whenwriting,developsophisticatedtechniquesfordevelopingideasinmultipleways.
• Whenreading,learntorecognizethatsubject–verbagreementisnotconfinedtothemainclauseofasentencebutmayoccurinembeddedsubordinateclausesatanypointinthesentence.Whenwriting,learntousecomplexsentencesthatmayembedimportantideasinembeddedsubordinateclauses.
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwillhavelikelymasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,studentscanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
Recognize Correctly Formed SentencesAcademic Skills • Recognizecorrectlyformedsentences • Recognizecorrectlyformedsentences • Recognizecorrectlyformedsentences
Suggestions for Improvement
• Inyourreading,payattentiontothepartsofspeechandhowtheyagreeinwell-formedsentences;noticemodifyingwordsandphrasesandhowtheyfunctionwhenusedcorrectly;andnotetherelationshipsbetweenphrasesandclausesinwell-formedsentences.Inyourownwriting,makesurethatsubjectsagreeinnumberwiththeirassociatedverbsandthatmainverbsareusedtoconstructcompletesentences;thatpronounsagreeinnumber,genderandpersonwiththeirlogicalantecedents;andthatverbformsareusedconsistentlyandlogically.Besuretousecorrectlyformedmodifyingwords,andmakesurethatmodifyingwordsandphrasesareplacedcorrectlytoshowlogicalmodification.Usepropersubordinationandcoordinationtojoinideasandtoformcompletesentences.
• Inyourreading,payattentiontothepartsofspeechandhowtheyagreeinwell-formedsentences;noticemodifyingwordsandphrasesandhowtheyfunctionwhenusedcorrectly;andnotetherelationshipsbetweenphrasesandclausesinwell-formedsentences.Inyourownwriting,makesurethatsubjectsagreeinnumberwiththeirassociatedverbsandthatmainverbsareusedtoconstructcompletesentences;thatpronounsagreeinnumber,genderandpersonwiththeirlogicalantecedents;andthatverbformsareusedconsistentlyandlogically.Besuretousecorrectlyformedmodifyingwords,andmakesurethatmodifyingwordsandphrasesareplacedcorrectlytoshowlogicalmodification.Usepropersubordinationandcoordinationtojoinideasandtoformcompletesentences.
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwillhavelikelymasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,youcanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencourageyoutoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
Manage Order and Relationships of Sentences and ParagraphsAcademic Skills* • Recognizecoherencebetweensentencesandfillin
gaps when needed • Recognizetheneedfortransitionwordstolink
sentences in a paragraph
Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthisscoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinotherscorebands,wherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
Thisparticularskillgroupisnotrepresentedinthisscoreband.However,itisanimportantacademicskilltestedontheSAT.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexamplesinotherscorebands,wherethisparticularskillgroupdoesappear.
Suggestions for Improvement
Therearenospecificsuggestionsforimprovementforthisskillgroupinthisparticularscoreband.However,we encourage students to review the suggestions and examplesinotherscorebands.
Therearenospecificsuggestionsforimprovementforthisskillgroupinthisparticularscoreband.However,we encourage students to review the suggestions and examplesinotherscorebands.
Thisisthetopscorebandandstudentswhoscoreatthislevelwillhavelikelymasteredtheskillslistedatallotherlevels.However,studentscanalwaysbenefitfrommorepractice.Weencouragestudentstoreviewtheskillsandexampleslistedinthe500–590and600–690scorebands.
Writing, continued