Education Resource

Eric Knight asked:


First, Start early. Cramming for the SAT will only result in a lower grade. How early? Well like most things it depends. Some students may study for a year while others can cover the material in a few months. But in general at least three months of hard, steady prep work is needed.

Start by setting up your strategy. Build a schedule to follow and stick to it. Make sure you schedule in time to rest. A few days off a week will help you stay focused. Over doing it could put you in danger of burn out.

Your Strategy:

Begin by reading and familiarizing the rules and instructions of the test. Know what will be the test conditions. Each part will have it’s own set of instructions. Learn these first so you do not need to read them again. You need all the time you have for answering problems. Also make sure you are aware of what is allowed such a when you can use a calculator. When you begin each section you want to know what to do and start straight in on problems without reading the instructions again. Also, make sure you know where the test will be, including directions that are clear on getting there. You will also need to find out what you need to bring such as what type of identification is acceptable. You can get the basic information at CollegeBoard.com.

Now that you are familiar with the exam itself, you can start to prepare. The first step should be to take an evaluation test. This will give you a good base line score so you can measure improvement. To do this take an entire sample test from start to finish. This has to be the exact conditions you will be afforded in the real exam. There fore you will need a sample test. You can find a sample exam online on sites such as CollegeBoard.com or try your local bookstore. Your high school may also have a sample test. Make sure you don’t take breaks that you will not have with the actual test. Find a quiet are with a computer. Don’t use any resources you won’t have in the real situation. If you are not allowed a calculator in certain math sections the don’t use one.

Immediately grade the evaluation test and determine your base score overall and in each section. You will probably, if you are like most people, have sections that you do better in than others. Then look into each section especially the ones you did poorly to determine what areas in each section gave you trouble. In other words, in the math section was it the word problems or maybe fractions.

Now you know what areas you will need to focus. Gather your resources. Get books on the SAT that provide specific problems solving strategy. Use online forums as well as other online resources.

Now start with the sections you are having the most trouble and take more practice tests. Use the same constraints but only take the section not the whole test. This will help you focus on the area of need. Now immediately grade the section and review it. Get an understanding of where you went wrong and correctly solve each problem. Look for similar problems you missed in your test bank or example problems in your prep book or prep software. Then the next day take another test with the same section, grade and review. Keep this up until you improve and then go on to your next section. Follow these steps until you achieve a level of mastery you desire for the entire test.

If you find you are not improving in a section you need to look at the basic skills needed. You may need more algebra before you can even start to apply the problem solving strategies. That’s why it is so important to start early.

If you have the time, take another full test and review your total scores . Look for areas you need help and repeat. But if you don’t have the time just take the full test and grade it so you can measure your progress.

Following this strategy will help most people achieve the scores they need with the basic and inexpensive resources available online, in bookstores or in you library without using an expensive course or private tutor.

Frank