SAT is one of the most important exams to ace your application to the best colleges abroad. SAT preparation is all about polishing your high school knowledge and gaining more perspective on the topics through rigorous practice. But with the increase in the number of SAT aspirants on a yearly basis, the competition is becoming arduous for an average test taker. This is exactly why you must dedicate yourself to a rigorous SAT preparation plan at the earliest.
To assist you through your SAT preparation journey, this blog is an inclusive that answers all queries about how to prepare for SAT.
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Best Way to Prepare for SAT 2022
SAT exam preparation can be done with ease if you start in advance. Apart from evaluating your knowledge, SAT exam is also a test of your self confidence and time management skills. Preparation for a highly sought-after exam like SAT requires a methodical study plan, a good timeline to follow and a section-wise commitment for studying.
The region or country from which you attempt the SAT exam does not matter because the methodology of preparation is exactly the same. Therefore, if you happen to be a student from India and are wondering as to, “how to prepare for SAT in India” just execute SAT preparation like any other aspirant.
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To have a better understanding of how to prepare for SAT, let us begin our discussion by looking at the following points:
Understand the SAT
The first step to know how to prepare for SAT exam you need to understand its nitty grittues. SAT is an aptitude test that evaluates your competency in the English language & Mathematics. We suggest that you learn about the SAT exam syllabus, and develop a thorough understanding of how the exam is structured and planned. This will help you to effectively devise your SAT preparation strategy.
Know your strengths and weaknesses
Experts highly recommended to take a sample SAT mock test for students wondering about how to study for SAT. After the mock test, note down the topics on which you scored well and where you did not. Make a list of sub-topics inside the topic which you might need to cover. This will help you get a holistic evaluation of how far you stand from your desired SAT score, and what gaps will you need to fill to reach there.
Create an actionable study plan for SAT
Depending on the stage of your SAT exam preparation, create a study plan that works out for you. As a student, you must always remember that how to begin preparation for SAT is as significant as when to start SAT prep. Whether you go for professional guidance or confront yourself with the question of, “how to prepare for SAT exam at home?” always have an actionable plan.
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Now that we know the basic pre-requisites to begin with SAT preparation, let us move ahead to find out how to prepare for SAT in a definite time period:
How to Prepare for SAT Before 6 Months?
As it has already been mentioned, the best way to prepare for SAT is to begin early. If you start your preparation as early as six months, you will have more time for varied resources in addition to what everybody else is studying. This will work in your favour as an aspirant.
Apart from covering your SAT syllabus, you will have the scope of reading newspapers and magazines on a daily basis. Also, you can pursue other forms of non-fiction reading. By doing so, you will gradually be able to master the long passages that will require your attention during the actual SAT exam.
Access the inspiring study material at Khan Academy exclusively for SAT aspirants. It is easy to understand, and will help you enhance your preparation.
Lastly, make use of Flash cards for better recall during your SAT preparation.
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How to Prepare for SAT in 3 Months?
With three months remaining for SAT Exam, your focus should be entirely on practicing test questions of all sections. Observe diligently your speed and accuracy while attempting questions. Indulge in self-evaluation all the time. Work on your strengths and areas of improvisation. This will help you build pace along with precision.
An important thing to pursue 3 months before the exam is to get familiar with concepts that you might have skipped before. You can seek assistance in the areas remaining from Khan Academy resources and test prep material.
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How to Prepare for SAT in 1 Month?
With 1 month for your exam date, you must be surely at a loss as to how to start preparing for SAT. The final time span of one month is critical for revision more than SAT preparation. By this time, your goal should be to expose yourself to a large variety of questions.
To get stuck at one question should not be the case. Ideally, you should be revising and getting better across sections on a daily basis. This will add to your confidence during the actual exam.
The final month is for filling all existing preparation gaps and building confidence.
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How to prepare for SAT Exam Section-Wise?
To help you get started with your SAT exam preparation in the right direction, we have curated a study frame for every section below:
SAT Reading Test
The Reading Test being an important part of the Evidence based Reading and Writing section in SAT must be prioritized by you during your preparation.
The Reading Test evaluates you on multiple abilities and skills as a student aspiring for higher education. The approach you have towards the passages provided and your ability to interpret them objectively will make all the difference here.
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5 Productive Study Tips for the SAT Reading Test
Begin your Reading Test prep with five doable study tips.
- Expose Yourself to a Large Variety of Passages: From an early point in your preparation, make sure that you read numerous passages with varying levels of difficulty. Also, the subject matter should be diverse. This will help you comprehend passages clearly without getting panicky in the actual exam.
