Practice Makes Perfect: Preparing for the S.A.T
A 2-year or a 4-year school? College or university? State school or private? The buzz of questions and decisions can make any high school junior feel lost and confused. To top it off, the choice to go on to college comes with the dreaded task of taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test; The S.A.T. The most popular time to take the S.A.T is in the spring of your junior year in high school and many find it helpful to take more than 1 official S.A.T to ensure the best possible score reported to colleges. The S.A.T is a long-standing test and thankfully, there are many tips and tricks to prepare you for success on the S.A.T.
It is always important to understand the backbone of any exam before taking it. The S.A.T is no exception to this rule. The purpose of the S.A.T is to test your general high school knowledge and is used by colleges and universities as a predictor of academic success post-high school. To do this, the S.A.T is broken into three sections: Math, Verbal and Writing. The skills for each section are tested by a series of multiple choice questions and one essay, each with a specific amount of time allotted. Don’t worry, you can’t technically “fail” S.A.T: each section is graded on a scale of 200-800 points and the highest possible score is 2400 (perfect 800 on each section). Colleges and Universities set minimum S.A.T scores for their candidates and this number will vary depending on the degree of competition at the specific institute. Your guidance department can assist you in all aspects of the S.A.T from signing up and picking a location to take the test to interpreting your scores.
Now, how do can students do well on the S.A.T? A few pointers will help you get started in the right direction:
Materials are crucial: dead calculator batteries or dull pencil erasers can really stress you out! Make sure you have a reliable working calculator, plenty of number 2 pencils in good condition and, for studying purposes, a dictionary.
The internet is your friend! There are many study guides, review books, old tests and S.A.T vocabulary books out there for purchase or through your local library, so doing a little research will help you choose the best materials to work with.
Practice, practice, practice! By practicing with old test questions, students become familiar with wording of questions and choices and become comfortable with the timing and pacing of the test. It is best to take as many practice tests as possible.
Give yourself some cushion time. You can’t possibly “cram” for the S.A.T the day before you take it. The S.A.T deserves weeks and/or months of preparation to allow you become familiar with the format for the test, pacing under timed conditions and wording of the questions.
Allow yourself some breathing room. You will not be listening to your IPod, watching Jeopardy and eating dinner during your exam, so it is probably not best to study this way. Make sure you have a quiet, well-lit place to focus and mimic, as closely as possible, the way the test will be on the real day.
While many of you will find it easy to commit time and studying to preparing for the S.A.T, many will find it hard to be focused and committed in the way they should. Luckily, there are many options for those looking for a more structured study environment. Many private companies, and some public school systems, offer formal S.A.T prep courses. These courses meet at the same time each week, usually devoting an hour to an hour and a half to each portion of the exam-Math and Verbal/Writing. The number of students in a class can range anywhere from 5-20 and the setting is more of a tutoring session than a teaching skills environment. Your S.A.T teacher will supplement your skills from English or Math with tips and tricks to using those skills on the S.A.T. In a formal S.A.T prep class, you will take many practice exams and mimic the testing environment often. This setting may work for some students as they have the opportunity to listen to others questions and concerns and voice their own.
If the S.A.T prep course sounds appealing to you, there are a few things you should know before diving into one. First, these classes, unless offered by your high school for credit, cost money. Eight-ten sessions over a span of months can cost anywhere from 200.00-600.00 dollars, which may or may not include your supplies for class such as a review guide and vocabulary book. Secondly, these classes cost valuable time each week. It is important to make sure that your schedule allows you to attend all of the sessions; missing just 1 or 2 could put you behind the other students and leave you feeling lost on some aspects of the test. Lastly, the amount of effort you put into the homework and assigned studying will be equal to what you get out of the course.
The Scholastic Aptitude Test is an important piece of ending your high school career and beginning your journey to college. Thankfully, there are a variety of sources available to prepare for S.A.T. Whether you do your research and go it alone, sign up for an online course or enroll yourself in a traditional prep course through a reputable company, preparation and practice is the key to acing the S.A.T.
Alan Greene is a university administrator who writes on a wide variety of education subjects which include online degree programs and online college options for working professionals.
categories: SAT,ACT,Scholastic Aptitude Test,American College Test,college admission,university admission,college,higher education
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