Craft and Structure — one screen
≈28% of Reading and Writing · 13–15 questions · the first block of every module, easiest to hardest.
The three skills, and what each stem wants
| Stem you will see | Skill | What earns the point |
|---|---|---|
| …the most logical and precise word or phrase? | Words in context | The meaning the sentence has already defined — not the most impressive word |
| …the main purpose of the text? | Text structure and purpose | What the passage does, not what it is about |
| How would the author of Text 2 respond…? | Cross-text connections | The point of disagreement, stated in Text 2's own terms |
Words in context — find the clue, then answer
Five shapes, and one is always there:
- Restatement — colon, semicolon or dash, then the same idea again
- Contrast — but, yet, although, far from, rather than: the blank is the opposite
- Example — for instance, such as: the examples define the category
- Cause — because, since, therefore: fixed by what it produces
- Parallel — a list or pair where the blank sits in a slot you understand
Cover the options. Say the meaning in plain words. Then uncover, cut on direction, cut again on precision.
Text structure and purpose — verbs, not topics
The answer is always a verb of doing: illustrates, qualifies, challenges, introduces, contrasts. If your answer starts "the text is about", you have answered the wrong question.
Cross-text connections — read for the disagreement
Two short texts. Before looking at the options, say in one sentence what Text 2 would object to in Text 1. The answer restates that sentence in the test's words.
The four families every wrong option comes from
| Family | Catches |
|---|---|
| The opposite | You caught the topic and missed the pivot |
| Too strong | Devastating where the text says disappointing |
| Right topic, wrong function | You matched the subject instead of the job |
| True but not stated | You answered from knowledge, not from the text |
Sixty seconds, not ninety
These come first and are the cheapest points on the section. Bank time here for the hard questions at the end of the module. Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so nothing is ever left blank.
Educerie · written from the published College Board Assessment Framework for the Digital SAT Suite. Original text. Last reviewed 12 September 2026.