The Critical Reader

08/06/2024

I've finally (!) managed to index all the reading and writing questions from the six linear DSATs released by the College Board (four in the Official Guide, two on the website). I'll be adding the charts to future printings of my SAT reading and grammar books, but in the interest of fairness, I'm also making them available as free downloads on the Books page of thecriticalreader.com.

The Critical Reader bookstore: purchase top-selling guides verbal guides to help you prepare for SAT, ACT, GMAT, and GRE verbal.

02/18/2024

The less students read, the less they are expected to read, and a vicious cycle ensues. What happens to a college education when even honors students struggle with the type of material that was standard less than a decade ago?

These kids aren’t lazy. We’re failing them.

02/11/2024

Important announcement regarding my website: if you have attempted to visit the site recently, you are undoubtedly aware that it is currently inaccessible. To make a very long story short, I got locked out of the account attached to the domain name and was unable to renew it in time for the site to remain active. The good news is that after many, many hours on the phone with GoDaddy tech support, the domain was retrieved for me and is currently being transferred back to my account; however, the process may take until this Thursday (February 15) to complete. The site will be put back online as soon as I can access the domain, and should be fully intact and functional. In the meantime, the Question of the Day will continue to be sent out with the explanation. This has been an incredibly stressful situation, and I thank everyone for their patience.

01/13/2024

Why is it so difficult to have a reality-based discussion about the SAT? Because much of the time, accuracy is beside the point. Greg Ashman explains...

It is time to recommit to accuracy

01/07/2024

The most interesting part of this article is not what Dave Leonhardt says--it's basically a recap of points I've been making for years--but rather than fact that it was published in The NY Times at all. Perhaps, as applicants and their parents adjust to the chaos of an all test-optional system, the anti-testing wave is beginning to turn ever so slightly.

Colleges have fled standardized tests, on the theory that they hurt diversity. That’s not what the research shows.

12/30/2023

I'm happy to announce that the second edition of "SAT Vocabulary: A New Approach," co-written with Larry Krieger, is now available. The book features an extensive list of high-frequency vocabulary words (as reported by students who have sat for the digital exam internationally), with definitions illustrated through a variety of entertaining pop-culture examples. Numerous test-style practice questions then help students transfer their knowledge to DSAT format. A separate section on transitional words and phrases helps test-takers simplify challenging questions by identifying common logical relationships and grouping words by category.

Completely revamped for the digital exam, SAT® Vocabulary: A New Approach covers key vocabulary for the Reading/Writing modules of the updated test. Definitions of top challenging words are illustrated with examples drawn from a variety of pop-cultures sources and followed by numerous test-style qu...

12/17/2023

Wondering about the differences between the paper-based SAT and the Digital exam? Here are all the major changes you need to know about for the Reading/Writing portion of the test.

If you’ve taken the paper-based version of the SAT and are considering taking the DSAT as well, or if you’re a tutor/teacher who is transitioning to DSAT prep, the following charts cover the major differences between the paper-based exam (final administration December 2023 in the United States) ...

11/26/2023

Harvard Kennedy School Economics Professor David Deming on the SAT/ACT income-score gap:

[I]f you get rid of the SAT, as many colleges have done, what you have left is things that are also related to wealth, probably even more so. Whether you can write a persuasive college essay, whether you can have the kinds of experiences that give you high ratings for extracurricular activities and leadership; those things are incredibly related to wealth.

My worry is that if we get rid of the SAT, you’re getting rid of the only way that a low-income student who’s academically talented has to distinguish themselves. Getting rid of the SAT means those people don’t have the opportunity to be noticed. I don’t think the SAT is perfect, but I think the problem isn’t the test. The problem is everything that happens before the test.

Researcher demonstrates how opportunity, preparation differences begin early, play major role in success, offering possible solutions.

10/23/2023

Because obviously no one could have predicted that making standardized tests optional would exacerbate the problem...

Grade inflation acts just like real inflation.

10/22/2023

It's not exactly a mystery why most people don't like timed tests, particularly timed standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. But as annoying and stressful as time constraints are, they're there for a reason.

Among the alterations made to the digital version of the SAT are changes to the amount of time per question. The current, paper-based version allows for just over a minute per question in Reading (65 mins./52 questions) and Math (25 mins./20 questions) vs. a bit under a minute for Writing (35 mins./...