Home » Test Prep » SAT Critical Reading

No. of
Lectures

Duration
(hrs:min)

3:18

Test Prep: SAT Critical Reading Prof. Rebekah Hendershot
Facebook Twitter
More

4.4

812 ratings • 8 reviews

Level Upper Intermediate
16 Lessons (3hr : 18min)
12,594 already enrolled!
4.4 812 Ratings & 8 Reviews
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
Course Details

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

43%

57%

By Magic Fu•February 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 Pant•December 22, 2014

Thank you so much! Your series has been quite helpful. These tips are so refreshing! :)

By Rishabh Kasarla•January 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 Zhang•November 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 Zhang•November 25, 2013