The SAT is a challenging test requiring significant preparation. To succeed on the SAT, students must develop a study plan tailored to their strengths and weaknesses. This article will provide study tips for students preparing for the SAT.
1. Start With a Diagnostic Test
Starting with a diagnostic SAT is important for a couple of reasons. First, it will introduce you to the format of the test. Second, it will give you your baseline score, so you know how much you need to improve to reach your target. Third, a good diagnostic test will inform you about which topics you need the most help with.
2. Review Your Strengths and Weaknesses From Your Diagnostic Test
i. If you get 2+ questions wrong in more than 8 topics, study for the entire test
In this scenario, you could benefit from taking an SAT prep class because the entirety of the test will be covered. Also, a class is typically more cost effective than tutoring.
ii. If there are less than 8 topics with wrong questions, focus on those
You would benefit from 1-on-1 tutoring in this case because you can focus specifically on the topics that will impact your test score the most, without spending time on topics you are already strong in. A book or an on-demand course is also helpful because you can skip to the chapters or lessons for the topics you want to work on.
iii. If you are very limited on time, focus on the few topics with the most wrong questions
Here tutoring, books, or an on-demand course would be very helpful to cover the most important topics. However, if you have a month until the test, a 4-week SAT prep class can be a great option because it provides structure and a lot of practice in a short time.
3. Get Help
Help can come from many sources, including online resources, classes, tutors and books, but it is important to get help. You need to know what to focus your attention on.
4. Create a Schedule for Studying
Make sure that your practice and help fits into your schedule. A detailed schedule can create a routine and accountability. If you proactively set aside time to study with a plan, then you’re more likely to actually study.
5. Take Another Test
Peter Drucker famously said, “What gets measured gets improved.” Keep measuring your progress as you study.
6. Reassess Your Strategy Based on Your Latest Assessment
Check if your strengths and weaknesses changed. You may find that you need to change your focus because you have mastered a topic that you used to be weak in.
7. Continue Studying
8. Take Many Practice Tests
Take practice tests over and over. After learning lessons, you can focus on completing full modules for practice. It could be good to take full tests more often as you approach the test-date, so you develop timing and stamina for the test.
Preparing for the SAT by Taking Practice Tests
A decent and common way to prepare for the SAT is to consistently take practice tests. This works if you review each question you get wrong and figure out what you did wrong. Books full of practice tests could be a big help if they have explanations for each question. However, some students struggle to understand the explanations in most test prep books. Even if you plan to prepare for the SAT by consistently taking practice tests, you could still benefit from working with a tutor.
How to Prepare for a Specific Section of the SAT
If want to improve your Reading & Writing or Math score, you can focus on each section individually. For both, it’s advised to start with a practice test.
How to Prepare for SAT English
If you want to focus on the Reading & Writing section of the Digital SAT, start by taking a practice test. If you already have a high SAT score on math, you can choose to skip the math section. However, if you have not take an SAT yet, you should take the full test to be sure you don’t have to focus on math. After getting your results, review your assessment to identify which area has the most room for improvement. It is important to note that the topic with most room for improvement is not necessarily the same as the topic you did worst in. It’s the topic that will result in the most additional correct answers if you got them all right. The next step in how to prepare for the SAT English is get get help preparing. Options include a class, tutor, or highly rated books.
How to Prepare for SAT Math
Just like preparing for the SAT in general. The first thing to do is start with a diagnostic SAT. After taking the practice test, you should review how you did on each specific topic. A tutor or a prep class can be helpful in learning material you aren’t familiar with. You can even learn strategies to answer questions quicker, even if you can already answer the questions correctly. The third step in how to prepare for the SAT math is to get help, so working with a tutor or getting a book is recommended.
Common Mistakes in Preparing for the Digital SAT
Common mistakes in preparing for the Digital SAT include not giving yourself enough time to prepare, not studying often enough, and using outdated material.
Not Giving Yourself Enough Time to Prepare
Students sabotage their SAT prep by starting too late or by preparing during a time of year when their schedules are too busy to allow for SAT prep. Students should plan their SAT at a time when they don’t have too many obligations that will interfere with their SAT studying time. For example, juniors who are taking AP exams will likely have busy schedules leading up the May AP exams and be too busy to prepare for an SAT in May.
As a general tip, to improve 130-250 points on the SAT, students need approximately 80 hours of effective tutoring.
Not Studying Often Enough
Students should study multiple times per week. If a student only studies once per week, there will be too big of a gap between study sessions in order for the lessons and strategies to be retained. For tutoring, we recommend students attend sessions at least twice per week. Having SAT tutoring sessions twice per week will result in students studying four times per week because they’ll have homework to complete between sessions.
Using Outdated Material
Using outdated material will result in wasted SAT studying. The SAT has gone through some significant revisions. Most recently, the Digital SAT revision included significant changes to the previous 2016 SAT. Passages are now shorter. There is only one question per passage on the Reading and Writing section. Some math topics were removed, and the use of a calculator is now allowed on all math modules.
Worst Ways to Prepare for the SAT
1. Do Nothing
2. Play Videogames
3. Scroll on Social Media
Most people will be surprised at how much time is wasted on social media. If you have an iPhone, it’s worth checking how many hours are spent daily on social media. Hopefully, when you see the number of hours, it will be a wake-up call.
4. Hope Your Score Will Improve
This is pretty similar to doing nothing.
5. Actually Take Practice Tests, But Don't Learn From Your Mistakes
It is such a waste of effort to take practice tests but not review the questions you got wrong and learn how to correctly answer the questions. Doing this doesn’t lead to a y improvement. You just keep checking your current level. Your score might fluctuate depending on the number of questions for different topics on each test. For example, one test might have one math question from a topic you’re very good at and the next test might have three, so your score will be higher. However, you’re not improving.