Prepare for SAT1

[DeoxyriboNucleicAcid]

Hello Everyone,

 

Does anyone know of some good review books to use to prepare for the SAT?

Do any of you guys have some study tips?

[DreamLord]

Theres lots of different books if you look around. Just go to a book store, there's usually a study/education type section. There's lots of Cliffs Notes and SAT books around those sections normally. I like using the internet SAT sample tests to study. They give me an idea of what to expect for when I actually do take it.

[ydoaPs]

study in five minute bursts with five minute breaks in between. it makes you more focused.

 

don't highlight. hilighting delays learning.

 

i am takin it n october. when are you?

[DeoxyriboNucleicAcid]

Thanks for your replies. Other suggestions will be great too.

I will not be taking the test for a year or so, but I want to prepare for the SAT early.

[jordan]

Yes. Definitly pick up this one at just about any book store. I got it myself. It makes studying easy. Just skip all the study tips and go straight to the practice tests in the back (there are 10). Work on making sure you get a feel for how long you have. Then, once you make sure you wont run out of time, start practicing just the parts that you are scoring lowest in. By then you should be out of practice tests but well prepared. Good luck.

[swansont]

I guide I had for the GRE's had a few tips that I remember that probably hold for the SAT's. Most of these apply for questions you can't answer directly -

 

Because of the scoring system, random guessing will (statitically) lose you points unless you can eliminate at least one of the answers. If you can definitely eliminate one, guess away!

 

Because of the timing constraint, you are in a hurry, so they like to put "teaser" answers in the a or b position - answers that seem right at first glance but have some flaw, so they are wrong. The correct answer is later on (d or e), but people in a hurry won't ever look at those. Read all of the answers before deciding.

 

Any false component to a statement makes the whole statement false. "Almost true" doesn't count as true.

 

The longest answer is often the correct one.

 

In math multiple-choice problems, some of the time it's easier to eliminate the wrong answers than to do the calculation - you may be able to eliminate because you can estimate the order of magnitude, or know it has to be divisible by a certain number, etc.

 

Don't spend too much time on any one question - they all have the same point value. Go back and do the hard ones after you've finished the easy ones.

[DeoxyriboNucleicAcid]

I hear that vocabulary can be critical on the SAT, what do you guys recommend for that?

[DreamLord]

I don't know if it's as much vocab as it is puncuation. That's just what's hard for me though. I'm not actually sure which of those two things there are more questions for. I'm pretty sure both those are part of the English section. For vocab I'd suggest looking in a book or practice test at some of the words they have. If you don't know them, look them up. Also, I've learned that it helps to know the Latin bases for words so you can guess what the word might mean even if you don't know for sure.

[ydoaPs]

I hear that vocabulary can be critical on the SAT, what do you guys recommend for that?

 

take an etymology class.

 

read a lot.

 

take another language.

 

if you do all that, you will increase your vocabulary tremendously

[Dave]

I recommend Latin personally, but that's just me.

[Dave]

take an etymology class.

 

read a lot.

 

take another language.

 

if you do all that' date=' you will increase your vocabulary tremendously[/quote']

 

I think there's something else that needs to be added to the list: read the newspaper (as in a broadsheet, not a tabloid) every day. There's a wide range of vocabulary and literary styles that you can feed off of. The editorials are often excellent.

 

Plus it keeps you up to date with the news.

[MolecularMan14]

what year do you have to take the SAT...im a freshman...am I safe?

[ydoaPs]

you can take it whenever you want as many times as you want. i am a junior and taking it for the first time in october

[MolecularMan14]

cool, i think i might just take it this year...maybe

[ydoaPs]

registration for october is sept 7th. that is the last time they use the old test

[Dave]

uhhhhhh, doesn't that fall under "read a lot"?

 

Not really. I simply wanted to point out the fact that you should really read news articles rather than your average book if you want to increase your vocabulary considerably. Your statement would (probably) be interpreted as the latter.

[ydoaPs]

news papers are generally written at a fourth grade level. books would be better for increasing vocabulary

[Dave]

news papers are generally written at a fourth grade level. books would be better for increasing vocabulary

 

What? I suggest you go and read one of the proper broadsheets (not the tabloids) and then come back and tell me whether you think that's true. Some of the best (and arguably the most influential) writing in the world comes from the comments sections in newspapers.

[ydoaPs]

most newspapers are written so that people can understand them. i do read the newspaper(when i can)

[Dave]

I make a habit of never reading tabloid papers. As I said before, don't read them if you're looking to increase your vocabulary. Only read them if you want the latest celebrity gossip and/or scantily clad women.