By Danni Dunlop
Juniors have just under a week left for preparation to take possibly one of the biggest tests they may ever take. The SAT is set to be taken Wednesday, April 5th.
Many students feel that studying for the SAT is a big affair and don’t know exactly where to start. After you learn about the structure of the test and figure out which section you need most improvement in, follow a few of these steps:
1.) Set a Goal for Yourself
Setting goals are my greatest motivation. Ever want to score a goal or hit a homerun in a sport? Most likely, you’d practice over and over again until you reach that goal. Treat the SAT the same way; Look up the top 3 colleges you are interested in getting accepted into and see their SAT score requirements. Trust me, you’d be so motivated to score that perfect score to get into your favorite college.
2.) Take Practice Tests
Most practice tests are very similar to the real deal SAT. It could never hurt to give it a try; Then you could see where you need to focus most. Don’t forget to score yourself on the practice test and review what you got incorrect. Click here to start practicing.
3.) Get to know the Vocabulary used
Remember being in the middle of reading the passages from the PSAT sophomore year and questioning yourself “What the heck does that word mean?” or “Is that even a word?” If you struggled with the vocabulary used in the PSAT, it’d probably be best to familiarize yourself more with it by taking a couple SAT vocabulary word tests.
4) Get Plenty of Sleep the Night before
Don’t stay up tearing away your brain by studying all night the night before. It’s best to spread your studying out over time rather than cramming it all in the night before. The morning of the test, you should feel alert and confident, not tired and crabby due to lack of sleep.
5) Eat a healthy breakfast
Eat a good breakfast filled with protein. Eating foods with protein is always the way to go to start of your day. Don’t show up to the SAT with an empty stomach; You’ll most likely get hungry and be focusing on your stomach growling rather than the test.
6) Be prepared: Make a check-list
Make sure you know what classroom to report to on April 5th and that you have the right materials you need. Do you have two #2 pencils? What about the right kind of calculator? Make a check list to help better prepare and organize yourself prior to taking the SAT. Put a note on the door to remind you of the things you need.
7.) Don’t Stress
Though it’s more easier said than done, don’t freak out. Sometimes the more you stress, the less successful you will be. If you reach a question that you don’t know the answer to, skip it and go back to it later. Never leave a question unanswered; You are not deducted points for getting a question incorrect so always go with your gut and take your best guess.
Good luck to the class of 2018 on taking the SAT and to the sophomore class on taking the CAPT test.
What are you doing to get ready for the SAT? Let us know in the comments or @Branfordbuzz on Twitter.
