Sat Action Plan How To Study And Prepare For The Sat College Entrance Exam
Right here on Collegelearners, you are privy to a litany of relevant information on best sat math resources, international sat practice test, the complete guide to sat math, and so much more. Take out time to visit our catalog for more information on similar topics.
Sat Action Plan How To Study And Prepare For The Sat College Entrance Exam
SAT Action Plan: How to Study and Prepare for the SAT College Entrance Exam
Step 1: Take a practice test to determine your baseline score. You can find 8 free, official practice SATs, along with answer explanations, on the College Board / Khan Academy websites (make sure to print them out before you take them). Or, simply buy the paper book instead. The entire test — Reading, Writing and Language, Math No Calculator, Math With Calculator, and Essay (optional, but required by many colleges)–takes around 4 hours and should be taken all at once, if possible, or split into a maximum of two parts.
Already ran out of the first 8 tests? You can find PDFs of 44 official SATs and PSATs here.
Step 2: Set a score goal. My students’ score improvements on the new SAT (400-1600 scale) are about 150-200 points.
Step 3: Start working on the content of the test. If you are looking for an online SAT self-study program that tracks your strengths and weaknesses in each area of learning, then I can recommend Khan Academy, which is a free service that has partnered with the College Board to provide online SAT drills and practice. Fair warning: the individual practice questions on Khan Academy are not official College Board SAT questions, but they are similar.
For additional help, consider a private tutor like me who can point you in the right direction.
In addition, keep reading challenging material, such as the Top 100 Fiction and Top 100 Non-Fiction titles on Amazon. Also check out literary websites such as The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Economist, and even Grantland for the sports fans.
Step 4: (only recommended for lower-scoring students): take an SAT classroom course. These types of classes can be helpful for low scorers who need all the time, practice and repetition they can get. However, don’t overpay for an “elite” class or a score “guarantee”: these types of classes are all very similar, focusing mostly on test content and basic strategies for the average student. Instead, save your money for a qualified private tutor later on in the process. In addition, the so-called guarantees are usually full of fine print, so it’s quite difficult to actually get your money back, even if you feel that you should qualify.
Step 5: If you haven’t done so already, buy 2 copies of the Official SAT Study Guide (I recommend keeping a second, blank copy for the purpose of reviewing questions without bias), and buy a good graphing calculator if you don’t have one already.
Or, even easier (and possibly cheaper): just go to the College Board website, download those same 10 PDFs for free, and simply print them out at home. The drawbacks to this method are that the pages will be harder to organize, and that you will incur printing and paper costs. Step 6: Once you begin studying, consider scheduling some time with me or another private tutor. You may meet with me for anywhere from 30 minutes to 100 hours, but most students need at least 15-25 hours for a full preparation. I recommend scheduling a 15-minute phone consultation with before the first lesson, to discuss timelines, scheduling, and the unique needs of the student(s). Working with a private tutor is the very best way to maximize your score, for a variety of reasons: 1) You are given personalized attention, lessons tailored to fit your schedule, and the opportunity to discuss each question in-depth until you are fully satisfied. 2) Private tutors are usually the best instructors. 3) A skilled private tutor will serve as a friend and confidant, hold you accountable, give you specific assignments and work on any problem areas so that all you have to do is put in the effort. Simply talking about the questions with your tutor helps aid your understanding of each question and your test-taking strategies.
Homework:
As a general rule, students should spend at least one hour on homework for every hour they spend with their tutor. The usual homework assignment is 3-4 sections from the book (approximately 1.5 hours), working from the front to the back. Students should time themselves, and mark the question where they run out of time, but continue working past the time limit if necessary.
Full practice tests should also be taken periodically, at the discretion of the tutor.
The goal is to eventually complete all 8 tests in the book, and possibly more.
HOW TO GRADE TESTS AND HOMEWORK:
Either don’t grade your homework and just let your tutor grade it for you, or grade it yourself (the answers are in the back), but please do not indicate the correct answers anywhere on the test.
Remember, when you take the SAT, you do not know the answer to the questions in advance. As tutors, we must preserve this unsure feeling on behalf of our students, or much of the value of the question is lost.
In the same vein, when a question is tried again, it is best not to know the correct answer, or one’s previous answer. This is where the second, blank copy of the book comes in.
Step 7: If you haven’t done so already, then register for the SAT.
The SAT is administered 7 times a year, on varying days: October, November, December, January, March, May, and June.
Three times a year, the SAT offers what’s called the Question and Answer service (QAS), which allows you to view the actual test questions as well your answers (you will be mailed a physical copy of the test booklet about 5-6 weeks after the test). Sign up for the QAS service in advance if you can–it costs extra but it’s worth it. Currently it’s offered in October, January and May. These are the best three months to take the test, because otherwise there will no way to review incorrectly answered questions with your tutor afterward.
Step 8: Take at least 2-3 full practice tests in the weeks leading up to the real thing to make sure your score is where you need it to be.
Step 9: On the morning of the test, read my SAT test-day tips for a final time.
Step 10: Repeat if necessary. Most students score highest the second or third time they take the SAT. best sat math resources
best sat math resources
10 FREE SAT PREP RESOURCES GET EXTRA PRACTICE WITH THESE FREE ONLINE RESOURCES!
All product and company names are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. EnACT Your Future, Inc. is not affiliated with, endorsed by, nor responsible for the content of these sites.
1. CollegeBoard.org CollegeBoard offers a Question of the day, Sample Questions, Tutorials and Practice Tests for fthe SAT. This doesn’t require any login or additional information. In addition to having ways to practice the SAT, CollegeBoard also offers dozens of test taking strategies.
2. Khan Academy Khan Academy has full-length SAT practice tests available and offer free, personalized practice based on your diagnostic test results! You can also find booklets, videos, etc. on their website. No login required.
3. Test Prep Review Test Prep Review offers practice for many different standardized tests. This site allows you to quiz yourself on SAT sections, as well as pick and choose which types of problems you would like to hone your skills on.
4. The Princeton Review The Princeton Review offers both in-person and online practice SAT exams for free. After the test, you receive a detailed performance report with personalized tips on how to improve your score.
5. McGraw-Hill While McGraw-Hill doesn’t have tests for the SAT specifically, it offers five complete PSAT online practice tests with explanations for every question. You’ll also find problem-solving videos and other PSAT prep materials like tips, strategies, and how-to’s. The best part? There’s no sign-up or sign-in. The PSAT is very similar to the SAT, so don’t hesitate to check this website out!
6. Kaplan Check out Kaplan’s free SAT Turbo Test, which is Kaplan’s shortened version of the SAT to help you see what your score would be if you took the real SAT today. Kaplan also offers a Question of the Day with detailed explanations for each answer!
7. TestPrepPractice.net Test Prep Practice helps students use and find the right SAT prep resources. They have compiled a list of their Top 9 SAT Prep books, 18 downloadable SAT documents, and more. Best of all, there is no registration required.
8. Varsity Tutors Varsity Tutors is a test prep website that offers SAT practice like flash cards, subject test and a Question of the Day. They also give users a unique feature: creating tests for yourself and other users. Varsity Tutors does require an account.
9. SparkNotes SAT Prep Currently, SparkNotes is undergoing changes for the new SAT, but they still allow you to practice your SAT skills with a variety of subject tests.
10. Powerscore.com PowerScore has a variety of different SAT materials. These practice tests include one prep booklet, two official SAT Practice Tests, and other official practice questions. This website doesn’t require any type of registration.
