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Session 1 — SAT Diagnostic & Strategy

Master the SAT with
Strategy, Not Guesswork

Today you will discover your baseline, learn the structure of the Digital SAT, and begin building a personalized score-improvement plan.

Begin Your Journey
Section 01

Understanding the Digital SAT

The Digital SAT is adaptive, shorter, and more strategic than ever. Here is exactly how it works.

1

Module 1

Reading & Writing
27 questions · 32 min

2

Module 2

Adaptive R&W
27 questions · 32 min

3

Module 3

Math
22 questions · 35 min

4

Module 4

Adaptive Math
22 questions · 35 min

Adaptive Testing

Your performance on Module 1 determines the difficulty of Module 2. Doing well early means access to higher-scoring questions.

Strategy Over Memorization

The Digital SAT rewards critical thinking and strategic elimination. You do not need to memorize everything — you need to think efficiently.

Shorter & Digital

At 2 hours 14 minutes, the Digital SAT is significantly shorter than the old paper test. You take it on a laptop using the Bluebook app.

Watch: What Is the Digital SAT?

College Board's official overview of the Digital SAT format, scoring, and what to expect on test day.

YouTube · Opens in New Tab
Section 02

Student Profile & Intake

Your responses help build a customized SAT strategy plan. Every detail matters for personalizing your sessions.

1 — Not confident10 — Very confident
5

Your Personalized Profile

This information will be used to customize your SAT prep plan across all future sessions.

Section 03

Mini Diagnostic Practice

Six SAT-style questions to establish your baseline. Select an answer, then reveal the explanation to learn from each one.

Reading & Writing
1
Craft & Structure
The researcher’s findings were met with considerable skepticism by her peers, many of whom argued that her sample size was insufficient to draw such sweeping conclusions.

As used in the passage, "sweeping" most nearly means:

Acleaning
Bbroad and far-reaching
Cgraceful
Dvictorious

Correct Answer: B — broad and far-reaching

Reasoning: Context is key. The passage says peers felt the sample size was "insufficient" for such conclusions. The word "sweeping" here means the conclusions were overly broad or far-reaching given the evidence. The other meanings of "sweeping" (cleaning, graceful motion) do not fit the academic context. SAT Tip: Always substitute your answer choice back into the sentence to confirm it makes sense.

2
Standard English Conventions

Select the option that best completes the sentence:

The city council, along with several community organizations, _______ committed to reducing pollution by 30% over the next decade.

Aare
Bwere
Cis
Dhave been

Correct Answer: C — is

Reasoning: The subject of the sentence is "The city council" (singular). The phrase "along with several community organizations" is a parenthetical modifier — it does NOT make the subject plural. Subject-verb agreement requires the singular verb "is." SAT Tip: Ignore phrases set off by commas between the subject and verb. Identify the true subject first.

3
Information & Ideas
A 2023 study found that students who practiced retrieval-based learning (self-testing) retained 40% more information after one week compared to students who only reread their notes. The researchers noted that the benefits were consistent across subjects, age groups, and difficulty levels.

Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence?

AIt broadens the applicability of the study’s findings.
BIt introduces a limitation of the study.
CIt provides an alternative explanation for the results.
DIt challenges the methodology of the research.

Correct Answer: A — It broadens the applicability of the study’s findings.

Reasoning: The second sentence says the benefits were "consistent across subjects, age groups, and difficulty levels." This extends the finding beyond one specific group — it broadens applicability. It does not introduce a limitation, offer an alternative explanation, or challenge the methodology. SAT Tip: For "function" questions, ask: what role does this sentence play in the argument? Support? Contrast? Limitation?

Math
4
Algebra

A phone plan charges a $25 monthly fee plus $0.10 per text message. If a customer’s bill was $43 for one month, how many text messages did they send?

A150
B180
C200
D430

Correct Answer: B — 180

Reasoning: Translate the words into an equation. Total = monthly fee + (cost per text × number of texts). So: 43 = 25 + 0.10x → 18 = 0.10x → x = 180 texts. SAT Tip: Always translate word problems into algebra. Identify the fixed cost, the variable cost, and the total, then solve.

5
Advanced Math

If f(x) = 3x² − 12, what is the value of f(4)?

A0
B24
C36
D48

Correct Answer: C — 36

Reasoning: Substitute x = 4 into the function: f(4) = 3(4)² − 12 = 3(16) − 12 = 48 − 12 = 36. SAT Tip: With function notation, simply replace every x with the given value. Use order of operations carefully: exponent first, then multiply, then subtract.

6
Problem Solving & Data

A store marks up the wholesale price of a jacket by 60% to set the retail price. During a sale, the retail price is discounted by 25%. What percent of the wholesale price does a customer pay during the sale?

A120%
B135%
C80%
D100%

Correct Answer: A — 120%

Reasoning: Let wholesale = $100. After 60% markup: retail = $160. After 25% discount: sale price = 160 × 0.75 = $120. So the customer pays 120% of wholesale. SAT Tip: For percent problems, pick $100 as your starting number — it makes the arithmetic simple and clear. Never add/subtract percentages of different bases.

Section 04

Core SAT Strategies

These foundational strategies apply to every section of the SAT. Master these first, and everything else becomes easier.

Reading & Writing Strategies

1

Evidence Is Everything

Every correct answer is directly supported by the text. If you cannot point to a specific phrase or sentence that proves your answer, it is likely wrong. Never rely on outside knowledge or assumptions.

2

Eliminate Extreme Language

Answer choices with words like "always," "never," "all," or "completely" are almost always wrong on the SAT. The test prefers moderate, well-qualified answers. Look for the most precise, supported choice.

3

Choose the Most Concise Grammar Option

When two answer choices are grammatically correct, the SAT almost always prefers the shorter, cleaner version. Avoid redundancy and wordiness. If it says the same thing with fewer words, that is your answer.

Math Strategies

1

Translate Words into Equations

Every word problem is hiding an equation. "Is" means equals. "Per" means multiplication. "More than" means addition. Train yourself to convert language into algebra before you start solving.

2

Use Desmos Strategically

The built-in Desmos calculator is powerful. Use it to graph equations, find intersections, and verify your answers. Practice with Desmos before test day so you are fast and efficient.

3

Watch for Careless Errors

The SAT places trap answers designed to catch common mistakes: forgetting a negative sign, misreading the question, or solving for the wrong variable. Always re-read the question after solving.

Section 05

Personal Error Log

Track your mistakes to find patterns. The fastest way to improve is to stop making the same errors twice.

No entries yet. Add your first mistake above to start tracking patterns.
Section 06

Homework & Next Steps

Complete these before our next session. Each task is designed to build on what we covered today.

Instructors

Instructor guide

Pacing notes, scripts, and print-friendly materials are on a separate page so this stays a focused student lesson.

Open the companion guide for tutors. Students stay here for the interactive overview, diagnostic, strategies, error log, and homework.

Open instructor guide