Preparing for any test can be overwhelming for students. Any subject takes review, a degree of memorization, and an understanding of the material’s application in various situations. But for juniors and seniors, perhaps the most unnerving exams is the SAT.
SAT’s (Scholastic Assessment Test) are administered throughout the country as a standard measurement for colleges to use when they consider applications to their institution. The test consists of three different sections — Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing, each one worth a maximum of 800 points, making the highest score a 2400. First introduced in the early 1900’s, the test’s format and its scoring has changed several times over the decades. In its current form, students are challenged to compose prose, a change from the multiple choice tests of the 1990’s.
As sophomores, students often take the Pre-SAT in preparation for the SAT’s the following year. In addition to this, many parents enroll their children in SAT test prep review classes to maximize their chances of scoring high on exam day. In these classes, instructors familiar with SAT test taking tips and the format of the exam, explain various strategies students can use. They also offer timed sample SAT tests to mimic an actual test-day setting. Parents also sometimes opt to put their children in private test prep tutoring instead of a classroom setting.
Students can additionally take SAT prep online courses through different websites. These sites offer vocabulary building, math review, and give students ways to challenge themselves with increasingly difficult questions. Several sample SAT tests are available for practice as well.
The main focus of any SAT test prep course is to familiarize students with the format and types of questions on the exam. Many SAT experts say that learning how to take the test is the most important strategy, as students can learn ways to easily eliminate at least two multiple choice answers out of four, identify key phrases in the Critical Reading section, and find shortcuts for math problems.
Once students have mastered the art of taking the SAT’s, many of them score well. Parents and students cannot expect to get a high score because of these prep courses, but they will likely see a significant difference. Ger more information on this topic here.
