SAT For Dummies. Ron Woldoff

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СКАЧАТЬ on your writing. Send a story in to the school newspaper or send letters or emails to a publication editor. Writing for an audience ups your writing game, because you pay much closer attention to your reasoning and grammar. Do this a few times, and you’re a pro! This is especially true with the sort of writing that makes a case for a particular point of view, because that’s what you have to read, analyze, and possibly write on the SAT.

       Get a math study-buddy. Not a tutor. A tutor is good, but you can also benefit from studying with someone on your own level. You’ll get stuck on questions that your friend knows, while your friend will need help that you can provide. The studying process gets a little less tedious, and you’ll be glad to know that you’re not the only one in the room who doesn’t know all the answers.

       Revisit the practice exams in Part 5 of this book. Pay special attention to the questions that you missed before, or if this is your first round, mark those missed questions for review later on. Also check any question that puzzled you or took too much time, even if you guessed the right answer! After you know which sort of question is likely to stump you, read the chapters that explain how to answer those questions.

       Revisit your PSAT/NMSQT. Just as with the practice exams, you need to revisit your performance on an SAT-style exam, but the PSAT is more relevant because it shows you how you do in an actual exam setting. Plus, you need to make sure that you can handle the topics that you missed on that exam, such as reading passage main idea, verb parallelism, or coordinate geometry.

      Keep following this plan, and you’ll be in fine shape for the SAT. Now to shift your process for the final stretch.

Getting Closer: The Short-Range Phase

      The SAT is weeks away! Whether you’ve been following the progression or are starting now, these steps can make a nice difference and add quite a few points to your score.

       Work or revisit the practice questions in Chapters 4, 6, 8, and Part 4 of this book. If you can answer the question easily, you’re good — but if you struggle with a question, review the chapter pages that show you how to answer it. Then you can find similar questions in 1,001 SAT Practice Questions For Dummies (also written by coauthor Ron and published by Wiley).

       Work at least one practice exam from Part 5 or www.collegeboard.org. Do your diligence and keep practicing! Get your stamina ready for the SAT marathon plus get a sense of what’s on the exam. Review your practice exam afterwards, so you know where to focus. Best case, review it with a friend who is also taking the SAT and has taken the same practice. Check out Chapter 20 for good ways to use the practice exam to boost your score.

       Clear your calendar of all unnecessary activity so you can study as much as possible. It’s time to prioritize, and it’s just for a few weeks. Anything that can wait: Let it wait. Right now is crucial, and an hour in the weeks before your exam is worth a lot more than an hour in the weeks after. That movie or golf game can wait.

       Get a wristwatch so you can manage your time. Now is the time (so to speak) to go to the store or online and get a nice, simple wristwatch that has absolutely no functionality at all except to tell the time. Try it out, make sure it’s comfortable, and most of all, make sure it doesn’t beep, otherwise the proctors will take it. More on the cutting-edge, exam-changing, night-and-day difference that the advantage of having a wristwatch gives you in the upcoming section “It’s All You: What to Do the Morning of Your SAT.”

Planning It Out: What to Do the Night Before Your SAT

      Your SAT is tomorrow. Scared? That’s normal. When you walk into that testing room, everyone is scared — except you’re more prepared. The fear is normal, so don’t deny it. Just accept that tomorrow is a big day and do what you can to control it. More on handling anxiety and taking control coming up in this chapter, but for now, here’s what you do on the night before the SAT.

      Most important: Don’t study anything. Instead, get your rest. You’ve prepared for months (or weeks), and you’ve built your skills and addressed your gaps. Right now, you need to build your strength, so get some rest. There’s always one more thing to review, but now is the time to shift focus from studying to conserving energy.

      Don’t go out. There’ll be another party or game. Stay home and relax, maybe read or watch a movie. (No binge watching! You need your sleep.) Have a good, wholesome dinner and avoid anything intense like sushi or super spicy food. The last thing you need on exam day is an upset stomach.

      Resist the urge to contact friends who are also taking the test. If they’re nervous too, their anxiety is not going to help you relax. Instead, mitigate (reduce the effect of) your anxiety by taking control of the situation. Take control of the morning by setting your phone alarm and asking Mom or Dad to wake you just in case, so you’re not worried about oversleeping. Take further control by getting your stuff together (detailed in the next section) and placing it all in one spot, so it’s ready to go and you’re not worried about forgetting something. As you take more control of the situation, the rest will follow.

It’s All You: What to Do the Morning of Your SAT

      Whatever your normal morning routine is, do the same on this day. Along these lines, eat something good that you’re used to, that has protein (eggs, cheese, meat, tofu, and so on). Stay away from sugary foods (donuts, sugary cereals, and the like) because sugar gives you a surge of energy and then a chunk of fatigue. You don’t want to crash in the middle of the Reading Test.

       If disaster strikes — fever, car trouble, uncle’s arrest — and you suddenly can’t take the SAT, call the College Board and request that they transfer your fee to the next available date.

      Bringing the right stuff

      Be sure to have these items with you. Get them together the night before:

       Admission ticket for the SAT: Don’t leave home without it! If you registered online, print out the ticket. If you registered by mail or phone, make sure you have your ticket. (If your ticket hasn’t arrived, check with the College Board, ideally a week or so before the test.) Without your ticket, you can’t get in, and you’ll have to do this whole routine over again.

       Photo ID: The SAT accepts your driver’s license, school ID, passport, or almost any other official document that includes your picture. The SAT doesn’t accept your Social Security card, library card, or anything without your picture. If you’re not sure what to bring, ask your school counselor or check the College Board website СКАЧАТЬ