Get Prepared for the SAT

Get a Great SAT Score

Take the stress out of the process by developing a plan. Here is a simple strategy for getting the highest score you possibly can on the SAT.

1. Know What to Expect on the Test

   1. Know What to Expect on the Test

   The SAT is a standardized test which is required for college admission by many colleges and universities in the United States. The College Board designs and administers the SAT to test "critical thinking and problem-solving skills" in Mathematics, Critical Reading, and Writing. In other words, the SAT primarily tests reasoning skills, not knowledge in any particular subject area. However, a certain amount of knowledge in these subjects is necessary in order to excel on the exam.

   The SAT includes three sections, each of which can earn a maximum score of 800 and a minimum score of 200. For the test-taker's final score, the College Board adds the three scores together. On average, students answer 50 to 60 percent of questions correctly. The test is 3 hours and 45 minutes long, broken into ten separately-timed sections. Nine sections count (Mathematics, Reading, and Writing each get three sections); the tenth section is an "experimental section" that does not count in the student's final score.

   In the United States, the SAT is offered seven times a year; the exam can also be taken at test centers overseas, for students there who wish to apply to American colleges.

   Adapted from an article posted by Jonathan Moss
   on the Grockit SAT Forums

2. Master the Skills Covered on the 3 sections of the SAT (Math, Reading, and Writing)

   2. Master the Skills

   The first section is always the Essay, so be prepared to write for twenty-five minutes straight. The order of the rest of the test is never predictable, but you will see:

   • Two more writing sections (one 25 minutes and the other 10 minutes)
   • Three math sections (two are 25 minutes and one is 20 minutes)
   • Three critical reading sections (two are 25 minutes and one is 20 minutes)
   • A 25 minute experimental section which could include writing, math, or reading, but ultimately does not count for your final score.

   Remember, you cannot skip around between sections. If you finish early, check your answers, do not move onto a new section, and when you feel confident with your answers and you still have time, check them once again.

   The Essay is a response to a general prompt that does not require specific prior knowledge, and is graded by two separate readers on a scale of 1 to 6, for a total score of 2 to 12.

   The Mathematics sections of the SAT are composed of both multiple-choice questions and "student-produced responses" (or "grid-ins"). The questions require knowledge of basic Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and a small amount of Algebra II. Most questions use these basic math subjects in order to test critical thinking and reasoning skills.

   The Reading sections contain multiple-choice sentence completions and reading passages. The sentence completions ask the student to fill in one or two blank words in a sentence, requiring a combination of reasoning and vocabulary knowledge. There are single-paragraph as well as longer reading passages, matched with questions on the content, meaning, and style of the passage and its parts. Often two passages are paired together for the purpose of comparison and contrast.

   The Writing sections consist of multiple-choice questions on English grammar and contain three types of questions: Improving Sentences, Identifying Sentence Errors, and Improving Paragraphs. Improving Sentences questions will offer a sentence that may contain a grammatical error and ask the student to choose an answer choice that is a grammatical improvement over the original. Identifying Sentence Errors questions have four underlined words or phrases in a single sentence, and ask the student to identify which, if any, contain a grammatical error. Improving Paragraphs sections offer a longer paragraph that is poorly written, and ask a series of questions similar to Improving Sentences, as well as some broader questions on the content and style of the paragraph as a whole.

   Adapted from an article posted by Jonathan Moss
   on the Grockit SAT Forums

3. Develop an SAT Study Plan

   3. Develop an SAT Study Plan

   Tips for Acing the SAT, from start to finish:

   1. When you begin studying, take some kind of diagnostic to help you asses where your weaker areas are. This way you can focus your studying where you need it most. Don't worry about time constraints when you are first starting to learn the material. Spend this time focusing on getting the questions right-once you feel comfortable with the material you can focus on timing. Grockit is a great way to help you focus your studying in the areas you need it the most.
   2. Take periodic practice exams. If you have more than 2 months to test day, take a practice test once every two to three weeks. The best way is to make your practice tests as real as the actual SAT as possible. Schedule your exams so you can take them in one sitting, ideally on a Saturday morning. Don't skip any sections. If you need feedback on an essay, send it to a Grockit tutor to look over for you. When you have less than a month left, start taking full length practice tests once a week.
   3. Review the answers to all of your questions. It's really important to review the problems you missed, but just as important to review the problems you weren't sure about, and the ones you guessed on. You want to be able to understand the problems entirely on test day, and it doesn't help you improve if you get the right answer for the wrong reasons.
   4. Build a bank of topics you can use for the essay. Look back on practice essay topics you've had and really think about what examples could fit them. You can draw from your own experiences, books you've read, or historical events. Essay topics tend towards some discussion of conflict between societal expectations and an individual. Many students end up using examples like Martin Luther King Jr, The Great Gatsby, or The Scarlet Letter. Your essays aren't graded on accuracy, so try to focus more on how and why things happened. You don't have to go into the essay thinking up examples from scratch.
   5. If you have less than a month until your test day, split your practice time between mastering the subject matter and doing timed questions and sections.
   6. One week before the test take at least one, but no more than two, full length practice exams. In the days leading up to the test, try to taper off your studying by doing one or two timed sections a night, with some time spent on working on sections and questions you still need help with. See "How to Study the Week Before the SAT" for tips and strategies.
   7. Relax as much as you can, and good luck!

   
   Information written by Grockit instructor, Qiana Montazeri

College and Scholarship Applications

It's time to apply to colleges and universities. Now what? Read this three part series by Vivian Kerr.

• Part 1: Selecting Colleges & Universities
• Part 2: Managing the Application Process
• Part 3: Applying for Scholarships

SAT Resources

There are several official sites and active communities with great resources.

• The College Board
• SAT (on Wikipedia)
• Grockit College Prep Blog