Are you taking the SAT soon? Since the SAT is becoming optional in many top schools, you might think about whether you should take it or not. In my other post, I have laid out a plan for you to decide if taking the test would be beneficial for your application. If after reading that you have decided to go for it, this post is for you!
You might be thinking of some important questions: How is the SAT structured? What are the questions like? How can I study for it? How much should I study for it?
All of them are excellent questions that I am covering in-depth here. Keep reading and take notes!
Most high school students take the SAT (or the ACT) during the spring of their junior year or fall of their senior year. I took it in in November, which was a couple of months before the deadline. I could have taken it earlier, but as an international student, my circumstances were different. That is why my posts implement a lot of useful tips for international students as well!
It’s good to take the SAT early to leave time to re-take the test if you want to raise your score before your application deadline. The SAT exam is offered nationally every year in August, October, November, December, March, May, and June. In some countries, it might be offered less often, so check for each country separately.
The SAT structure
The SAT contains three sections
- Reading
- Writing and Language
- Math
The test is entirely a multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper format. College Board has piloted a digital test format a few times, but as of now, it has not been officially adopted. Each section of the SAT is scored on a 200 to 800-point scale. Your total SAT score is the sum of your section scores. The highest possible SAT score is 1600. The test is three hours long, with a break after each section.
In previous years, there was also an optional essay portion, but College Board permanently discontinued it during the pandemic. That makes sense, since college applications include a lot of essay writing already, and now there is one less thing to stress about when preparing for the SAT.
What to expect in each section of the SAT
What to expect in the Reading section?
This section contains excerpts from different styles of writing, such as literature and science texts.
- Multiple choice questions to test whether you understand the text fully. This can mean certain words in context, a purpose of a paragraph, or implications
- Example questions: “The main purpose of the first paragraph is to…”, “The authors refer to work by Camerer and others (line 56) in order to:”, “The narrator implies that Mrs. Quabarl favors a form of education that emphasizes:”
What to expect in the Writing and Language section?
This section consists of short passages and multiple choice questions about grammatical and stylistic choices.
- For some questions, you will consider how the passage might be revised to improve the expression of ideas.
- For other questions, you will consider how the passage might be edited to correct errors in sentence structure, usage, or punctuation.
What to expect in the Math section?
The math section tests your numerical and logical abilities, along with your knowledge of mathematical concepts. The math itself is not beyond high-school level, but given the time pressure and context of the questions, it’s worth reviewing some of that math:
- Algebra
- Percentages / Ratios / Fractions
- Coordinate geometry
- Two-dimensional geometry
- Three-dimensional geometry
- Statistics
- Powers and roots
- Probability / combinatorics
- Integer properties
- Inequalities
- Functions
- Sequences
These math concepts – which often also overlay – appear in 4 question types:
- Heart of Algebra
- Problem Solving and Data Analysis
- Passport to Advanced Math
- Additional Topics in Math
Time pressure makes all the difference
The topics covered in the SAT are definitely not rocket science. If you are a solid student in high school, it should be very doable. However, most people struggle with the short time available to complete each section. The SAT is designed to put stress and pressure on test-takers – in fact, many don’t manage to complete all questions. It sounds bad, but do not be thrown off by this. There is no penalty for answering a question wrong, so answer each question!
Move on from questions you can’t answer initially – getting stuck on one question is one of the biggest issues for many. Taking practice tests will help you develop a feeling for how long they can take to answer a question – you can calculate and more naturally learn how much time they can allocate to each question
How to prepare for the SAT
It might feel puzzling to study for an aptitude test since it does not test specific knowledge, but rather your skills (except in the math section, where you should have basic math knowledge). However, you should spend time practicing the test. Practice makes perfect, as in everything in life, and you will feel more confident taking the test, which is much more important than you might think.
Here are my top 7 tips to prepare:
1. Do a baseline practice test
THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. It’s crucial to know where you start from. You should take a practice test as a baseline to see how good your vocabulary and math are and identify your weaknesses and strengths. This will allow you to be much more tactical about how you prepare for the SAT. If you start studying without knowing what to study, you are just wasting time.
2. Familiarize yourself with the SAT question types
The questions in the SAT can be really odd sometimes, so you should be on top of all the question types, so nothing surprises you on the big day. Overall the SAT is meant to be quite straightforward, but almost always there is at least a couple of questions in each practice (and real) test that puzzle you. The more comfortable you get with different question types, the better your performance will be on the test day.
3. Study high-school math
Most of the math questions rely on fairly simple high-school math, though they might be worded oddly or be part of more challenging problems. So we recommend brushing up on math skills. The time you should allocate to math is entirely dependent on your base skill level. If you are a math wizard, maybe focus more on the reading part and vice versa. You can buy an SAT prep book (maybe a used one), but it’s not necessary at all. An awesome platform to study is Khan Academy, which is the official SAT Practice and it is free and comprehensive. Khan Academy has both math and reading and writing practice. This is what I mainly used as well, in addition to a few SAT prep books I got from my local library.
4. Write flashcards (or download an app for that)
To learn the vocabulary, you should simply study the vocabulary. This is especially true for international students who might feel insecure about their English skills. By now after years and years in school, you have developed your own strategy for studying by heart – but flashcards may be a good approach.
5. Study wherever you are
You should good use of time when preparing for the SAT. A digital flashcard app might come in handy if you want to study words on the move. You could also do some brain-teaser math (there are plenty of good and free apps online for that too). This can contribute to your general skills that will come in very handy during the SAT. If you don’t like studying for hours and hours at a time, doing a little more often can be a better approach for you.
6. Focus on your weaknesses and on important sections
For the SAT it’s important to be tactical. You should not spend too much time on sections they can already do perfectly. It’s a nice confidence booster to repeat stuff you can already do, but unfortunately, it is not helpful.
7. Do timed practice SAT tests
Practice makes perfect. You should challenge yourself in a realistic testing environment. After all, you are preparing for a specific test here, so you need to get comfortable with that exact test environment. You can start by completing individual sections in the required time and move on to entire tests – while still keeping the time. You have to get used to the stress created by the SAT. Quantity is. not more important than quality, though. A few well-prepared and timed tests, particularly as the test date comes closer, are the most effective way to prepare for the SAT than trying to do 20 tests each week with little reflection.
Reflection
Now you should have a solid preparation plan to ace your upcoming SAT test! Remember, standardized tests are only a small part of the holistic college application. You will have to write personal essays, ask for letters of recommendation, list your achievements, and more. This can be really daunting, which is why I started this blog to help you. Check out my other posts to learn more and make your college application stand out!