How To Prepare For SAT 2022-23

How to Prepare For SAT 2022-23

The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is one of the most important measures in order to get admitted into universities across the US. The test is taken by college and universities in order to measure the knowledge of the prospective student as well as his ability to apply their knowledge to colleges.

But preparation for SAT examination requires an in-depth understanding of SAT exam pattern and in order to develop that understanding, it is important to know the method of preparation.

The SAT examination is highly important exam as it is the only way to get admission into the biggies like Ivy Leagues of the US Universities and National Institute of Technology (NITs) of India as well. Hence, SAT demands special preparation, here is a quick guide to how to prepare for SAT examination.

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Planning Your SAT Practice

Since we all know practice makes a man perfect, it is important to practice for SAT but practice done in the wrong direction bears no fruit, hence it is advisable to practice in a well-planned manner. While making a plan, you should remember one SAT study plan is not one size fits all, what works for your classmate doesn’t mean it will work for you. It is very well known that no two people have the same style of studying.

This is what happens when preparing for SAT examination; in fact, students who have taken SAT have used very different approaches towards focusing on the exam. When you design your SAT study plan it is important to consider your study preferences, SAT goals and study resources before sticking on a study plan. 

The SAT experts suggest starting the SAT preparation about three months before the SAT exam as it will provide you with enough time to try a few study approaches and get comfortable with the test content. 

In an Official SAT Practice schedule, you are the ultimate decision maker; you have to choose how often you should practice and how many full-length tests to take based on the amount of time before your test. You will also have to choose the number of hours to be dedicated to improving your different skills. Here are a few more tips on how to study and manage your time accordingly:

• Diagnose your skills early on- Students who don’t plan to study during the months leading up to the SAT, it is advisable to complete the PSAT/NMSQT, six months before the test. This will help you stay close to your SAT score goal.
• Take at least two full practice tests- It is strongly recommended to take at one fully-timed practice test once you begin studying for the exam.
• Familiarize yourself with the instructions for each test section- The test directions and the sequence of the sections always remain same for each and every SAT examination. So, it is important to memorize and understand the given instruction beforehand, as it will save the time on the day of the test.
• Study almost every available text- Don’t stick to course material only as it will not provide with 100% preparation. The preparation for the reading section can be done by reading and summarizing long articles and scientific studies. It is advisable to read editorials articles or essays and pay attention to how the writer constructs the argument and conveys his point; this is required to prepare for the optional essay.
• Take a break before the exam- It is important to take that break to relax and calm down your mind, it is one of the best ways to cure anxiety.
• Take a good sleep- It is strongly recommended to take a full night of sleep (at least 8 hours). A good sleep will ensure a happy and comfortable beginning of the day

Tips for Effective and Efficient Studying

SAT preparation demands lots of concentration and time, which can be frustrating, difficult and boring as well. So here are a few things how to get it going.

How to understand the study material-

• Make use online resources
• Make use your own words
• Try to teaching others for better clarification
• Try to opt for interactive learning
• Discuss with others

Make a quick note

• Always be prepared to learn and note down few points
• Make your own notes
• Make use of modern technology

Use your creativity

• Make the process of learning fun
• Make use of colours while making notes and learning easy
• Record yourself and then learn
• Make short-term goals and challenge yourself

Steps to stay focused

It is important to remove all the temptations such as- 

• Switch off your phone
• Be committed to studying time
• Take breaks in the time of need

Keep things fun

• Reward yourself
• Try using a non-distracting drone sound
• Mix it up

Effective SAT preparation techniques

• Review your mistake thoroughly
• Create a proper routine
• Skip the hard questions
• Memorize the formulas

Do according to yourself

• Take control of yourself
• Only you know what works best for you so do stick to it
• Take SAT examination only when it suits you well

Tips for Managing Your Study Time

Time is a precious commodity once gone it never comes back and when your high school is full of activity, it gets really tough to manage time. So here are a few time management techniques-

Make a study plan

• Study regularly
• Figure out your own study system
• Prioritize your SAT preparation, don’t procrastinate 
• Listen to your own self

Keep yourself on Track

• Stick to your study schedule
• Estimate your time needs
• Start with short-term goals
• Take short breaks

Stay Organized

• Provide yourself with small rewards
• Try to have each and everything in the written format 
• Think of a little ahead and plan

Building Your Growth Mindset

It is important to develop a "growth mindset". It is a type of attitude that acknowledges and embraces the hard work and determination primary to intelligence and capability.  While preparing for SAT exam, students come across two types of disappointments such as:

Academic Disappointment

There could be a number of reasons behind academic disappointments such as –

• The student didn’t take his notes seriously.
• The lack of proper study schedule can be another reason which generally makes students careless.
• The student was unprepared for taking 4-hour long test.
• One of the most common reasons is lack of experience in taking SAT examination as the pattern of SAT examination is completely different.

Personal Disappointment

• The students lacked the creativity of thought.
• Another reason could be a transition from middle school to high school, which could be highly upsetting in nature and this change can even make it difficult for students to concentrate on the exam wisely.

