The December 2024 Reading & Writing (RW) section maintained a difficulty level similar to previous exams earlier in the year.
The changes introduced in the November 2024 test, such as longer passage lengths in Module 1, were carried over to the December test.
Module 2 also adhered to its typical structure, including passages on college-level biology and chemical concepts, with a difficulty level consistent with past exams.
Students familiar with the November 2024 test style likely found the December test manageable.
The most notable change in the November 2024 test was the increased passage length.
While earlier exams featured passages averaging 2–4 sentences, November’s passages were 5–7 sentences long, and this trend continued in December.
The long length of question 1 may have surprised some students, but its diction and concepts were straightforward, making it accessible despite the extended text.
Unlike the November test, which included Old English-style questions, December’s test did not feature such questions.
Grammar questions were also straightforward, leaving most students with 10–15 minutes to review the entire test.
Module 2 in the December test retained the same level of difficulty as previous exams.
The question types remained unchanged, including the hallmark Cross-Text Connection questions that test comprehension across multiple passages.
Similar to earlier exams, the passages focused on college-level biology and chemistry topics, requiring a thorough reading to answer accurately.
Writing questions in this module included nuanced grammar issues, such as whether to place a comma before “and,” which may have posed challenges for some students.
Overall, Module 2 likely felt challenging for many but was comparable in difficulty to previous tests.
As with the November test, time management was critical for the December exam. The longer passages and complex topics in Module 2 required students to focus on understanding the questions and identifying key points.
For vocabulary questions and certain Writing items, reading only the relevant sentence was sufficient, allowing for quicker problem-solving.
Main Idea, Inference, and Cross-Text Connection questions required a full passage reading, so skipping these initially and returning to them later would have helped students stay within time limits.
The December 2024 RW section can be summarized as an extension of the November test. The increased passage length and challenging topics introduced in November appear to be becoming a standard.
At GATE+, we design practice questions slightly more challenging than the actual tests to help students prepare effectively.
Our Reading questions, which often feature longer passages, are excellent preparation for handling exams like the December test with confidence.
The December 2024 Math (MA) section maintained the same problem types but felt slightly more challenging overall.
Geometry and Linear/Quadratic Relationship questions were still the main focus. However, Module 2 featured questions that required a firm grasp of mathematical formulas and concepts, making it less reliant on direct substitution methods and slightly more difficult than earlier exams.
As with past exams, Module 1 in December 2024 maintained an easy difficulty level.
Unlike the November test, which emphasized definition-based questions, December focused more on simple calculation problems.
Even if students forgot certain definitions, they would have been able to solve many of the questions with a calculator.
With no particularly difficult questions, most students likely finished Module 1 with 10–20 minutes to spare.
Module 2 in December stood out for its focus on conceptual understanding over direct calculation.
While earlier exams allowed for substitution or graphing to solve questions (though these methods took more time), the December test required students to accurately understand and apply mathematical concepts and formulas.
Many questions, especially in the free-response section, left little room for guessing. If students lacked the necessary knowledge, it was either a “know-it-or-don’t” type of question.
The calculations themselves were often simple, but identifying the correct formula and concept to apply was more difficult.
Well-prepared students likely finished the test with about 5 minutes to review their answers.
Even if students learned formulas and concepts in school or through tutoring, it’s easy to forget them under pressure.
In such situations, skipping the question and moving on to more manageable ones, then returning later with a fresh perspective, is recommended.
If no solution presents itself, guessing is better than leaving the question blank. Since the SAT does not penalize for wrong answers, guessing on multiple-choice questions gives a 1/4 chance of earning points.
For free-response questions, making an educated guess is preferable to leaving them unanswered.
The December 2024 Math section was similar to earlier exams, with the primary change being a shift in Module 2 toward concept-driven questions over substitution-based problem-solving.
The focus on Geometry and Linear/Quadratic Relationships remained unchanged.
At GATE+, we design our Math questions to be slightly more challenging and application-oriented than the actual SAT to challenge students and prepare them thoroughly.
By practicing with GATE+ Math materials, students can feel confident tackling exams like the December 2024 test or future tests such as the one in March 2025.
