In a previous article, I touched on the Top 5 Landmines of the SAT test.
However, avoiding landmines is not enough: the general fog of questions
and concepts and the overwhelming amount of information to be processed
calls for more proactive strategies. Aim your SAT preparation at
mastering a few simple tricks and tools—this will minimize distractions,
cut down on careless errors, and enable you to show what you know.
1. BECOMING A PACE-MAKER
Taking the SAT test is like running a marathon: no matter how
gifted or well-trained you are, you have to pace yourself. Strive to
work steadily, neither so quickly that you'll miss critical information
nor so slowly that you don't have enough time for the questions at the
end of a section (which, you'll recall, are typically more difficult).
Keep your cool and maintain focus. Gauge at the beginning of a section
the average time per question, and periodically check your progress: if
your time is halfway up, are you at least halfway through? Taking
practice exams will also help you develop a sense of your pacing before
you actually sit the test.
2. ELIMINATING FALSE CHOICES
You likely know by now that most sections of the SAT test (all but
the student-produced-response math questions) contain a so-called
"guessing penalty" of a quarter-point per wrong answer, versus no gain
or loss for a question left blank. What this means is that whenever you
can eliminate even one answer choice, you have eliminated the penalty;
eliminate more than one and the probability of a successful guess
increases significantly. Looking for clearly impossible answer choices
and quickly trying out others can narrow the available options in a hurry.
3. ESTIMATING AND SUBSTITUTING
This tip applies especially to the math sections of the SAT test.
Utilize common sense and identify the range of plausible answers. For
questions involving algebraic expressions, substituting numbers for the
variables can sometimes speed up the process of finding the right
answer. Be careful, though, when substituting numbers with unique
properties such as 0 and 1.
4. BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD
I can't stress strongly enough the value of making and marking
diagrams to represent information presented on SAT test questions. This
strategy also applies more to the math sections, yet any question
involving logic is a susceptible to it. Your SAT test booklet gives you
plenty of scribbling room for a reason – use it. Render the data in
concrete form, and you're more likely to get the right answer more quickly.
5. ANTI-CARELESSNESS DEVICES
Simply resolving to be careful is not the most reliable approach
you can take: you should instead go into the SAT test with specific
strategies for avoiding careless mistakes. For example, whenever you
skip a question (which will likely happen if you are to maintain a
steady pace), circle the number of that question. You can also mark
questions of whose answers you're unsure. As long as you're already
checking your progress against the time remaining, it doesn't hurt to
double-check that the line you're bubbling in on the answer sheet
corresponds to the question you're on in the SAT test booklet.
Make sure your SAT study plan gives you not only an automatic
familiarity with the directions and landmines of the SAT test, but also
a set of tools to enhance your quest for the right answers. Supplement
your knowledge by enhancing your ability to reason your way through the
questions. There is nothing wrong with guessing, only guessing randomly.
Bruce L. Smith is an experienced SAT content creator for
href="http://www.satprepplan.com"> SAT test prep site
www.satprepplan.com
