Bluebook offers some robust annotation tools on the SAT RW section, which students should definitely avail themselves of. Start by learning your way around the capabilities:
HIGHLIGHTING AND UNDERLINING
Test takers have access to the three primary color options plus three secondary combinations as well as various line styles for underlining.
NOTES
These text snippets must be associated with highlighted or underlined text.
No matter how great a tool is, you need a plan to learn to use it to its fullest potential. What are best practices for Bluebook RW annotation tools?
- Annotations remain even if you move on to a different question, so don’t hesitate to leave your markups behind: you can return and build on them later.
- Build a habit of highlighting the question associated with SAT Reading & Writing items.
- In RW claim questions, use a different color to emphasize whether you need to strengthen or weaken a claim or hypothesis.
- Transitional words and phrases mean a lot in SAT passages, so use different colors to differentiate key transitions from highlighted names, details, and data.
- The note taking features are less essential than highlighting, since students can use scratch paper to take notes. That said, some locations may artificially restrict scrap paper.
- If you prefer to type notes, focus on developing a shorthand of symbols to facilitate your summaries.
Of course, a plan is just the first step. Be sure to practice your annotation strategies in Bluebook and pay attention to what works best for you.
Mike Bergin