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3:18

Test Prep: SAT Critical Reading Prof. Rebekah Hendershot

4.4
812 ratings • 8 reviews
  • Level Upper Intermediate
  • 16 Lessons (3hr : 18min)
  • 12,599 already enrolled!
  • Audio: English

Professor Rebekah Hendershot's SAT Critical Reading course will show you why literature is one of the most beautiful treasures of the human experience, and how to approach it in a timed and tested environment. Professor Hendershot will guide you through the different type of passages that you will encounter on the test and teach you ways to effectively get through the material. She will point out exactly how you can both read quickly and ask tough questions from what you have read, find connections in seemingly unrelated texts, conduct close readings, and identify the important parts of a passage. Rebekah also works through several sample sections in The Official SAT Study Guide. Once you have the tools, you can continue to build on your skills for college and beyond. Professor Hendershot has a master’s degree in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and has been an editor and instructor for over 6 years. Recommended supplementary material to view SAT questions featured in lesson answer guides: The Official SAT Study Guide by the College Board.

Table of Contents

Section 1: Vocabulary

  Essential SAT Vocab: Part 1 11:33
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:09 
   Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary 0:38 
    Read! 0:46 
    Listen! 1:46 
    Talk! 2:40 
   Erroneous 3:12 
   Prudent 4:03 
   Frivolous 4:49 
   Indignation 5:40 
   Credulous 6:27 
   Longevity 8:15 
   Misconceive 8:38 
   Context 9:15 
   Forebode 10:16 
   Predilection 10:51 
  Essential SAT Vocab: Part 2 8:19
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:11 
   Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary 0:31 
    Read! 0:35 
    Listen! 0:47 
    Talk! 1:06 
   Benevolent 1:16 
   Exotic 1:59 
   Equanimity 2:34 
   Amass 3:02 
   Dilettante 3:24 
   Deference 4:01 
   Congenial 4:28 
   Bewilder 5:22 
   Benefactor 5:47 
   Demagogue 6:55 
  Essential SAT Vocab: Part 3 7:41
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:11 
   Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary 0:30 
    Read! 0:34 
    Listen! 0:56 
    Talk! 1:16 
   Precursor 1:28 
   Consensus 2:03 
   Sufficient 2:42 
   Allege 3:08 
   Afflict 3:47 
   Disposition 4:20 
   Adverse 4:39 
   Charisma 5:23 
   Volatile 5:56 
   Oblivious 6:51 
  Essential SAT Vocab: Part 4 7:10
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:14 
   Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary 0:35 
    Read! 0:39 
    Listen! 1:03 
    Talk! 1:22 
   Urgent 1:36 
   Unprecedented 2:19 
   Arbitrary 2:56 
   Constituent 3:24 
   Tact 3:57 
   Insolent 4:33 
   Tyrannical 5:04 
   Temperament 5:30 
   Stringent 6:01 
   Repute 6:24 
  Essential SAT Vocab: Part 5 6:50
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:10 
   Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary 0:29 
    Read! 0:34 
    Listen! 0:47 
    Talk! 1:05 
   Belligerent 1:15 
   Prolong 2:06 
   Diverse 2:34 
   Devoid 3:05 
   Spare 3:31 
   Anecdote 4:10 
   Ornate 4:50 
   Vivid 5:14 
   Magnanimous 5:56 
   Commonplace 6:17 
  Essential SAT Vocab: Part 6 7:58
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:13 
   Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary 0:37 
    Read! 0:42 
    Listen! 0:50 
    Talk! 1:03 
   Ascertain 1:16 
   Commend 1:46 
   Dispense 2:14 
   Capricious 2:59 
   Atypical 3:28 
   Articulate 4:00 
   Arouse 5:05 
   Apathetic 5:35 
   Enigma 6:28 
   Reverence 7:00 
  Essential SAT Vocab: Part 7 7:20
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:14 
   Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary 0:39 
    Read! 0:44 
    Listen! 0:51 
    Talk! 0:59 
   Anomaly 1:16 
   Alleviate 2:00 
   Admonish 2:35 
   Steadfast 3:13 
   Deliberate 3:58 
   Sustain 4:19 
   Somber 4:54 
   Refute 5:26 
   Penchant 6:24 
   Reticence 6:47 
  Essential SAT Vocab: Part 8 9:09
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:13 
   Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary 0:38 
    Read! 0:46 
    Listen! 1:06 
    Talk! 1:21 
   Paradox 1:34 
   Vigor 2:29 
   Obscure 2:49 
   Proximity 3:25 
   Mitigate 3:58 
   Egotism 4:34 
   Legitimate 5:06 
   Contemporary 5:56 
   Lament 6:49 
   Duplicitous 8:09 
  Essential SAT Vocab: Part 9 12:06
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:15 
   Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary 0:41 
    Read! 0:47 
    Listen! 1:27 
    Talk! 1:45 
   Linguistics 2:06 
   Commemorate 3:17 
   Candid 4:02 
   Callous 5:30 
   Brevity 6:24 
   Benign 7:16 
   Connoisseur 8:18 
   Anachronism 9:01 
   Prestige 10:41 
   Vindictive 11:20 
  Essential SAT Vocab: Part 10 9:30
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:15 
   Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary 0:43 
    Read! 0:49 
    Listen! 1:37 
    Talk! 1:55 
   Naïve 2:08 
   Exemplify 3:03 
   Erratic 3:44 
   Forbear 4:16 
   Discern 5:25 
   Autonomy 5:54 
   Eradicate 6:37 
   Abstruse 7:05 
   Rhetoric 7:54 
   Substantiate 8:45 

