What you need to figure out is, how does the test think? For the most part, the SAT® and the College Board are consistent – meaning that they have certain rules and values that they adhere to with these exams. Your task is to understand that consistency and learn the tests’ core values.Īs a prep tutor, explaining these core values is the heart of my job. If you are convinced that you are right and the test is wrong, you are never going to be able to get everything right. When you make a mistake, you have to be able to look at that question and figure out: I also suggest you practice on hard copy paper as much as possible– studying from a screen can make you prone to errors and slower reading speeds.ĪP exams are also a great place to turn for preparation for the SAT® essay– the new SAT® rhetorical strategy essay is nearly identical to that of the language and composition exam, and the AP folks have released scores of old essay topics.įor the math and grammar sections, you can turn to more recent prep books that work on skill building, as these two sections tend to be more content related and straight forward. The AP Language & Comp and Literature & Comp exams include “older” passages, and as such are a good companion to “old” SAT® passages in your quest to perfect your skills. Now, the new SAT® includes passages from the 1800s and even the 1700s, making the reading passages challenging in a different way– namely, the challenge is not necessarily in the question, but in figuring out the text itself. Both of those AP exams have multiple choice sections that are similar to the new SAT’s® reading section– just skip the poetry and theatrical works, as well as any literary terms questions. You can also use “old” 2400 SAT® reading passages, but do note that the character of the test has changed. The old SAT® had about 80-90% contemporary passages, meaning almost every reading passage on the old SAT® was written after 1900– typically even post 1960. You can also practice from problems on the old SAT® and even AP exams, especially the AP literature & composition and language & composition exams.

Obviously, you should take every prep test Khan Academy and the College Board have offered, and don’t forget to check out their “question of the day” app and additional online questions. If you’re a junior or even sophomore right now, you may have trouble finding enough authentic materials because the SAT® just changed. You have to practice as much as humanly possible– and with as many authentic practice materials as possible. So with the New SAT 2016 primed and ready for release, here are my 10 tips for all those overachievers out there. Still, I have coached students individually to perfect scores in each individual section of the SAT and ACT® and one to a perfect composite on the ACT®. Granted, I got these scores as an adult, after the SAT® changed (I scored in the 99th percentile on the 1600 exam in high school). I’ve gotten a perfect score on the SAT® (2400/2400) and overall on the ACT® (36/36 composite).

Perfect sat score