SAT Test Study Guide: Your Path to College Readiness

The SAT is a crucial step on the path to college for many students. It's designed to assess the knowledge and skills necessary for success in undergraduate programs. Preparing for the SAT can feel overwhelming, but with the right resources, effective strategies, and sufficient study time, you can achieve your target score. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of how to prepare for the SAT, including understanding the test format, utilizing free resources, implementing effective study techniques, and developing essential test-taking strategies.

Understanding the SAT

The SAT includes a Reading and Writing test and a Math test. In total, there are 98 questions on the SAT, most of which are multiple-choice, and you are given 134 minutes to complete the test. Knowing what to expect on the exam and how much time you’ll have allotted within each section can help you manage your time on it. Each section includes some multiple choice questions, so be sure to read our guide on how to answer them here.

Free SAT Study Resources

Fortunately, there are many great and completely free SAT study resources available to students!

College Board: The College Board, the organization that administers the SAT, offers a wealth of official SAT study materials.
Khan Academy: The College Board has partnered with Khan Academy to provide Official SAT Prep. This world-class test practice is free to all students, so there’s no need to spend a lot of money on test prep courses. It’s personalized just for you to show you the areas in which you excel and what areas need more work.
Princeton Review: Princeton Review offers a free online SAT practice test.
Kaplan: Kaplan offers free SAT practice tests online.
Mometrix: Mometrix offers a variety of free SAT resources, including a study guide and flashcards, designed to break down complex subjects into easily understandable concepts.

The Power of Practice Tests

One of the most effective ways to prepare for the SAT is by taking practice tests. Students who complete 1, 2, or 3 or more full-length practice tests score on average about 25, 45, and 60 points higher, respectively, than students who don't take any. The benefits were even greater for students who had lower PSAT scores and saw the biggest jumps in their SAT performance. No matter your background or starting point, practicing with Bluebook can help you feel more confident and perform better on test day.

Practice tests are useful because they show exactly where you need to improve. Every time you take a free SAT practice test, pay special attention to these three groups of questions:

The questions you got wrong
The ones you had to guess on, even if you guessed right
The ones you found difficult or slow to work through

This will show you exactly what your weak areas are and where you need to devote more study time. Ask yourself why each of these questions gave you trouble. Was it because you didn’t understand the material? Was it because you didn’t remember the vocabulary? Do you need more repetitions on this type of question to build speed and confidence? Dig into those questions and figure out how you can strengthen your weak areas as you go back to review the material.

Analyzing Your Practice Scores

Once you've completed your practice test, go to My Practice to view your scores. There are two ways your practice scores can help you study:

Practice Specific Questions: From your My Practice dashboard or your Score Details page, you'll see a button for Practice Specific Questions. Based on your performance on that practice test, My Practice creates this custom set of questions to help you review any skills that might need a boost. You can even see the associated domains for each question so you can do further review in the Student Question Bank.
Review: Click Score Details to see every question on the test, the answer you submitted, and the correct answer for that question. Click Review next to your answer to read through the question and answer explanation. Keep track of the questions you missed and pay attention to any patterns you notice about the question content and the skills involved. Then head over to our Student Question Bank to try more practice questions covering those skill. Want help identifying which skills match up with a particular question? Check out How to Use the Student Question Bank for more information.

Setting a Target Score

With insights about your knowledge and skills, you can set your own SAT Target Score. This is your personal goal and gives you more ownership of the outcome, rather than striving for what you may perceive as a “good’ score. Learn how to stay on track by setting your own SAT Target Score. Here are a few simple steps to setting your target score:

Create your college list. Researching the colleges that interest you on BigFuture® can help you identify the score range you should aim for. Average score ranges have been changing lately, and colleges are still adjusting to new test-optional policies, but the SAT score range listed is a good place to start. This will help you create your college list.
Understand your most recent test score. If you took the PSAT/NMSQT or a practice SAT, you’ve already established your baseline. Now you can dig into your score report to understand how your score compares to others and what areas you should focus on to practice and improve. Look at the number and types of questions you got wrong. See how many more of those questions you would need to answer correctly to raise your score.
Determine a realistic target score for you. Based on where you are now and where you want to end up, you can decide your own goal.

Understanding Answer Explanations

Additionally, many SAT practice tests have a section explaining the answer choices. It can be tempting to read the explanation and think that you now have a good understanding of the concept. However, an explanation likely only covers part of the question’s broader context. Even if the explanation makes sense, go back and investigate every concept related to the question until you’re positive you have a thorough understanding.

Comprehending Each Topic

As you go along, keep in mind that the SAT practice test is just that: practice. Memorizing these questions and answers will not be very helpful on the actual test because it is unlikely to have any of the same exact questions. If you only know the right answers to the sample questions, you won’t be prepared for the real thing. Study the concepts until you understand them fully, and then you’ll be able to answer any question that shows up on the test.

