The Best Digital SAT Reading & Writing Practice Tests (2024)

The Best Digital SAT Reading & Writing Practice Tests (1)

When preparing for SAT Reading & Writing, it's crucial to use high-quality practice materials that accurately reflect the content of the real test. In this article, I will go through the best resources for SAT Reading & Writing practice materials, both online and in printed prep books.

Why Are High-Quality SAT Practice Materials So Important?

If you practice with low-quality materials, you'll end up with low-quality results no matter how long you spend studying. Many test-prep companies release their own versions of SAT questions that are supposedly comparable to questions on the real test. DO NOT use these questions exclusively for practice!

The SAT creates questions in a very specific standardized format, and if you're not used to it, you could be in for a rude awakening on the test. Additionally, using mostly unofficial practice materials will invariably give you a skewed sense of your expected SAT score. You don't want to think you're scoring at a certain level and then be faced with a nasty surprise when your scores on the real SAT are much lower.

For the Reading & Writing section, it's doubly important to find practice materials that are high quality because there are always two components: the questions and the passages. Even if the questions are in the same format as questions on the real SAT, if the passages aren't at the same difficulty level, you won't be getting great practice (and vice versa).

On top of using high-quality materials, you should also use realistic time constraints when you take practice tests. If you don't time yourself accurately, you will not be able to reliably predict your scores on the real test. Time is a huge factor on the SAT, and learning to manage it properly is key to earning a high score.

In the next couple of sections, I'll list some of the best resources for SAT Reading practice materials.

Free Digital Official SAT Reading & Writing Practice Tests

The College Board has now made available four new digital SAT practice tests to help prepare you for the exam. These practice tests accurately reflect the material currently covered on the SAT. To take the practice tests, you will be instructed to download Bluebook, College Board's digital testing platform. You can do this from the College Board website.

Once you've downloaded Bluebook, you can then take a full-length, adaptive practice test, meaning the questions you receive will be adapted to your knowledge and skill level. This is exactly how the digital SAT is formatted and scored, so your performance on the practice test will give you a solid idea of what to expect on the SAT.

If you'd like additional practice, you can take paper and pencil tests from previous years. While this isn't ideal, it will give you practice on the concepts and content covered on the SAT. Do be aware that the format of the digital SAT has changed from the old paper and pencil version. Reading and Writing have now been combined into one subject area that is covered in two modules.

(Note that the College Board stopped offering the SAT Essay in June 2021 so you can skip that section on practice tests!) Here are some traditional (paper and pencil) practice tests you can take a look at for additional practice.

You probably noticed that Practice Test 2 and Practice Test 4 are missing from the list above. That's because they're no longer listed on the official SAT Practice Test website. However, these are still tests that were developed by the College Board, so you may find them useful if you've already worked your way through all the available practice tests.

Note that Sentence Completion questions are no longer part of the Reading & Writing section, so you should skip over them if you're using older practice materials.

Online SAT Reading & Writing Practice

This section goes over the best SAT Reading & Writing practice you can find online. It includes both official and unofficial sources.

The College Board

Official College Board questions are the best way to practice for the SAT, so their online resources in terms of practice questions are the best ones you can find. The website gives you immediate feedback on whether you answered a question correctly as well as answer explanations (though these explanations are not always as thorough as they should be in terms of explaining why wrong answers are wrong).

Khan Academy

Khan Academy has partnered directly with the College Board, so they use official SAT questions to help you practice. That means the materials are some of the best you can find outside of the College Board website itself. You can sign up for a free account here.

One negative for this website is that the total number of practice questions is limited, so you will probably have to supplement it with other resources. It's especially sparse on Reading questions for the time being.

It also doesn't include test-taking strategies, and its lessons and answer explanations aren't quite as in-depth as they should be for students who don't understand the questions. However, it does include multiple videos, which some people find more helpful than written explanations.

You can read more about the pros and cons of the Khan Academy program in this article.

PrepScholar

Not to toot our own horn, but toot. We offer a free five-day trial of our test-prep program. The program will assess your strengths and weaknesses and give you practice questions to fit the specific areas where you need improvement. Basically, it does all the hard work of SAT studying (analyzing your problem areas and zeroing in on where you make the most mistakes) for you!

The downside of this is that the questions are technically unofficial, and you do have to pay to sign up for PrepScholar after the free trial. However, our test experts have worked very hard to make the questions as similar to material on the real SAT as possible, and you'll get your money back if you don't improve by 160 points or more.

SAT Reading & Writing Prep Books

You can find further practice tests and materials in SAT prep books, although they can also get expensive. Keep in mind that these will not give you practice on the latest, adaptive digital SAT, but they will provide general practice on reading skills that will strengthen your knowledge.

The Official Digital SAT Study Guide ("Blue Book")

Unfortunately. the four official digital SAT practice tests in latest edition of this book are the same as those available on the Bluebook app for free. However, it also includes extra practice drills and detailed explanations of right and wrong answers that can be helpful.

