The 11 Types of Questions on the SAT Reading and Writing Test
- Tyler Webb
- Feb 5
- 7 min read
The 2026 SAT is entirely digital, which means you’ll take it on a computer in a designated testing location. Dozens of public and private universities still require the SAT as part of your application, making it a critical test for many college applicants.
The SAT has two multiple-choice sections: first the Reading and Writing part, then Math. As you prepare for the SAT, it’s helpful to know what types of questions you’ll see on the Reading and Writing portion. In this article, I’ll break down the 11 types of questions on the SAT Reading and Writing test.
What is the SAT Reading and Writing Section?
The SAT Reading and Writing section is the first part of the SAT, making up just over half the exam. It tests your language skills—vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation—as well as your reading comprehension and analysis abilities, such as summarizing texts, determining the main idea, and choosing evidence to support an argument.
How is the Reading and Writing Section Structured?
The SAT Reading and Writing test includes 54 total multiple-choice questions; It’s broken into two modules, each with 27 questions. The modules are adaptive, meaning the second one adjusts its difficulty based on your performance on the first. You get 32 minutes per module, giving you roughly 70 seconds per question, on average.
Each question features a short passage with a prompt and four answer choices. A couple questions also add a visual, like a bullet-point list, table, or graph. Thankfully, every SAT Reading and Writing section follows the same general pattern; No matter what test version you get, you will see the same “types” of questions in the same order. This makes it easier to prepare and practice ahead of time.
The 11 Types of Questions You’ll See on the SAT Reading and Writing Test
The 27 questions in each SAT Reading and Writing module usually include 11 “types” of questions that progress in a predictable order: vocab questions come first, followed by reading comprehension-type questions, then grammar and punctuation, and notes-based questions always come last.
Keep in mind that “reading comprehension” includes six or seven different types of questions, which I cover in more detail below. So let’s get into it. Here are the 11 types of questions you’ll see on the SAT Reading and Writing section:
1. Vocab Questions
Each SAT Reading and Writing module begins with five or six vocab questions. These typically give you a passage with an omitted word, with four four options of words to fill in the blank.
Tip: The sentences and words surrounding the blank space give you enough context to identify the right word. Look for context words that indicate tone (Is it a positive word or a negative word?), or transition words that tell you if the omitted word agrees or contrasts with the examples in the passage.
The sample question says, “While you might _____… many of his influences are actually folk guitarists.” The words while you and actually tell you that Jimmy Page’s influences defy what you would think or expect. So B is the right answer.
2. Function Questions
Next, you’ll often see one or two “function” questions. These give you a short passage with an underlined portion, asking you to identify its function or purpose in the text.
Tip: Pay attention to the sentences that come right before and after the underlined portion. Usually, the underlined portion links other sentences together in some way—by elaborating, giving an example, or making a statement that the following sentence digs into with more detail.
In the example, since the underlined portion is elaborating on the term “cricopharyngeus muscle” from the previous sentence, A is the right answer.
3. “Compare Two Texts” Questions
You’ll usually get a question featuring two short passages on the same topic. Usually, you’re asked to determine what the second text’s author or subject would think about the ideas in the first text.
Tip: Begin by skimming the first text, then spend more time focusing on the second text. Make sure you understand the second text’s subject and perspective, then return to the first question. Does the second text’s perspective disagree, agree, or somewhere in between—such as a partial agreement?
In the example, Text 1’s general point agrees with Emile Durkheim’s (Text 2) theory of anomie. Therefore, B is the correct answer because it expresses this agreement. Answers A and D are wrong because they suggest that Durkheim would disagree with Text 1, and answer C argues the opposite of Durkheim’s theory.
4. Main Idea Questions
The SAT Reading section often includes several “main idea” questions that ask you to identify a passage’s overall point or central message. The text might be poetry, fiction, or a non-fiction science topic.
Tip: Keep focused on the passage as a whole, and don’t get too caught up in minor details. Answer choices may try to “trick” you with specific details that are mentioned in one small part, but there is only one answer choice that adequately covers the general point of the whole section. A passage’s first and last sentences especially are usually good clues about its main idea.
