Helping Students Prepare for the SAT

Taking the SAT Reasoning Test can be an important part of the college admissions process for schools that require or accept the SAT. Having a decent score can greatly contribute to the likelihood of being accepted by a college or university of choice. There are three different sections of the SAT, and each test involves a different type of preparation for the student looking to get a high score.

First, there is the critical reading portion of the SAT. According to College Board, the masterminds behind the test, this portion measures sentence completions and passage-based readings. Basically, students much complete sentences are answer questions based or either one or two passages. Truthfully, the best preparation for this portion of the test is a healthy dose of literature. Regular reading will help students learn to recognize patterns and expand vocabulary. However, there are tools for students that face difficulties in the critical reading area. The College Board website's SAT Preparation Center provides practice questions, and students can also sign up for the SAT Question of the Day. The SAT Question of the Day is sent to the student's email everyday, and it also includes an explanation for the proper answer to the question. If this does not provide enough practice in the critical reading department, College Board, Kaplan, and other companies provide preparation booklets that have pages and pages of practice questions.

Next, there is the dreaded mathematics portion. This portion of the test covers a wide variety of mathematics skills. This section is often difficult for students that move on to a higher level of math and magically forget everything learned in the earlier course. The SAT Question of the Day at the College Board website also has questions for the mathematics sections. This is the section where is it highly advisable to get a practice book from Kaplan, College Board, or another company when a student is having difficulty with math. The practice books allow students and parents to identify problem areas and focus on improving those weaknesses.

The newest portion, the writing portion, troubles a number of students. Too many test takers try to produce a perfect essay, but, as it says on the College Board website, the people scoring the essays realize that it is a timed paper, and students should view the essay as a rough draft. This does not mean to take this portion lightly, but it should alleviate some of the stress for perfectionists. The best preparation for this portion is to obtain writing prompts from the College Board website or a practice book and practice writing in a timed condition. If possible, have someone review the essay to spot obvious flaws. Continue practicing until writing confidence is established.

Some of the preparation guides contain complete practice tests. To get comfortable with the testing practices, it is a great idea to do a run through at least once. This can perhaps eliminate some anxiety when the time comes to actually take the SAT.

College Board. http://www.collegeboard.com
Kaplan Test Prep. http://www.kaptest.com