If you’re looking for help on how to prepare for SAT exam, these 7 tips will help you to get ready for the exam day.
The SAT is the widely taken standardized test that is most commonly used for college admissions in the United States. This test was first administered in 1926 and since then it has undergone several iterations of change of name and scoring procedures until it reached its current form.
SAT is fully owned, developed and published by a private and non-profit organization known as College Board. It is conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) on behalf of the College Board.
The SAT Exam Format
Before proceeding onto the tips about how to prepare for SAT exam, let us take a look at the exam format.
The exam includes three main sections – Math, Writing, and Evidence-Based Reading. Additionally, there is an essay that is optional and is given 50 minutes to complete. The total test-taking time is 3 hours and 50 minutes (including the optional essay). The breakdown of the number of questions and the time allotted in the three sections are as follows:
- Math – Total 80 minutes, broken down into 2 sub-sections of 25 minutes (no calculator) and 55 minutes (with a calculator) each. The total number of questions int his section is 58.
- Writing – A total of 35 minutes with 44 questions.
- Reading – A total of 65 minutes with 52 questions.
If you are about to take the SAT in the near future, then you will be aware of the importance of scoring well in this exam. After all, it will essentially be a deciding factor for your college acceptance.
As with any other exams, the SAT also requires careful planning and preparation for a test-taker to achieve the desired results. There are certain helpful points, which when followed diligently, can help you to prepare for SAT exam.
To help you on your journey, we have compiled 7 useful tips on how to prepare for SAT exam. Here they are:
1. Get Familiarized with the Exam Details
The first and foremost thing that you need to do when starting to prepare for the SAT exam is to know the details about the test. This includes the exam format, the number of sections and what those sections are about, the test-taking time, etc. This step is essential for you to have a clear idea about what to expect on the day of the exam and prevent any avoidable surprises.
Find out more details in our blog post – how is SAT scored.
Knowing the format and the number of questions in each section will help you come up with a game plan that is best suited to your exam preparation needs. It will also help you figure out which sections require more attention than others and you can act accordingly.
2. Take Online Courses
One of the most effective ways to prepare for SAT exam is to enroll in an online course. These courses are not only well-structured but also provide you with access to relevant questions for practicing.
While preparation can also be done by reading various study materials and books, online courses have the unique advantage of making the required resources available to you at a single place. When relying on studying only from books, the onus is on you to search and gather all the necessary documents to cover all the topics.
There are many online courses available in the market today. All you need is a laptop (or a tablet or a PC) and an Internet connection to reap the benefits of these courses. Choose an online course that is best suited to your needs for the best results.
Read our review of the best SAT preparation courses you can find online.
3. Read Extensively
The SAT exam has five long and fairly dense passages that you will be required to read and answer questions about. The time limit for this portion is an hour. Hence, it is necessary that you have the habit of reading with maximum retention to ace this portion of the test.
One sure-shot way to prepare for SAT exam, especially the reading section is to start reading non-fiction extensively. This is helpful because out of the five passages, four will be non-fiction and enough practice will tune your brain appropriately to deal with the exam texts.
In your free time, make sure to pick up a magazine like Time or The New Yorker or even a newspaper like The New York Times and develop the practice of reading non-fiction.
The human brain takes time to get into the habit of reading texts correctly and quickly. Therefore, this part of the exam preparation will not happen overnight. Just make sure to invest enough time in this activity for the best final results.
4. Start Practicing Mental Math
Out of the two Mathematics sections, one will not allow you to use your calculator. But there is no reason to think that this will be a difficult section to conquer. In fact, learning to do mental Math can actually be a secret weapon up your sleeves when you prepare for the SAT exam.
Start by getting into the habit of doing simple calculations like multiplications and proceed from thereon. After a while, you will find yourself not reaching out for your calculator for most of the basic mathematical calculations.
If you can quickly arrive at the correct answer for things like multiplications and big additions, it will not only make the answering process faster but also boost your confidence in Math.
Like most other things in life, the more you practice doing this, the better you will get at it. So, make sure to start early with mental math.
5. Take Practice Tests
This one is a no-brainer and is not exclusive to the SAT. For any kind of exam, taking practice tests is an absolute necessity to be well-prepared for the actual day.
Make use of a timer to correctly time your tests. Once you are done with answering the questions, check all the answers thoroughly and note down how many you got correct. Keep a regular track of these practice tests to know whether you are making progress or not.
Another essential thing is to take mixed practice tests that mimic the sections and the question distribution of the actual test. If you prepare for SAT exam this way then you will have a clear idea as to how you will fare on the actual day of the test.
Many students do the mistake of practicing only one type of question at a time, say Math, at a time. While this definitely helps in the preparation, it is not exactly effective in the overall exam prep strategy.
6. Put Emphasis on Grammar and Vocabulary
The Writing section has a lot of questions that test the Grammar skills of the test-taker. While it may seem a daunting task to perfect your Grammar, in reality, it is actually not so difficult. Make use of flashcards and other tools to improve your Grammar and gain confidence in this area.
Another aspect of the SAT exam is vocabulary. Having an extensive repertoire of words will make it easier for you to answer the questions in the Reading and Writing sections better and faster. Apart from reading a range of non-fiction articles, other effective ways of building up your vocabulary are through the use of a word dictionary and flashcards.
Good command over Grammar and a great vocabulary are more than enough for you to tackle the questions in the Reading and Writing sections successfully.
7. Use Preparation Time Judiciously
This last tip is crucial to prepare for the SAT exam effectively. You will have to manage and utilize your preparation time very judiciously. Failure to do so may result in a lack of retention of topics even after studying for prolonged periods.
First of all, refrain from cramming a lot of things in a short period. Assign enough time to various topics, especially the ones which you feel are your weak points. This will help you to remember the salient points for the final exam.
Secondly, learn to use your spare time prudently. Use commute time to read articles on your phone. Or when you get tired from studying about heavy topics or practicing Math, take a break and look at vocabulary flashcards for 10 minutes or so. Doing such small things will add up and help you greatly in your SAT preparation.
Are you ready for the exam day?
SAT is often one of the first big standardized exams in a student’s life. As a result, many people do not have a clear picture to start with their preparations. But this does not mean that the process of getting ready for this exam is hard. In fact, a little planning is all that you need to get you your desired results.
In order to prepare effectively for the SAT exam, you will need to be organized and approach the process with a clear plan. You can quite possibly achieve your desired scores, especially if you stick to the aforementioned tips.
After all, most exams can be aced with proper and dedicated efforts and the SAT is no different in that sense.
We hope the above tips on how to prepare for IELTS exams will be helpful for you.
Good luck with the exams!
