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you have to perform well on the sat exam in order to have your pick of colleges, but where do you start? we’ll share our ten best study tips to help you in preparing for the sat. best of all, some of the tips are easier than you might think!<\/p>\n
the sat is very heavy on reading<\/a>\u2014you\u2019ll have five long, dense passages one after another in an hour. it\u2019s not that the questions are difficult. indeed, they are pretty straightforward. but it\u2019s the reading part that is tough, because your brain will likely run out of energy sometime during the section (hopefully not during the first passage!).<\/p>\n to prevent this from happening, do lots of nonfiction reading when preparing for the sat. the reason is four of the five passages you\u2019ll see will be nonfiction. high school reading curriculum tends to lean mostly towards fiction. to counterbalance that\u2014and prepare for sat reading in general\u2014pick up a magazine (time<\/em> for the newbies, the new yorker<\/em> for the more ambitious) or a newspaper (the new york times<\/em> is excellent all around).<\/p>\n since your \u201creading brain\u201d won\u2019t sprout overnight, this is an area in which you\u2019ll want to get a jumpstart. so hit the books (er, online magazines) now.<\/p>\n one of the two math sections<\/a> on the sat will not allow you to use a calculator. however, you don\u2019t have to get stuck doing equations with only a no. 2 pencil.<\/p>\n prepare for sat math by using your brain as your “mental calculator.” you\u2019ll save a lot of time on test day if you know the answer to, say, 3 \u00d7 13 right off the bat. not sure where to start? magoosh’s free, downloadable math ebook<\/a> has shortcuts and example problems to make mental math easier.<\/p>\n almost half of the verbal section<\/a> is made up of grammar questions. while many have to do with \u201cbig picture\u201d essay questions, others rely on basic grammar. you might dread the thought of learning grammar, but it is one of the easiest topics to improve on when preparing for the sat.<\/p>\n there are lots of study materials out there. not all are created equal; in fact some will hurt your score by providing you with questions that aren\u2019t representative of the actual test. take a look at some of the best study resources below or check out this comprehensive review of the best sat prep courses<\/a>.<\/p>\n there are essentially three different parts to the sat test: math, reading, and writing and language. often when students prep they think, hey, i\u2019ll just do a bunch of math tonight.<\/em> studies have shown that it is much more beneficial to do study sessions in which you do, say, 35 minutes of math and 35 minutes of writing and language. this will mimic what you\u2019ll do on test day<\/a>,–switching from section to section.<\/p>\n our free, full-length sat practice test<\/a> is a great way to prepare for sat test day\u2014you’ll be comfortable with the format, as well as switching between sections after a certain time limit.<\/p>\n cramming is a bad idea. while you are doing it, it feels like you are retaining so much information. but within a week much of that information vanishes. (cramming is much like trying to build a skyscraper from a deck of cards.)<\/p>\n instead, you should make sure to prep at least a few times a week and review what you\u2019ve learned. you\u2019ll find it is easier for you to learn when you are re-exposed to information you recently attempted to learn.<\/p>\n and there is no need to do more than three hours total prep on a day; you\u2019ll start to get diminishing returns. you\u2019ll also want to take a break in between all that studying to let the information sink in. so break up studying throughout the week, and break it up throughout the day. this one-month sat study schedule<\/a> is a good way to structure your study time.<\/p>\n you\u2019ll naturally be good at some things on the sat, and it\u2019s good to maintain that edge by practicing those concepts from time to time. but it is better to figure out where you struggle. take a diagnostic test<\/a> to see which areas you need to work on when preparing for the sat.<\/p>\n many of us have certain parts of the day where we are just, well, sort of hanging out. maybe we\u2019re waiting for a friend, the bus, or an annoying commercial break to end. well, don\u2019t be a victim of waiting; use these easy ideas!<\/p>\n don\u2019t go at it alone. find a partner (or two!) and keep each other accountable when preparing for the sat. share strategies, resources, and sat study tips<\/a>. test each other, compete against each other, and, most importantly, commiserate with each other. the sat is a rite of passage, full of its ups and downs. it is best not to go at it alone.<\/p>\n don’t be fooled by the title of this video\u2014this is definitely not<\/em> about cramming! instead, use it to prepare for sat test day, including what to bring to the test center and how much sleep you should get beforehand.<\/p>\n2. learn how to do mental math<\/h3>\n
3. brush up on grammar<\/h3>\n
4. use the best sat prep materials<\/h3>\n
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5. try some mixed sample tests<\/h3>\n
6. don\u2019t cram!<\/h3>\n
7. figure out, and work on, your weaknesses<\/h3>\n
8. sneak in sat prep during \u201cdead time\u201d<\/h3>\n
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9. find an sat study partner<\/h3>\n
10. prepare for sat test day by reviewing this checklist<\/h3>\n