As high school students, we all reach that point where the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) plays a big part in our lives. This test plays an important role in determining what kind of college you can attend and where you stand academically. The SAT is designed in a way that challenges your skills in reading and math, forcing you to think critically under great pressure.
Preparing for it can be very frustrating, considering all the different material you have to cover to achieve an amazing score. Since the SAT has now become a digital exam, the more advice and tips given to you can make a big difference in your score and how you study. Many upperclassmen at Pines Charter have achieved prestigious scores when they took it. They were able to do this with their dedication and hours put forth to studying. As a result, they have come up with the best SAT tips for students ready to take on this challenge.
Ways to prepare for the SAT
A few ways to prepare the best for the SAT are practicing through Khan Academy, taking Bluebook tests, and the SAT practice book from Princeton Review. Khan Academy is a great online resource as it covers all the material that will be on the SAT for both reading and writing and gives you small quizzes to test your knowledge. It also provides videos on different topics you have trouble with or need a review on. Bluebook practice tests are another amazing online resource because you can take a full-length practice test where you get your score right away. Bluebook also allows you to go back to review and see what you did wrong and see which areas you need to improve in. The SAT practice book from Princeton Review “was very helpful because it gave [her] a lot of practice and review of important concepts,” shares senior Hannah Flores.
Preparation for the reading section
In order to achieve the best score for the reading section of the SAT focus on reviewing and remembering grammar and ways to analyze the text. The grammar questions can be easy points to boost your score but can also be challenging if you don’t review grammar rules properly. Senior Hannah Flores comments, “[She] thinks it’s hard to “learn” the reading section, especially if you get a hard passage that you don’t understand. I focused on studying the grammar and vocabulary because I found it was easier to bring up my score using those questions, rather than the reading ones.” Try to answer the grammar questions first so there is more time for the longer passage questions. Always make sure to read the questions first and then the passage. Expand your vocabulary and always make sure to identify the main idea and highlight important points.
Preparation for the math section
The best way to prepare for the math portion of the SAT is to “look over all the concepts that are being tested and start with the one you do not know and make a checklist for the concepts that you need to review,” states Hannah Flores. Practice mental math and shortcuts that way you don’t need to use the calculator for everything. Always remember the formulas that won’t be on the formula sheet given. “Use the Desmos calculator that the SAT provides,” shares senior Isabella Cioffi. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the Desmos calculator so you know how and when to use it.
Time management
As you practice for the SAT make sure to time yourself when doing practice questions. When you do full-length practice tests, watch the time and find the best way to answer all questions in the short amount of time given. “I found it really tricky to manage time, especially in the reading section. I always tried not to spend too much time on each question, especially since the easy questions are worth the same amount of points as the harder ones!” expressed Hannah Flores.
Ways to answer questions
There are many different ways to answer these questions. Remember the SAT is very formulaic and the questions are predictable and all follow the same format. For many questions, you can eliminate answer choices because of the way they are written. For example, for grammar questions, if there is a period for one answer choice and a comma for another you can eliminate both! “Do the easier questions first and then the harder ones last,” shares Isabella Cioffi. Skip the questions that you need to spend more time on and come back to them later. Make sure to use an educated guess for questions you are unsure about.
Ways to stay calm
It’s really easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated! If you start to panic during the test, remind yourself that any time you spend worrying is less time you have to answer the questions. Make sure to slow down and concentrate on each word you are reading until you can get back into focus! Another way to stay calm is to pretend you’re in your room taking it and doing each question your best as each question matters a lot.
Make sure to take all these tips into consideration as these will help you ace your SAT. Read each question carefully and stay calm. You got this Jags, Good luck!