Read also: Mastering the SAT

Strategy for SAT Practice

When you’re ready to start taking practice tests, follow this strategy:

Remove Limitations. Take the first test with no time constraints and with your notes and SAT study guide handy. Take your time and focus on applying the strategies you’ve learned.
Time Yourself. Take the second practice test “open book” as well, but set a timer and practice pacing yourself to finish in time.
Simulate Test Day. Take any other practice tests as if it were test day. Set a timer and put away your study materials. Sit at a table or desk in a quiet room, imagine yourself at the testing center, and answer questions as quickly and accurately as possible.
Keep Practicing. Keep taking practice tests on a regular basis until you run out of practice tests or it’s time for the actual test. Your mind will be ready for the schedule and stress of test day, and you’ll be able to focus on recalling the material you’ve learned.

Top 5 Most Challenging SAT Questions

Now that you know more about the test, try your hand at some targeted practice! Over the last year, we’ve compiled the data from about 22,000 test-takers who tried their hand at the practice test at the top of this page. According to the data, around 70% of people answered these five questions incorrectly. Answer each question and read through the answer explanation, whether you got the answer right or wrong. This will help you ensure you’ve got the topic mastered. Whether you struggled with these questions or aced them on your first try, be sure to take the full practice test to get a better idea of how prepared you really are!

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Never, never marry, my dear fellow! That’s my marry till you can say to yourself that you have done all you are capable of, and until you have ceased to love the woman of your choice and have seen her plainly as she is, or else you will make a cruel and irrevocable mistake.
A. advice, neverB. advice. NeverC. advice: neverD. advice; never

Read also: Comprehensive ACT Guide

Correct Answer: D
Explanation: The passage presents a thought from the speaker advising against marriage until certain conditions are met. The colon in choice C is used to introduce and continue the thought in a manner where the second part expands on or explains the first part.
The equation below shows Emma’s savings plan. She set aside an initial lump sum and adds to it on a monthly basis. If i is the total investment in cents and m is the number of months since she began, how much does she save each month in dollars?
i = 50000 + 4500m
A. $45B. $500C. $4,500D. $50,000
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: The equation can be translated: investment = (initial lump sum) + 4500 × (number of months since beginning). In other words, it grows 4500 cents every month. The answer choices are in dollars, so we divide by 100 to obtain $45 per month.
Nurseries A, B, and C offer various plants for sale, as well as landscaping services to plant the trees and bushes. Prices are listed in the table below.
A B C
Trees $25 $30 $20
Bushes $15 $20 $15
Landscaping (per hour) $45 $55 $50
Isabella plans to hire one of the companies to plant 10 trees and 8 bushes. This project will take x hours. Which of the following inequalities represents x if Nursery A offers a better deal than Nursery C?
A. x<5B. *x*<10C. *x*>5D. x>10
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: We can calculate the cost of each nursery’s trees and bushes.
Nursery A’s cost is: 25(10) + 15(8) = 250 + 120 = $370
Nursery C’s cost is: 20(10) + 15(8) = 200 + 120 = $320
So, we can set up an inequality, letting x be the number of hours to plant the bushes and trees. It is important to remember to reverse the inequality sign when we move the x to the left so we don’t end up with x<10 (answer choice B).
The graph of the system of inequalities y ≤ 1 4 x − 2 and y > 3 x − 7 5 has solutions in which quadrants on the x y -plane below?
A. Quadrant III onlyB. Quadrants II and IIIC. Quadrants III and IVD. Quadrants II, III, and IV
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: We can graph the two lines on a coordinate plane by plotting the y -intercept and then finding another point based on the slope. For the first equation, the y -intercept is −2 , so we plot the point 0,−2 . Then we use the slope 14 to plot another point by moving up 1 and 4 to the right, to 4,−1 . Now we can draw a line passing through the two points. It is a solid line because the solution is less than or equal to the equation. Next, we graph the second line. The y -intercept is −75 , so we plot the point 0,−75 . Then we use the slope 3 to plot another point by moving up 3 and over 1, to 1,85 . Now we can draw a line passing through the two points. It is a dotted line because the solution is greater than the equation. We shade the area that is both below the graph of the first line and above the graph of the second line. When we do this, we can see that the overlap of the shaded area is only in quadrant 3.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
The balcony scene in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, is one of the most iconic moments in literature. As Romeo stands in the Capulets’ garden, he overhears Juliet confessing her love for him. The scene is exploration of the intensity of young love as Romeo and Juliet declare their feelings for each other in poetic language. The balcony scene captures the passion, secrecy, and longing that define the love story of Romeo and Juliet, making it a cornerstone of Shakespearean tragedy.
A. an evocativeB. an emotionalC. a mundaneD. a superficial
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: The word evocative is the most logical and precise choice to describe the nature of the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet. While emotional is a valid choice, evocative is a more precise and fitting word for describing the balcony scene’s impact and the way it captures the intensity of young love through its poetic language and imagery.

	A	B	C
Trees	$25	$30	$20
Bushes	$15	$20	$15
Landscaping (per hour)	$45	$55	$50

Test-Taking Tips

Having the right strategies can instill you with confidence as you approach test day. Here are 10 test-taking tips to help you navigate the assessment and maximize your score. They’ll give you guidance on how to pace yourself, focus on your practice, and use built-in tools.

Alternative SAT Prep Options

If you want to be fully prepared, Mometrix offers an online SAT prep course designed to give you everything you need to succeed! Here’s what you’ll find in the SAT course: Everyone learns differently, so we’ve tailored the SAT online prep course to ensure every learner has what they need to prepare for the SAT exam.

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