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 do well and 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 an easy 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 to the SAT: 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 when you take the SAT. The test is LONG, and you don’t want to get hungry halfway through.

Good luck!