Best way to prepare for the SATs

[Anthony558]

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I am a sophomore in high school, I was wondering what you guys feel is the best way to prepare or what you did. What books you would suggest. What prep classes to take, is it worth it to take a prep class? I am just looking for some ideas for a routine to use to study.
Also any books that you would recommend buying and what you did to study
Thanks!

 

[Badger MD]

I recommend:

http://www.kaptest.com/bookstore/Test-Prep/SAT/9781419549960

As far as prep classes go, I don't recommend them. Friends of mine (of a similar intelligence level) who took them scored the exact same as me. From what they told me, the instructor basically gave common sense tips and that was all. I believe they used a company called "Revolution Prep".

As for a study schedule, I took the online diagnostic you get for free with the book I mentioned above. If I scored low on anything, I just divided up that section in the review book between 2-3 days (depending how busy I was with school).

 

[wrestler445]

I agree. The prep class didn't do anything for me. A big waste of money in my opinion.

Take some time aside and do 1 practice test every other day. If you're really motivated start now. I used the College Board practice books/tests.

Scored a 1720 :0

Wasn't as regular with my studying as I should have been.

 

[em3761]

Do a lot of practice tests under timed conditions. I think for most people who take the SAT the issue isn't that the questions are hard (most of them aren't particularly) but that they don't know how to time themselves.

I don't really think the review courses are that useful except that taking one sort of forces you to study...as long as you're reasonably self-motivated there's no point in spending the $.

 

[Lil Mick]

Personally, I didn't know that you could prep for exams when I was a kid (very young when I took it, though), so I just showed up and took it.

I've taught prep courses for disadvantaged students, and I think that they make a huge differences for students who haven't had a good educational background and don't get informal prep at home. That being said, I think they're a waste of money if you go to a good school and have the discipline to study on your own. It's less costly and more time-efficient to tailor your preparation to your own strengths and weaknesses through self-study.

 

[Anthony558]

Thanks everyone
Can anyone suggest some good books to get for practice test and to review?

 

[MrPolarZero]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]it is advisable if you'd took a preparation class before the actual exam. That would help you to have a clearer mind. I don't know any good firms that offer such classes, but you might look for them via online 🙂.

 

[audax]

The only book that you really need is the Official College Board book and Direct Hits (amazon it). Here's how you should study:

Critical Reading:

Read through Direct Hits and memorize the vocabulary. DH's book lists always appear on the SAT. For the other sections, you will just have to practice taking the tests.

Math:

Take some practice tests. Learn why your right answers are right and why your wrong answers are wrong.

Writing:

Take grammar sections from the blue book. On the college board website, you can learn why your answers are correct. They explain the grammar behind each section. Once you do this enough, you will learn all the rules and the errors will just pop out at you.

I started studying like this a few weeks before the SAT and scored a 2140 with minimal practice. I will be taking it again in around 3 weeks to see if I can break 2200.

 

[cautiousvampire]

Practice tests that have answer explanations are truly the key to success IMO. I improved my score from a 1300/1600 to a 1530/1600 with a solid month of daily practice tests.

 

[BAMF]

I didn't study and kind of just went to take the test and I did better than a lot of my peers who took SAT prep courses - I wouldn't recommend paying for a class. If you want to look at books, I would look for the ones that give you explanations and common tips/tricks to the test, rather than just giving you questions and answers. IMO there is no "best book" - I would hit up a local bookstore and look through the test prep section and see which one you think you can get the most out of.