Don’t let that diagnostic test hold you back. Don’t be discouraged. The pre-SAT tests always seem to be a little bit harder than the real SAT. But remember, if you really really don’t know the answer to a question, don’t guess. You lose 1/3 or 1/4 of a point for every wrong answer. If you can narrow it down to 2 or something, then it’s ok to take a guess.

Don’t try to focus on only ONE of the subjects, they are all equally important (and are supposed to be equally difficult, but some subjects just come more easily to some people). A good way to start is with prep books. You can get them at any bookstore or library. Read through them, do some of the practice tests, and just study what you can. The best thing you can do for yourself is study HOW to get the answers. The better you are familiar with the types of questions, the better you’ll do.

Someone asked for help with the SATs earlier today, and here’s the advice I gave him (compiled with advice I’ve given in the past):

1. “SAT….. Help!!?” (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ar7MJatSkMt6cO7yWtyvok7ty6IX?qid=20070709102205AAtvmRn&show=7#profile-info-B5fw4JCfaa

“Most importantly, relax!! The more you think about it and the more you worry about it, it will end up affecting how well you do. Do yourself a favor and do NOT make the SAT seem like the most important test you’ll ever take for the rest of your life, you will put too much stress on yourself, and that will NOT help you get a good score.

There is no one subject that is the “key” to succeeding on the test. Just do your best on every section you can. Don’t focus on just one as being more important than all the others. They’re ALL important. But remember, you can take the test as many times as you want and you only send your BEST scores in each section to the college, they won’t see how you did each time, only how you did at your best.

Focus on what you KNOW. If you spend too long trying to figure out the questions that you don’t know, then you might end up wasting too much time to get to the ones that you DO know. If you really really don’t have a clue, skip the question, you can always come back if you still have time (just make sure you skip that bubble on the answer sheet!! Or else you’ll be all screwed up when 30 questions later, you realize you’ve been filling in the wrong bubbles). Try to narrow down answers. You can write in the test book all you want, so feel free to cross out answers you know are wrong. And when it comes to the math questions, don’t spend too much time trying to figure it out, plug the answer options into the question and see if it works out, it’s faster. And again, if you really really don’t know, move on.

Tricks and stuff: eat a good dinner high in carbs the night before, get a good night’s sleep and eat a breakfast high in protein in the morning to help you be as awake as possible (avoid coffee, it might wake you up, but it will make you need to go to the bathroom and you can’t leave the room during the test). It’s better to get 8 or 9 hours of sleep the night before than stay up all night cramming last minute facts and ideas into your head and going to the test tired. Also bring a bottle of water with you when you go to take the test to help keep you awake and hydrated. And dress comfortably (nothing that will distract you like uncomfortable shoes or belts or anything). And wear layers of clothes so that you can always take off a sweatshirt if it’s too hot in the room, or put on if it’s too cold. As for a calculator, bring one that you’re familiar with and can easily find the right buttons. You could have the fanciest, most expensive calculator in the world, but if you can’t even find the + key, it won’t do you any good. You really only need it for basic math and doing quick math to save time (like, you might know 9×12 in your head, but if it’s gonna take you a second to remember, just do it on the calculator, it’s faster). You just need one you know you can use easily that has the basic high school math functions.

2. “What is the minimum score on the SAT that you could make to go to a university?” (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvX1w_UST2nG7iPSiAp09PXty6IX?qid=20060725202759AA242SZ&show=7#profile-info-AA10898700

“PSATs are often just a little bit harder than the real SAT, but don’t worry TOO much about it, because your acceptance (or rejection) is based on a lot of other stuff in your application. Colleges don’t look at JUST your SAT. If you don’t do well on the SAT but are a straight A student, do a lot of volunteer work, etc. You’d probably still get accepted. Most college sites tell you the average score of their students, but that’s just an average, that means there are students that get below that score as well. So go to the websites of the colleges you’re interested in and look on there. You can also contact other students at that school and ask them.

You can take the SAT as many times as you want. Then take your highest score from each section and combine it for your total score. So if you get a higher score on reading and verbal the second time, but your math score drops, you’d just take the overall highest score from each section as your total score. Colleges don’t ask for what you scored each time, only the highest.

If you still don’t do as well as you’d like after taking it multiple times, concentrate on other parts of your college application and really try to make yourself look good in other ways. Join clubs, be active in the community, do well in your classes, etc. Colleges will see that. So while you might not have the score of your dreams on your SAT, they know that it’s just one test and won’t judge you on it. But if you just hastily fill out the rest of the application, forget things, make petty spelling and grammar mistakes, and more, then you’re going right in the reject bin. So take your time on it!!! Proofread it, double check it, spend time on rough drafts so you don’t forget things or need to scribble stuff out or use white-out. Also spend A LOT of time on your essay. Make it the best essay it possibly can be without being too long and wordy or too short, and don’t choose anything controversial. Write what you think they want to read.