SAT Prep Black Book, Second Edition

The Best Digital SAT Reading & Writing Practice Tests (3)

This book hasn't yet been updated for the digital SAT, but it's still full of great strategic advice. The Black Book doesn't include any practice questions, instead referencing questions in the first four official SAT practice tests. So if you buy this book you should also download those four official SAT practice tests (for free!).

The Black Book is particularly helpful on the Reading & Writing section, with a list of particular meanings of words like "anticipate" or "counter" that you'll need to know to answer Reading passage questions. It will also give you in-depth answer explanations for all the sections and insightful tips on how to get around the tricky wording of the questions.

The Complete Guide to SAT Reading by Erica Meltzer

The Best Digital SAT Reading & Writing Practice Tests (4)

This book focuses entirely on reading and has not yet been updated to the new digital SAT format. But it does a great job of teaching you the skills you'll need and showing you how to consistently eliminate three out of four answers on every question.

How to Get the Most From Your SAT Reading & Writing Practice Tests

Now you know where to get the best SAT Reading & Writing practice tests, but you also need to know how to use them properly. Below are three tips to help you get the most out of your SAT practice tests and quizzes.

Use Strict Timing

It's important to follow official SAT time limits on practice tests. If you give yourself even just two extra minutes on the SAT Reading & Writing section, it could raise your section score significantly. Because you have more time to answer questions, your practice SAT Reading & Writing score becomes inflated and doesn't give you an accurate indicator of your actual ability.

Review Your Mistakes

Practice tests aren't just good for learning the format of the SAT Reading & Writing section—they're also great for helping you learn from your mistakes.

For every practice SAT Reading & Writing test you take, spend time reviewing both questions you got wrong and questions you got right. If you don't know why you missed a question, don't just skip it and move on; doing so will keep you from learning what kind of mistake you made, raising your risk of making it over and over again. This habit can hamper your score pretty drastically. It's better to take three Reading & Writing sections with detailed review than 10 sections without review.

Don't Forget to Take a Complete SAT

Although this article is specifically for SAT Reading & Writing practice, you'll want to take at least two complete SATs (and ideally four) during your study program so you'll be prepared for every section and know how well you hold up after several hours of testing. Check out our guide for free and official SAT practice tests.

Summary: How to Use SAT Reading & Writing Practice Tests

In preparing for SAT Reading & Writing, it's so important to use the best possible practice materials available to you. This means materials that most closely resemble what you'll see on the real test.

The best way to do this is to use mainly official SAT questions that come directly from the College Board. You can access these through a number of free full-length tests, SAT practice websites such as Khan Academy, and official prep books. If you want even more practice, you can use unofficial Reading & Writing questions, as long as you understand that these will not be as accurate as official questions.

If you work on understanding your mistakes on questions that closely resemble the ones on the real test, you'll be on your way to !

What's Next?

Now that you have all these practice resources, read this article to get some of our best tips for boosting your score on the SAT Reading section.

More of a science and math person who's worried about the reading section? Take a look at my article on how to do well on SAT Reading for science- and math-oriented students.

Also, read my article on the fundamental strategy of SAT Reading to learn about the #1 rule to keep in mind when answering each Reading question!

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

The Best Digital SAT Reading & Writing Practice Tests (2024)

FAQs

What is the best digital SAT practice test? ›

Khan Academy (Best Free Resource): A free resource, Khan Academy provides 4 practice questions per category for most types of questions on the Digital SAT. So, if you're needing additional practice questions, definitely head this way to try those out.

How to ace digital SAT reading and writing? ›

Tips and Strategies
  1. Tip #1 – Use official practice tests.
  2. Tip #2 – Hone in on specific skills with additional resources.
  3. Tip #3 – Learn to rule out 3 wrong answers.
  4. Tip #4 – Predict the answer before reviewing choices.
  5. Tip #5 – Master grammar rules.
  6. Tip #6 – Work on your reading skills.
Apr 30, 2024

Which SAT practice test is the most accurate? ›

To get the most accurate feel for the real SAT, I recommend using the official SAT practice tests provided by the College Board. They currently offer eight full-length practice tests which closely resemble the actual exam.

What is the best way to practice SAT Reading? ›

SAT Reading Study Tips: How to Study
  1. First, Know the test. The first thing you should do is become familiar with the Reading Test format. ...
  2. Read for at least 15 minutes every day. ...
  3. Practice on test-like questions. ...
  4. Study with friends. ...
  5. Special challenge: write your own questions!
Dec 2, 2019

Is Khan Academy good for digital SAT? ›

SAT practice on Khan Academy is world-class SAT prep that's effective and 100% free. Encourage your teen to get a head start and practice today!

