How to Improve SAT and ACT Reading Scores

While this plan works for all student levels, it is especially geared towards students starting in the 400s. We've helped many students push through the 500 threshold over the years, but it's never easy. Reading is a skill and most students scoring below 500 (that's below 50 on the PSAT), haven't logged the practice hours. While there is not a surefire way to boost a reading score, the following plan has worked for many of Hammer's students. You must follow it exactly as stated below.

Step 1 - Acknowledge that reading is a skill and demands daily practice. The more you've avoided reading, the more work you have to do starting today.
Step 2 - Don't make excuses. Again, reading is a skill that requires constant practice.
Step 3 - Keep score. Give yourself 1 point for each reading passage and 1 point for every 5 words you learn.
Step 4 - Read one passage per day.

• Establish a training schedule. We encourage our SAT and ACT students to subscribe to www.delanceyplace.com and read the daily post. It takes 5-10 minutes per day. We also encourage you to pull from the most popular articles at www.nytimes.com and www.wsj.com.

Step 5 - Learn 14 new words per week (that's 2 each day).

• We provide our students with a word list, as well as encourage them to add words from daily reading to the list. A simple Google search for "SAT words" will provide more than enough to start with.

Step 6 - Understand that improvement will take several months, but the return is lifelong. Stick with it!
Step 7 - Avoid these Common Mistakes:

#1 - Reading for school rarely improves your reading comprehension.
#2 - Don't clump all of your reading practice into 1 or 2 days.
#3 - Don't create flashcards and forget to study them.

Step 8 - Congratulate yourself after every 20 points. Target the century mark: 100 points.

We've found that students who stick to a reading training program for 3 months or more experience huge point gains...usually in the 100+ range. Let us know if this plan works for you.