- Do Away with Subvocalization: One trait that hinders the speed of reading in an exam is when students tend to speak words in their heads. This is known as subvocalization and needs to stop. Use your hands to guide your brain while reading. This will pace up the reading process without you missing essential details.
- Rely on Facts in the Passage Alone and Not Outside Knowledge: While preparing for the SAT Reading Test, ensure that you read with objectivity, the facts and knowledge presented to you in the provided passage. Do not use any outside knowledge for answering questions.
- Select the Correct Order for Attempting Questions: While preparing and practicing for the Reading Test at home, get used to choosing the order of questions correctly. Do not go by chronology alone. Prioritise the questions that you can answer with precision.
- Eliminate Incorrect Answers First: While practicing questions during preparation, erase out incorrect options first rather than choosing correction ones. Do this especially for questions that come across as difficult. This will help you narrow down your choice and bring you closer to the correct option.
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SAT Writing and Language Test
Any student who masters the techniques of proofing, copyediting and communicating will excel in the Writing and Language Test in SAT.
The Writing and Language Test in SAT is meant to evaluate you on skills of excellent editing. You’re expected to become a proficient Editor and Interpreter for attempting questions under this section.
5 Practical Study Tips for the SAT Writing & Language Test
Kickstart your SAT Writing and Language test prep with the following 5 easy to follow tips:
- Have an inclusive approach for each word and line: A key trait for good editing is to read each word and line. So, any skipping of words or indulging in shortcuts won’t help you. While preparing for the Writing and Language test, always have complete focus. This will help you to cover every single word and line in a given passage.
- Release the pressure of time and re-read: Instead of feeling the pressure of time on yourself, just increase the speed of reading during initial preparation. Reason being, you must re-read a passage to edit it correctly. Rushing it will disrupt the process of precision and you will end up editing incorrectly in the actual exam.
- Identify punctuation marks and know the usage correctly: Since the Writing & Language Test in SAT will evaluate you for usage of punctuation, you must know the difference. Many times, students use punctuation marks incorrectly. Something as basic as usage of a semi colon versus a colon or an exclamation mark versus a comma should be known by you quite early in your SAT preparation days.
- Infer charts and graphics correctly: Interpreting graphics correctly is an integral part of the Writing and Language Test. Therefore, in addition to basic proofing and editing skills, you must also know how to connect the right sentence with the correct graphic. This will happen when you know how to interpret data accurately and then understand the question being asked.
- Work on your effectiveness of communication: Effectiveness of communication is something that the SAT Writing & Language Test will evaluate you on as an aspirant. This is a skill that you will develop only when you indulge in voracious reading. Being consistent as a reader will help you become a better communicator as well. The two are closely interrelated. This is something that must be prioritized during your early preparation phase.
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SAT Math Test
The SAT Math Test is meant to evaluate you on problem solving skills in a wide array of situations. Your preparation for this section should focus on algebra, data analysis and advanced mathematical problems.
Your preparation strategy for the SAT Math Test should revolve around conceptual understanding, analysis, and problem solving.
5 Applicable Study Tips for the SAT Math Test
Let go of fear and dedicate yourself to problem solving with five foundational tips.
- Practice and Time Yourself: The key to master the SAT Math Test is to approach problems correctly and efficiently. For this to happen, persistent practice is a must. If you dedicate yourself to practising mathematical problems on a daily basis along with timing yourself while doing the same, you will see your performance improve significantly.
- Be Efficient with Basic Calculations: In order to be efficient with basic calculations, you’ll have to start from scratch. Instead of trying your hand at mental math shortcuts, build a solid foundation for concepts first. Once you have a grasp over basic mathematical fundamentals, switching to shortcuts, easy calculation tricks and mental maths will become easy.
- Know Your Formulas Well: An excellent knowledge of formulae is integral for the SAT Math Test. Therefore, make it a point to memorise formulae along with their usage much earlier before the final exam. An easy way of remembering formulae is to constantly keep attempting questions. This helps in retention of the formulae in your long-term memory.
- Re-Create Diagrams and Graphs for Better Grasp: While attempting questions based on graphs and diagrams, re-create them for better understanding. To indulge in solving them only in your head might not be the best technique to arrive at accurate answers. Therefore, label them, mark them and then draw your correct inference.
- Never Take Careless Mistakes for Granted: Overlooking a mathematical error w.r.t usage of a formula or application of the same can cost you dearly in the final examination. Therefore, each time you end up making a mistake during preparation, always invest time in correcting it and ensuring that you solve it efficiently.
SAT will determine your future by helping you access education from a quality institute. Therefore, give it your all. Prepare for SAT because you want to and not because you have to study. This alone will help you stand out as an aspirant.
For further guidance and assistance, get in touch with our counselors at Yocket now!
