So you're going to take the SAT? Hopefully you've already done your homework.
The SAT is a standardized test and preparing is essential in order to score your best, that means familiarizing yourself with the test, learning the types of questions on the test, as well as studying the particular elements of the test that you may need some freshening up on.
You've also already signed up for the test, hopefully at a test center you are familiar with (if you can, see if your prospective test center has full size desks, else you may want choose a center with a little more room to write).
Now that all that work is done, it's time for test day! The SAT is a long test! So get ready.
Here are a few day of tips: 1.
Get some sleep.
Being well rested will help your mind stay sharp.
2.
Eat breakfast.
Studies have proven that students who eat breakfast score significantly better on math tests than those who skip the essential meal.
Slow metabolizing foods, such as oatmeal, or high protein picks, such as omelets, can get you off to a good start.
3.
Bring a snack and eat it when you have the chance.
Testing centers are supposed to give you breaks at certain intervals, but when I took the test, our center was running so behind that they did not give us our last two breaks in areas where we were allowed to eat!! You might not be hungry yet, but you don't want to get caught starving on the last section, so eat a little bit when you have the chance.
4.
Load up your calculator The SAT allows the use of graphing calculators, so take advantage of this, and load it up with some calculator programs.
Calculator programs can help you save time and ensure accuracy, and many are available online.
You can Google to find these, but be careful to avoid suspicious sites.
You can also program your calculator yourself.
Some helpful programs to load in: -Prime Factorization (breaks a number into its prime factors) -Hero's Formula (finds the area of a triangle with only the side lengths) -Simplifying Radicals Program (can simplify your radical and leave a prime whole number under the radical sign) -Quadratic equation -Area / Perimeter equations (look at the math section of the SAT, the beginning of each lists formulas you're responsible for-- load a program in your calculator to automate these calculations) -Pythagorean Theorem You can even get programs to do combined work problems, distance problems, or probability (Permutations and Combinations).
These aren't necessary: you can get every question on the SAT I without any calculator whatsoever! But calculators help improve accuracy and can be a good short cut, and programs, if they don't overwhelm you, can offer a slight advantage.
Also, learn how to use your calculator.
A TI-89, for example, can solve systems of equations-- helpful if you are trying to solve some word problems on the SAT.
5.
Stay Cool If you don't usually drink coffee every morning, the morning of the test isn't the day to start! Stay cool and focused.
The SAT will give you opportunities, but the world is full of opportunities-- it's never the end of the world.
6.
Check your packing list The College Board offers several do's and don'ts and packing tips-- check over the list and make sure you're prepared.
A small pencil sharpener also comes in handy! The site also has a day of test simulator-- so you can learn how they inform you of time, duration and number of breaks, etc.
http://sat.
collegeboard.
com/register/sat-test-day-checklist 7.
Check your answers if you have time, and fill in the bubbles as you go.
A slightly dull pencil works best for bubbling, and is just plain faster, but a sharp pencil is nice for the writing section, plan accordingly.
Don't wait til the end of each section to fill in bubbles-- just fill them in as you go.
If you skip a question, be mindful to skip that choice on your answer sheet.
The SAT is a standardized test and preparing is essential in order to score your best, that means familiarizing yourself with the test, learning the types of questions on the test, as well as studying the particular elements of the test that you may need some freshening up on.
You've also already signed up for the test, hopefully at a test center you are familiar with (if you can, see if your prospective test center has full size desks, else you may want choose a center with a little more room to write).
Now that all that work is done, it's time for test day! The SAT is a long test! So get ready.
Here are a few day of tips: 1.
Get some sleep.
Being well rested will help your mind stay sharp.
2.
Eat breakfast.
Studies have proven that students who eat breakfast score significantly better on math tests than those who skip the essential meal.
Slow metabolizing foods, such as oatmeal, or high protein picks, such as omelets, can get you off to a good start.
3.
Bring a snack and eat it when you have the chance.
Testing centers are supposed to give you breaks at certain intervals, but when I took the test, our center was running so behind that they did not give us our last two breaks in areas where we were allowed to eat!! You might not be hungry yet, but you don't want to get caught starving on the last section, so eat a little bit when you have the chance.
4.
Load up your calculator The SAT allows the use of graphing calculators, so take advantage of this, and load it up with some calculator programs.
Calculator programs can help you save time and ensure accuracy, and many are available online.
You can Google to find these, but be careful to avoid suspicious sites.
You can also program your calculator yourself.
Some helpful programs to load in: -Prime Factorization (breaks a number into its prime factors) -Hero's Formula (finds the area of a triangle with only the side lengths) -Simplifying Radicals Program (can simplify your radical and leave a prime whole number under the radical sign) -Quadratic equation -Area / Perimeter equations (look at the math section of the SAT, the beginning of each lists formulas you're responsible for-- load a program in your calculator to automate these calculations) -Pythagorean Theorem You can even get programs to do combined work problems, distance problems, or probability (Permutations and Combinations).
These aren't necessary: you can get every question on the SAT I without any calculator whatsoever! But calculators help improve accuracy and can be a good short cut, and programs, if they don't overwhelm you, can offer a slight advantage.
Also, learn how to use your calculator.
A TI-89, for example, can solve systems of equations-- helpful if you are trying to solve some word problems on the SAT.
5.
Stay Cool If you don't usually drink coffee every morning, the morning of the test isn't the day to start! Stay cool and focused.
The SAT will give you opportunities, but the world is full of opportunities-- it's never the end of the world.
6.
Check your packing list The College Board offers several do's and don'ts and packing tips-- check over the list and make sure you're prepared.
A small pencil sharpener also comes in handy! The site also has a day of test simulator-- so you can learn how they inform you of time, duration and number of breaks, etc.
http://sat.
collegeboard.
com/register/sat-test-day-checklist 7.
Check your answers if you have time, and fill in the bubbles as you go.
A slightly dull pencil works best for bubbling, and is just plain faster, but a sharp pencil is nice for the writing section, plan accordingly.
Don't wait til the end of each section to fill in bubbles-- just fill them in as you go.
If you skip a question, be mindful to skip that choice on your answer sheet.