Posts Tagged ‘sat prep’

The 10 Most Overlooked Way to Boost Your Grades and SAT Score

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

Would you like to dramatically boost your SAT scores?  The answer for almost everyone reading this article is “yes.”  Now there are countless books that will outline for you all the different ways that you can boost your grades and your SAT scores, but many of those books fail to address some pretty basic points.  And as it turns out, these points are the ones that could impact your tests scores the most.

Factor One-Avoid Exhaustion

Getting enough sleep and not pushing yourself too hard is key to getting a great SAT score and great grades.  Sure it sounds simple, but many students don’t take these obvious tips seriously enough.  You may have invested time researching everything from what to take to college, why study abroad and even college student credit cards, but did you do so when you were exhausted?

Factor Two-Avoid Distractions

It would be easy to go on and on regarding this point.  Let’s just state that if you have distractions, you should eliminate them!

Factor Three-Don’t Expect the Impossible

If you haven’t been a great student for three years or more, don’t expect to suddenly be able to “ace” the SAT.  This is an unhealthy approach, and it will only serve to place you under tremendous strain.  Be realistic about what you can achieve in a short period of time.

Factor Four-Don’t Be Shy About Finding Advice

You should actively be looking for advice and preferably doing so well before its time to apply for college and take the SAT.  This doesn’t mean that you need to do everything that people tell you to do, but having advice from knowledgeable people could just make all the difference.

Factor Five-Invest in Quality Study Aids

Not all study aids are of the same level of quality.  One usually gets a better product by shopping around, and this rule definitely holds true for all study aids.  There are, for example, fantastic books on studying for the SAT and there are some rather poor books as well.  No matter what kind of study aids you need, research them and go with the good ones!

Factor Six-Eat Healthy Foods

Want better grades and a better score on the SAT?  One way to help give yourself a boost is to eliminate fast foods, processed foods and sugar and replace them with whole foods that are free of chemicals and other additives.

Factor Seven-Get Some Exercise!

Is there a relationship between exercise and better grades?  There most definitely is, and here is why.  When you exercise, you reduce stress, you get more blood to your brain, and exercise can even help relax your muscles.

Factor Eight-Take a Break!

You may have people pressuring you to study constantly, and there is no doubt that you have to study to get good test results and score well on the SAT.  But taking breaks is important as well.  By taking a break from studying, you will be able to return with a different perspective on the topic.

Factor Nine-Take Steps to Reduce Eyestrain

Eyestrain can be a serious issue if you are studying a great deal.  If you are spending a good deal of time studying on a computer, be sure that you adjust your settings.  Eyestrain is one of the reasons that it is important to take plenty of breaks!

Factor Ten-Don’t Believe the Hype

There are many “horror stories” regarding how to survive college life, going to college and getting a good score on the SAT.  Ignore as much of this as possible.  Worrying only distracts you from getting good grades and a good SAT score, which, in turn, will get you into one of your top college picks.  Focus on what you are doing right, not what you might be doing wrong.

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How Much Time Should You Invest in Studying for the SAT?

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Ask almost anyone that is knowledgeable regarding the college admissions process, and they will tell you that the SAT is of paramount importance.  For good or ill, the SAT dominates the college admissions process unlike few other tests.  No pressure, right?  Clearly, the SAT is serious business and going into it unprepared isn’t a good idea.  For most students, the test is rigorous and demanding.  Therefore, the sooner your begin studying for it, the better off you will be.  As a result, the issue of time management is also a vitally important one.  In this article, we will explore just how much time you should spend studying for the SAT and how you can find more quality time to study.

Don’t Neglect Your Grades for Your SAT Score

First it needs to be stated that your SAT study time shouldn’t be so intense that you fail to study for your regular classes and allow your grades to drop.  Doing this could have serious consequences and will impact what colleges and universities ultimately accept you.  So remember- focus on your coursework first and then the SAT.

Practice Tests are a Factor

Secondly, how much time you study for the SAT is somewhat dependent on you are performing on multiple practice tests.  If you are doing very well, then you may be able to study a little less than you would if you were doing poorly in every section of the SAT.  So what should you do if you fail to live up to your expectations when taking SAT practice exams?  SAT test prep tutoring might very well be a good idea in this situation.

So How Much Should I Study?

