No matter what exam you're taking, there are certain things you can do in the days before to ensure a successful experience. It makes sense to review what you've learned, but eating well, sleeping, and taking time to relax go a long way, too. Sleep - Relax the night before the test. Don't cram. You are being tested on knowledge that you have accumulated over the course of the year. Studying at the last minute will only stress you out. Go to a movie or hang out with a friend - anything to get your mind off of the test!
- It is important to be well rested. Make sure to get a good night's sleep in the few days before the test.
- If you don't sleep well the night before the test, don't worry about it! It is more important to sleep well two and three nights before. You should still have the energy you need to perform at your best.
Diet - Don't change your diet right before the test. Now's not the time to try new foods, even if they are healthier. You don't want to find out on test morning that yesterday's energy bar didn't go down well.
- In the few weeks before the test, try to work a light, healthy breakfast into your daily routine. If you already eat breakfast, good for you - don't change a thing.
Stress - Try to be aware of whatever anxiety you're feeling before test day. The first thing to remember is that this is a natural phenomenon; your body is conditioned to raise the alarm whenever something important is about to happen. However, because you are aware of what your body and mind are doing, you can compensate for it.
- Spend some time each day relaxing. Try to let go of all the pressures that build up during your average day.
- Visualize a successful test day experience. You already know what to expect on test day: when you'll get each test section, how many questions there are, how much time you'll have, etc. You also know where you are strong and where you are weak. Picture yourself confidently answering questions correctly, and smoothly moving past trouble spots - you can come back to those questions later.
- Find a family member or trusted friend with whom you can talk about the things that stress you out about the test. When this person tells you that everything is going to be OK, believe it!
- Standardized testing has become one of the most stressful parts of the college admission process. The stakes seem higher than ever, and the complexities more confusing. At the most selective colleges, low test scores are some in cases used to exclude, rather than include students. That is because at these institutions, enough strong applicants apply that the schools have the luxury of asking for almost everything from almost everyone.
However you choose to prepare, don't worry too much. It's not good for your health, and it won't help your performance. In fact, it could negatively impact your schoolwork, family life, and involvement in the things that really matter. Do add regular reading and writing to your life beginning as early in high school as possible. This is good for your brain, and will help you in all your other coursework. Verbal Questions - For passage-based questions, first work on detail questions that you can easily locate the answer to. Then move on to inference questions, questions that ask what the author intended, and main idea questions.
- If a question involves a tough vocabulary word, use the surrounding clues in the text to determine what it means.
Writing Questions - Remember that a few spelling or grammar mistakes are tolerable, but you want to try to eliminate as many of those as you can.
- Try to vary your sentence length and word choice.
- Before you begin to write, spend a few minutes brainstorming ideas and outlining the argument you want to make. Planning will help you to write a well-organized and cohesive essay.
Practice and Review - Whatever you do, don't cram for the test! It is a bad strategy because you aren't going to remember most of what you "learn" while cramming, and the odds are slim that the few things it will help you to remember will happen to be on the test. Save the energy you would have used to cram for test day.
- In the few days before the test, do a review of the skills and concepts in which you are strong. Be confident as you review everything that you know - and remember that confident feeling as you take the test.
One factor of many
- At most colleges, test scores are just one factor in students' files, where scores generally "fit" what is already evident in course selection, grades, recommendations, and other evidence of performance and readiness for college. Also keep in mind that test scores will be evaluated in the context of other factors, such as student background, learning disabilities or attention disorders, or significant family or personal obstacles.
- Critical Reading: Sentence Completions
Sentence completions test both your vocabulary and your understanding of the logic of a sentence. Each question is a sentence containing either one or two blanks. Your job is to figure out which answer correctly completes the sentence. As you read, try to predict what word should go in each blank. Sometimes you can guess the meaning of one blank, but not the other. In that case, scan the answer choices, look for a word similar to the one you've predicted, and then eliminate the answer choices that don't match up.
- Critical Reading: Reading Comprehension
The Critical Reading test now includes both long and short reading passages. Skim each passage to see what it's about. Don't worry about the details - you can always look them up later if you need to. Just look for the main ideas. Then tackle the questions that direct you straight to the answer by referring you to a specific line in the passage. If you have time afterward, you can try solving the harder questions.
- Writing: Multiple-Choice Questions
There are three types of multiple-choice writing questions on the SAT. The first group, Improving Sentences, tasks you with selecting the correct version - the one that is clearly written and grammatically correct - of an underlined portion of a sentence. Sentence Error questions ask you to figure out which part of a sentence contains an error. Those on Improving Paragraphs test your ability to organize and clarify information. For all of these question types, think about the simplest, clearest way to express an idea. If an answer choice sounds awkward or overly complicated, chances are good that it's wrong.
- Writing: Essay
You will be given an open-ended essay prompt (topic) that asks you to state a viewpoint and support it. Essays are scored holistically, which means that the final score is based on an overall impression. It is important to develop your ideas and express them clearly, using examples to back them up. Your essay does not have to be grammatically perfect, but it does have to be focused and organized. The standard five-paragraph essay can be an effective way to make your point.
- Math: Multiple-Choice Questions
As you work through the multiple-choice math questions, you'll be given reference information (formulas and facts), but you'll need to know how to use them. You're allowed to use a calculator, but it won't help you unless you know how to approach the problems. If you're stuck, try substituting numbers for variables. You can also try plugging in numbers from the answer choices. Start with the middle number. That way, if it doesn't work, you can strategically choose one that's higher or lower.
- Math: Grid-Ins
These questions are not multiple-choice - you come up with an answer and fill it into a grid. The grid does not contain a minus sign, so there is no way to indicate that a value is less than zero. That means that an answer can't be a negative number. Unlike the multiple-choice questions, you won't be penalized for wrong answers, so make your best guess even if you're not sure. You can't grid mixed numbers, so if you get a mixed number as an answer, you'll have to convert it to an improper fraction or a decimal.
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