Academics Plus Tutoring Center

Your alarm goes off.  It’s early, but you get up with enough time to eat breakfast and grab your bag to leave.  On your dresser is everything you need, everything you prepared last night before going to bed:  your watch, your calculator, extra pencils, and a snack for that five minute break.  You get to the test center 20 minutes earlier than the required arrival time so you have ample time to find the classroom and to settle in.  The test begins, and suddenly, in the second section, you are faced with a problem you recognize but can’t remember how to solve.  You panic.  You look to the next problem.  Same thing.  Suddenly you can hear the clock ticking.  You spend too long on that one problem and can’t seem to move ahead, you are nervous and losing your cool.

So what happened?

Keeping your cool on the SAT is not easy, but it is definitely possible. Granted, the conditions are stressful, the test is long, and there are time limits.  But here’s the great news: having a set of effective strategies in your SAT tool belt can help make the test taking process a lot less stressful and a lot more rewarding. SAT strategies don’t only help in solving problems on the exam, they tell you how to think about and approach the test. 

On your own, take as many timed diagnostics as possible to get used to the time constraints and the length.  These practice exams will help you know what test conditions to anticipate.  And the more you practice, the fewer surprises there will be. Build up your endurance, and learn to identify what parts of the test cause you anxiety.  Also, listen to what kind of things you tell yourself when you’re faced with a problem.  If you find yourself saying, ‘Oh, I’m terrible at these problems’, then you could be sabotaging your own possibilities for success.

Stay tuned for more SAT hints….!!

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