Preparation for the SAT
The purpose of the SAT is to predict how well you will do in college:
yet, many people believe it doesn't do a real good job. Rather,
it tests your familiarity with specific pieces of information
you (should have) learned in high school as well as your test
taking skills.
The SAT does not test your intelligence. A high SAT score
doesn't make you a brain: a low score doesn't make you a bonehead.
The SAT does test how well you have prepared. Just as some
people are natural athletes, some are natural test takers - they
somehow learn along the way how to get top scores. But even for
natural test takers, practice and preparation can help you perform
at a level consistent with your true abilities.
Preparation for the SAT can make a big difference in your
scores - and where you go to college.
Strategies for the SAT
Reading good books, paying attention in your math classes, and
taking challenging courses can improve your SAT scores. When you
get closer to actually taking your SATs, the following four strategies
can make a big difference in your scores:
Almost ½ of the questions on the SAT test your vocabulary
(how well you understand the meaning of words) in some form. Correspondingly,
there is no quicker way to improve your SAT scores than to improve
your vocabulary. But it is very important that you increase
your SAT vocabulary - difficult words that appear most frequently
on the SAT. Click on VocabMaster! to learn more about a quick
and effective approach to SAT vocabulary building.
Refreshing Your Math Skills
The other half of the SAT tests your math skills, ranging from
Arithmetic through Geometry and Algebra II. Although it is unlikely
that in the months, weeks, or days(!) before you take your SATs
you will substantially expand your knowledge of math, you can
make sure that you remember what you have already learned and
build on the math skills you already have.
The key is to focus you efforts. You have only so much
time and there is a lot of math. Use our FREE SAT Diagnostic Test
to determine where you need help. Use our SAT Preparation Software
to refresh and improve your math skills.
Learning and Using SAT Test Taking Strategies
Test taking strategies help you transform what you already know
into higher SAT scores. Test strategies teach you critical
thinking skills so you can analyze a problem and determine
the right answer. Test strategies enable you to think about and
solve a question so that you get a solution much faster without
taking unnecessary time. Test strategies help you make intelligent
guesses and guide you on when not to guess. Use our FREE SAT Strategies
Software to learn the SAT test taking strategies needed to maximize
your score.
Practicing on Real SATs
Your final step is to practice what you have learned, and nothing
is better than practicing on real SATs. Although preparation
books or software you buy may have approximations, you will learn
the most by working with the real thing. You can get a copy of
a real, full SAT from your High School Counselor's office or order
10 Real SATs directly from the College Board (the
people who make the SAT).
For more information, go to Improving Your Score.
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