SAT Sentence Completion

The SAT has 3 critical reading sections. In all of the sections combined, there are a total of 19 sentence completion questions that test your vocabulary and your ability to see how different parts of a sentence fit together. Each series of questions consists of both one-blank and two-blank questions, both of which include a set of possible answer choices. Your job is to choose a word or words that fit logically into the blanks. As you progress from question to question, the words become less familiar and the sentence structures become more complex. But don't worry! This section of the SAT is perhaps the most coachable.



Here are some helpful hints that can help you strategize for this section:

1. Read the sentence without looking at the given word choices. Get a feel for the general structure and meaning of the sentence. Trying to plug in a word without understanding either of these can lead to confusion.
2. Determine the main conjunction words in the sentence. Doing so will help you notice the relationship between the different clauses. For example, "George woke up early but he _____ his bus." The "but" indicates that the missing work will probably have some negative connotation (i.e. "he missed his bus" ); take note if the missing word is positive or negative.
3. In two-blank questions, use a similar approach to that suggested by Hint Number 2. Determine the correlation between the parts of the sentence in which the blanks appear - are they antithetical or not? This will limit the available options.
4. Come up with your own word choice that appropriately fits the context. Remember, try to do this without looking at the given answer choices! Even the simplest of words will help you locate, within the given choices, an option that resembles your own.
5. If you're having difficulty, process of elimination may be your greatest friend. In every sentence, there are words that clearly do not fit. Cross out those words and concentrate on the ones that still have a fighting chance! Guessing is not a bad strategy even if you can only eliminate one or two choices.
6. Practice, practice, practice! The sheer number of words in an SAT book is intimidating but remembering them is not as tough as it may seem. When you come across a new word, try to write it down in a sentence or use it in a conversation. For instance, the word dearth, or lack of, can be usedin the following way: "Mom, the dearth of chocolate cake in this house saddens me." Have fun with the words; you may find that you can effectively retain their meaning.