High school teacher reveals that SAT reading section contains 25 word 'micropassages', offers obvious answers: 'I would have gotten into an Ivy if the SAT was like this in 2007'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Dec 22, 2025 9:00 AM EST

Getting an education should mean doing things that challenge your brain, but the level that provides a challenge differs for everyone.

There are many different types of intelligence, and not everybody is going to have the same strengths. Nonetheless, most people would agree that it is important for those who are able to put the work in when it comes to educating themselves for both personal and societal benefit. There is a reason that there are laws in relation to mandatory school attendance.

Still, ever since public school has been a thing, plenty of kids have failed to appreciate the benefits that come from putting some effort into learning things. Many adults would argue that it is an issue that is only getting worse, especially when the likes of generative AI offer us the answer to everything in a matter of seconds with a minimum of effort. When the value of an education is a certificate that (supposedly) makes you more employable and not what you learn, things can get pretty bleak.

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    a teacher hands a paper to a male high school student sat at a desk in a classroom with other students
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Literacy has been a hot-button topic in recent years, with many arguing that the rise of people spending hours a day consuming slop on their phones is having a detrimental impact on the reading comprehension of just about everybody, but in particular kids and teenagers. If one example question from an SAT practice exam is anything to go by, maybe they're onto something. 

    When a high school teacher shared how the SAT reading section now included passages as short as 25 words, a lot of people felt like this was a bad sign for where things were heading. While this is only a sample of what teenagers study for, it doesn't look very promising.

  • 02
    Joshua Minsoo Kim @misterminsoo Thinking about how the SAT reading section now has micropassages that can be as short as 25 words. Absolutely howling at this question from an official College Board practice exam. Bro
    via misterminsoo
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    11 The following text is from David Barclay Moore's 2022 novel Holler of the Fireflies. The narrator has just arrived at summer camp, which is far away from his home. This place was different than I thought it would be. I'd never been somewhere like this before. I did feel scared, but also excited. ©2022 by David Barclay Moore According to the text, how does the narrator feel about being at summer camp? A) He feels overjoyed. B) He feels peaceful. C) He feels both scared and excited. D) He feels
    via misterminsoo
  • 04
    Z @amberwb Replying to @misterminsoo There were always both shorter and longer passages for reading comprehension, as well as a spectrum of difficulty (the computer-administered test has algorithmically sorted questions based on what you get right/wrong for like 20 years).
    via amberwb
  • 05
    Joshua Minsoo Kim @misterminsoo Replying to @amberwb the SAT reading section had passages that were like 500-800 words long, not just a series of short paragraphs with accompanying questions
    via misterminsoo
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    @soyboyuprising Replying to @misterminsoo i was an english tutor for high schoolers and you'd be surprised
    via soyboyuprising
  • 07
    Joshua Minsoo Kim @miste... i teach high school right now and am not surprised
    via misterminsoo
  • 08
    a male high school student sits at a desk looking at an exam paper, surrounded by other students
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 09
    Hamza Shaban @hshaban Replying to @misterminsoo the prompt is longer than the passage
    via hshaban
  • 10
    Seva @SevaUT Replying to @misterminsoo oh it's over
    via SevaUT
  • 11
    jjj @rolling_plan Replying to @misterminsoo Funny to think about how many people will still get this wrong
    via rolling_plan
  • 12
    Bob Sacamano @ts_wilbury Replying to @misterminsoo In fairness, this question is surely intended for almost everyone to get it right. As a "standardized❞ test, this type of question very important for statistical validity of the test. It's a "control" metric that can be used in statistical analysis of the rest of the test
    via ts_wilbury
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    shalashaska @shalashaska098 Replying to @misterminsoo I thought the multiple choice answer would be a word that captures feeling scared but excited. Nope its just straight up the words scared and excited.
    via shalashaska098
  • 14
    Jack Eason @realJackEason Replying to @misterminsoo Practice like, make sure your pencil works?
    via realJackEason
  • 15
    Josh @RadioMcLean Replying to @misterminsoo This looks like a question you'd ask an elderly person to test for dementia lol
    via RadioMcLean
  • 16
    Mute Canary @MuteCanary_ Replying to @misterminsoo He feels quixotic and imperspicuous.
    via MuteCanary_
  • 17
    Ashley Reese @offbeatorbit I would have gotten into an Ivy if the SAT was like this in 2007
    via offbeatorbit
  • 18
    vee @auroramoonskyes knowing kids are genuinely so illiterate these days that the fucking SAT is evolving to accommodate for that
    via auroramoonskyes
  • 19
    New Afrikan Liberated T... TNS @negrosubversive At this point the first two years of college should be Hooked on Phonics and mindfulness meditation to rebuild attention spans, all without internet access for 20 hours per day.
    via negrosubversive
  • 20
    Peter Gao @PlanetaryGao fun fact: if you're a native english speaker and you get this wrong they immediately hire you to a middle management position
    via PlanetaryGao
  • 21
    The Notorious S.E.B. @bigseb31213 It's over. Post literate society
    via bigseb31213
  • 22
    dave@david_schimpf this can't be the same SAT everyone was stressing over a decade ago, how dumb did everyone get?!
    via david_schimpf
  • 23
    paris martineau @parismartineau another W for the always choose C strategy
    via parismartineau

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