I take the SAT in a little over 2 weeks. I’m so worried about getting a score that will make me a competitive Yale applicant. I’ve been studying, but an AP English project has kept me busy these last few weeks. Any tips for how to cram in some practice in the time I have left?
I thought the next test date was May 5?
I would block out this coming Saturday morning and take a complete practice exam under strict time limits to mimic the actual test as much as possible - tic any questions you guessed or were unsure of. Immediately after taking the practice test, go through the answer key and understand what you got wrong. If you guessed or were unsure of a question you got right, study the answer as if you had gotten the question wrong.
If there are sections/types of questions you had more difficulty with, practice those sections more in the upcoming week. Do another full strictly time practice test next Saturday. Go through the same study practice process until the week before the exam. Get plenty of rest and sleep the 2/3 days leading to the exam.
Our school is giving us a chance to take the SAT during the school day on April 10th. I’m hoping that I can sign up for late registration and and take it again in May. Do you know if you can register for another test before the first results come out?
^Yes, but I would wait for a later test to give yourself more prep time and some feedback based on how you score on the first test.
Do a practice test as a diagnostic. Figure out what specific subtopics you need to revise (ie trigonometry in math), and do questions on these.
Whenever you make a mistake, don’t move on to the solution until you understand why you were wrong and are sure you won’t make the same mistake. Similar questions crop up from time to time.
If you run into vocab issues with the reading and writing, get vocab flashcards on your phone and study when you have idle time. I did this for the GRE and it helped a lot.
Do all of your practice questions under timed conditions if you can.
And extremely importantly - take care of yourself. You need to be the most alert and mentally agile you can. Eat well - avoid fatty, salty or sugary foods. Don’t stay up all night studying - try to get eight hours of sleep. Drink water and green tea over coffee where possible. Keep your fluids up. Make sure to get moving everyday, even if it’s only a 15 minute brisk walk. Athletes take care of their bodies to perform at their best. Consider yourself a “mental athlete.” Your mind needs the best quality rest and fuel it can get.
Check out my site ■■■■■■■. I have video solutions for every question on every released official practice test. Take the practice tests on the College Board site, and review your mistakes on ■■■■■■■. Or, follow along with me as I deconstruct the test question by question and learn how to think like the test makers. All videos are currently free.
Let me know if you have any questions.
George
Yale College Class of 2015
@1600io (not to derail the thread, but) I discovered your series a few weeks ago and I’ve started using it to prep my kid for the April SAT. We both enjoy your style and we are finding it much clearer than Khan. Thank you for all your work, this is a great resource.
@ninakatarina Thanks for the support! If you like the content, make sure to spread the good word! If you have any questions, feel free to write.
George
George - your videos are amazing! How can I get in touch with you?