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Difficulty Level on the SAT

Here's an important fact about the structure of the SAT: Questions within a given section increase in level of difficulty. In other words, the questions will get harder as you go along. This aspect of the test's structure should figure into your test-taking strategy. Remember that an easy question is worth the same amount of points as a harder one. So pick up those easy points as quickly as you can!

Strategy Tip: Since the SAT is a paper & pencil exam, feel free to skip around within a section. Make sure you pick up the easy points before spending time on the more difficult questions.

Here's another thing about the structure of the SAT. Correct and incorrect answers follow predictable patterns. For instance, an obviously correct answer is likely to be the right answer early in a section, but a wrong answer choice trap later in a section. In a 30 question section:

Easy Questions (~1-10): the "obvious" answer is almost always correct.

Medium Questions (~11-20): the "obvious" answer is sometimes correct.

Difficult Questions (~21-30): the "obvious" answer is almost never correct.

Always make note of where you are in a section before going for an obvious answer choice on the SAT. Don't fall into the test maker's traps.