Section 2: Critical Reading

  Sentence Completion Question Types 12:29
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:11 
   What Are Sentence Completion Questions? 0:40 
    Choose the Correct Word to Fill in a Blank 0:43 
    Tests Your Vocabulary and Your Ability to Reason 0:53 
   Sentence Completion Question Types 1:15 
    Vocabulary-In-Context 1:24 
    Logic-Based Questions 1:38 
   Vocabulary In Context 2:09 
    Example 2:16 
   Logic-Based Questions 2:54 
    Example 3:11 
   Sentence Completion Strategies 3:28 
    Pick a Word, Any Word 3:33 
    Example 4:02 
    Positives and Negatives 4:36 
    Example 5:03 
    Process of Elimination 5:24 
    Example 6:07 
   Sentence Completion Tips 7:41 
    Look for Clue Words 7:48 
    Look for the Relationship Between the Two Words and the Sequence of the Blanks 8:44 
    Never Eliminate a Choice Unless You Are Sure of Its Meaning 10:38 
    If You Can Only Eliminate One Answer Choice, Move On and Come Back To It Later 11:42 
    If You Can Eliminate Two Choices, Feel Free to Guess 11:54 
  Passage-Based Question Types 17:46
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:10 
   What Are Passage Based Questions? 0:55 
    Questions Related to Long, Short, or Paired Passages 0:58 
    May Ask You for Info Directly Related in the Passage or to Draw Conclusions or Make Predictions 1:12 
   Passage Types 1:32 
   Question Types 2:35 
    Literal Comprehension 2:38 
    Vocabulary-In-Context 2:50 
    Extended Reasoning 3:09 
   Literal Comprehension 3:24 
    Rely On Your Memory or Look Back at Passage 3:28 
    Watch Out for 'Reversal Words' 3:51 
    Example 3:57 
   Vocabulary In Context 4:52 
    Most of These Words Have Multiple meanings 5:00 
    Reread the Sentences to Which the Questions Refer 5:06 
    Example 5:20 
   Extended Reasoning 6:07 
    May Ask You to Determine the Main Idea or Author's Primary Purpose 6:11 
    Draw Conclusions Based on the Info Provided 6:43 
    Identify the Author's Tone or Attitude 7:18 
   Passage-Based Strategies 7:38 
    Take Notes 7:44 
    Read What's There… and What Isn't 8:34 
    Ask Questions 9:39 
    Read the Questions First 10:39 
   Key Words and Phrases 11:24 
    When You See: According to the Author 11:30 
    When You See: Best 11:42 
    When You See: Chiefly 12:09 
    When You See: Except 12:31 
    When You See: The Author Implies 12:54 
    When You See: Least 13:21 
    When You See: Mainly 13:33 
    When You See: Most 13:38 
    When You See: Only 13:47 
    When You See: Primarily 14:03 
   Passage-Based Tips 14:08 
    All the Answers Will Be In or Implied By the Passage 14:12 
    Watch Out for Descriptive Words and Phrases 14:29 
    Make Sure the Passage Supports Whichever Answer You Choose 15:40 
    Use Process of Elimination 15:45 
    If You Must Jump Around, Do So Within a Set of Questions 16:40 
  What to Read For the SAT 37:42
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:08 
   Why Read? 0:57 
    Best Way to Build You Vocabulary 1:01 
    Practice Understanding What the Authors Are Saying 'Between the Lines' 1:12 
   How to Choose Books 2:42 
    Choose Books in Areas That Interest You 2:55 
    Choose Books That Challenge You 3:10 
   The Rule of Three 4:27 
    If a Work Is Short, Give It Three Pages to Pique Your Interest 4:57 
    If a Work Is Long, Give it Three Chapters to Pique Your Interest 5:09 
   Great Books for Every Interest 5:32 
    Ask Yourself What Are Your Favorite Things to Watch & Do? 5:51 
    Asking a Librarian for Great Books 6:24 
   Mystery 6:49 
   Adventure 10:14 
   Fantasy 12:55 
   Science Fiction 17:13 
   Humor 21:10 
   Romance 23:09 
   Realistic Fiction 24:12 
   A Great Place to Start 25:12 
    Nation - Terry Pratchett 25:21 
   If You Can't / Won't Read 27:19 
    Listen to Audio books 27:31 
    Watch Live Performances 27:53 
    Shakespeare Performed BY People Who Love Shakespeare 28:48 
   The Dirty Secret of Reading 29:31 
    Comic Books! 29:38 
    The Unwritten - Mike Carey 33:59 

