Cheat codes / Every part
Use every Bluebook tool
The Bluebook app gives me tools that paper never did, and I learn where each one helps so that I use them without thinking.
How I think about it
The code in steps
- 1Highlight the clue or claim in the passage, and add a short note if you need one.
- 2Use the line reader on a long passage and zoom on tables or small text.
- 3Cross out wrong options with the eliminator as you go.
- 4In Math, check the reference sheet for a formula and use Desmos for graphs.
- 5Mark any question you guessed on, and use the question menu at the end to return to it.
Learn it
1. The toolbox in one list
These are the tools on the Bluebook test screen: the testing timer (you can hide it until 5 minutes remain), the Desmos graphing calculator (for all Math questions), the Math reference sheet, highlights and notes, mark for review (a bookmark), the line reader, the option eliminator (cross out choices, and undo them), the question menu (jump to any question in the module), and zoom.
You can move back and forth inside a module until its time ends, but once you move on from a module you cannot go back. Plan your tools with that in mind.
2. Reading and Writing tools
Highlights and notes. Highlight the clue words in a passage: the 'but', the 'however', the claim, the number. Use a note for a short reminder, for example 'T1: rain now. T2: rain before'. It stops you losing the point when you read the options.
Line reader. It helps you keep your place in a long passage and read one part at a time. Use it when your eyes jump or when the text is long.
Option eliminator. Cross out options you are sure are wrong. It makes the choice smaller: from four to three to two. You can undo it, so nothing is lost if you change your mind.
Zoom. Make the text or the table bigger if your eyes are tired, especially on a small screen.
3. Math tools
Reference sheet. It shows geometry facts and formulas, for example the area of a circle and the volume of a cone. Look at it for the formula instead of trying to remember it. Do not waste time learning what is already on the page.
Desmos. For systems, curves and regression. See the code 'Desmos first' for the exact moves.
Zoom. Use it on tables and graphs, to read each number clearly.
4. Moving through the module
Mark for review. If a question is taking too long, choose your best guess (there is no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave a blank), mark it, and move on.
Question menu. It shows all the questions in the module. At the end, open it to see which are unanswered and which you marked, and jump straight to them. Use your remaining minutes for the marked ones.
Timer. Hiding it until 5 minutes remain can remove panic. Learn if that works for you in practice.
5. A tiny drill
Open a practice test in Bluebook (it is free from the College Board). Spend 10 minutes only learning the tools: highlight a sentence, add a note, cross out an option and undo it, mark a question, open the question menu, open the reference sheet, and zoom in and out. Do this until nothing surprises you.
Why it works
The Digital SAT is taken on the Bluebook app, and College Board includes these tools because they are part of the test, so every student has them. Each tool saves a small amount of time or stops a small mistake: a highlight keeps the clue in view, the eliminator makes a four-way choice smaller, the reference sheet removes a formula you might forget and the question menu lets you return to a marked question. Each module is timed and you can go back only inside the module you are in, so using the menu and marks before time ends is a real advantage.
Watch out: A tool is only useful if you have practised it. If you use a tool for the first time on test day, it can cost time. Also, do not highlight everything, because then nothing stands out, and do not cross out an option unless you can say why it is wrong. Remember that once you leave a module you cannot return to it.
See it work on real questions
Try each question your usual way first. Then open the box to see the code at work.
Cross-Text Connections · question 8
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Text Structure and Purpose · question 7
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Words in Context · question 8
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Inference from samples · question 7
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Area and volume · question 6
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Probability · question 3
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Do not just believe me. Test it.
Take two practice sets of 10 questions. In the first set, use only your pen and the mouse. In the second set, use the tools in this code: highlights, the eliminator, mark for review, the reference sheet and zoom. Note the time, the number of correct answers and how many questions you were able to return to. Compare them, and keep the tools that helped you.