It’s that time of the year Juniors! The time to take the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) is here! Taking this nation-wide standardized college test is pretty stressful and difficult. You’re going to be taking a reading assessment, a writing and language, and a math. To help you score big, here are ten tips and tricks:
Reading tips:
- Find what works best for you when reading passages: Are going to the questions right away more beneficial to you? Will you remember what you need to find when reading the passage? Or should you go straight to the passage and then read the questions? Some remember questions better, others the material more, find which works best for you.
- Underline important details in passages such as names, dates, locations, visuals, sounds. Know what the passage is talking about and what the purpose of it is.
Writing & Language tips:
- Review basic punctuation rules especially comma usage, periods, ellipses, apostrophes,etc.
- If you’re unsure about an answer, say it out loud. What sounds right to the ear is typically what’s correct. If the sentence sounds sketchy, say it aloud and let your ear decide. Does it sound right? If not, that’s probably not it.
Math tips:
- If you’re unsure of an answer, plug in your best guesses. Narrow down your answers and if you still can’t decide, plug them back into the original equation.
- Focus on “operation words”, such as sum, divide, multiply, addition,etc. Remember “PEMDAS”, Parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and then subtraction. When dealing with equations, follow PEMDAS. You deal with values inside parentheses first and the last operation you are to do is subtraction.
Overall:
- Answer as many questions as you can. Save the hard questions until the end. It’s better to have answered as many “easy” questions as you can than to spend all your time on the difficult ones. Mark the questions you haven’t answered with your pencil or by
- If you’re taking the essay portion, make a word bank of more complex vocabulary words. Keep a good ten in your head to accentuate your writing. Don’t spend too much time planning yet don’t jump right in. Make a quick plan and let the words flow right on to the page.
- Remember practice makes perfect. Take practice tests and find your weaknesses. Pinpoint them and practice.
- Relax and get a good night’s rest! Don’t stress, especially the night before. Get at least six hours of sleep and stick to your normal morning routine. Don’t eat anything that could upset your stomach or bladder and hinder your performance. You’ll do great. Good Luck Juniors!
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