Ace the SAT: Proven Strategies for Test Day Success

Preparing for the SAT can feel like a lot. After all, these scores may play a part in your college admissions. Take a deep breath-with the right strategies, you can approach test day feeling confident and ready. Standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT, are not the same as the tests you take in the classroom. Having a strategy is essential, and you cannot cram for them the night before (though you shouldn't cram for other tests either). So you’ve decided to conquer the SAT as part of your college admissions game plan. That means it’s time to start preparing and practicing - now.

Pre-Test Preparation Strategies

Consistent Practice and Realistic Goals

You will want to set a consistent practice schedule, create realistic goals, and take plenty of official practice exams. These tests should be administered in realistic conditions, with the same real-life timing and seating requirements. Beyond that, you’ll also want to focus on learning and practicing strategies specific to the SAT. Although the SAT allows more time per section than the ACT does, many consider it to be the more challenging, thought-provoking exam - so prepare accordingly. With practice, you’ll gain familiarity with the test, learn to decipher the questions, and discover the methods that work best for you.

Leverage Available Resources

You’re not the first student to take the SAT, and fortunately, you live in a time when you can find answers with a click of your mouse. So, if you’re having difficulty with a concept, there’s likely plenty of information that can help you. You can Google it, visit your local library, or ask a teacher or SAT tutor for assistance. Speaking of resources, CollegeBoard and Khan Academy have assembled a lot of great, free materials and tools to help you prepare for the test.

Vocabulary Building

Vocabulary is a big part of the SAT. Rather than attempting to memorize lists of heady terms, a helpful hint is to work on understanding the Greek and Latin roots of words. For instance, once you understand that phil comes from the Greek word “to love,” you’ll have an easier time recognizing words such as philanthropist or philosopher. This approach will help you build your vocabulary and tackle those pesky words-in-context questions. Reviewing these roots also contributes to better general reading comprehension in general.

Reading Comprehension and Speed

The best way to prepare for the comprehensive reading passages and to improve your vocabulary is to read as much as you can. We know you already have plenty of obligations with academic and textbook reading, but do your best to find things to read outside of the classroom. Look for reading materials that interest you, and they can be anything from newspaper articles to short stories, poems, or travel guides. As you read more, you will naturally increase your reading speed, and that’s a big advantage on timed tests. If you find yourself struggling to read through long passages, you may want to Google some speed reading tips or work with a tutor who can help you learn some of the useful tricks, such as using your finger or a pencil to scan or focusing more on meaningful words.

Simulate Test Conditions

Taking a test online is not the same as taking a paper test. In fact, our tutors have seen that students who practice digitally often get different results when they take a printed test. Because your actual SAT test will be on paper, take it the same way when you practice. Taking free test simulations is one of the best tips and tricks for the SAT, but only if you do so in the right settings. In the same vein, when you’re practicing, you want to keep it as close to the real thing as possible. That includes using the bubble sheet for your answers.

The Night Before

There are two ways you can mess this up. One is to go out, party, and stay up late. The other is to spend the night cramming! Whatever prep you do the night before the SAT will have very little effect on your score. You’re better off taking it easy. If you insist on studying the day before, limit it to 30 minutes. Otherwise, chill out and do something relaxing like watching your favorite TV show, hanging out at your friend’s home (but coming home at a reasonable hour), or going out for a walk. It’s a good idea to pack your belongings the night before so you don’t risk forgetting something in the morning.

#2 Pencils: We recommend you bring 5 pencils just in case.
Calculator: While calculators are not required, they are permitted and will be a big help on the calculator math section.
Watch: It’s a good idea to wear a watch. While testing rooms usually have a clock, sometimes they may not, or the clock may not be working. It’s best to wear your own watch so you can keep track of the time no matter what. Digital watches are fine, but just make sure they aren’t going to beep during the test.
Jacket: No matter what time of year you’re taking the test, it’s a good idea to dress in layers.

What not to bring:

Cell Phone: It’s best to leave cell phones at home or in your car.
Any Other Electronics: Be sure to leave any smart watches or electronic fitness devices at home.

You’re probably tired after a week of school, so use that to your advantage! Hit the sack at a reasonable hour so you can be well-rested for test day - no video games or movie watching until 2am! Believe it or not, sleep plays a huge role in your memory and ability to perform academic tasks. The best thing you can do for your brain is to get plenty of sleep!

