How to Prepare for SAT Exams

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The SAT is an entrance test approved by United States universities to determine students ‘ readiness for university work. Most students take the SAT in 11the or 12the Grade, some even earlier, in 10th Grade.

Nearly all universities and colleges in the United States of America and other colleges worldwide use the SAT for admission decisions. This is focused on the research already being done by the students in the classroom, and there is not much confusion about the topics that will be asked on the test. The skills provided by SAT exams in high school classes include reading, writing, and math. The knowledge and competencies of a student in these subjects are essential for college and beyond success. 

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The section on critical reading involves reading passages and finishing sentences. 

The segment on writing contains a short essay and multiple-choice questions on error detection and better grammar and use.

The section on mathematics includes subjects such as arithmetical operations, algebra, geometry, statistics, and probability.

Since the SAT Subject Tests are based on content in high school courses, the best way to prepare for them is through the course work. Many students wonder how hard it is to get the perfect score on the SAT and whether that can lead to a top university. The key lies in how well you practice, plan, and get familiar with the test. Listed below are ways a student can get prepared for the SAT exam and scale through it correctly:

Start Preparation Early

Beginning early, you’ll gauge how much you need to prepare every week and help avoid cramming. Students who start their studies more first do better at SAT and have more faith in the test

Taking SAT Exercises

Nothing might better prepare you for the SAT than to do a series of exercises on this exam. It’s a good idea to put what you’ve learned into action by doing an SAT drill every three weeks while you plan to take it out. The exercises are identical in length to the final edition. Furthermore, these drills can not only help you keep track of your progress but also improve your “endurance” by taking scheduled and timed tests. Sitting down and taking a 3-hour and 45-minute exam is boring, but you will discover the pace and the best way to solve the SAT with practice and strategies. In addition, you will get to know the different parts of the test, as well as the concepts and instructions given in each segment.

Evidence suggests that your score on an official, full-length practice test taken after your analysis and within a few weeks of the test date is highly predictive of the score you will earn on the actual SAT. Evaluate your results after every practice test, and concentrate your next preparations on the weakest areas.

Know How SAT is Structured

The questions on the SAT are in ascending order of difficulty, except for the critical reading portion. That means the questions at the start of a segment are easier than the ones at the end. You will not, therefore, be spending the same volume of time on all SAT questions.

The first questions of each segment must be answered quickly, thereby saving time and spending the remaining time on more challenging ones. While critical reading questions are not arranged in order of difficulty, important strategies are in place to master that section. For instance, first, focus on detailed questions (i.e., questions that refer to specific line numbers). Leave the general questions to the end of the passage. You will already be familiar with reading by this time and will be able to answer the questions without difficulty.

Master Section on Reading Comprehension

  • Read on! 

The Reading Comprehension section will cover a wide range of subjects; therefore, It is crucial that you read articles about topics you don’t know about before the exam. Don’t waste your time trying to become an art, history, and so on expert. Instead, practice reading things that you don’t already know.

Choose an essay, read a few lines, and then try to define the point made by the author. Read brief snippets or posts from the magazines of science and art, then let a friend ask you questions. Try to get the right mix of concrete and abstract questions like “What’s the article about?” and “How would you characterize the tone of the author?” Typically, you can read these kinds of publications at your local library for free. This will help you understand the SAT reading texts (they almost always deal with an odd or uncommon subject matter).

  • Scale up your vocabulary

In the dictionary, you cannot learn every word, but learning new vocabulary is a simple way to increase your SAT score. Sadly, some of the questions in the segment on Reading Comprehension depend on whether you know what those words mean or not. Try to spend some of your time getting acquainted with “fancy,” academic words – adjectives are a particularly smart choice. You would be able to see what sort of vocabulary is widely used in the study by taking the SAT drills.

Make flashcards of these terms along with their synonyms and antonyms to help you understand them more easily. You can also get acquainted with the roots of Greek and Latin, which form the basis for many complicated words. It is easier to guess what words mean once you know these, even if you have never heard them before.

Master the Writing Section

  • Write down as many sample essays as possible

It may not be easy to structure, write, and review an essay in 25 minutes, but you can face this problem with a lot of practice. The essay will always be in the test’s first segment, and will only last 25 minutes. The topic of the essay could be a specific subject such as justice, achievement, failure, integrity, the value of experience, or the importance of learning from errors.

Writing essays regularly as part of your training will help you familiarize yourself with this segment, making sure you don’t waste any time during the study.

  • Divide your time

You will need to allocate time to read the message, brainstorm, outline, write, and proofread the text structure. Nothing is worse than getting to 90 percent of an essay, and you still do not know what your main point is. Prevent this by using a limited amount of your essay-writing time (just one or two minutes) to outline a broad, general outline. Having a plan helps you stay on track and wisely divide your limited time. 

Start by picking a position on the question you get from the essay prompt. This may not be something that you passionately agree with – just something that you can argue well. First, write down a few statements, evidence, and ideas that uphold your claim. And that will form the foundation of paragraphs in your body. In other words, you can choose your theory and why you have chosen it: make sure you have two or three compelling examples to support your point of view (from literature, history, current events, or personal experience). And don’t forget to provide a paragraph summarizing the principal argument.

  • Your essay-writing type should be direct and clear

The essay isn’t a chance to show off dazzling writing tricks and imaginative word twists. The biggest thing you’re judged on is the ability to make a particular point simply and effectively. Hence, simply use your time to make your point and back it up with logic and facts. Simple, concise sentences are all quite well here.

Try not to think about how ”pretty” or “complex” each sentence is. Instead, think about the strength of your argument. Simple, straightforward sentences that make logical points better than beautiful phrases that go nowhere. Your essay should be considered by SAT testers as a “final first draft,” which means that while it doesn’t have to be flawless, it should have a clearly recognizable case, be well organized, and prove you have strong English commands.

Master the Math Section

It is a must to practice the kinds of questions that will arise in the math segment. This will help to sharpen your math skills and re-connect with math topics you may not have seen for some time. When it comes to math problems, you may get an incorrect answer as a result of a single missed word.

Be sure that you understand what each question asks of you before attempting it. The use of a calculator is crucial as it will help you save time and avoid mistakes. Use your calculator as you prepare, so it becomes easy to write complex equations such as [(20 + 40)/2] ^ 5. Also, try to find formulas and memorize them. 

Understand How Multiple Options Work

With the exception of the essay, many of the SAT contains answers with multiple choices. This doesn’t mean that it’s easy to test, but the style gives you some significant benefits. You will know the correct answer in the questions to identify errors in sentences (in the Writing section), by looking at the variations between the answer options. A good approach is to go back and forth to decide which answer best suits the choices.

Understand when to Guess or Skip a Question

If you read a question and realize that you have no idea how to address it, go ahead! Don’t waste an extra minute on a question you can’t answer, go on to problems you can solve. With that said, if in a question you can even delete an answer option, try to guess what the answer would be.

Lastly, if you studied well for the SAT exam, you have nothing to worry about on the test day, don’t stress yourself and don’t panic. Remain calm and write your test.

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All the best!