Our Favorite SAT/PSAT Strategies
Certain elements of high school are facts of life: you will have homework most nights, you are going to need to study for tests, there will come a time when you get less sleep than you need. Above all, however, is this undeniable truth: there will always be an SAT a few weeks away. As you have probably discovered, College Board is inescapable, no matter the test. But, we have certain strategies to help you get the score you want, and you can find more in our PSAT Review Document ⬇️
Reading/Writing
Learn vocab early
Whether you're the sort of person that wants to know all of the Greek and Latin roots or you'd rather learn new words with daily flashcards, there is one essential skill to mastering vocabulary: time. Figure out your approach to tackling vocab and stick with it, not just for weeks, but for months. More time = more memory.
Use all details provided
Most of the reading comprehension questions aren't asking about a specific point––they're asking about your understanding of the whole passage. So, do your best to understand and extract information from every part of that passage. Granted, this is easier said than done; but, still, one of the biggest answer choice traps are options that use only one part of the reading (not everything).
Don't make assumptions
When you read something, it is extremely easy to jump from point A to point B. But, the SAT/PSAT doesn't reward your ability to jump. The test wants you to stay in the closed box that it creates and not think outside of it, which means that, unless something is explicitly stated, it's probably wrong. Even more so, if you're between two answer choices, ask yourself if one contains too much added information or pieces that were not given.
Math
Desmos
The calculator you get on the SAT and PSAT isn't just for simple algebra––it's a powerful tool that can help you for a majority of the test. While we'll keep the Desmos tricks for another blog post, for now, focus on learning basic function inputs and regressions, because those appear most frequently. If you want a more in-depth class with Desmos, a simple YouTube video can teach you all you need to know.
Know your formulas
Yes, you have a formula sheet. But, no, it does not include everything you need for the test. One of your biggest helpers in the math section will be your knowledge of external formulas, so spending some time brushing up on your algebra and geometry skills will be a significant advantage. These also include special factoring strategies, exponent rules, and function transformations, to name a few.
Keywords & definitions
While it may seem counterintuitive to learn phrasing for a section about math, your ability to compute numbers is only half of what you're being assessed on. The other half is if you can understand what you're being asked in the first place. Luckily, College Board frequently reuses question stems, meaning multiple questions across tests that sound the same will very likely be asking for the same thing. Find similarities in wording, processes, and questions.
Standardized testing can seem like torture (to say the least). But, using strategies like these can bump up your score and get you to a range you're more comfortable with. The SAT/PSAT is a test about skill just as much as it is a test about content, so take the liberty to learn the skills. And, if you liked this, check out our other posts below or in the Blog page.
