Mastering SAT® Command of Evidence Questions, Part 1
Introduction to Key Strategies for Supporting and Weakening Claims
Foundational Strategies for SAT® Command of Evidence Questions
Introduction and Roadmap
Command of Evidence (COE) questions are among the most common and challenging question types on SAT® Reading & Writing. These questions test your ability to identify evidence that supports or weakens specific claims or conclusions. They appear immediately after Textual Analysis Questions and just before Inference Questions.
In this unit, you will learn:
How to identify COE questions and distinguish between support and weaken questions
The five distinct subtypes of COE questions and their key characteristics:
Simple Graph Reading
Direct Evidence
Comparisons
Causal Chains
Literature
A systematic, step-by-step approach that works for all COE questions
How to simplify complex claims to focus your analysis
Special considerations for questions with tables or graphs
How to avoid common mistakes that even strong students make
Understanding and mastering these basics is crucial. While COE questions can seem overwhelming at first, breaking them down by subtype and following clear steps makes them manageable. You'll see how the same core strategy can be adapted for each subtype through detailed examples demonstrating Direct Evidence, Comparison, Causal Chain, and Literature questions.
More advanced strategies for specific subtypes will be covered in later units, but success with those builds on the foundation established here. By the end of this unit, you'll understand how to approach any COE question methodically, regardless of its specific subtype or level of difficulty.