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The night before I took the SAT, I could barely fall asleep. There was one word to describe my state of emotional wreckage: anxious. In reality, I had no reason to fear an epic fail. I had prepared well, and the following day I performed excellently.
While the SAT can seem like a very intimidating test, there are several straight-forward approaches that can boost your confidence and your scores. Whether you're frantically searching the Internet for a few tips the night before you take the test or you're currently in the middle of a multi-month preparation effort, this article can give you a few ideas for how to take a successful test.
Download Solutions
One of the most important things to keep in mind is the strict time limits. Even if I am capable of finding the answer to every problem in a section, I may fail to achieve a high score without the proper time management.
Fortunately, there are several slick techniques that will help you make use of every second you've got.
Skip Insanely Hard Questions
If you don't know the answer to a question, put a star beside it and move on. You can always come back later to the questions you've marked if you have the time. Skipping questions allows you to spend your time showing what you DO know instead of wasting it on a question where the odds of getting it right are about as good as getting you-know-who to go out with you. Wait to Fill in the Circles
One of the biggest surprises the first time I took the SAT was how long it took me to fill in the circles on my answer sheet (I know... I sound like a loser). Eventually, I learned a technique that helped me reduce errors and save time. Rather than marking my answer sheet right away, I started circling my answers on my test booklet and then transferring them to the answer sheet every five questions or so. It doesn't seem like this would save much time, but it really works (just like magic... okay, that was really cheesy). Filling in five answers at a time reduces how often you have to break your focus from solving problems. It's especially helpful on small desks when you don't have room to place your answer sheet beside your booklet. It also makes you less likely to fill in a circle in the wrong row if you skip a question. Just make sure that you don't run out of time to fill in the circles. During the last five minutes of a section, I usually go straight to filling in the circles each time I pick an answer. How badly would it stink to figure out the answer but not get credit!?
Use That Calculator
Make sure to bring a good calculator for the math sections. While it's not essential, it saves lots of precious time. I used a TI-83 Plus, and it worked great. A bunch of fancy features are useless if they just confuse you. However, if you have time to learn a new calculator, the graphing functions can be really helpful for a few of the problems.
Cut Corners!
Mastering the SAT is more like playing a game than learning history: strategy is the key, not a comprehensive knowledge of the questions. Since most problems are multiple choice, work the system. You don't actually have to solve equations... just plug in the possible answers and see what works. Let's say the problem is:
"What is the value of x if 5 = (1+x)² - 2x? Your Mom"
Your math teacher might be slightly ticked that you didn't use your algebra, but the SAT graders won't care. If you're getting short on time in the critical reading section, you can skip reading the passage and jump straight to the questions. Usually you can get these questions right just by reading a few sentences above and below the one they identified. Other questions about the overall point of the passage can often be answered by skimming the first and last paragraphs as well as the first sentence of every other paragraph.
Take a Lucky Guess: Be a Leprechaun
While you lose one fifth of a point every time you get a question wrong, you shouldn't be afraid to guess. Please don't just start filling in random circles. Instead make an educated guess. Cross out all the answers in your booklet that look messed up, and then pick one of the answers that is left. Basic probabilities tell us that it's good to guess as long as you've eliminated at least one answer on a problem.
Remember that unless your some sort of lucky uber-genius, you're not going to ace the test. Answer as many questions as you can as quickly as you can as accurately as you can. Most of the time this means that you won't attempt every question. It always means that you stop thinking up schemes to get all the cute peeps' numbers as soon as the test is over.
While the SAT can seem like a very intimidating test, there are several straight-forward approaches that can boost your confidence and your scores. Whether you're frantically searching the Internet for a few tips the night before you take the test or you're currently in the middle of a multi-month preparation effort, this article can give you a few ideas for how to take a successful test.
Download Drill of TPA/SAT
Download QuestionsDownload Solutions
One of the most important things to keep in mind is the strict time limits. Even if I am capable of finding the answer to every problem in a section, I may fail to achieve a high score without the proper time management.
Fortunately, there are several slick techniques that will help you make use of every second you've got.
Skip Insanely Hard Questions
If you don't know the answer to a question, put a star beside it and move on. You can always come back later to the questions you've marked if you have the time. Skipping questions allows you to spend your time showing what you DO know instead of wasting it on a question where the odds of getting it right are about as good as getting you-know-who to go out with you. Wait to Fill in the Circles
One of the biggest surprises the first time I took the SAT was how long it took me to fill in the circles on my answer sheet (I know... I sound like a loser). Eventually, I learned a technique that helped me reduce errors and save time. Rather than marking my answer sheet right away, I started circling my answers on my test booklet and then transferring them to the answer sheet every five questions or so. It doesn't seem like this would save much time, but it really works (just like magic... okay, that was really cheesy). Filling in five answers at a time reduces how often you have to break your focus from solving problems. It's especially helpful on small desks when you don't have room to place your answer sheet beside your booklet. It also makes you less likely to fill in a circle in the wrong row if you skip a question. Just make sure that you don't run out of time to fill in the circles. During the last five minutes of a section, I usually go straight to filling in the circles each time I pick an answer. How badly would it stink to figure out the answer but not get credit!?
Use That Calculator
Make sure to bring a good calculator for the math sections. While it's not essential, it saves lots of precious time. I used a TI-83 Plus, and it worked great. A bunch of fancy features are useless if they just confuse you. However, if you have time to learn a new calculator, the graphing functions can be really helpful for a few of the problems.
Cut Corners!
Mastering the SAT is more like playing a game than learning history: strategy is the key, not a comprehensive knowledge of the questions. Since most problems are multiple choice, work the system. You don't actually have to solve equations... just plug in the possible answers and see what works. Let's say the problem is:
"What is the value of x if 5 = (1+x)² - 2x? Your Mom"
Your math teacher might be slightly ticked that you didn't use your algebra, but the SAT graders won't care. If you're getting short on time in the critical reading section, you can skip reading the passage and jump straight to the questions. Usually you can get these questions right just by reading a few sentences above and below the one they identified. Other questions about the overall point of the passage can often be answered by skimming the first and last paragraphs as well as the first sentence of every other paragraph.
Take a Lucky Guess: Be a Leprechaun
While you lose one fifth of a point every time you get a question wrong, you shouldn't be afraid to guess. Please don't just start filling in random circles. Instead make an educated guess. Cross out all the answers in your booklet that look messed up, and then pick one of the answers that is left. Basic probabilities tell us that it's good to guess as long as you've eliminated at least one answer on a problem.
Remember that unless your some sort of lucky uber-genius, you're not going to ace the test. Answer as many questions as you can as quickly as you can as accurately as you can. Most of the time this means that you won't attempt every question. It always means that you stop thinking up schemes to get all the cute peeps' numbers as soon as the test is over.
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