5 Easy Ways To Improve Your SAT Score

The SATs are stressful enough with all the prep classes, hours of studying, and the college applications you’re trying to submit at the same time. But what if, after all of that, you get back a score that isn’t as high as you had hoped? Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world. Most students actually end up taking the SAT at least a few times before they submit their scores. The important thing is to know what to do in between your first attempt and the next. After all, if you don’t fully utilize this time now that you know what to expect, you’re likely to end up with roughly the same score as last time. So, here are some easy steps you can take to improve your overall SAT score.

Take Practice Tests

SAT practice tests are great because they can help you find out what specific areas you are weakest in. (College Board even has a practice test for students on their website!) By building on those weak areas you’ll be able to get more questions correct because you’ll know what material to focus on during your studying. Practice tests also have the benefit of familiarizing you with the test format, so you know how to pace yourself better.

Find A Tutor

Using an SAT tutoring program can be hugely beneficial to any student as tutors have in-depth knowledge about what material is worth focusing on during your test prep. They’ll be able to help you work on your weakest areas while also telling you which concepts will be the most important on the SAT. In addition, an SAT tutoring expert will be able to help you make the most out of your study time by answering any questions you have. This frees up room for you to work on review rather than focusing exclusively on new material so you don’t forget the material you worked so hard to learn.

Memorize Formulas

While the SAT will provide important formulas for you, valuable time can be lost if you have to constantly go back to reference them. Instead, focus on memorizing (and understanding!) all of the main formulas that you’ll need.

Build Your Vocabulary

A strong vocabulary isn’t just important for vocab questions, it’s useful for the critical reading and essay portions as well. You should be taking some time each day to review vocabulary while paying particular attention to the keywords that the SAT tends to recycle. This will give you an advantage during the critical reading section as it will help you break down passages more easily and efficiently. It will also help your essay stand out more if you can use those vocab words correctly.

Don’t Cram

It can be tempting to try to spend the days leading up to your SAT test date trying to cram as much material as possible. Don’t! All this is going to do is confuse you to the point where you could potentially get even simple questions wrong. During your entire test prep period you should be taking care of your mental health, but especially so during that final stretch. Get plenty of sleep and eat a good breakfast before the SAT so you will be fully ready to conquer the exam.