7 Tips to Improve Your SAT Score The Princeton Review
If you’re starting to prep for your SAT—know that you’re in good company.
More than 2.2 million students in the class of 2019 took the SAT.
Still, it was daunting for them, just as it may be daunting for you.
We are here to help!
In addition to a lot of great free SAT test-prep videos that you can access right here on this
very YouTube channel, you can start getting into an SAT mindset with the 7 tips in this
video.
They’ll help you be strategic as you approach the rest of your SAT prep.
First things first; let’s cut right to the chase.
The SAT doesn’t test how smart you are.
It tests how well you do on the SAT.
So, find out how well you do on the SAT.
Like everyone, you have strengths and weaknesses.
Take a practice test, and see where you stand.
We offer these for free, both in person and online.
And simulate testing conditions!
Time yourself.
You can use a [beep] of your smartphone or a [ring] from an old-fashioned alarm clock.
But take it all the way through, and do time yourself.
Time management and endurance will be KEY to your success on the SAT.
Plus, the more “test-like” your practice test is, the more realistic your baseline
score is apt to be.
Next up: Even on that practice test, and on every future practice and real-life SAT you
ever take, you will want to take the easy test first, folks.
What do I mean?
I don’t mean defying the rules of the test and flipping back and forth between sections.
But I do mean, within a section, answering the questions that are easy for you first,
then doing the ones that are of medium difficulty, and then, if you have time, working on the
hard questions.
Do not waste precious minutes working through challenging questions, leaving yourself no
time to do the questions that you easily know how to do.
All the questions—from the mind-bendingly hard word problem to the easy-peasy algebra
question—are worth the same number of points.
And, you don’t need to get all of the questions right to earn an awesome score.
So invest your time wisely, my friends.
Speaking of hard questions: If you don’t know the right answer, and you’re not going
to get it in the time allotted, then GUESS.
Please, for the love of ice cream, don’t leave anything blank.
And use your test booklet!
Cross off answers you know are wrong.
It’s often much easier to determine the three wrong answers rather than looking for
the correct answer.
And, if you have to guess, you’re guessing out of 2 or 3 rather than 4.
Speaking of your book, you might also consider being a “bubble-chunker.”
Rather than bubble in each answer as you get it, write them all in your test booklet, and
then transfer them all at once, to save yourself time going back and forth.
Just don’t leave this until the very last minute, because an answer has to be bubbled
in for you to earn those all-important points!
If you do this, it’s also super-important that you make sure you’re bubbling in the
correct numbers.
So, if you’ve got ACBA for questions 1 through 4, then make sure you’re bubbling in 1 - A,
2 - C, 3 - B, 4 - A. If you’re careful, this can be a nice time-saver.
And while we’re on the topic of test tools, let’s talk about your calculator.
There’s a short section on which you’re not allowed to use it, and then a longer one
on which you are allowed to use it.
But remember, folks: an option is not a mandate.
Only use your calculator when it can save you time.
If it’ll take you longer to punch in the numbers than to do the arithmetic yourself,
then put that calculator down!
Part of what the SAT tests is your judgment about when a calculator is appropriate.
In fact, don’t even pick up your calculator until you’ve set up the question on the
page and determined whether you even need the calculator.
Finally, make a plan, and stick to it.
I mean that in 3 ways.
First, when you take your practice test, make a study plan geared toward your skills and
challenges.
If you take one of our free practice tests, you’ll get a detailed score report free
of charge, and you can also attend one of our free in-person or online ScoresBack sessions
to break down your study plan.
Next, make a plan for getting to the test center early, with all of the materials you’ll
need, so that you’re not unnecessarily stressed going into the test.
(We’ve got a video about what to do the day before the SAT—check it out!)
And last, make a plan for how you’re going to take the test.
If you decide you’re not going to spend more than a certain amount of time on any
one question, then do not deviate from that plan on test day.
You can do this!
Thanks so much for watching.
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