How to Succeed on the Sat
Sunday, May 31st, 2009John asked:
When it comes down to getting accepted into college, nothing matters as much as the SAT. Grades and GPA vary from school to school, as do extracurricular activities. The SAT, however, is standardized, and is universally used to sift who will be accepted from those who will be rejected.
Studying for the SAT is a long-term process that should begin in a student’s sophomore year when they take the PSAT. Not only does this make them automatically eligible for National Merit Scholar, but it gives a valuable score report showing strengths, weaknesses, and projected scores. From here, decide what you need to work on.
For a few months, work just on vocabulary. It will help on both the critical reading sections and the Essay in the writing section. For those good at math, vocabulary will be the difference between a 2000 and a 2200.
Keep taking practice tests as you get closer to your SAT test date. The SAT, remember, is standardized, so you will see the same questions on the real thing. This makes taking practice tests well worth your time. You can buy a book, or find some free online (I recommend http://satests.brinkster.net). This website reviews free SAT study material available online and ranks the best web sites by their ease of use, quality of test, and helpfulness as an education resource. There are 14 full SAT Tests reviewed, along with 1,300 Critical Reading questions, 940 Writing questions, and 1,610 Math questions.
With each practice test, you’ll find yourself becoming more and more familiar with the questions, and you’ll find it easier to concentrate for 4 hours at a time. Be sure to review the questions you miss. If you need help in a particular category, take quizzes only on that topic. One common area for improvement is reading comprehension and passage analysis. You can find these tests all over the internet, like at English AP websites. Don’t forget your teachers too! Many school teachers keep extra resources they would be glad to help you with. And seeing your determination may help later when you have an 89.9% and they’re choosing between giving you an A or a B in the class.
Practice tests may be long and boring, but if they’re free and get you into the college of your choice, they are completely worth it.
Alexander
When it comes down to getting accepted into college, nothing matters as much as the SAT. Grades and GPA vary from school to school, as do extracurricular activities. The SAT, however, is standardized, and is universally used to sift who will be accepted from those who will be rejected.
Studying for the SAT is a long-term process that should begin in a student’s sophomore year when they take the PSAT. Not only does this make them automatically eligible for National Merit Scholar, but it gives a valuable score report showing strengths, weaknesses, and projected scores. From here, decide what you need to work on.
For a few months, work just on vocabulary. It will help on both the critical reading sections and the Essay in the writing section. For those good at math, vocabulary will be the difference between a 2000 and a 2200.
Keep taking practice tests as you get closer to your SAT test date. The SAT, remember, is standardized, so you will see the same questions on the real thing. This makes taking practice tests well worth your time. You can buy a book, or find some free online (I recommend http://satests.brinkster.net). This website reviews free SAT study material available online and ranks the best web sites by their ease of use, quality of test, and helpfulness as an education resource. There are 14 full SAT Tests reviewed, along with 1,300 Critical Reading questions, 940 Writing questions, and 1,610 Math questions.
With each practice test, you’ll find yourself becoming more and more familiar with the questions, and you’ll find it easier to concentrate for 4 hours at a time. Be sure to review the questions you miss. If you need help in a particular category, take quizzes only on that topic. One common area for improvement is reading comprehension and passage analysis. You can find these tests all over the internet, like at English AP websites. Don’t forget your teachers too! Many school teachers keep extra resources they would be glad to help you with. And seeing your determination may help later when you have an 89.9% and they’re choosing between giving you an A or a B in the class.
Practice tests may be long and boring, but if they’re free and get you into the college of your choice, they are completely worth it.
Alexander
