Ah, the SAT. One of the most hated and stressful tests of a high school student’s career. However, it doesn’t have to be that way! If you want to get a high score on your SAT, then check out these tips that helped me get a 1550 score (750 EBRW, 800 Maths).
- Practice tests, practice tests, practice tests
- Analyse your mistakes
- Improve your skills
- Maths – Practice makes perfect
- Reading – Always have evidence
- Writing – Read. Like, a lot.
Practice tests, practice tests, practice tests
Obviously, you have to do practice tests to prepare for the real SAT. Personally, I started with the Khan Academy tests since they can analyse your results to help you work on specific areas. Then, I did the Princeton Review and Kaplan practice tests from the books I had. There is some debate as to whether you should time your practice tests. I’d advise you to take the first test timed, just to see if you struggle with finishing on time. If not, then don’t do your tests timed!
Analyse your mistakes
Once you’ve done a practice test, make sure to note down your score, and the questions you got wrong. I made an excel sheet to track this in, and I also wrote down the type of question, and the topic the question was on. This can help you identify what you struggle with, and what you don’t have to revise. Use the data you find to make your studying time more effective by focusing only on what you got wrong.
Improve your skills
This is where Khan Academy comes in handy! Once you’ve done a few practice tests, Khan Academy will show you what skills you need to work on. Try to sit down and take some time to get all your skill levels up to the maximum – this means you’ll be focusing on the topics you struggle with!
Maths – Practice makes perfect
I can think of no better way to get ready for the maths portion than to do practice questions. There aren’t really many tips and tricks to the maths section other than doing practice questions over and over again to make sure that you can answer anything they throw at you. Make sure you know all the topics first though!
Bonus tip: don’t overcomplicate things. The maths section often has very simple answers that are disguised in a sea of words. Read the question carefully, since the answer is sometimes in the question!
Reading – Always have evidence
There’s a reason it’s called EVIDENCE-based reading. When I started to study for the SAT, I plateued pretty quickly. Then I realised – you need to be able to justify every single answer. If the question asks you how Bob is feeling, don’t guess or infer. Look for evidence in the text for Bob’s feelings. Underline it if you have to – just make sure that you have evidence for your answer!
As well as this, if you’re stuck, focus on eliminating answers instead of finding the right one. The reason for this is that when you’re looking for an answer, you’ll find that a lot of the answers seem, in some way, correct. Instead, look for reasons why each answer is wrong, and the last one standing will be correct.
Writing – Read. Like, a lot.
I have a confession to make. Surprisingly, I never learnt the rules of grammar. I read a lot, and I’ve relied on that to help me understand what is correct by instinct. Instead of memorising hundreds and hundreds of intricate grammar rules, read books frequently, and you’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll learn the rules.