5. Structure Questions
Each module usually has one or two questions that ask you to describe a text’s overall structure. The answer choices don’t ask you what the text is about, but rather how the author organized it. Again, the text can be any genre: poetry, fiction, or science.
Tip: Break the text into two parts and think about what the author is trying to achieve: notice what the author does first, then what they do next. Most answer choices only include two “steps” (first, the author… then, the author…) so you just need to identify two chunks in the text: what the author’s intention is at the beginning, and then what they do after that.
6. Reading Comprehension Questions
You’ll get one or two reading comprehension questions, which focus on a passage’s specific or minor details, rather than big ideas. After the passage, the question will start with “According to the text,” followed by a comprehension question that is clearly answered somewhere in the text.
Tip: You should be able to point to the exact line in the text that supports the answer you choose. Look at what the passage explicitly says. Three out of the four answer choices will be unsupported by the text—they’ll rely on inferences or include details that the text doesn’t mention.
Don’t rely on inferences! The correct answer will be concretely supported by the words in the text.
7. Evidence Questions
Evidence questions give you a short passage, followed by a claim. The four answer choices are quotations from a related text, and you have to pick which quotation serves as the best evidence for the claim.
Tip: Make sure you’re clear on what claim you’re looking to support with your answer choice. When you select an answer, make sure the entire quotation supports the claim. Several wrong answers may be in the same ballpark as the claim you’re trying to support, or they might have a part that supports the claim, but each wrong answer’s overall idea will not relate directly to the claim.
8. Graph/Table Questions
These require you to extract information from a visual source, like a graph or table. You’ll get the graph title, and a paragraph that ends with an omitted blank space. You must use data from the graph to determine which answer fills in the blank.
Tip: Make sure you understand the graph before you consider answer choices. Pay attention to the graph’s title, and what the X and Y axes measure. Then, plug each answer choice into the graph one by one. The three wrong answers will not match the graph, and the one correct answer will.
9. Grammar and Punctuation Questions
A large portion of the SAT Reading and Writing section focuses on grammar and punctuation. These questions feature a paragraph with an omitted blank space, which you must fill in using the correct English conventions. These questions test punctuation—things like commas, periods, semicolons, etc.—and grammar, including verb tense, past vs. present, and singular vs. plural nouns.
Tip: With punctuation, pay attention to where the natural pauses are. When you read the sentence in your head, where do you naturally pause? If it’s a full pause and the end of a complete thought, use a semicolon or period. If it’s a partial pause, acting as more of a speedbump in the sentence, choose a comma.
10. Transition Questions
After the punctuation questions, you’ll face two or three “transition” questions. For these, you must fill in the blank space by choosing from four answer choices of transition words like although, likewise, however, etc.
Tip: Read the whole passage, paying particular attention to the parts right before and after the blank space. What role does it seem like the underlined space is playing? Does it seem like it’s connecting a statement with its examples? Or, does it seem like the blank space is a “tone switcher” where what follows contradicts what came before the blank. Use this observation to determine the right transition word.
11. Notes-Based Questions
At the end of the SAT Reading and Writing section, you’ll get a couple questions that provide a brief list of 4-5 bullet-point notes instead of a passage. The prompt will give you a goal that the notetaking student aims to achieve, plus four answer choices. You must choose the option that “most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to achieve this goal”.
Tip: When choosing the right answer, focus on the student’s goal first and foremost, then consider the notes. Many of the wrong answers will utilize details from the notes, but you need to select the choice that uses only the details that are most relevant to the goal.
How to Prepare for the SAT Reading and Writing Test
The best way to prepare for the SAT Reading and Writing test is by taking practice tests. I recommend going to the CollegeBoard website and Bluebook app and taking all the available practice tests—digital and paper versions. In total, you’ll get several weeks’ worth of practice, which will pay off on test day.
Further, keep an eye out for more YouTube videos and articles from me, because I plan to cover the SAT Reading and Writing portion in greater detail in the months ahead.
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