Sat Reading and Writing Preparation

Question

How do I prepare for the SAT Reading and Writing tests? How can I improve my scores? How much time do I need to spend on this?

Answer 1

There is a ton of free SAT prep online, and many tutors would be happy to help you parse it. How long that will take will depend on your personal skill level and rate of improvement.

Answer 2

I think you received some good advice above but I wanted to add a comment highlighting some things I think are very important.

Create an account with Khan Academy. This can be a huge support and it is totally free. They provide practice problems as well as full practice tests. You can link your past SAT or PSAT scores for them to provide you with specific problem sets that target your weak points. You can also take their diagnostic quizzes to check your current skill level and get targeted problem sets. You can also create a study schedule that they help you build based on your planned test date. It is an amazingly valuable tool and can be especially helpful if you do not have the funds for a consistent tutor or to buy prep books.

Importance of strategies. A big part of doing well on the SAT is beating the time limit. A major aspect of this is learning not just the material but how to take the test itself. There are a lot of strategies to learn how to do this and knowing them (if you have not yet learned them) can really boost your score. This is where online research and hiring a tutor becomes important. These specific strategies are not my personal skillset for tutoring. For SAT prep, I would only be helpful if you are struggling to get yourself organized or motivated to study. However, I wanted to respond to this question simply because I remember my own struggles with SAT testing and thought this would be helpful. Best of luck!

Answer 3

I'm an advocate self-trust!

How did you study in the past?

That might be all you need to know.

Relax. The material should be known to you from your schooling. If you did well in school, you simply need to relax and trust your brain to do the work.

If you choose to study intensively, note that this is an opportunity to understand how you personally relate to the material.

Here are some examples.

If you have a passage to read and comprehend, note how you're addressing it.

1) Are you taking in every word, including the determiners (the, a, his, her, etc)? And if so, how much time are you putting into that?

2) Are you speed reading and retaining comprehension?

3) Are you working to memorize facts as you go along?

4) And what is your brain doing to retain the information?

If you have gotten passing grades without understanding the makings of your own mind and its needs, this is a good time to look into that. It enhances and reduces the amount of study time you need!

And as for that math equation, are you noting the actual correlations between the parts of the equation or are you following the rules and patterns you've learned? Both are useful, the question is: What is your approach?

Like a spoken language, to allow yourself to actually befriend the concepts and styles of expression and conclusions will naturally heighten your results in implementing the "language".

If you would like to enhance your studies and learning with more atypical approaches, let me know. I teach more than spoken languages!

Answer 4

There are many good books on preparing for the SAT Reading and Writing tests, but it is best to work with a tutor who also has your same book, so that you can discuss together get valuable tips and strategies, and thus spend your study time wisely and productively.

Practice, practice, and more practice. You'll be able to do that with the Practice Tests included in the study books. It will be very helpful--before you attempt the tests--to review certain terminology involved with literature and reading and writing.

You'll be more equipped to score better on these tests if you spend about 2-3 hours per week over 4-6 months or more on prepping and practicing. I usually suggest a 90-minute tutoring session at least once a week, then you'll spend the equivalent time on implementing the strategies we've talked about. We'll go over any problem areas you had and discuss.

You can't do it all in a short period of time--spread it out so you don't get overwhelmed. I can also help you with time management so you don't feel the crunch.

I look forward to helping you on your journey to success!