Boost Your SAT Reading and Writing Score in 14 Days

Wondered if it is too late to improve the SAT Reading and Writing score section? Think again! Within 14 days, you can increase your score by using savvy, high-yield measures. You could be in Australia, or you could be in any part of the world, but still, this guide is made to get work done at the last minute. We researched the most common pitfalls and talked to the highest-scoring students to help you focus on what matters.

1. Get a grip on the SAT Reading & Writing format

The section now splits into two parts:

• Reading cognition: Picking key points in texts about literature or informational material.
• Writing & Language: Going through tidying the grammar, punctuation, transitions, sentence structure, and tone.

Become acquainted with the types of questions that will emerge. Time is scarce, and you have just a few minutes per passage or set of questions, so just use real College Board exams or highly rated sat test prep systems to emulate test day.

2. Pay attention to those rules of grammar that appear more than once

Most grammar slip-ups happen with these offenders:

• Subject–verb agreement.
• Pronoun clarity.
• Modifier placement.
• Parallel structure.

Being aware of the specific reasons as to why such errors occur enables you to avoid them. We laid down all our rules in detail in our post on strategies on how to get a perfect score on SAT Writing.

3. Look for time-saving shortcuts

When minutes feel tight, train yourself to:

• Quickly skim passages, underline key words.
• Express your ideas in 30 seconds.
• Ditch out clear wrong answers as opposed to reading all the answers.
  These moves are simple once you learn them, after which it is possible to fly through the section.

4. Upgrade your SAT vocabulary

Although direct vocabulary questions are not so common, one still has to comprehend the use of complex words in context. Make a list of academic words and transition markers (moreover, however, similarly, nonetheless) that show up often.

According to the data provided by the College Board, learners with an awareness of context-related vocabulary are gaining up to 40 points more on average in Reading.

5. Practice active reading

Reading a passage like a novel won’t help much. Try these active reading tricks:

• Annotate tone and main idea.
• Circle transition words and contrast markers.
• Predict answers before checking choices.
• Active readers maintain their responses and reduce the number of thoughtless errors.

6. Diagnose your weak spots with practice tests

Do not blindly drill quintessential questions; do a diagnostic to find out where you fall behind:

• Which question types keep you guessing?
• Do you drag on paired passages or single pieces?
• Does your focus fade halfway through?

7. Dominate transition words and logical flow

SAT Writing loves testing how ideas connect. Transition challenges are usually marked with words such as, consequently, in contrast, or other words furthermore. Being aware of the functioning of each connector will assist your choice of the smoothest variant. Australian test-takers do poorly here, but an hour or two of specific practice can bring large improvements.

8. Review real SAT questions

Learn with released sets or practice sets from good prep sites.

• Evidence-based reading questions.
• Data interpretation from charts.
• Editing for conciseness and clarity.

9. Don’t skip the style questions

Other than grammar, you will encounter tone, redundancy, and word choice inquiries. These are subtle but high-point opportunities. Be able to understand where a word is too displaced or a sentence too dragged, and your score will increase by 20-30 points.

10. Build a 14-day plan

• Days 1–3: Diagnostic test + review grammar rules.
• Days 4-6: Read together reading strategies and over 2 passages/day.
• Days 7–9: Writing drills + vocabulary review.
• Days 10–12: Timed full-length Reading & Writing sections.
• Days 13–14: Review errors, focus on weak areas.
• Plan on 1.5-2 hours a day and go back and forth between reading and writing to keep it going.

Final Thoughts

You can raise your SAT Reading & Writing score in 14 days, provided you keep consistent, practice wisely, and work on exposing the gaps in which the points lie.

Don’t cram every waking hour, concentrate on the spots that have the best likelihood of reward. Ready to level up? There are even more tips on finding your blind spots and acing the Writing section, which you will find in our quick and effective SAT preparation tips guide.