 How to Take a Practice SAT

The practice test is an amazing opportunity for students to get a nearly accurate picture. The practice SAT will provide you with all your strengths and weaknesses so that it can help you make informed decisions about your preparation schedule and keep your study sessions productive. Here are a few steps to make your practice test a success:

• When taking a test online, use a notebook or pad of paper for math problems.
• If you taking a pen and paper tests, make use of the test booklet for all of your work
• Make use of no.2 pencil
• Make use of a printed bubble sheet
• Make use of an approves calculator list

It is important to take a full-length SAT practice test will give you insight into other areas that will be critical to your success on Test Day

Warm Up

• Eat healthy food as it boosts your metabolism 
• Get good night sleep
• Wake up early no later than 7 am and make it part of your routine as it will help you on the day of the exam as well.

Be Prepared

• Consider using a real printed bubble sheet
• Make use of real paper for the essay
• Use number 2 pencils only
• Calculator with a fresh set of batteries
• Keep water and healthy snack by your side
• Keep a timer as well as it helps in managing time properly

Location and Environment

The location of the exam has a huge impact on the performance of the test taker –

• Try to take the exam in a library- not in the comfortable home
• Switch off your phone
• If you are using a phone, use your phone as a timer; put it in an airplane mode

Devices

During the SAT examination, the students will not be permitted to access their mobile phone devices or any other electronic device at all except a calculator.

Some other tips

• Students usually forget to write the essay, so don’t forget to write an essay
• Plan your test according to the time you want to devote to each and every section
• Don’t give yourself a few extra seconds to fill in bubbles for questions you didn’t get to.
• Eat healthy snacks and drink water during your breaks

Tips for Test Day

On the day of the test, Now that you are mentally prepared, you have studied, practiced, and take a quite good night sleep.

The night before the exam –

• Relax your mind
• Avoid screen time
• Have a nice and healthy dinner
• Organize your things in a bag
• Make a plan to reach your testing site

Test Morning

• Wake up early in the morning and have a healthy breakfast.
• If you are in a habit of taking any caffeine like tea or coffee, then stick to your routine.
• Go to the test site earlier than the time of test to avoid last minute panic
• After getting to the test location, completely avoid nervous people as they can enhance unnecessary anxiety

For the Maths test

• Make sure to underline key parts of the problem
• Make yourself 100% sure that you are answering the right question
• Answer your math question in the order of difficulty to minimize anxiety
• Every SAT question has same weight age so try to answer easier questions first
• Don’t get stuck to one question, if you are unable to answer the question skip it, so you can save your precious time

For the reading test

• Read the questions first
• Don’t over annotate
• Be an active reader

For Writing and Language Test

• Always simplify complicated sentences

For the essay

• Don’t give your opinion

For the whole test

• Don’t leave anything blank
• Use process of elimination
• Cover up all your choices
• Pace yourself accordingly
• Believe yourself
• Bubbles in batches
• Use your extra time judiciously

Test Day : What to Expect and What to Bring

Here is a quick overview of what will happen on the day of test as this knowledge will guide you better as well as minimize the anxiety.

• Arrival and check in
• Settling in the examination hall
• Taking the test
• Break time
• After the test is conducted
• Arrival of scores

Things to carry

It is important to carry the following things to the exam hall without these things the test taker will not be admitted to the examination centre.

• The admission ticket
• Photo identification
• Number 2 pencils and a soft eraser
• Permitted calculator

Few other things

It is advisable to carry these few things as it will be of great help.

• A watch without an audible exam
• Extra set of batteries
• Water Bottle
• Healthy snack fuel
• Dress in layers
• A backpack to carry your stuff comfortably at ease

Things not to carry to Exam centre

• Mobile phones
• iPods or iPads
• MP3 or any other kind of audio players
• Laptops, notebooks, or other personal computers
• Pagers or other texting devices
• Separate timers of any type
• Cameras or other photographic equipment

Full-length SATs to Take on Paper

It is strongly recommended to take full-length official SAT practice tests by hand. As the use of real answer grid and real paper will provide you with highly realistic SAT examination feeling. You can easily practice marking up the test, doing your math work in the space next to the problem, annotate passages and crossing out the bad choices as you do your test.

Full-length SAT/NMSQT to Take on Paper

Very few people know that there are 3 types of Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT). The three different PSAT exams are-

• PSAT 8/9
• PSAT 10
• PSAT/NMSQT

The PSAT 8/9 and PSAT 10 are designed for the grade levels indicated by their names. The third test type NMSQT stands for National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is not just a preliminary SAT. The top scorers of NMSQT examination have potential to qualify for substantial scholarships at many different colleges such as National Merit Scholarship Program.

DASA / CIWG & JEE FAQ 2022-23

After going through the above guide, we know that SAT examination is not a cake walk. The SAT examination preparation demands a lot of planning and plotting and no plan is successful without a proper level of dedication. Hence it is important to put an immense level of hard work and determination in order to score as expected on the SAT examination.

SAT Preparation Resources

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