The Morning Of

It’s a bad idea to roll out of bed and go straight to a 65-minute reading section. Instead, allow yourself plenty of time to get up and get ready before you have to leave. Once your alarm goes off, help yourself wake up completely by taking a shower. It’s a great idea to do a little exercise before you leave home on test day. Exercising gets your heart pumping, which in turn will send oxygen to your brain. The better shape your brain is in, the better you will do on the test! Reach for a bowl of oatmeal, fruit, or granola instead of a doughnut or sugary cereal. If you normally drink coffee or tea before school, it’s okay to have your usual amount before the test. However, if it’s not a normal part of your routine, don’t try it out on test day. Caffeine can affect people differently, and you don’t want to risk feeling sick or jittery.

Read also: Mastering the SAT

Test-Taking Strategies

Time Management

Time is limited on the ACT and SAT, but there are some things worth slowing down for-and that is carefully reading through the directions and questions. It might seem that skimming through it all will save you time, but this can lead to misunderstanding. Not to mention, a lot of questions intentionally include misleading answer choices. The ACT and SAT are timed tests, but that doesn't mean you should rush through to try to answer the questions as quickly as possible. You're bound to make some missteps if you take this approach. At the same time, rushing and constant glancing at the clock can also leave you stressed. Allow plenty of time to get to the testing center.

Question Prioritization

As you read through the questions, star the challenging ones and then answer the questions you feel the most confident about first. This will help you save time, boost your confidence, and calm your fears early on. All questions are worth the same number of points, regardless of whether it takes you two minutes or five minutes to solve them. Prioritize the easier and quicker questions (or in the case for the reading passages, the easier and quicker passages) so you can answer more questions correctly in a shorter amount of time even if this means you are skipping around.

Educated Guessing

Neither the ACT nor the SAT penalizes you for wrong answers. Why is this good news? It means you can always take your best guess and still have a 25% chance of getting it right. ACT and SAT questions tend to throw in one or two obviously wrong answers into the mix to add to the confusion. If you're having to guess an answer, you can cross out those incorrect responses to narrow down your options. Here’s our best advice when it comes to the guessing game: guess the same letter for each question you don't know how to answer. On the exams, each answer choice is correct about the same number of times, so if you choose the same letter, you will answer correctly on about 25 percent of the questions you guessed on. If you "Christmas-tree" it by bubbling in random answers, you could be guessing around the correct answers. This is a brilliant (but lesser known) way to increase your chances of getting tough questions right, and it’s definitely one of our favorite tips and tricks for the SAT.

Careful Reading

You will come across questions and answers designed to trick you. Before you mark your final choice, read through the entire question and all of the answer choices. Watch for words like "least," "except," "not," or "most likely," as these can completely change what's being asked. When it comes to the reading portion of the ACT and SAT, most passages will have an introductory passage in italics. These introductory passages are included because they are meant to give you a better understanding of the context of the passage that follows. Does a question or passage appear too long with multiple ideas or subsections integrated into it? Overly long questions and passages can be challenging to understand and difficult to answer. One way to simplify it is to mark key points as you come across them.

Bubbling Strategies

If you are having to bubble by hand, make sure that each answer you bubble in is lined up with the correct question number. Just one mis-bubble can throw everything off. You can either wait to bubble in all your answers at the end or bubble after each question.

Read also: Comprehensive ACT Guide

Review and Double-Check

Have time left over? Use any extra time you have to review your test. This means reading back over confusing questions, reviewing your selected answers, and looking for anything you might not have caught earlier. And remember, you can only work in one specific section at a time. This means that you can only look over the math section during the math portion.

Math Section Strategies

In the math section, many questions focus on solving for a variable and then inputting that variable into a new context. For the word problems, read the actual question first (usually the last line in the problem) to find out what it's asking for, then go back up and read the rest to determine what information they give you to work with. Make sure to choose the answer choice that answers the question they ask! In the math section, much like the other sections, you should work in order from easier/quicker questions to harder/longer questions. Once the multiple-choice questions become too hard or too time-consuming, switch to the grid-in, as the beginning questions in the grid-in tend to be easy and quick. Complete the easy and quick grid-in and then return to the multiple choice when the grid-in questions get too difficult. This will also help you if you tend to run out of time - you can always guess on any multiple-choice questions you have left, but you can't guess on the grid-in questions. Mathematics can be bamboozling and frustrating - especially under exam conditions. It definitely helps if you already know the important math formulas, definitions, and concepts that are likely to appear on the SAT. In general, solid test preparation is one of the best things you can do for your score. If you’ve worked with a tutor or studied a lot on your own, there are probably some types of math questions you’re confident handling - and some you’re not. Try to tackle the kinds of questions you know well upfront, then spend time on the more confusing questions. You don’t want to get bogged down by one confusing math question, then run out of time to finish the ones you actually knew how to answer. If a question seems complicated and or like it will require a lot of time to figure out, try to look for a shortcut to the answer. Start by assessing the answers to see if you will be able to rule out any obviously incorrect answers. The faster you can narrow down your options, the better.

