Common Mistakes on the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test)

Note: This guide focuses on the current Digital SAT (DSAT) format, which is adaptive and shorter than the old paper test.

A. Reading & Writing: "Command of Evidence" Errors

The digital SAT loves to ask you to find evidence for your answer, or to find the best transition.

• Mistake 1: Choosing the "Right" Answer That Isn't Supported

  • Scenario: A question asks what the main idea of the passage is. You pick an answer based on your prior knowledge or a general feeling.

  • Fix: The SAT is a "closed book" test. Every single correct answer must have direct, line-by-line proof in the text. If you can't point to the exact sentence that supports your choice, it's probably wrong.

• Mistake 2: Misreading "Weakening" vs. "Strengthening" Questions

  • Scenario: The question asks, "Which finding, if true, would most weaken the researcher's hypothesis?" The student picks the answer that supports the hypothesis because they read too fast.

  • Fix: Circle the verb in the prompt (weaken, strengthen, undermine, support) before you look at the answers.

B. Math: The "Calculator" Trap

While the digital SAT allows a calculator on both modules, over-reliance is a major mistake.

• Mistake 3: Trusting the Calculator Without Rounding

  • Scenario: A question asks for the value of an expression with square roots or pi. The student types it into the calculator and gets a long decimal (e.g., 3.141592...). They enter that entire decimal.

  • Fix: Look at the answer choices. If they are all simple integers or fractions (like "5" or "3/2"), the decimal is wrong. You likely made a syntax error. If the answers are all decimals with different lengths, the test expects the exact truncated value (e.g., 3.14).

• Mistake 4: Forgetting the "No Calculator" Mentality on Module 2

  • Scenario: Module 2 (the harder adaptive module) has a problem with messy numbers. The student tries to brute force it with the calculator, runs out of time, and panics.

  • Fix: If the math looks ugly on Module 2, there is almost always a trick. Look for "structure" (difference of squares, factoring by grouping). The SAT tests your ability to simplify, not just compute.