5 Simple Ways To Prepare For The SAT

Whether you are a parent who wants to ensure your child is ready for the SAT or if you are a student yourself, it is important to know your study options. There are many simple and easy ways for all SAT takers to prepare for this important test. What are a few of the options?

1 – Tutors

Tutors come in a number of different formats and some may even be free! On occasion, high school students tutor each other through volunteer programs organized by the school. For example, an honors student at your high school may tutor other students for free because it looks good on college and scholarship applications. If that tutoring student has taken the SAT before, they can help you study and prepare for the test, as they have taken a past test themselves.

If you cannot find a peer who is willing to help you prepare for the SAT, still check with your local school district or teachers. Some teachers, especially those who teach math and English, offer extra credit projects or special classes for SAT prep. These classes are usually offered for free. As a last resort, there are paid tutors. In fact, you can find those who specialize in test prep. Unfortunately, paid tutors do this for a living, so their costs can be high.

2 – SAT Prep Courses

As with tutors, SAT prep courses come in a number of different formats. Courses are available locally and online. If you are pressed for time, like if you not only attend school, but participate in extra curricular activities and have a job too, you may not have the time needed to sit in a review session. In that case, an online SAT prep class is recommended. After paying for or registering for the course, you are able to log into the system and move at your own pace.

Local SAT prep classes are advised for those who do better with a real person. If you want to hear a teacher or tutor explain a mathematics equation or review sentence structure, as opposed to reading it from a computer screen, an in-person class is recommended. Large school districts tend to offer these classes for their students and sometimes free of charge. For an affordable fee, some community colleges and vocational training centers offer SAT review courses.

3 – Printed SAT Study Guides

On average, it costs around $50 to register for an online SAT prep course. If you cannot afford these costs, opt for a printed study guide instead. Most study guides are less than $20 each. Commonly, you will find that the information covered in a prep course is the same information found inside these study guides.

When buying an SAT study guide, most experts recommend the Barron’s SAT book or the Official SAT Study Guide, written by the College Board. These books are home to a number of full-length practice tests, detailed outlines and directions of the SAT test and each section, vocabulary lists, and more.

4 – The Internet

The internet is a high school student’s best friend. You use the internet to do research for school projects, so why not use it to prepare and study for the SAT? With a standard internet search, you can get detailed information on the layout and directions of the SAT test and each timed session. You can also find detailed study guides, practice questions, and full-length tests. By looking at the right websites, you gain access to this information free of charge.

5 – Your School Notes

Whether you are taking the SAT Reasoning Test or one of the SAT Subject Tests, you are quizzed on the information learned in high school. You already know this information. What you need to do now is review the information. Focus on what you know first and then what you need to improve on. To do this, you do not necessarily need to have the latest SAT study book, an expensive tutor, or take an online class. It is as simple as flipping through your school notes and textbooks.