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The SAT, unlike any other exam you would take, tests your knowledge on the structure of the exam. This exam will test your ability to understand the test designer, not your knowledge or understandings of certain topics. Remember, the SAT is designed to test critical thinking and good study habits.

Common Misunderstandings:

1. Practice makes perfect - practice makes perfect only after you understand what the test designer wants and what you need to prepare for.

2. Reading a lot will help your score - reading a lot improves your reading habits/ skills. The SAT tests argumentative and literary comprehension. You need to know why and where the questions come from and how you handle it. You don’t think about it when you do your own reading.

3. I can get it immediately after I check the right answer - you need to figure out how you got the wrong answers and where you made the wrong turn or else you will continue to make the same mistakes.

4. I am not good at passages I do not like - you need to figure out the test designer’s needs. If you know what they want, you will know how they want to test you. It doesn’t matter what he’s trying to test you.

5. I can do better if I have more time - Since there is not enough time, you need to learn the strategies to master the test.

Know Yourself

- Set a target score - determine how many problems you have to get right

- Know your strength - leave time to work on questions in your strong areas and get them right

- Know your weaknesses (Mistakes) - content weakness, time management, problem comprehension, test nervousness, careless?

Remember, the test is designed to punish curious mistakes.

SAT READING

Understand there is a test designer, passage writer and test-taker. The most important thing to understand is the relationships between the test designer and the passage writer. The other relationship is between yourself and the test designer. Instead of stumbling on the passage, figure out what the test designer is looking for. Wrong answers are created to lure the test takers into the relationship with the passage writer.

Skills, Mindset and Awareness Tips

1. Time yourself - pacing is about awareness

2. Review all your mistakes 3. Only work on your weak question types 4. Recall the process 5. Figure out what you need to be aware of

Analysis for SAT Reading:

- Big picture (this tests if students see things in a broad way, it is complementary with understanding supporting evidence, function or purpose and paired passages)

- Literal comprehension (detailed oriented people understand this, it is complementary with interference and supporting claims)

- Inference

- Supporting evidence

- Function or purpose

- Vocabulary in context

- Rhetorical strategy and passage organization

- Tone and attitude

- Supporting and undermining claims

- Analogy

- Paired passage

- Information graphic

SAT WRITING

44 multiple choice questions - 35 minutes

Question types:

- Organization

- Style and expression (tests for general ideas)

- Sentences

- Standard English usage

SAT MATH

The SAT writing has a strong emphasis on algebraic thinking, multi-step problems with real-world setting, problem solving and data analysis.

Tips:

1. Practice regularly (at least 30 minutes everyday)

2. When encountering an unfamiliar problem, relate it to a familiar one

3. Divide and conquer for complicated multi-step problems

4. Maintain accuracy while solving problems quickly

5. Solve the right problem

6. Always think whether there is a better (quicker) approach

7. Always double check your answers

8. Always study and learn from your mistakes

9. Check your answers and use different methods each time. If you solve the problem algebraically the first time, try to solve it by plugging answers the second time.

Remember, your job is to pick the right answer NOT to produce the right answer.

How to Crack Word Problems (Translate English to Math)

- Quickly skim through unimportant information - Background Information - Not containing math information

- Carefully read each sentence with math information - Take bite-sized pieces - Translate English into equations, inequalities or drawings

- Identify what the question is, exactly

- What you need to solve - Usually is placed at the very end of a question

- Use a pencil to underscore keywords

- If there is an equation or figure, focus on it

SAT ESSAY

This section of the SAT composes of three main components: - Introduction - Three body paragraphs - Conclusion

Mapping:

The goal is to create a map that is both specific and sequenced. Use three specific key words or phrases in each topic sentences and establish them in a sequence in the introduction map

Topic sentences:

Every topic sentence needs to be specific and focus on one key method the author uses to create their message.

Conclusion: Keep it simple and you will be good!