Yesterday you studied. Today you study. Tomorrow you will study.
That’s verb tense in action.
Verb tense tells us when something happens, and the SAT expects the verbs in a sentence or passage to make sense together.
The basic idea isn’t too complicated. The tricky part is that the SAT may give you several different verbs, time clues, and events and ask you to figure out which tense fits best.
When you’re unsure about verb tense, think about the timeline: When did this happen?
Let’s look at some of the most important verb tense rules for the SAT.
Keep Your Verb Tenses Consistent
In general, if a sentence or paragraph is describing events from the same time period, its verb tenses should stay consistent.
Example:
Maya opened the door, walked inside, and looked around the room.
All three actions happened in the past, so all three verbs use the past tense.
Now imagine this:
Maya opened the door, walks inside, and looked around the room.
Something feels wrong.
That’s because opened and looked are past tense, while walks is present tense.
Unless there’s a good reason for the timeline to change, the verb tense shouldn’t suddenly change either.
Don’t change tense just because one answer choice sounds good by itself. Check the verbs around it.
Use the Simple Past for Completed Actions
The simple past describes something that happened and was completed in the past.
Examples:
The researcher published her findings in 2018.
The city opened the new library last year.
Words and phrases such as yesterday, last year, in 1995, and three months ago are strong clues that the simple past may be appropriate.
The event happened. It’s finished. We’re looking back at it.
Use the Present Perfect for Something That Continues to the Present
The present perfect usually uses:
has/have + past participle
Examples include:
- has studied
- have lived
- has worked
- have discovered
We often use this tense when something began in the past but is still connected to the present.
Example:
Elena has lived in Chicago for ten years.
This suggests Elena moved to Chicago ten years ago and still lives there now.
Compare that with:
Elena lived in Chicago for ten years.
That suggests the ten-year period is finished. She may no longer live there.
That’s a small difference, but it’s exactly the kind of difference the SAT may expect you to notice.
Use the Past Perfect for the Earlier of Two Past Events
Here’s where the timeline becomes especially important.
The past perfect usually takes this form:
had + past participle
We use it when one past event happened before another past event.
Example:
By the time the movie began, we had found our seats.
Two things happened:
- We found our seats.
- The movie began.
Both happened in the past, but finding the seats happened first.
That’s why we use:
had found
Think of the past perfect as the “past before the past.”
This is a useful shortcut when you’re dealing with two events that both happened in the past.
Look for Time Clues
SAT verb tense questions often give you clues.
You may see phrases like:
- last century
- currently
- since 2015
- for several decades
- by the time
- before
- after
- today
These words can help you build the sentence’s timeline.
Example:
Since 2019, the organization has provided free meals to local families.
The word since tells us the action began in the past and has continued into the present.
That’s why has provided makes sense.
Don’t just look at the verb. Look around the sentence for clues about when the action happens.
Sometimes the Verb Tense SHOULD Change
Consistency is important, but that doesn’t mean every verb in a paragraph must have the same tense.
If the time changes, the tense may need to change too.
Example:
Marie Curie won two Nobel Prizes, and her discoveries continue to influence scientists today.
Won is past tense because the awards happened in the past.
Continue is present tense because the influence still exists today.
Both verbs are correct.
Consistent verb tense doesn’t mean “never change tense.” It means change tense only when the timeline gives you a reason to.
Be Careful with Passive Voice
You may also encounter sentences written in the passive voice.
In passive voice, the subject receives the action instead of performing it.
Active:
The committee approved the proposal.
Passive:
The proposal was approved by the committee.
Both sentences are grammatically correct.
However, passive constructions can sometimes make sentences longer or more awkward than necessary. When the SAT gives you a choice between two grammatically correct sentences, clearer and more direct wording is often preferable.
The Best SAT Strategy: Build a Timeline
If you’re stuck between different verb forms, don’t rely only on what “sounds right.”
Instead, ask:
- Is this happening now?
- Did it happen in the past?
- Is the past action completely finished?
- Did it begin in the past and continue to the present?
- Did one past event happen before another past event?
Then look at the surrounding sentences.
The SAT may give you the clue you need several words—or even a sentence—away from the verb itself.
Final Thoughts
Verb tense questions become much easier when you stop thinking of them as a collection of strange verb forms and start thinking of them as a timeline.
The simple past describes a completed past event. The present perfect can connect the past to the present. The past perfect helps show which of two past events happened first.
And throughout a passage, verb tenses should work together to create a timeline that makes sense.
Don’t just ask, “Which verb sounds right?”
Ask, “When is this happening?”
Once you can answer that question, you’ll have a much better chance of choosing the right verb tense on the SAT.