Master SAT Reading Time Management

The Time Challenge

The Digital SAT Reading and Writing module gives you 64 minutes for 54 questions — roughly 71 seconds per question. That sounds tight, but with the right approach, it's very manageable.

The Key Insight

Most students waste time in two ways:

Re-reading passages multiple times

Deliberating too long between answer choices

The solution is a systematic approach that minimizes both.

Strategy 1: Read the Question First

Before reading any passage:

Read the question stem

Identify what type of question it is

Know what you're looking for before you read

This focuses your reading and prevents you from having to re-read.

Strategy 2: Use the Two-Pass Approach

First pass (40-45 minutes):

Answer questions you can solve quickly

Mark difficult questions and skip them

Don't spend more than 90 seconds on any question

Second pass (15-20 minutes):

Return to marked questions with fresh eyes

Use remaining time strategically

Strategy 3: Eliminate Before Selecting

Instead of finding the "right" answer, find the "wrong" answers:

Read all four choices

Eliminate answers that are clearly wrong

Between remaining choices, pick the one best supported by the text

This is often faster and more accurate than searching for the perfect answer.

Strategy 4: Use Process of Elimination Shortcuts

Learn to quickly eliminate answers that:

Use extreme language (always, never, all, none)

Go beyond what the passage states

Are true but don't answer the specific question

Misrepresent the author's tone or purpose

Strategy 5: Time Checkpoints

Set mental checkpoints to pace yourself:

After 15 questions: ~18 minutes should have passed

After 30 questions: ~36 minutes should have passed

After 45 questions: ~54 minutes should have passed

If you're behind, speed up on easier questions. If you're ahead, you have buffer time for hard questions.

Strategy 6: Know When to Guess

If you've spent 2 minutes on a question and are still stuck:

Make an educated guess (eliminate what you can first)

Mark it for review if time permits

Move on

A wrong answer costs the same as a skipped answer, but a lucky guess might be right.

Practice Under Pressure

These strategies only work if they're automatic. Practice with strict timing:

Use a timer for every practice session

Don't pause to look things up

Simulate test conditions as closely as possible

The Bottom Line

Time management is a skill, not a talent. With deliberate practice, you can train yourself to work faster without sacrificing accuracy. Start implementing these strategies in your next practice session.