Recommended Texts and Articles To Help You Prepare For The SAT–Verbal Section

I tell my students in Nigeria that preparing for the verbal section of the SAT within 2 to 3 months is akin to memorizing a six-year high school syllabus. The writing style and content of the fiction and nonfiction from which the excerpts you encounter are drawn are almost totally unfamiliar. So, it is unsurprising that many students who have basic reading comprehension skills but haven’t read these sorts of texts or are not in the habit of reading still struggle to score above 600.

 It then goes without saying that students preparing for the SAT verbal section should acquaint themselves with the stylistics, common word choices, and language that are used in classical and contemporary American literature, slave narratives, articles by American founding fathers, and critiques of these works. It is not so that you expect specific questions from these books, but so that the language and stylistics you encounter in the actual exam are not entirely strange.

Beyond that, reading wide would expand your horizon— you will get to understand how best to navigate poems with archaic language (the hast, thou, and whilst). You equally experience experimental passages from social sciences and core sciences, not to mention that you become aware of American history and the struggles that have gone into voting rights for women, democracy, nationhood, slavery and the attendant word choices used in these contexts— words like suffrage, abolitionism, disintegration, revolution and so on.

Below is a breakdown of novels, articles, and autobiographies you can begin reading now, especially if you have about 6 months, a year or two to prepare for the exam. My suggestion is that rather than jump into taking frequent and reviewed tests at first, you enjoy reading these pieces and digest the loads of information they present to you about the world in general and America in particular.

For now, you should read and develop a healthy curiosity about the world, writing styles, and English Vocabulary. 

You can start learning the individual topics on the SAT Verbal syllabus two to three months before the exam. Chances are that the first SAT verbal test you take after reading much of these materials will be relishing and your result could be so impressive for a first-timer that you may not even need more than 1 month to prep for the actual exam.

Enjoy reading...

CONSULTED SOURCES/LINKS

Prepare for the SAT by Reading These Books | CollegeVine Blog

Your SAT Recommended Reading List – The Olive Book | SAT Prep (olive-book.com)

SAT Prep: Best Fiction Books to Prep You for the SAT Reading Test | Love the SAT Test Prep