Section 3: Sample Tests

  Answer Guide: Section 3 (Critical Reading) 16:11
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:13 
   Sentence Completions 1:04 
    Question 1 1:06 
    Question 2 1:55 
    Question 3 2:17 
    Question 4 3:05 
    Question 5 3:40 
   Passage-Based Questions 4:12 
    Question 6 4:13 
    Question 7 5:03 
    Question 8 5:54 
    Question 9 6:26 
    Question 10 6:49 
    Question 11 7:26 
    Question 12 7:47 
    Question 13 8:34 
    Question 14 9:05 
    Question 15 9:43 
    Question 16 10:26 
    Question 17 11:17 
    Question 18 12:08 
    Question 19 12:36 
    Question 20 13:21 
    Question 21 13:54 
    Question 22 14:21 
    Question 23 14:43 
    Question 24 15:16 
  Answer Guide: Section 7 (Critical Reading) 14:43
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:10 
   Sentence Completions 0:54 
    Question 1 0:55 
    Question 2 1:45 
    Question 3 2:01 
    Question 4 2:33 
    Question 5 3:11 
   Passage-Based Questions 3:37 
    Question 6 3:38 
    Question 7 3:55 
    Question 8 4:27 
    Question 9 4:58 
    Question 10 5:33 
    Question 11 6:09 
    Question 12 6:30 
    Question 13 6:59 
    Question 14 7:38 
    Question 15 8:25 
    Question 16 8:52 
    Question 17 9:31 
    Question 18 9:59 
    Question 19 10:30 
    Question 20 11:01 
    Question 21 11:46 
    Question 22 12:21 
    Question 23 13:09 
    Question 24 13:47 
  Answer Guide: Section 9 (Critical Reading) 10:45
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Overview 0:11 
   Sentence Completions 0:57 
    Question 1 0:58 
    Question 2 1:35 
    Question 3 2:07 
    Question 4 2:56 
    Question 5 3:08 
    Question 6 3:31 
   Passage-Based Questions 3:46 
    Question 7 3:47 
    Question 8 4:34 
    Question 9 5:07 
    Question 10 5:33 
    Question 11 5:50 
    Question 12 6:23 
    Question 13 6:50 
    Question 14 7:11 
    Question 15 7:42 
    Question 16 8:28 
    Question 17 8:54 
    Question 18 9:17 
    Question 19 9:50 

Duration: 3 hours, 18 minutes

Number of Lessons: 16

Student Feedback

4.4

8 Reviews

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57%
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By Magic FuFebruary 21, 2017
Hi, Professor Hendershot, I am currently a high school sophomore and English is my second language. So, did you have any suggestions for me to improve my SAT vocabs? Thank you very much!

By Kishor PantDecember 22, 2014
Thank you so much! Your series has been quite helpful. These tips are so refreshing! :)
By Rishabh KasarlaJanuary 25, 2014
Hi professor Hendershot!

I am an 8th grade student and wanted to study for the SAT. I am currently reading the Percy Jackson series... is reading any of these books a good idea for helping me on the SAT?

Thanks in advance!
By Tim ZhangNovember 25, 2013
sorry, could you explain a example sentence's grammar to me? "Grace laments spending so much time watching cats video when she should have been studying SAT". I am certainly believe this is a great sentence, but I just can't get it.
By Tim ZhangNovember 25, 2013
sorry, could you explain a example sentence's grammar to me? "Grace laments spending so much time watching cats video when she should have been studying SAT". I am certainly believe this is a great sentence, but I just can't get it.
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