So how much time is enough?  As you might have guessed, that depends largely on how well you are performing on practice tests and what kind of score you wish to receive.  Clearly, you should study as much as possible, as the test is indeed that important.  If you take nothing else away from this article, remember that fact!  Other factors are indeed very important, but admissions officials put an incredible amount of weight on this one test.

The SAT is a Test, Not Your Future

Now that doesn’t mean that you should somehow believe that this test is your destiny.  Some students believe this, and it negatively impacts their futures when they do poorly on the test.  In the end, it is just a test constructed by people.

Don’t Forget to Relax

The bottom line is that you should study as much as you can for the SAT, but that studying has to be balanced with some “downtime” or you will become burned out and your study time may become increasingly ineffective and inefficient.  Studying all the time isn’t the answer, but when you are studying for the SAT, do your best to make every minute count!  The more you study and the more practice tests you take, the greater your chances of success on the SAT will be.

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Easy to Understand SAT Prep Books

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

A key part to a good SAT score is knowing how to study.  Often this means finding books that make your job of studying as painless as possible.  Frequently, this is easier said than done, as there are many inferior books on the market that are littered with problems.  Taking the time out to make sure that you are actually using a quality test prep book is a smart move no matter whether you are taking the SAT or another similar test later in your academic career.  Here are two books that do a fine job of getting to the point and helping readers understand the basics of what the SAT is and how they can improve their scores.

SAT For Dummies by Geraldine Woods

SAT test prep books come in many different styles and take a variety of approaches. On one hand, there are the ones that are very specialized that look to help you boost your math score, for example.  Then there are the all-in-one books like SAT For Dummies.  These all-in-one books vary in quality to a surprisingly degree.  Fortunately, SAT For Dummies by Geraldine Woods stands as one of the good ones.  Each section is loaded with good tips, lots of practice questions and even some insights.

This is not the only test prep book you will need if you are looking to get a great score, but it is a strong book.  There are even tips of how to handle the SAT exam itself.  One of the major problems with test preparation books in general is that they are often too light on the number of exams that they provide; however, this book does a good job in this category.

SAT For Dummies has five full tests and that is a very good thing.  You should plan on taking numerous tests in the prep process, and this big book has plenty of test questions.  If you can only buy one book for SAT prep, you could do far worse than this SAT For Dummies.

Conquering the SAT: How Parents Can Help Teens Overcome the Pressure and Succeed by Ned Johnson and Emily Warner Eskelsen

Want a great book on the SAT for both parents and students?  Then look no further, as Conquering the SAT: How Parents Can Help Teens Overcome the Pressure and Succeed by Ned Johnson and Emily Warner Eskelsen is a top notch pick.  This book is about how to handle the test and covers topics and aspects of the testing that are virtually never explored or touched, such as nutrition.

Conquering the SAT also scores major points in that it should help parents realize the importance of the SAT without loading down their young students with so much pressure that they completely crack.  The book is heavy on strategy.  Often people think that this means that the advice isn’t practical, but this is not the situation with Conquering the SA,T as its strategies are both helpful and easy to understand and implement.

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How to Improve Your Vocabulary for the SAT

Monday, March 12th, 2012

Boosting your vocabulary score on the SAT is a smart move no matter how you look at it.  A larger vocabulary isn’t just something that will serve you well on the SAT exam.  A more impressive and diverse vocabulary will also help you in college as well.  When it comes time to write papers, a diverse vocabulary certainly won’t serve to harm your grades!  Let’s take a look at some of the ways that you can build your vocabulary today so that you will be able to increase your SAT scores.

You may have taken a few SAT practice test online or taken the prep test offered by any number of books.  No doubt this is an excellent step towards boosting your SAT score.  Simply familiarizing yourself with the kinds of words that might appear on the SAT is a smart move and one that is worth your time.

Another step you will want to consider is buying SAT prep books that are specifically focused on building your vocabulary.  It is important to point out that there are many different kinds of vocabulary books, and you can learn something from all of them.  However, for the purposes of studying for the SAT, your best choices are books specifically designed for increasing your knowledge of the kind of words that are likely to appear on the SAT exam.

Let’s take a look at one good option.

