- Start with revision of what you learnt in school: Revise what you learnt in school first and then apply that knowledge in practicing for SAT exam. This ensures the basics are strong and also helps in optimizing the preparation time.
- Make a logical guess: In times when the student has a doubt between few of the answer options, it is better to make a logical guess starting with eliminating the wrong answer.
- Do not spend too much time on one question: All questions carry same points, hence, do not spend more than a certain amount of time on a given question. In the first glance if the question seems hard, get back to it after solving the ones you are confident of.
- Read every day: Read a variety of subject matters on a daily basis. Source can be newspapers, magazines, Internet and the SAT study groups. While reading make a mental note of the new words learnt and try to use them in your conversations. This helps you understand word usages and synonyms. Make a note of these new words and find out more about them in a dictionary.
- Do not repeat mistakes: Note down all the frequent mistakes you make during SAT preparation and identify how to overcome them. Classify them under various types of errors. This helps in preventing the mistakes on the main exam day. This is especially useful in Verbal Section.
- Read instructions fully: The directions for questions may have subtle differences from what you read during practice session. Never read questions or instructions in a hurry. The same applies to the answer options. Read them carefully, only then answer.
- Periodically revise the important topics: As you plan the SAT preparation, keep time for regular revision of important topics and subjects. The more you revise and practice, the better the speed and confidence in answering the questions.
- Tackle time well: SAT consists of timed tests in all sections. Practice well to not exceed the time at any cost. Finish the sections in the given time. This needs extensive practice. Take complete mock tests to understand how to manage time better.
- Keep just enough time for study plan: Do not keep too much time to prepare for SAT; this leads to lack of focus. Some students prepare for few years. In which case, time seems to fly but results are still not achieved. It is always better to keep sufficient time for focused study and revision but not lose track by allotting too much time.
- Improve strengths and manage weaknesses: Identify your strong strengths and improve in the same so that you spend minimal time for those questions on the main exam day. Also identify topics you are weak at and see how to get maximize proficiency in that. This helps in preparing a perfect study plan.
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