The SAT: we all know it, dread it, and take it anyway. With SAT season in full swing, many students are scrambling to study, getting lost among the myriad of videos, resources, and courses. As someone who’s done a few too many deep dives on these, I can attest that they all say the same, simple thing: buy my SAT review course.
While these resources may have an ulterior motive, the free tips, tricks and practice problems they provide can often be enough to get you to your desired score. The challenge? These resources lie scattered among countless platforms. Luckily, I’ve compiled the tips that I’ve found the most helpful.
Format of the test
If you haven’t taken the SAT before, it’s essential to be familiar with the format of the test. It’s similar to the PSAT, but with some slight differences. According to The Princeton Review, the test is made up of two sections: reading and writing is one, and math is the other. Each section is made up of two modules.
The first module contains a mix of question difficulties, while the second has two categories: easy or hard. How you score on the first module translates to how difficult or easy your second module is. In other words, if you score well on the first module, your second module will be harder.
Within the reading and writing section, there are 27 questions and 32 minutes per module. Approximately 13-17 questions per module will be reading, falling into the categories of vocabulary, purpose, dual texts, retrieval, main idea, claims and conclusions. The remaining 10-14 questions are writing, containing vocabulary, transitions and rhetorical analysis.
The math section contains fewer questions but more time, with 22 questions and 35 minutes. While the reading module has a mix of difficulties, the math module is arranged in ascending order of difficulty. The math module is divided into approximately 75 percent multiple-choice and 25 percent free-response questions.
Scoring overview
The scoring of the SAT is slightly more complex than some may realize. Each section is scored from 200-800, leading to a total score of 400-1600. There are two questions considered “pretest questions” that are not included in your score. These questions do not count for or against you.
While the difficulty of each SAT can vary per month, according to the College Board, the scores are scaled through a process called “equating,” essentially meaning that no matter the difficulty of the test or the time it was taken, equivalent test takers will get the same score.
Make the most of your break
Between the two modules, there is a break for 10 minutes. Often, test takers aren’t sure what to do during this time. The best thing you can do during this time is get moving–take a short walk outside, stretch, anything that helps to wake you up and get your brain ready to switch to math. This is also a great time to eat a snack or drink water.
Reading and writing tips
My biggest tip for the reading and writing sections seems too easy: actually read the question. Not reading the question is one of the biggest reasons for a low score. For every question, critically read the entire passage if applicable and, most importantly, read the whole question. If you assume what the question is asking without reading it, there’s a strong chance you’ll get it wrong.
With the reading and writing module, you can automatically eliminate any question with opinionated language or anything that is an assumption. This can be helpful in difficult questions when you’re not sure what the correct answer is. In addition, if any part of the answer is wrong, the entire answer is incorrect.
There’s one type of question that you should always get right–rhetorical synthesis questions. These are the questions asking you to summarize notes. Here’s the trick: most of the time, you don’t even have to read the notes. Simply read the question and choose the answer that actually relates to what the question is asking.
Without a doubt, the most significant score booster that takes the least amount of time is going through the Khan Academy grammar practice. We all think we know the grammar rules, but the reality is that the SAT grammar isn’t about knowing how to read or write English. It’s about understanding the specific rules that the SAT tests on. The short overviews and exercises on Khan Academy are well worth it.
Math tips
The math section is daunting to some, myself included. With a few more tools in your pocket, the math section should be a little less intimidating.
My number one tip is to learn how to use Desmos. If you’re not using Desmos for almost every problem in the first module, you’re not using it enough. This video gives an overview.
My other most crucial tip is already familiar. Critically read the problem. After every problem, ask yourself, “What is this asking me to do?” and find specifically where in the problem it says that. This process will reduce simple mistakes.
On a similar vein, write all of your work out if you’re not using Desmos. It can be too easy to skip steps accidentally, do mental math wrong, or miss something small that changes your answer completely. While it’s annoying, it’s worth it.
The other way to boost your score quickly is to memorize a few equations and how to use them. Even if these only show up once on the test, it’s worth it for the easy points. Here’s a Quizlet with a few common ones. Learning the difference between mean and median is a must as well.
For more in-depth practice, my SAT math holy grail is LearnSATMath on YouTube. If you’re looking to break 1500 or get an overview of the concepts, these videos are the way to go.
How to practice
The absolute best way to study for the SAT is simple: do practice questions. While it’s not ideal for last-minute study, the truth is that the SAT is not creative. They use the same question types in the same formats time and time again. The SAT educator question bank is an excellent resource for finding practice problems. You can filter by section, type of problem and difficulty level to target your weaknesses.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the large number of questions in the question bank–you don’t have to do all of them, by any means. They are simply an extra resource to have in your pocket. If you have some time before your next test, doing a few practice problems in your weak areas is a great way to study.
If you want to simulate the experience of the SAT, Bluebook has full-length practice tests available to take. These will give you a score up to 1600, just like the real test. While the practice test scores may not end up being the same as on test day, they can give a good idea of where you are and provide a detailed breakdown of the questions.
General SAT tips
One of the biggest challenges of the SAT is staying alert during the test. Most people use energy drinks or caffeinated beverages, such as tea or coffee. For a caffeine-free option, the mint gum and cold-water combo is a classic for combating mid-test fatigue.
While it’s the first thing everyone says when giving advice before tests, it is crucial to get a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast. The tradeoff between a couple more hours of studying and the ability to think critically isn’t worth it.
Test anxiety is another challenge that a lot of test takers face, including myself. If you find yourself getting anxious mid-test, one way to lower this anxiety is to practice box breathing. From healthline.com, the steps to box breathing start with exhaling slowly for four counts, holding for four counts, inhaling for four counts, holding for four counts, and repeating.
Last of all, believe in yourself. The years you’ve spent in school and the hours you’ve spent studying will pay off in your score. Whether you’re looking to break 1100 or 1500, these tips can help you reach your goal.