Gruber’s SAT Word Master: The Most Effective Way to Learn the Most Important SAT Vocabulary Words by Dr. Gary Gruber

The strategies contained in the book are helpful, as there is a focus on not just hundreds and hundreds of commonly used SAT words, but a look at prefixes and suffixes as well. Gruber’s SAT Word Master also contains many practice tests.  The end result is a woven together book that accomplishes what it sets out to do.

While there are more comprehensive SAT prep books on the market, if you are a student, or the parent of a student that is prepping for the SAT, then this is a smart pick that you should definitely consider.

So you’re armed with a couple of good overall SAT prep books and you have Gruber’s SAT Word Master: The Most Effective Way to Learn the Most Important SAT Vocabulary Words, now what?  That depends on how much time you have.  The more time you have, clearly the more you can do to prepare for the SAT.  Here are some additional ideas that could help you boost your SAT vocabulary.

  • Create a special study group designed specifically for boosting your SAT vocabulary knowledge.
  • Study old SAT exams and practice exams so you know the kind of words that are on the exam.
  • Gruber’s book has a section that focuses on learning common prefixes and suffixes.  Knowing these could give you a serious leg up come test time.
  • Ask friends and family to quiz you on potential test words.
  • Try incorporating your new vocabulary words into papers you are currently writing, as you will likely remember a word that you recently used to write a paper.

It seems like it is a good idea to know the most commonly used SAT words going into the actual test itself.  The people that make the SAT are, of course, aware of this fact as well.  But there is no way around it, knowing these words isn’t likely to hurt your SAT score.  The only thing it can really do is help you!

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SAT Test Prep: You Don’t Have to Prepare Alone

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

The SAT Reasoning Test is an important one.  Your whole high school career is leading to this one test that can really help make you or, if not exactly break, potentially put a cramp on your future plans.  Not every student learns the same way, and for some students, pouring over books and studying alone just isn’t going to cut it.  To you, we say, “SAT test prep.”

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We decided to ask a few test prep providers, representatives from Kaplan, Knewton, and The Princeton Review for insight about the SAT Reasoning Test – what you can expect and what you should know – hey, these people are experts on all things SAT!

After speaking and emailing back and forth repeatedly, it quickly became obvious: these people are passionate about what they do.  In fact, during a call with Ed Carroll, Executive Director of Research and Development for High School Programs at The Princeton Review, he blurted, “Hey, did anyone see the 3:4:5 triangle question on Jeopardy last night? – That’s an SAT question!”

It’s a common misconception that SAT test prep is only for wealthy or lazy students – which is so not true.  Each of these providers was quick to point out the benefit of having help preparing prior to taking the SAT.  Russell Schaffer, Senior Communications Manager with Kaplan, shared “Taking the SAT without preparation is a bit like running a marathon with no training.” You build up your endurance, create a strategy, and keep working at it.  As with any great skill – you practice (a lot) and you most likely seek the advice of others who know their stuff.  Same with the SAT!

Ed Carroll of The Princeton Review compared the SAT to a crossword puzzle, a brainteaser.  While he was quick to point out that it isn’t exactly the same thing: we think it holds pretty true.  Sure, you usually aren’t timed on a crossword and that Sudoku puzzle won’t facilitate where you spend the next four years of your life, but, like Mr. Carroll pointed out: “the more you see it, the fewer surprises there are.”  — and he should know, he’s only taken just about every version of the SAT for over a decade (and you thought once or twice was bad enough!)

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Marathon or Crossword: they all agree that just knowing what to expect on the SAT Reasoning Test is half the battle.  Josh Anish, the Senior Editor at Knewton, stated, “the course also features individualized practice sessions, in which Knewton tells you how you’re doing on specific test concepts and what to focus on in order to improve.”    Part of the mission for these companies is to teach you how to approach the test and how to go about solving a problem in the shortest amount of time necessary.

The SAT was built to test you on your problem solving skills – you can’t fake your way through not knowing a vocabulary word and working out how to solve that math problem will severely slow you down.  There’s a lot of questions to answer in a short time frame.  Hey, it’s called a “reasoning test” for a reason!

SAT Test Prep providers believe that having the expertise and availability of a teacher, either online, private tutoring, or in an actual classroom type of setting, can help you increase your SAT score results.  Plus – if you do really, really well – you can snag a fat scholarship to your college of choice!

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