How to prepare for the SAT
You are about to take the SAT, the test that will determine if you get accepted to the university of your dreams or not. As harsh as it sounds, it is just like it sounds. Deciding not to study for it, thus earning a low score can cost you a rejection letter from your dream school. My advice? Start preparing for it with 3 months in advance minimum! Getting a high score on this test can help you and your curriculum balance a low GPA that you may have. Also, if you are someone who has not many extracurricular activities or clubs that you are a member of, scoring a high score on the SAT can save you.
Getting an English and Math professor with anticipation is the first step towards getting a good score. Get in contact with teachers that can give you a hand and help you prepare for this test. However, if you can’t or don’t want to take private classes, Khan Academy is a very useful page that will help you prepare at your own pace. This, however, requires a lot of self-discipline.
Once the day comes, getting nervous and anxious is not worth it. You will take the test anyway, and there is nothing you can do about it. Breath in, and breath out, because test day will come and that is okay. Now, for test day, you don’t want to get late and forget your admission ticket or worse, your calculator. Below you will find a list of the things you need to do the night before the test to be fully prepared.
- Prepare a bag with all the material that you will take to the test. This includes a calculator, your admission ticket, your identification, a bottle of water, and a quick snack for your break.
- Prepare the clothes that you will wear tomorrow and leave them on top of your chair to avoid losing time the following morning debating on what to wear. The comfier the better!
- Set your alarm to an early hour for you to do your routine and nor rushing.
- Do not eat heavy food before going to sleep. You want to rest as much as possible, and getting a stomach ache does not sound good.
- Sleep a minimum of 8 hours. Your body and mind need to be well-rested to take a 4-hour test fully concentrated.
- The next morning, remember to have a healthy and energetic breakfast. This can include toasts with scrambled eggs, a good bowl of milk/yogurt and cereal, etc.
- Plan in advance for the type of transportation that you will take to get to the exam center.
Always remember that you are capable of doing anything you propose yourself to do. Everything is in the mind. It will be worth nothing if you start studying with 5 months in advance and keep on telling yourself that you suck and don’t do well taking standardized tests. Don’t program your mind with negative thoughts. What you decree comes true. You are intelligent and you will do fine in this test if that is what you tell yourself!