with schools recently switching from in-class to remote meetings, standardized test prep became increasingly unavailable. the cancellations from numerous testing centers over the past two years has made colleges re-evaluate their approach to including test scores, and as a result, most schools decided to go test optional. however, the test optional policy has resulted in an increase in applications, reducing the acceptance rates of many universities. additionally, despite a university adopting a test optional policy, data from most schools have revealed that the majority of accepted and enrolled students happen to include their test scores, and as you can imagine, the more competitive the school, the higher the score range.
you know what that means… the sat is here to stay! but don’t fret, preparing for the sat can be very affordable. an important factor in college admissions decisions, schools continue to consider the exam not only because it helps them determine academic readiness, but because there are so many low cost and even free options available.
free sat resources from test prep companies
as a matter of fact, free resources for sat prep are in abundance, and some of the best places to look are shared in the list below.
1. college board
the college board administers the sat, among other exams, and makes it easy to prepare for the 3+ hour exam. many of the best sat sources can be found on their website, including various practice exams. the reason why college board should be considered an important source is because they’re literally the source of the exam! all of the practice tests are official, and you can’t get closer to preparing for the actual exam than taking one published by the team. check out their free sat practice exams, with sections split up as you would expect on an official exam.
just make sure that, when you take the free practice exam, you replicate actual exam conditions, with the time limit, a quiet environment without any distractions, and of course, only using a calculator when permitted. besides access to free practice exams and other practice materials, college board can set you up with a 16-week study plan, helping you balance out the abundance of other responsibilities you have during your busy high school academic calendar.
college board may also prove to be a helpful, free resource by aiding you in your college search and accessing free materials for other exams besides the sat, so it’s worth creating an account on the platform.
2. khan academy
khan academy rose to prominence with their video library that broke down the steps to understand virtually any subject, from the humanities to the natural sciences. nowadays, khan academy is also one of the best free sat prep resources available. this goes beyond their sat practice resources, which cover every category, including the lengthy reading comprehension section.
one of the benefits of using khan academy is also available through their classroom mode. by creating a free account, you can set up a classroom with others to keep track of your progress, which includes the sections that you’re advancing in, recent practice exam test scores, and more. as a matter of fact, tutors and teachers enjoy using khan academy’s classroom to also keep track of their students’ progress, as student participation is logged on their platform.
if you’re looking for free official practice exams, khan academy is also a great resource. all practice exams come directly from college board, and once you’ve finished an exam, a score is immediately made available to you, along with recommendations on which video tutorials you should pursue next. the algorithm khan academy offers could be very important to guiding your study efforts and contributing to a balanced study plan.
3. magoosh
magoosh offers one of the most diverse libraries of free sat prep resources that can be found on the internet. this is especially important because the challenge of preparing for the sat can come in maintaining attention – just how many social science reading comprehension passages can you really read? at one point, the repetitiveness of preparing for an important exam can result in procrastination and longer than ideal study breaks.
luckily, magoosh’s diverse offerings can help sustain your attention. one of the most popular sat resources available, the free sat flashcards can be used on your laptop or phone. since you’re going to be on your phone anyway, you can also set reminders to review the flashcards daily.
another helpful resource is the magoosh sat ebook. this is helpful for everybody and is meant to be an incredible substitute to buying a bulky textbook. one of many amazing free resources that magoosh has provided for sat prep, this ebook covers all sections of the sat and contains helpful tutorials that can be viewed over numerous devices, including an e-reader, smartphone, and laptop computer.
in addition to a robust ebook and complete flashcard decks, magoosh provides access to a full-length practice test, sat study schedules, and the popular sat question of the day. the question of the day can easily be set as your homepage to guarantee a question review daily, while the other tools can contribute to a more complete sat preparation program, helping you avoid procrastination or becoming bored from reviewing the same type of material over and over again. finally, utilizing magoosh’s sat youtube channel offers you access to tutorials in all sat covered subjects.
4. princeton review
the princeton review is well-known for prep books that appear in most bookstores and libraries—but are you familiar with their free materials? the company publishes materials that can be used free of charge on their website, as well as free in-person sat info sessions. they also provide a 14-day trial to have access to more of their products.
5. kaplan
kaplan is popular for their sat cram courses, most of which are pursued in the summer in various locations across the united states, but also take place throughout the fall and winter semesters. besides their in-class and now remote courses, kaplan provides access to various free materials, which include some question sheets and an official exam.
6. don’t forget your school’s free sat resources!
many high schools across the country offer free sat resources at their library and online. ask the school librarian if there’s a test-prep section that you can peruse. a typical test prep section will include far more books than the sat, like the ap exam prep guides for example. your librarian may also be able to help you with access to paid subscriptions, where you can use the institutional login information to access sat practice resources for free. there might be a teacher, or group of teachers at your high school that share a google drive with many helpful resources, such as past sat exams, so be sure to ask around. finally, your school might even have an agreement with the local community college and public library, so be sure to ask or look up any partner libraries in the search system to gain access to more free resources.
all magoosh sat prep plans are digital sat ready! start studying today.
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