The SAT Writing and Language Test requires you to think and operate like an editor. On the “Expression of Ideas” portion of this subtest, you must be able to read efficiently, find mistakes and select the best corrections. On focus questions, one subsection of “Expression of Ideas,” the student has to decide whether to add, delete, retain or revise excerpts from the text. Focus questions can be challenging for students because they involve more than understanding the questions and answer choices.

Principally, they test students’ reading comprehension skills and their ability to deduce the author's intent. It is for this reason that, to excel on focus questions, student must first train themselves to become better readers. A smart reader is one who locates main ideas and summarizes while he or she reads. Focus questions require test-takers to complete two main tasks: decide on a course of action, and select the best justification for doing so. These question types usually ask, “Should the writer…?” First, you are to decide on the right course of action, and then you choose the proper explanation.

Add. Adding text to a passage is a good choice when the suggested information supports or clarifies a previous point. Note that supporting and clarifying means providing additional details, not inserting an entirely new point or claim.

Delete. Information from a passage could need to be deleted for several reasons, such as if it dilutes the paragraph’s focus or is repetitive. Information that adds nothing new or helpful to the author’s argument should be removed.

Retain. The option to retain information as it is written is the right choice when there is no better way to phrase something. When each part of the passage is relevant and complete, you may not need to make any changes. An indicator that retain may be the best choice is that you had no issues reading through that portion of the text.

Revise. An indicator that you may need to revise a portion of the text is that it seems confusing or off-topic when you read it for the first time. Any points in the text during which you have to think about twice likely call for editing.SAT focus questions may seem tricky at first because they require you to use several skills simultaneously. The good news, however, is that it is easy to prepare for them. Practice with these question types to sharpen your inner “editor voice,” and soon you will be eliminating three answers in no time.