Help!! Last minute SAT prep

Hi! I just took the SAT at school today, and I'm assuming you're also taking the online one! I found this test super difficult to study for because it's adaptive, so however you do on the first module affects what questions you get on the second. I think that Khan Academy has some resources, but honestly because this online test is so new there aren't a lot of study resources, so you might just have to wing it like I did.

Hello there, I scored 1520, and the resource I found most helpful was Khan Academy's Digital SAT Prep. The course is free, intuitive, and organized by question difficulty. For me, the English section has given me the most problems in the past, particularly on my PSAT, where I scored 700 in reading and 760 in math. My SAT study plan only took about a week, albeit I already had some experience with the digital SAT-type questions. I only focused on the advanced tier questions to mimic test conditions even if, in hindsight, they were a bit more challenging than the actual test. I started with 1 hour of studying five days before the test (taking a unit test in both English and Math) and gradually worked up to 3 - 5 hours of studying the day before (aiming for at least 26/30 on the respective unit tests). Based on your PSAT scores, I recommend studying 3/5 in math and 2/5 in English (this is very adjustable). Particularly for English, I recommend studying standard English conventions, independent/dependent clauses, and sentence boundaries. Complete as many 30-question unit tests as possible and set a timer to mimic test conditions. I hate taking practice tests, and I found the instant feedback (knowing the correct answer after every question) of the unit tests to help me analyze and fix my mistakes quickly and easily. I don't know if taking more than one SAT is an option for you; if it is, I would recommend it because almost every top university abides by the super-scoring policy (taking the highest section scores from multiple test dates and creating a composite score).

Good Luck,

Jason

hi! so for sat, i think that you should practice by looking at your weakest areas and the questions that scare you the most. taking this initial sat will help you understand your benchmark and what you need to improve on the most. i think that to study, just clear concepts from algebra 1 all the way to beginning of precalculus, because that's where i am right now and i've been getting 750s on my math sections. now for reading, practice figuring out contexts and focus a lot on vocabulary. i recently took the sat for my school and we had a lot of misleading vocabulary questions. one misconception nobody has pointed out yet is the fact that the paper sat is extremely similar to the digital and in my opinion, math is so much easier because of the access to a calculator in both of the sections. watch youtube videos leading up to the day of the sat for strategies, and also make sure that you time yourself in the process, because i had a lot of extra time on my psat, but on the sat, i was struggling for time. hope this helps!! :)

There is a Youtube Channel called Strategic Test Prep- they put out super helpful videos with little tricks and tips (I also used their workbooks to study). Additionally, they have an app called Preptly that helps you practice and study with a limited amount of time.

Also, they just noticed that Collegeboard literally just published 2 new practice tests on Bluebook. I think it stinks that they waited until after I and many other students struggled through the March SAT. Not really fair to us. @frittata this may be the explaination to why there were a lot of unfamiliar questions. It seems like they did not consider the effect it might have...or it was done very strategically just to force us into taking it again. We'll see, I guess, when the scores come out.

Sorry for that little rant :) Dealing with after test anxiety over here. I studied for a couple months (like 2 hours every day) so it really doesn't feel fair.

I recommend taking an official practice test (number 5 or number 6- the new ones) and then evaluating your areas of weakness. You may find Preptly helpful (I have heard it is great b/c you can fit in a couple questions here and there throughout the day, like on the bus or waiting for something).

Hope that helps and lmk if you have any questions! I would be happy to recommend more study resources.