Tips From an Irvine Test Prep Tutor: Fall SAT Checklist

Tips From an Irvine Test Prep Tutor: Fall SAT Checklist (List)

Students taking the SAT this fall are in a unique position because they’re one of the last groups of people to take the current SAT. It’s very important to pay close attention to test prep guidelines because otherwise students will be in a position where they might need to retrain their brain for the Redesigned SAT in 2016. There are tons of things that college prep students can do to get their SAT prep underway as soon as possible – have you booked your Irvine test prep tutor?

1. Study Vocab Like Crazy

Students taking the current SAT exam will still have to study vocab like there’s no tomorrow. There are a couple of ways students can work on their vocab skills to succeed: vocab memorization and vocab within the reading comprehension passages. The straight forward vocab section requires students to memorize hundreds of words, which is nearly impossible. As a result, they are encouraged to learn as many words as they can but also learn test prep techniques from their SAT tutor. In addition to pure vocab, students will need to study the vocab in context as it’s written in the reading comprehension sections. Test prep students should go through their practice test book and underline any new word they see, look them up in the dictionary, and understand whether or not it’s a positive or negative word and what its emotional meaning is (READ: “5 Awesome SAT Apps”).

2. Math Formulas

Although students can learn lots of helpful test prep techniques from their tutor, they will also need to memorize and learn math formulas from all of their classes at school. The best way to understand which formulas are used most frequently is to work out of the Official College Board test prep book. Students should work with their tutor or test prep teacher to determine different patterns and discover which formulas are used the most as well as how to eliminate answer choices that simply don’t make sense. The current SAT will often have some partial answer choices so it’s important for students to make sure they can recognize these trick answers and avoid choosing them (READ: “Ask a Nerd! Are the SAT and ACT Similar?”).

3. Get Your Down Time

One of the things students struggle with most on the current SAT is the ability to finish within the short, generally 25 minutes, amount of time allotted. When first practicing, students shouldn’t worry too much about the time because they need to master concepts and test prep techniques first. However, once they have mastered a good score, they need to work on their time. Even if a student answers every question correctly, they won’t receive a high score on the real test they leave several questions unanswered. There are many different ways students can get their time down and they’re encouraged to work with an expert who can determine their individual needs.

4. The Dreaded Long Passage

Students are bored or terrified when it comes to the long passages. The current SAT offers passages from time periods past and in a context that today’s students often don’t understand. There are a couple of ways students can approach the long passages, either by learning how to pick out important information in the passages and then answering the questions or, looking at the questions first and then attempting to pick out import information in the passage as they go along. Students are encouraged to work with their test prep tutor to determine which strategy works best for them as an individual. The long passages are often an arduous task to get through, but they can either win or lose students a great deal of points on the current SAT.

Preparing to take the SAT this fall? Score higher with the help of a private Irvine testprep tutor from TutorNerds! Book your tutor today.

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