High School Juniors: Build a Solid SAT Test Prep Plan for Spring 2020 to Ensure Top Test Score Potential this Fall!
There are two essential components that guarantee success on the SAT:
- Comprehensive preparation
- Testing opportunities
COMPREHENSIVE PREP
Here is a Three-Tiered 6 Step Plan to Get You Started:
FIRST: KNOW THE TEST
Step One: Understand Foundation Concepts. On the verbal component, the usage and mechanics questions are the most scalable. Understanding punctuation and subject/verb agreement will get you upwards of 50 additional without a lot of effort.
Step Two: Know the Characteristics of Right and Wrong Answer Choices. On every exam, there are 3 wrong answers and 1 NOT Wrong answer. Students need to practice eliminating the word or phrase that makes an answer wrong. Typical wrong answers include answers that COULD be TRUE, but there is no evidence in the passage.to support it or answers that ARE TRUE but do not answer the question being asked.
SECOND: KNOW YOURSELF
Step Three: Recognize your high-level weaknesses. Is it fluency, stamina, or accuracy? Fluency and Stamina require consistent, measurable practice. Accuracy requires strategy reinforcement.
Step Four: Identify Your Error Patterns. For each mistake, write down the reason you made it and the key strategy you must implement to NOT make that mistake again.
THIRD: OWN THE FUTURE
Step Five: Take a Real Test Under Authentic Test-Taking Conditions. Students rarely do as well on their first exam as they do in practice: they are acclimating themselves to a host of test-taking variables that have very little to do with the actual test content. Students should plan on taking three exams over the course of 3-4 months.
Step Six: Pinpoint Realistic Achievable Goals and put in place a structured plan to attain them.
TESTING OPPORTUNITIES
And, once you’ve invested time, energy, and focus, it’s imperative that you put that effort to maximum use.
Take the National March 13th SAT: COVID-19 chaos aside, Juniors should still plan to take their first SAT on March 13, 2021. Here’s why. It’s a Question and Answer Summary (QAS) exam offered to U.S. students in March, May, and October ONLY. The QAS includes the test booklet and score report for an additional $18. A QAS test provides important insight into a student’s authentic right and wrong answer choices and the foundation upon which to improve for the second test.
Take the In-School Exam: Connecticut is one of only eight states to mandate the SAT. Taking both the National and In-school exams back-to-back will give students who prepare two opportunities to obtain their personal best score as the foundation upon which to build a college list. FYI: Please take note that the QAS service will not be available for the in-school exam. Additionally, the scores for the in-school test will be released about a month after the exam versus the National exam, which will be returned within two weeks of the test sitting.
Ready to Get Started? Check out my SAT Workshops beginning next Wednesday, February 10th, and timed to the March SAT exams.
Any Questions? Feel free to reach out to me via my cell at 203-313-2739 or by email at eileen@studdertcollegeprep.com
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