I don't know how to perfect my SAT writing multiple choice score?

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
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Recently, I took an SAT practice test and out of the 49 multiple choice writing questions I missed 1. The curve for that test allows an 800 with -1 only if you get a 10 essay or higher. I really want an 800 on the writing section this coming October administration. My fear is that I might get a 9 essay and thus miss an 800 by a couple of points. I’m not very good at writing essays, so I would rather focus my time and energy on trying to master the multiple choice portion of the test. The problem is, as I stated before, that I keep on missing one silly question. For example, on the test I took I got all the level 4 and 5 questions correct, but ended up missing the level 3 question The question is:

Anthropologists are unsure “whether” the knotted strings that the Incas used for record keeping “merely” represented numbers “or” actually “constituted” a form of recorded language. (E) No Error (Quotations serve as makeshift underlines)

After reading this question, I was about to put (E) No Error (the correct answer), but I hesitated. I previously had a bit of a problem with idioms. Thus, I memorized a list of most common SAT idioms to help me get those questions right on future tests. Unfortunately, I remembered that there is an idiom that “unsure” is commonly paired as “unsure of”. So for example, “John was unsure of how to respond to the letter.” My question is: Is it widely known that “unsure whether” is widely accepted and grammatically correct? It sounds weird when I read it; maybe because I haven’t heard of that usage of “unsure” before?
Also, how should I approach this type of problem in the future? How do I improve from this experience. I’m so confused; I almost wish I missed a level 4 or 5 question because they often have well-defined rules that you can study. Like I could actually say…“Oh, I missed that redundancy question, or misplaced modifier question, etc.”

And a few final questions (for people who got 800 in SAT writing section). Did you consistently score perfects on your practice multiple choice portion, or did it happen to click for you on the real test? Do you recommend I aim for a really good good essay score so it can save my less-than-perfect multiple choice score? Do most writing perfect-scorers have a perfect multiple choice portion and decent essay or a 11/12 on the essay but -1/-2 on the multiple choice portion? Thanks in advance for reading through this really long post :).

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Both my kids got 800’s on the writing section.
The solution? Erica Meltzer’s SAT grammar book and doing lots and lots of writing sections for practice.

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^Thank you for the suggestion; I will definitely check that book out! But the thing is that I already know all of the basic grammar rules, I’m just missing silly things like thinking that “unsure whether” should be “unsure of whether”. Should I just continue to take practice tests and note down every single nuance such as this?

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The idiom you’re discussing is more general. It works like this:

negation + verb of thinking + whether

“Unsure whether” fits that pattern. So do the following:

We did not know whether the store was open or not.
He had not decided whether he wanted to go to college or not.
It is unclear whether the flood would delay the mail.

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@WasatchWriter: Oh I see! But does the phrase have to have a negation? Can it have a positive meaning? Also, is there a website describing this idiom, or is it more common sense? Thank you for answering btw :).

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As a general pattern, the negation is not required. “I know whether I want fish or steak” is perfectly idiomatic. But It sounds odd to my ears to say, “I am sure whether . . .”

I don’t know of anywhere you can read about the particular idioms i have mentioned. Garner’s Modern American Usage discusses “of” in the entry on “whether,” but it does not address this particular question. Idioms like this are “common sense” in that their usage is understood by a community of speakers. All that means is that you need to immerse yourself in quality writing.