How to Study for the SAT

How to study for the SAT

One of the dreaded times in high school is the times spend preparing for the SAT’s. Here, I share some tips on doing well on the SAT’s.

1) Purchase a SAT prep book! There are many different prep books out there but I do recommend The Official SAT by College Board. However, I highly recommend preparing with a variety of books, at least two different books from different publishers.

2) Start studying early! Do not wait till the last few days to open your SAT prep books to study. Start at least 8 months early so that you are not cramming. It is proven that memory retention is much lower when you are cramming the night before for a test. The vocabulary portion of the SAT probably consists of many words that are not used in daily conversations and thus you need to learn and understand those words which definitely take time.

3) Learn everything about the way the test is. Look at how many sections there will be on the test and how much time is given to finish a certain section. Understand the way you gain or lose points on the test.

4) Target your weak points! Soon enough you will find out that you are strong in certain sections while weak in other sections. For example, I was extremely weak in vocabulary while strong in math. Focus on your weak points! PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE! Do not waste time doing the sections that you are already good at.

5) Time yourselves! If you have not figured it out already, time is your biggest enemy during the exam. The main thing you can do it take as many practice exams while timing yourselves. This will give you a feel about how fast you should go on test day. On test day make sure to wear a watch so that you can keep up with the time. For the reading potions of the test, read the questions first and then go into the article and skim/ read it fast. For the math sections, memorize your multiplication table so well that you can recite it forward and backwards. This will save you a lot of precious time!

6) Practice as much as you can. I know high school can be a little busy but set aside some time every day to prepare for the SAT.

7) For the vocabulary portion. Obtain a list of SAT words and practice with them. Some people are really good with vocabulary because they read extensively but if your SAT vocabulary is not good, remember that practice makes perfect! From the list of words, take just 5 words daily and memorize them and their meanings. Then, make up a short story using those words. This will help you understand and memorize those words. And the next day, before you pick your next set of words to memorize, go over the words from the previous days.

Some people naturally will do better on the ACT than the SAT. Every University I know take the ACT, so if you are one of those people, it better than you take the ACT instead.

Go0d Luck on your SAT! I hope you do awesome. Remember practice makes perfect!