How to Improve a 720-740 SAT Reading and Writing Score
Why a 750+ SAT Reading and Writing Score Matters
Many high-achieving students in the SF Bay Area become stuck between 720 and 740 on SAT Reading and Writing even while scoring near-perfectly on SAT Math. When taking practice tests, they’ve seen their math score move naturally from 720 to 780 or higher, so they wonder why their SAT Reading and Writing score isn’t increasing.
They know they need a higher SAT Reading and Writing score because for top colleges, a total score of 1500 is no longer enough. Top schools want to see scores of 1550 or higher, which require SAT Reading and Writing scores of 750 or higher.
These colleges want high SAT Reading and Writing scores because the Reading and Writing score is the real differentiator when it comes to admissions. According to SAT percentile rankings, 4% of test-takers score 750+ on Math, but only 2% of test takers score 750+ on Reading and Writing. So a high SAT Reading and Writing score puts students in a much more selective group.
Is 720 Reading and Writing a Good SAT Score?
Let’s take the emotion out of this question. A 720 SAT Reading and Writing score is objectively a very strong score nationally.
According to College Board statistics, students who score 720 on SAT Reading and Writing are in the 95th percentile. That means that 5% of test-takers scored 720 or or better. In the high school class of 2025, according to College Board statistics, 2 million students took the SAT.
According these figures, about 100,000 students in the class of 2025 scored 720 or higher on the SAT Reading and Writing section.
Is it good to be in the top 100,000 of SAT test takers? Well, in the top 50 US colleges, there are about 150,000 spaces available for new freshmen each year. In the top 20 US colleges, there are a little over 40,000 spaces.
So scoring 720 makes you a strong candidate for a T50 school but less competitive for a T20 school.
If you are aiming for a T20 school and your SAT Reading and Writing score is 720, you should consider how to improve your score. The good news: Improvement is certainly possible. It just requires replacing methods that are no longer helping with methods that will help.
Why Do SAT Reading and Writing Scores Plateau?
Many students hit a plateau in SAT Reading and Writing after improving quickly at first through practice tests. They become frustrated when their scores stop rising despite continued practice.
What’s happening? Early score gains often mask underlying weaknesses in vocabulary, reading comprehension, grammar, and analytical reading ability.
In other words, most students unknowingly have a lower baseline reading ability than they think. Because of grade inflation, most students have A’s in most humanities classes like English and History. This means that students often have no warning that they are in fact reading below the elite level that SAT requires.
When these students start preparing for the Reading and Writing section of the SAT, they take practice tests. As they take more tests and become more comfortable with the questions, their score rises.
But at a certain point, they reach the limits of their comfort zone with reading. They find themselves struggling to understand complex science passages, or struggling to distinguish which of two answer choices is correct. Their challenge has shifted: The problem is no longer being unfamiliar with the test structure, but lacking the reading skills that the test measures.
This can be a real point of frustration for students. They need to let go of what used to work—taking practice tests—and shift to the harder job—improving vocabulary, reading comprehension, and level of focus.
Ultimately, SAT Reading and Writing scores plateau because students have improved to the point that further improvement requires a new approach.
Why Do Some Students Score Higher on SAT Math Than On SAT Reading and Writing?
Many students score much higher on SAT Math than on SAT Reading and Writing because math instruction in American schools is generally far more systematic and rigorous than reading instruction.
The problem is not that SAT Reading is unusually difficult, relative to SAT Math. The problem is that many students have never received systematic training in vocabulary, reading comprehension, grammar, and analytical writing.
Why Math Instruction Often Aligns Well With the SAT
First, math education is inherently structured and systematic. Because math courses break down naturally into sequences of small lessons, each of which is necessary for understanding the next, it is harder for students to miss key concepts. When students struggle with an area of math, it is generally easy to diagnose the specific problem, fix it with tutoring, and watch the student proceed to the next level.
Second, math education is consistent across school districts. In Atlanta and New York City, AP Calculus covers roughly the same material. The same is true, roughly speaking, for foundational courses like Algebra and Trigonometry. As a result, nationwide, most math tests will be similar: a student who has taken Algebra in California can probably pass the Algebra final at a school in Texas.
Third, math assessment tends to be rigorous and to match the nature of the SAT Math test. To move from Algebra 1 to Algebra 2, you need to pass tests of objective knowledge, given at regular intervals. You read problems, decide which equations to use, and calculate a solution—much as you do with Math questions on the SAT.
Why Reading and Writing Instruction Often Does Not
First, reading instruction is inherently less structured and systematic than math instruction. Most schools lack a unified, systematic approach to teaching students how to read. As a result, students can advance to higher grade levels without learning vocabulary, grammar, or comprehension. Many students only discover these weaknesses when they encounter the SAT Reading and Writing section.
Second, reading education is far from consistent across school districts, or even across schools within the same district. One 9th grade teacher assigns Of Mice and Men; another assigns The Call of the Wild. Some teach grammar; most don’t. If you tried to take an English final at another school, you would probably struggle simply from having not read the same books.
