How to Boost Your English Score 100+ Points [Logically Completes the Text]
- Laura (Heslin) Whitmore
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
By Laura Whitmore
If you’ve ever felt completely stuck on “logically completes the text” questions on the SAT, you’re not alone. These questions—also known as inference questions—are some of the most challenging on the entire English section. Even strong readers often lose points here, not because they don’t understand the passage, but because the reasoning feels subtle and time-consuming.
The good news is that these questions are highly predictable. With the right strategies, you can approach them calmly, avoid trap answers, and significantly improve your SAT Reading and Writing score.
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🔍 Why These Questions Feel So Difficult
Inference questions usually appear near the end of each English module, often around questions 13 through 15. They tend to take longer than other question types because they require you to understand the author’s reasoning, not just identify grammar rules or definitions.
Because the SAT is a timed test, students often feel rushed when they reach these questions. That pressure alone can lead to careless mistakes. Learning how to approach them strategically makes a major difference.
💡 Strategy 1: Save Them for Last
These are the hardest questions in the module, and they often take two minutes or more to solve correctly. That’s why it’s usually smarter to skip them initially and come back at the end.
By answering quicker grammar, transition, and rhetorical synthesis questions first, you can bank time. When you return to inference questions with a calmer mindset, your accuracy improves significantly.
💡 Strategy 2: Don’t Cut Corners When Reading
On some SAT reading questions, you can get away with focusing mainly on the last sentence. That approach does not work here.
For logically completes the text questions, it’s almost always better to read the entire passage carefully one time. These questions depend on understanding the full argument. Skimming often leads to rereading, which actually wastes more time in the long run.
💡 Strategy 3: Know the "Cookie-Cutter" Structure
About three-quarters of inference passages follow a predictable pattern. The first sentence introduces the topic. The second presents an old belief or idea. The third introduces a new belief or finding. The final sentence contains the blank where you must draw a conclusion.
In most cases, the correct answer is based on the new belief, not the old one. Recognizing this structure helps you anticipate where the passage is going before you even look at the answer choices.
💡 Strategy 4: Come Up With Your Own Conclusion
Before reading the answer choices, pause and think about what logically follows from the passage. Try to come up with your own conclusion and even jot it down briefly.
Your wording doesn’t need to match an answer choice exactly. The goal is to solidify your understanding of the argument so that when you do look at the options, the correct one stands out more clearly.
💡Strategy 5: Understand Inference Traps
A common mistake on inference questions is choosing an answer that seems reasonable but isn’t fully supported by the text.
For example, if a passage says that a man “rarely got up from his seat,” it does not mean we can conclude that he is lazy. There are many other possible explanations—he could be sick, injured, or elderly. Because the text does not specify the reason, drawing that conclusion requires an assumption.
On the SAT, correct inferences must be certain, not merely plausible. This is why the safest answers on inference questions often feel less dramatic. They stick closely to the language of the passage and avoid adding meaning that the author never clearly provides.
👉 Example: Drawing a Conclusion From a Claim
When practicing, a helpful technique is to “flip the script.” If a passage says forest restoration focuses on planting native trees, a valid conclusion might be that it does not focus on non-native trees.
This method helps your brain move beyond restating the passage and toward logical consequences. Even if your conclusion isn’t one of the answer choices, the process sharpens your reasoning and prepares you to recognize the correct option.
👉 Example: A Social Science Passage
In social science passages, relationships and correlations are key. If one factor increases and another increases as a result, that positive correlation often drives the conclusion.
For example, if spending more time obtaining a gift is associated with greater perceived thoughtfulness, then gifts that take less time may be viewed as less thoughtful. The correct answer will reflect that relationship without exaggeration or added assumptions.
👉 Example: A Science Passage
Science passages often contrast an old approach with a newer one. Words like “traditionally” or “recently” signal this shift.
If a newer ecosystem-based approach is presented as more effective than a single-species approach, the logical conclusion is that focusing on only one species may limit conservation success. The correct answer will reflect that limitation without overstating it.
⏰ Final Thoughts on Inference Questions
Logically completes the text questions reward careful thinking, not speed reading. When you slow down strategically, recognize patterns, and focus on what must be true—not what could be true—you dramatically increase your accuracy.
With consistent practice, these questions can go from being your weakest area to one of your biggest opportunities for point gains on the SAT.
If inference questions are still costing you points, you don’t have to figure them out on your own. At Strategic Test Prep, we work one-on-one with students to identify exactly where they’re losing points and build a targeted plan to raise their SAT Reading and Writing score.
If you’re looking for personalized guidance, you can book a consultation with our team to talk through your goals, timeline, and the best prep strategy for you. We’d love to help you create a clear plan and move forward with confidence.
Happy Prepping,
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