Writing Section Strategies

In the writing section, the shortest answer that makes sense is always the correct answer. So, instead of looking at the answer choices in order of letter (A to B to C to D), look at them in order of length. Plug in the shortest answer first, then the next shortest, and the next shortest until you find the one that makes sense. Remember: if you read the sentence the first time, and it is grammatically correct and concise, don't change it! "No change" shows up as an answer about a quarter of the time, so don't be afraid to choose that option. This might sound like a no-brainer, but the SAT requires a strong understanding of English grammar. You might think you learned all you need to know in grade school but trust us: these questions can be tricky. One of the best ways to continuously improve your grammar is to read and write. You can practice this during SAT prep exercises, but you can also learn in your spare time. Reading fun novels aloud is a great way to improve your grammar. It also helps you learn how to identify grammatical mistakes that hit the ear (or eye) wrong on the exam.

Reading Section Strategies

In the reading section, often one part of each answer choice is actually true, but only in the correct answer are all the parts true. Some questions on the SAT may seem entirely subjective. However, you should always be able to point to evidence in the chart or passage you are examining. This will give you a stronger argument that’s backed up with real evidence. This is one of the crucial but often overlooked SAT test trips and tricks. Evidence is key, so take the time to hunt for it if possible. When you’re faced with a new question, begin by skim-reading it to get an overall picture of what the question is asking you. To skim quickly, try removing the reading voice that’s in your head and just read without needing to understand the whole paragraph right away. Decipher the introduction and the conclusion first, then read the first and last sentences of each paragraph in the main body of the question. You could even go the extra mile and circle or underline any keywords or phrases you might feel is important to the question.

Rhetoric Questions

In linguistics, rhetoric means using language that is designed to be impressive or persuasive. An example of “rhetoric” is when a novelist constructs a passage in a science-fiction novel that makes the reader feel wowed by the world they have described. Rhetoric questions in the SAT are focused more on how the page is structured or developed, rather than asking questions centered on the information provided. As a result, you’ll need to approach rhetoric questions differently. Think about how the author has approached that piece of writing, the stylistic elements they have chosen, and why they made these choices.

Test Day Environment

Your testing room will have a proctor whose job it is to hand out and collect tests, keep track of time, and make sure all rules are being followed. Some proctors read every word of the instructions, while others breeze through them. It’s best to be familiar with the instructions for the test before going in so that this isn’t left to chance. Proctors often give 5-minute warnings near the end of every section, but this doesn’t always happen. That’s why it’s best to use your own watch. You’ll get a 10-minute break and a 5-minute break. Use them to your advantage! Don’t be the person who just sits in the testing room waiting for the test to start again. Go out in the hallway, go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, eat your snack, socialize with your friends (but don’t talk about the test). You want to come in feeling refreshed and ready to move on to the next section. This goes without saying, but don’t try to cheat! This includes going back to previous sections or moving ahead to the next section before you’re allowed to, as well as communicating with other students about the test. You can expect that the testing room may not be the most comfortable environment. Chances are you will hear some noise, whether it is coughing, conversation in the hallway, buzzing lights, and so on. If the distraction becomes severe, report it to your proctor to see whether anything can be done.

Additional Tips

Studying before the big test day, your brain will not thank you the next day. Without good sleep, you're more likely to experience brain fog, slower thinking, and poor focus.
Donuts might sound tempting on test day, but that's going to lead to a sugar crash, and fast. Make sure you get a balanced breakfast with protein and carbs so you can stay focused and energized through the entire test.
Start Early: We get it: everyone is busy these days. You have your friends, family, hobbies, school, and maybe even a part-time job to juggle. That being said, if possible, prepare for the exam at least a year in advance. Not only will this ensure you are less stressed on the actual day of the test, but it will also give you plenty of time to learn difficult concepts.
Every answer choice appears about ¼ of the time on the test, so C isn’t any more likely to be correct than any other option. It is a good strategy to guess the same letter for all the questions you don’t have time to do.
Standardized test scores are just one aspect of your college application. Every year, top colleges reject students with excellent SAT scores. So try your best not to stress about the test. It’s just one part of your college application, and it doesn’t assess your intelligence or worth as a person.

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