Third, reading assessment is anything but rigorous. Essays are quite likely to receive A’s or B’s, despite major weaknesses. Many teachers do too little to prevent students from using AI in their writing. Very few teachers assign weekly vocabulary lists to learn. This lack of rigorous assessment hurts students when they study the SAT because the SAT rewards rigorous preparation in vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension. If you’ve never had to do that work before in English class, you won’t think to do it when prepping for the SAT.
How Top Students Improve Their SAT Reading and Writing Score
Students who want to improve their SAT Reading and Writing scores often need a different kind of preparation than they expect. Beyond practice tests, they typically need systematic work in vocabulary, reading comprehension, grammar, analytical thinking, and sustained reading focus.
The students who continue improving into the highest score ranges are usually the students who strengthen the underlying reading and writing skills that the SAT actually measures.
Why Generic SAT Prep Stops Working
Many students become stuck in the low-to-mid 700s because traditional SAT prep methods stop working at higher score levels.
If you want to score 750+ on SAT Reading and Writing, score guarantee programs are likely insufficient. The top score that they promise is 1500, which could in theory mean scoring as low as 700 on the Reading and Writing section.
What causes the SAT score plateau at 720 Reading and Writing? How do you break through to score 740, 750, or higher?
At this level, improving your SAT reading and writing score requires real mastery of the English language. You’ve maxed out the advantage of learning test-taking tips and tricks; you can no longer hope to guess your way to the right answer.
The Four Skills Behind 750+ SAT Reading and Writing Scores
Academic Vocabulary
The “hard words” that appear on the SAT vocabulary questions (as well as occasionally in other questions)
Question Vocabulary
The words that typically distinguish questions. Examples:
- illustrate
- explain
- defend
- concede
(Students stuck at 720 often understand these words poorly.)
Reading Comprehension
A clear understanding of how each sentence in a passage links to
- surrounding sentences
- the main idea
(obvious, but rarely understood)
English Grammar
Key grammatical terms:
- subject
- verb
- clause
- dangling modifier
(important for answering all the hard questions in the writing section)
Students who score close to 800 on the SAT Reading and Writing section have typically mastered all four of these areas.
Frequently Asked Questions About SAT Reading and Writing Scores
How long does it usually take to improve from 720 to 750+ on SAT Reading and Writing?
Longer than it takes to improve from 650 to 720 on Reading and Writing. To move up from 720, students need to learn additional vocabulary words, practice sustained reading, learn English grammar, and improve their focus. These are areas that are rarely covered in school English classes, making them more challenging to learn.
Speed of progress generally depends on the amount of time spent studying, multiplied by the quality of the focus that the student brings to the work. Students who study several hours a week with a high degree of focus will improve their scores faster.
Why do some students move above 750 Reading and Writing more easily than others?
When students naturally move above 750 Reading and Writing (for example, simply by taking practice tests), they typically have a strong background in reading—10 to 20 hours of reading a week outside of class, with more reading in the summer. They have less need to master SAT vocabulary, practice subject-specific reading, and learn English grammar because they have already picked up this information via independent reading.
Why do some students improve quickly in Math but barely improve in SAT Reading and Writing?
These students typically have a strong background in math but less background in reading and writing. For example, they have attended summer math camps, skipped a year of math, or given more attention to math homework than to English homework. However, with focused work, they can improve in reading, too.
Should students memorize SAT vocabulary lists?
Yes, definitely. There is no substitute for memorizing the definitions of vocabulary words that are likely to appear on the SAT. Bear in mind, though, that standard “SAT Word Lists” are frequency lists that are designed to raise scores from 500 to 720. The SAT vocab words that separate students scoring 720 from students scoring 800 appear rarely on the SAT, so they are less likely to appear on canonical SAT vocab lists.
Students who want to score above 750 on the SAT Reading and Writing typically need to study significantly more vocabulary words than those who are satisfied with a 720.
Do students need to read books outside of SAT prep materials?
Any reading that students do outside of school and SAT prep, provided that they read materials of suitable challenge with focus and attention, will help them to improve their scores.
The good news is that this reading does not necessarily need to be independent reading that adds to the workload outside of class. By junior year, textbooks for history and science, especially for AP classes, will give students good additional practice with the types of reading they encounter in SAT Reading and Writing passages.
Useful tip: Each time you read a paragraph of textbook material, look away from the paragraph and write a one-sentence summary of it. This habit will test your ability to focus and comprehend.
Are official College Board tests enough for high scorers?
Yes. To make the best use of them, wait to take these tests until about two months before you plan to take your SAT. Unofficial SATs made by test prep companies are unlikely to move your score higher, as they struggle to correctly match the difficulty level of the hardest SAT questions—the ones that distinguish 720 scorers from 800 scorers. These tests also contain errors that are frustrating for high-scoring students.
Can students raise SAT Reading and Writing scores through practice tests alone?
It depends on the student. A student with a strong background in reading and writing can achieve a higher Reading and Writing score by taking practice tests only. But a student with less preparation in reading and writing will need to commit to additional focused work in order to raise scores.
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With Nat Crawford, National Merit Scholar and Stanford graduate