The Best Ways to Prep for Sat
Introduction: SAT
The SAT, originally an acronym for “Scholastic Aptitude Test,” is a standardized test used in the United States for college admissions. It measures students’ reading, writing, and mathematics knowledge and skills. Typically, high school juniors and seniors planning to attend college take this test. As a result, more students are seeking the best ways to prep for the SAT to ensure they achieve a high score.
The SAT is administered and offered several times by the College Board throughout the year. It consists of multiple-choice questions in reading, writing, and language, math, and an optional essay section. The total score for the test ranges from 400 to 1600, with separate scores for each section ranging from 200 to 800. The essay section is scored separately on a scale of 2 to 8.
Many colleges and universities require or recommend that applicants submit SAT scores as part of the admissions process. However, some schools have recently adopted test-optional policies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The SAT is just one of several factors colleges consider when making admissions decisions.
Why take the SAT?
So then, why should you take the SAT? It provides colleges with a single point of data that can be used to compare the qualifications of each applicant.
The scores you received on standardized tests will be considered by college admissions officers, along with your high school grade point average, the subjects you studied in high school, letters of recommendation from previous instructors or mentors, extracurricular activities, admissions interviews, and personal essays.
Each institution’s weight on SAT scores concerning applying to colleges and universities varies. The following is a list of some of the more common advantages of taking the SAT. This is helpful as you are learning the best ways to prep for SAT:
- It opens doors. Most schools offering a bachelor’s degree require prospective students to provide their test scores as part of the application process. The SAT is recognized by virtually every college and university in the United States.
- It helps direct the choices you make. Many educational institutions make the average SAT score of their accepted students public. This allows you to evaluate your performance about that of current students at the educational institutions that you are thinking about attending. In addition, it enables you to investigate other schools with distributions of test scores comparable to yours. However, it is important to remember that an average test score is average. Do not be afraid to apply to a college that you believe would be a good fit for you, regardless of whether your average score is higher or lower than yours.
- It improves your chances of winning scholarships. Students’ chances of receiving financial aid from colleges and other educational organizations can be improved by improving their scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
- It makes it easier for colleges to find you by participating in the Student Search Service® program. You can receive free information from various colleges and scholarship programs when you register for the SAT. This can assist you in finding someone who is a suitable match for you.
- It emphasizes the skills that are necessary for college. The skills and knowledge necessary to succeed academically in college are the focus of the SAT as part of the best ways to prep for SAT. You are not only improving your chances of doing well on the SAT but also honing essential skills that are essential to education.
Tips to prepare for SAT
1. Read much nonfiction on your own time, outside of class.
The SAT places a significant emphasis on reading, and during the reading portion of the exam, you will move quickly through five lengthy and difficult passages. It’s not even that the questions are particularly challenging. They are not particularly complicated.
The reading, on the other hand, is the challenging part because it is likely that your brain will run out of energy at some point during the section.
When preparing for the SAT exam, reading a lot of nonfiction is important to avoid this problem. This is because you will read four nonfiction and one fiction passage during the test. Most reading assignments students complete in high school are typically fiction.
To counteract this and better prepare for reading on the SAT in general, try picking up a magazine or newspaper.
Because your “reading brain” won’t develop overnight, you’ll need to get a head start in this area to succeed. Therefore, it is time to hit the books, er, online magazines.
2. Review proper grammar usage.
Questions relating to grammar make up almost half of the Verbal section’s total questions. While most of them concern “big picture” essay questions, others focus on fundamental aspects of grammar. Although the thought of studying grammar may fill you with dread, it is actually one of the subjects that are among the easiest to improve upon when getting ready for the SAT.
3. Conduct some tests using a variety of samples.
Math, reading comprehension, writing, and language are the three primary subtests that make up the SAT. When students are preparing for an exam, they frequently think to themselves, “Hey, I’ll just do a bunch of math tonight.” According to several studies, it is significantly more beneficial to engage in study sessions in which one spends, for example, 35 minutes focusing on mathematics and 35 minutes concentrating on writing and language.
This is important if you are learning about the best ways to prep for SAT. Since, this will prepare you for what you’ll experience on test day, which is moving from one section to the next. You will feel comfortable with the format and switching between sections after a certain time limit if you take our free, full-length SAT practice test before taking the actual SAT.
4. Do not try to cram!
It is not a good idea to cram. It seems you are storing a great deal of information while doing it, which is very satisfying, but a significant portion of that data is lost within a week.
Instead, it would be best if you made it a point to prepare at least a few times a week and review what you’ve learned to refresh your memory. When you are re-exposed to information that you have recently attempted to learn, you will find it much simpler to learn the material.
You won’t see much of an improvement in the quality of your work if you put in more than three hours of total preparation time in a single day. It would be best if you also took a break in the middle of all that studying so that you can give the information a chance to sink in.
Therefore, break up your studying over the week and throughout the day. This one-month SAT study schedule is a helpful way to structure your time spent studying for the test.
5. Recognize your areas of improvement and get to work on them.
As you learn the best ways to prep for SAT, you will find that you have a natural aptitude for certain aspects of the SAT. Therefore, it is important to keep that advantage alive by periodically reviewing the relevant ideas. It is important to identify the areas in which you have the most difficulty. Take a diagnostic test to see which areas you need to work on when preparing for the SAT.
6. Use “dead time” to sneak in some SAT prep.
Many of us have specific times throughout the day when we are essentially just lounging around. Perhaps we are awaiting the arrival of a friend, the bus, or the conclusion of an obnoxious commercial break. So, don’t let yourself become a victim of waiting; use these simple ideas to sneak into studying.
- Use the flashcard app on your phone to review various vocabularies.
- Spend time reading a chapter or two from our free SAT study guide.
- Practice doing math in your head.
- Find out some of the best advice from students who aced the SAT.
7. Find a friend to study with for the SAT.
Try not to face it on your own. One of the best ways to prep for SAT is to have a study buddy and agree to hold each other accountable while you’re getting ready for the SAT. Discuss test-taking techniques, available resources, and helpful hints. Put each other to the test, compete against one another, and, most importantly, empathize when things go wrong. The SAT is a path that can include successful and unsuccessful attempts. It is in your best interest not to go at it by yourself.
Now that you have learned the best ways to prep for SAT, you should also learn how to enter college. Some students struggle to enter college. As such, you must get all the help you can get. AdmissionSight is known to be a leader in college admissions, with over 10 years of experience getting students into the best universities in the world. Set up an initial appointment today with AdmissionSight and get the best help with college admission.
