SAT Test Preparation Tips - By: Lara Newcomb

Keep track of the time
You should bring a non-beeping watch with you to the SAT exam. Before the beginning of each section, write down the time the test will end. You can refer to this note periodically during the exam to gauge your performance.
Allocate your SAT test time wisely

Do not spend time reading the instructions. You should do this during your preparation and go into the exam already understanding its structure and types of questions asked. The SAT is intentionally designed to make you feel time pressure and the time spent reading instructions is better spent answering the questions.

You will give your best performance if you neither rush through every question nor take an incredibly long amount of time on a few questions and leave the rest unanswered.

There is most definitely a proper balance between these 2 extremes.

All the questions are worth the same number of points. As a result, it will behoove you to NOT spend an inordinate amount of time with the more difficult questions.
Know when to skip a question

The most difficult questions are at the end of the test sections. These questions are designed to be answered correctly only 10% of the time. Go for the "low-hanging" fruit first. If you see a question and you have NO idea of how to eliminate even one choice, do not spend more than 20 seconds before moving on.

(Sometimes easy problems look difficult at first glance but the "fog" will quickly lift within a few seconds and you will be able to answer the question very confidently.)
Notate your omitted questions

You should, however, place a question mark next to the question in the booklet so, if you have time at the end, you will be able to easily identify the omitted questions.
Do NOT spend an equal amount of time on each question

With the exception of the critical reading section, the SAT questions are arranged in ascending order of difficulty, meaning the easiest questions are asked first and the most difficult questions are asked at the end of the sections. Consequently, you should not allocate an equal amount of time to each question. You will hopefully be able to complete the first few questions in very little time and be able to spend a little more time on the more difficult questions.

With practice, you will develop a good feel for your ability level and how your time will be best spent on each section. For example, if you practice and discover that even spending 7 minutes each on the last fifth of the problem solving multiple choice questions only results in a success rate that is no better than pure guessing -- despite your best efforts -- then you will be best suited not to attempt these problems on the exam.
Should you have some time left over at the end of a section...

This 3 hour and 45 minute exam will play a large role in determining the rest of your life. Think about it. Do you want to work for people like us or would you rather be our boss? You're young and full of energy. Suck it up and spend the remaining time checking your answers. Don't stop working until the proctor says to.

If you have time at the end of each section, feel free to go back and re-examine the most difficult questions that you decided to omit. We also strongly encourage you to check your answers to the first questions as these are generally very easy and you should be able to quickly catch any dumb mistakes that would have otherwise cost you a "gimme" question.

About the Author

Arizona SAT test prep - The SAT classes at Scottsdale Education Center are full preparation courses for all areas of the language and math portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

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