Is the digital SAT easier than the actual SAT? ›

The difficulty level of the SAT, whether in its digital or paper-pencil format, remains the same. The College Board ensures that the digital SAT is designed to assess the same skills and knowledge as the traditional pencil-and-paper SAT.

Did Khan Academy get rid of SAT prep? ›

While this means the Official SAT Prep product from Khan Academy has been deprecated, Khan Academy is still the official partner of College Board and is here to provide you with redesigned tools to prepare students for success on the digital SAT.

How to boost digital SAT score? ›

5 Steps to Improve Your Digital SAT Score
  1. Step 1: Set Clear Goals.
  2. Step 2: Plan and Register. Timing is everything! ...
  3. Step 3: Gain Experience with PSAT-Related Assessments. The PSAT assessments are like trial runs for the big show. ...
  4. Step 4: Take Challenging Courses. ...
  5. Step 5: Prioritize Prep and Practice. ...
  6. Test Day and Beyond.
Feb 5, 2024

How to get 800 in digital SAT English? ›

Here's how to find it:
  1. Find a practice test you haven't done before.
  2. Do the reading section untimed and with a dictionary app open.
  3. Look up the words you don't know in the passages and in the questions.
  4. Really try to get every question right. ...
  5. Once you're done, calculate your score using the scale for the exam.

What is the best SAT practice? ›

  • Khan Academy. Khan Academy leads in SAT preparation, offering high-quality, official SAT prep materials at no cost. ...
  • College Board. ...
  • Princeton Review. ...
  • Magoosh. ...
  • Kaplan Test Prep. ...
  • PrepScholar. ...
  • McGraw-Hill Education. ...
  • 4Tests.
Jan 29, 2024

Which practice SAT test is the hardest? ›

It depends on the student, but a consensus claims that Practice Test #3 could be the most difficult for a first-time SAT taker. It would help if you went over each practice test and ranked which one is hardest, so you can spend more time dealing with those before heading to the easier ones.

Which best prepares you for the SAT? ›

The best way to start early: take the PSAT in the 9th and 10th grades. In addition to acclimating yourself to the SAT's format and content, and, thus, becoming more comfortable with the SAT, your exposure to the PSAT is likely to result in SAT score gains.

How to ace the digital SAT? ›

Top 10 Test Taking Tips for the Digital SAT
  1. Pace yourself. ...
  2. Leave yourself a note. ...
  3. Don't rely on answer choice probability or patterns. ...
  4. Don't leave questions blank. ...
  5. Feel free to move around within each module. ...
  6. Do your best. ...
  7. Learn how to use the built-in Desmos graphing calculator. ...
  8. Take a full-length practice test in Bluebook.
Dec 13, 2023

How can I improve my reading and writing score on the SAT? ›

Listed below are the top 6 strategies & skills to improve SAT reading scores.
  1. Save Time on Reading Passages. ...
  2. Know-How to Eliminate The Wrong Answers. ...
  3. Identify the Weakness areas in Reading & Boost them. ...
  4. Take Advantages of Study Materials. ...
  5. Improve your Vocabulary. ...
  6. Take Practice Tests Regularly.

Is 1100 a good SAT score? ›

An 1100 SAT score is about average, as the national median score hovers around 1050-1060. However, whether it's "good" or "bad" really depends on the colleges you're targeting. If you're aiming for more competitive schools, then you should definitely consider retaking the SAT to boost your score.

What is the best practice for SAT? ›

Having short study sessions each day for a month or two is more effective than cramming the same information a week before the test. Make sure to take at least two full-length practice tests — at the beginning and the end of your SAT study process.

How can I practice for the digital SAT? ›

Take full-length digital SAT practice exams by first downloading Bluebook and completing practice tests. Then sign into My Practice to view practice test results and review practice exam items, answers, and explanations.

Are digital SAT scores higher? ›

How Does Scoring on the Digital SAT Compare to the Traditional SAT? College Board has stated that when the new digital SAT is scored, it will be equivalent to paper scores. This means an 1160 on the paper SAT is equivalent to an 1160 on the digital SAT.

What are the disadvantages of the digital SAT? ›

Digital SAT Con #5: Free Response Questions and Geometry

Unfortunately, on the Digital SAT, about a fourth of the questions—roughly 11 questions in the Math section—are completely self-produced. You don't get any options to pick from; you just have to generate the number on your own and type it into the computer.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Clemencia Bogisich Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 5835

Rating: 5 / 5 (80 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Clemencia Bogisich Ret

Birthday: 2001-07-17

Address: Suite 794 53887 Geri Spring, West Cristentown, KY 54855

Phone: +5934435460663

Job: Central Hospitality Director

Hobby: Yoga, Electronics, Rafting, Lockpicking, Inline skating, Puzzles, scrapbook

Introduction: My name is Clemencia Bogisich Ret, I am a super, outstanding, graceful, friendly, vast, comfortable, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.