SAT Action Plan How to Study and Prepare for the SAT College Entrance Exam

SAT Action Plan: How to Study and Prepare for the SAT College Entrance Exam First, check out myfree SAT e-book,Master the SAT by Brian McElroy, and r/SATACTprep, a "subreddit" I have created on the Reddit website to easily share free SAT and ACT information, as well as my simplifiedlist of recommended SAT books on Amazon.Then...Step 1: Take a practice test to determine your baseline score. You can find 8 free, official practice SATs, along with answer explanations, on theCollege Board /Khan Academy websites (make sure to print them out before you take them). Or, simply buy the paper book instead. The entire test -- Reading, Writing and Language, Math No Calculator, Math With Calculator, and Essay (optional, but required by many colleges)--takes around 4 hours and should be taken all at once, if possible, or split into a maximum of two parts. Already ran out of the first 8 tests? You can find PDFs of 33+ more official SATs and PSATs here. Step 2: Set a score goal. My students' score improvements on the new SAT (400-1600 scale) are about 150-200 points.Step 3 : Start working on the content of the test.My Top 11 SAT Prep Resources, Ranked.Vocabulary - SAT Vocab Capacity free e-book / Word Root List / Mnemonic Videos (Please note that vocab is still important, but less essential, on the new SAT.)Math -College Panda / A Guide to the Math SAT / Khan Academy / SAT Quantum / Cliffs Notes Math Review for Standardized Tests / PWN the SAT Math Guide / SAT Math Tips / This formula sheet and this formula sheet and this blog post by meCritical Reading / Writing - The Ultimate Guide to SAT Reading (a.k.a. The Critical Reader) / The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar / SAT Writing Tips / Prepositional Idiom List / Complete SAT Grammar Rules Essay -The College Panda's SAT Essay / New SAT Essay Questions and Practice Materials General SAT Strategy and Additional (Non-Official) SAT Practice Tests -Ivy Global New SAT Guide, 2nd. Ed. / SAT Prep Black Book, 2nd. ed / Barron's New SAT / Barron's 6 Practice Tests for the New SATIf you are looking for an online SAT self-study program that tracks your strengths and weaknesses in each area of learning, then I can recommend Khan Academy, which is a free service that has partnered with the College Board to provide online SAT drills and practice. Fair warning: the individual practice questions on Khan Academy are not official College Board SAT questions, but they are similar. For additional help, consider a private tutor like me who can point you in the right direction. You can also find free SAT Prep Tips on the McElroy Tutoring Blog and free SAT videos on the McElroy Tutoring YouTube page. You should also subscribe to the SAT Question of the Day. In addition, keep reading challenging material, such as the Top 100 Fiction and Top 100 Non-Fiction titles on Amazon. Also check out literary websites such as The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Economist, and even Grantland for the sports fans. Step 4: (only recommended for lower-scoring students): take an SAT classroom course such as the one at UCSD, where I am currently on the teaching staff. These types of classes can be helpful for low scorers who need all the time, practice and repetition they can get. But don't overpay for an "elite" class: these types of classes are all very similar and focus mostly on test content and basic strategies for the average student. Instead, save your money for a qualified private tutor later on in the process.Step 5: If you haven't done so already, buy 2 copies of the Of ficial SAT Study Guide (I recommend keeping a second, blank copy for the purpose of reviewing questions without bias), and buy a good graphing calculator if you don't have one already. Or, even easier (and possibly cheaper): just go to the College Board website, download those same 10 PDFs for free, and simply print them out at home. The drawbacks to this method are that the pages will be harder to organize, and that you will incur printing and paper costs. Step 6: Once you begin studying, consider scheduling some time with me or another private tutor. You may meet with your tutor for anywhere from 1 hour to 100 hours, but most students need at least 15-25 hours for a full preparation. If you are willing to go with the Skype tutoring option, then you are free to choose from any tutor nationwide. I recommend scheduling a 15-minute phone consultation with me or your tutor before the first lesson, to discuss timelines, scheduling, and the unique needs of the student(s). Working with a private tutor is the very best way to maximize your score, for a variety of reasons: 1) You are given personalized attention, lessons tailored to fit your schedule, and the opportunity to discuss each question in-depth until you are fully satisfied. 2) Private tutors are usually the best instructors. 3) A skilled private tutor will serve as a friend and confidant, hold you accountable, give you specific assignments and work on any problem areas so that all you have to do is put in the effort. Simply talking about the questions with your tutor helps aid your understanding of each question and your test-taking strategies.Homework:As a general rule, students should spend at least one hour on homework for every hour they spend with their tutor. The usual homework assignment is 3-4 sections from the book (approximately 1.5 hours), working from the front to the back. Students should time themselves, and mark the question where they run out of time, but continue working past the time limit if necessary. Full practice tests should also be taken periodically, at the discretio n of the tutor. The goal is to eventually complete all 8 tests in the book, and possibly more.HOW TO GRADE TESTS AND HOMEWORK: Either don't grade your homework and just let your tutor grade it for you, or grade it yourself (the answers are in the back), but please do not indicate the correct answers anywhere on the test.Remember, when you take the SAT, you do not know the answer to the questions in advance. As tutors, we must preserve this unsure feeling on behalf of our students, or much of the value of the question is lost. In the same vein, when a question is tried again, it is best not to know the correct answer, or one's previous answer. This is where the second, blank copy of the book comes in. Step 7: If you haven't done so already, then register for the SAT. The SAT is administered 7 times a year, on varying days: October, November, December, January, March, May, and June.Three times a year, the SAT offers what's called the Question and Answer service (QAS), which allows yo u to view the actual test questions as well your answers (you will be mailed a physical copy of the test booklet about 5-6 weeks after the test). Sign up for the QAS service in advance if you can--it costs extra but it's worth it. Currently it's offered in October, January and May. These are the best three months to take the test, because otherwise there will no way to review incorrectly answered questions with your tutor afterward.Step 8: Take at least 2-3 full practice tests in the weeks leading up to the real thing to make sure your score is where you need it to be. Step 9: On the morning of the test, read my SAT test-day tips for a final time. Step 10: Repeat if necessary. Most students score highest the second or third time they take the SAT. You may also find helpful information in my Grades 9-12 document. Good luck!Regards,Brian copyright 2002-2019 Brian R. McElroyFounder and President, McElroy Tutoring Inc. email: mcelroy@post.harvard.eduToll-Free: 1-866-584-TUTOR (8886), x 4Direct (Call or Text): 619-889-2935www.McElroyTutoring.com