Reading and Writing: Craft and Structure, Information and Ideas
The PSAT Reading and Writing section tests four content domains. Craft and Structure (28% of R/W questions) covers vocabulary in context, text structure and purpose, and cross-text connections. Vocabulary questions ask for the most appropriate word for the context — eliminate answers based on meaning, connotation, and register. Information and Ideas (26%) tests central idea and detail, command of evidence, and inferences. For central idea questions, identify the passage's main claim and eliminate answers that are too specific, too broad, or contradicted by the text. Evidence questions ask which piece of evidence best supports or completes a claim — eliminate answers that are off-topic, contradict the claim, or merely repeat rather than support it.