SATs are very important to high school students thinking about college. I know that when I entered my junior year, I knew that SATs were one of the major parts of the year. I spent much of the year concentrating on other things within my school, but I knew that I would soon have to prepare myself. As difficult as it was to balance SATs with schoolwork and everything else keeping me busy, the best advice that was given to me about preparing myself was to not overwhelm myself.
This doesn’t mean that we should go into the SATs with no preparation and find ourselves surprised by any of the questions on it. It simply means, prepare yourself by studying for just a few minutes a day, weeks before the test, and remember that you can retake the SATs during your senior year, if you are not satisfied. It is important to remember that there is a difference between not overwhelming yourself, and simply not caring. Put yourself in a position where you can say with confidence that you will be ready, and from there, you can rest and not worry.
You can put yourself into this position by signing up for a SAT prep class. Ask a teacher or counselor at your school if they have any recommendations for places to go. When you start the class, make sure the schedule works for you and doesn’t cut into any schoolwork, because that is the first priority. Ask the tutor for a list of common questions on the SATs, or (for math) a list of formulas that can be used for many of the common questions. I had a sheet for math that listed helpful things such as: all the triangle rules and common geometry formulas, reminders to know common square roots and powers, etc. This was the most helpful thing to me, and it helped me raise my math score about 70 points from the PSATs. After taking these classes, take one full day off the day before the test. Do not study, just rest and relax. This helps keep you calm and actually helps you remember helpful information more.
Remember to prepare yourself starting weeks in advance, and give yourself a day of rest before the test. That being said, do not worry about it, because you will be ready, and if you do not do as well as you would like, you can retake it at the next available testing day. Good luck.
