As the SAT approaches on April 12, students may find themselves scrambling to prepare at the last minute. For those considering the Scholastic Aptitude Test (known as SAT), seniors have plenty of advice to offer.
Senior Ben Warner recommends focusing on trying your best with a “confident mindset” instead of worrying about the results. As far as actually taking the test, he suggests being time-efficient.
“For the math section, do the last non-multiple choice questions first [in case you run out of time at the end],” Warner said. “Guessing on the multiple choice has better odds of being correct than writing a random number on the write-in questions.”
Senior Shayla Madonna expressed her wish that she had studied for the SAT, despite already receiving good grades in her classes.
“I thought I had a general enough understanding and would pass it,” Madonna said. “Now I am retaking it at cost to me because I know my score doesn’t accurately reflect my academics. If I had studied, I might not have [to retake it].”
Madonna stressed the opportunities that taking the SAT can provide for college and beyond.
“People say that it is a standardized test and that it doesn’t accurately portray the student taking it,” Madonna said. “While that may be true, if you want quality merit scholarships, you have to take the SAT seriously. It will benefit you.”
Merit scholarships are offered by an institution for a high SAT or ACT score, GPA (Grade Point Average), and sometimes a combination.
On that note, senior Hasten Horling noted that the test might seem familiar to Advanced Placement (AP) Language and AP Literature students.
“Your Multiple Choice Questions [on those exams] are exactly like the SAT,” Horling said.
Horling is one student who utilized the free SAT Test Prep on Khan Academy, which can be linked to previous PSAT scores (with CollegeBoard) for a personalized studying experience. They also offer printable, full-length practice tests complete with the essay portion, to prepare in an environment similar to the real deal.
Math teacher Sarah Snyder believes using Khan Academy is a “no-brainer,” especially for the math portion.
“You need to know how to identify and use linear, quadratic, and exponential functions,” Snyder said. “The questions do not always go easiest to hardest.”
All juniors will register for the test on March 22. Make-up registration is the following day on March 23. Seniors may also register on their own to attempt to improve their score. The test takes place on April 13.