Basically, don’t worry too much about the SAT, think about everything else too. Take the test as many times as you need to, and if you do good, great, if not, just concentrate on everything else to make up for it. But definitely check with the college. Some private colleges and ivy league colleges do have a minimum score, but most do not. They will just provide an average which is where most students fall. But score isn’t everything. I know someone who got a 1490 (when it was out of 1600), a GREAT score, but got turned down from many colleges because he didn’t have any clubs, extracurricular activities or anything. But I only got an 1270 (out of 1600) which is a little below average, but was accepted to every college I applied to and was offered thousands of dollars in grants and scholarships from each because I did so much volunteer work and was so involved with a variety of clubs, I also had great recommendations.

So try to be just a well-rounded student overall and you’ll be fine. College isn’t as hard to get into as many people might think it is as long as you try your best. GOOD LUCK!!!!”

3. “What are the best books for preparing for the SAT?” (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArfG1Klyk_fCeCdzkhAVyITsy6IX?qid=20060717103049AApSrVM

A variety, don’t rely on just one book! Go to your local library, they should have at least 10 different SAT books. You can also get little novels that use SAT-type words to get you familiar with them and see them in a simpler context (like a short story instead of just an analogy question). Try all kinds of different books to help you the most. Every SAT is different, there’s thousands of versions of the same test, so you need to be prepared for everything.

Don’t worry so much about it though, it’s not really as hard as many people assume it is. It’s a “Reasoning” test, so they really just want to see how good you are at reasoning and finding out the answer to something, it’s not about just knowing a whole lot. So take your time and really read each question. Just don’t read into it too much because a lot of them are designed to trick you, so go with your gut feeling. And if you really don’t know, don’t just pick any old answer (you lose 1/3 or 1/4 of a point for each wrong answer)! I’m sure you heard all that in school though, so just relax and be confident that you’ll do well, and you should do fine.”

GOOD LUCK! I hope I was able to help you some. I’m sure you’ll do fine.

Okay, here it goes:

First, relax! Since you’re comitted to studying, I’m sure you can do well! It just takes practice!

The key to doing well on standardized tests is KNOWING the test, and FEELING like you’re well prepared. Practice tests are always good. And, if you can, take the real thing at least once early. Nothing can tell you how you’ll do and what you need to work on like the actual test can.

English: the best way to improve your critical reading/writing scores is to READ. A lot. The more you read, the better your grammar and vocabulary. The better your grammar and vocabulary, the better you’ll do on the test. I have 800 critical reading, 780 writing, and I read constantly. Failing that, practice, practice, practice! The more you practice, the more you’ll FEEL prepared, the more you’ll BE prepared, and the better you’ll do. For an added bit of vocabulary, both www.webster.com and www.dictionary.com have a Word of the Day that you can get emailed to you. Try looking at Latin and Greek roots. Memorizing vocabulary is good, but it’s even better if you can see a word you don’t know and be able to figure out what it means from the roots. If you get a review book (Princeton’s Review is good, or Barron’s, or the one released by College Board) actually go over the grammar material and vocabulary in it. It will help.

Math: the SAT covers very specific areas in Math. I only got a 690, when I got a 5 on the AP Calculus test, because I didn’t study enough, and wasn’t familiar enough with the right kind of math. So use study books and practice tests. Take practice tests to identify what you specifically need to work on, and focus on those areas. Go over material in a review book, and make sure you understand the concepts involved. It’s mostly Algebra and Geometry.

SAT has a Question of the Day (http://apps.collegeboard.com/qotd/question.do) so even if you don’t really want to study every day (and who does?) you can still spend a few minutes each day thinking about test questions.

Small things when you take the test: sleep well, wake up a bit early to be fully awake in time for the test. Eliminate wrong answers. Remember that sometimes plugging in answers is faster than working through the formulas. Make sure you always know what you need to take: pencils with good erasers, a good calculator (I swear by my TI-83 Plus), your ID, and your admissions ticket. Again, the more prepared you FEEL, the better you’ll do. Take a snack. The test is LONG, and you don’t want to get hungry halfway through. Good luck!

Get one of those prep books (available in bookstores or your local library). Kaplan, Princeton, any of those major brands. You can enroll in the prep classes at a local center, but these books should be able to provide you with all the materials you need if you can focus yourself and manage your own time wisely.

They will show you which areas to focus on, what tasks to drill, and give you practice tests as well.

nicely, whilst it come to intense examining, your ultimate guess is to concentration on examining recommendations. To do nicely on the examining exams, you are able to desire to do the questions once you’re examining the passage, aside from those that contain your established understanding of the passage, which you would be able to desire to do afterwards. The examining is greater substantial than the vocabulary. meanwhile, make flashcards of the words, and write the definition and a sentence utilising the word on the cardboard. then you keep the words on your head. And purely examine notwithstanding. such as newspapers and magazines. save a dictionary once you examine so as which you would be able to lookup new words. as a ways because of the fact the mathematics section is going, purely learn utilising a prep e book. possibly the Princeton overview.

www.foxtutor.com Helps with raising all of your scores. Learn each section in the order in which you did very poorly in.

FOCUS ON THE MATH! That’s the toughest part.