SAT Verbal has two main areas: Reading & Writing (which includes grammar, vocabulary, and short reading passages) and Reading Comprehension (longer passages requiring deep understanding). They test different skills—Reading & Writing is more about mechanics and quick comprehension, while Reading Comprehension demands sustained focus and inference skills.

Neither is universally "harder," but students tend to struggle differently. Some find the grammar rules feel arbitrary; others get bogged down in long passages and run out of time. A tutor can diagnose which section is your real bottleneck and build targeted strategies—whether that's mastering grammar patterns or learning to extract key information quickly from dense text.

Timing is one of the biggest pain points for SAT Verbal—you have roughly 2.5 minutes per Reading & Writing passage and about 3-4 minutes per Reading Comprehension passage. Many students either rush and miss easy points or get stuck on hard questions and lose time.

Effective strategies include: skip difficult questions and return to them, prioritize questions you can answer quickly to build confidence, and practice active reading (annotate, identify main ideas) so you don't reread. A tutor can help you find your natural pace during practice tests, teach you which questions to attack first, and build your endurance so time pressure doesn't tank your score on test day.

Practice tests are essential—they're the closest thing to the real exam and the best way to identify patterns in what you miss. Taking full-length practice SATs under timed conditions reveals whether your struggles are knowledge gaps (you don't know the answer) or timing/strategy issues (you could answer it with more time).

Ideally, you'll take 3-5 official SAT practice tests throughout your prep, spacing them out over weeks so you can work on weaknesses in between. A tutor can review your practice test results with you, pinpoint which question types and topics you're missing most, and create a study plan that actually targets your gaps instead of wasting time on areas you already know.

Straight memorization is less effective than strategic vocabulary building. The SAT Verbal section doesn't require you to know obscure words—it tests vocabulary in context, meaning you can often figure out word meanings from surrounding clues. However, knowing common advanced words and word patterns (prefixes, roots, suffixes) definitely helps.

A better approach is building a personalized vocabulary list based on words you actually encounter in practice tests and passages. Spaced repetition (reviewing words over time rather than cramming) sticks much better. A tutor can teach you context clues and word-pattern strategies so you're not just memorizing—you're learning to decode meaning on test day when you see an unfamiliar word.

Test anxiety often makes you rush through passages or second-guess correct answers. The best antidote is preparation confidence—taking multiple full-length practice tests under realistic conditions desensitizes you to the pressure and proves to yourself that you can handle the timing and question types.

Beyond practice, work with a tutor on mental strategies: deep breathing before you start, self-talk to stay calm when you hit a hard question, and a clear game plan (which questions to tackle first, when to skip) so you're not panicking mid-test. Many students also benefit from understanding that getting some questions wrong is normal—the SAT is designed so that even top scorers miss questions.

Varsity Tutors connects you with expert SAT Verbal tutors who understand the specific challenges San Francisco students face, including the competitive academic environment and high standards at schools across the district.

When you get matched with a tutor, you can expect them to assess your current level through practice tests, identify your exact weak spots (pacing, vocabulary, inference skills), and create a customized study plan. They'll teach you test-taking strategies, review your practice test results with you, and build your confidence so you walk into test day prepared.