About the test, itself: I recommend you read a lot for the English section (both Critical Reading and Writing)—not just novels or newspaper articles, but essays, plays, poems, encyclopaedias, and dictionaries. Discuss the different topics and ideas you encounter with your classmates (e.g., myself :P)—this helps you see different points of view, and therefore broaden your understanding of certain subjects.

For the Math section, you should brush up on the following: numbers and operations; algebra and functions; geometry; statistics, probability, and data analysis. To quote the website:

“The SAT includes mathematics topics from up through a third-year college preparatory course, such as exponential growth, absolute value, and functional notation. It also places emphasis on such topics as linear functions, manipulations with exponents, and properties of tangent lines. Important skills such as estimation and number sense are measured through the multiple-choice and student response (grid-in) questions (formerly measured in the quantitative comparison format).”

The mathematics section may seem daunting at first, but it’s partly because of the ‘fancy’ terminology used. I’m sure that, with a little practice, you’ll master most of these topics in no time.

(If you’re still insecure, remember that they let you use calculators. ;D)

The essay portion, in my opinion, is probably the hardest part. The other sections were multiple-choice and “student-response” questions that many find somewhat easy, but, now, you have 25 minutes to write an essay on some cliché topic. My suggestion is to practice by writing essays on random—well, they don’t have to be random—subjects every day (or a few times per week, at least), refining both penmanship and composition. That way, you won’t freak out when they give you less than half an hour to explain your point of view on the underpinnings of the Civil Rights Movement.

If you find a subject too confusing, try to break it down into simpler ideas. Don’t hurt yourself trying to memorize everything, and just review the most important facts.

There are many more things you can do to prepare for the SAT—these are just the things I can remember right now. If you think about it, you can summarize all of this into a single phrase: ask, read, and practice. If you follow that mantra, you’re bound to do well on the test (but don’t just take my word for it—do your research, and figure it out on your own!).

(Note: I have not taken the test; my conclusions are based on all the reading and questioning I’ve done over the last year. No guarantees. XD)

There are other books available at your local library and perhaps they may have Cd’s or tapes you could borrow. Stop and don’t worry about anything else except the writing and math sections. If you think you are strong in the other areas, try to concentrate on just the weak area’s first.

Hey, relax during the test. Get a really good nights sleep and cross your fingers. Remember you can take the test one more time to improve your score. Only do this if you know you need a higher score to get into the U of ILLINOIS. Send the application to the U of Illinois no matter what your SAT’s turn out to be.

Why hasn’t your school counsellor helped?

Good Luck and shoot for Harvard!!

For math, pay attention in school. Get some practice books.

It is really hard to bring your scores up a lot very quickly. Practice makes perfect. Plan on taking the SAT at least twice.