1. Start preparing early

To get the most out of your SAT prep, you need to start early. In fact, many National Merit Scholars, who typically score above 2,100 on the SAT, begin preparing for the PSAT and SAT the summer before becoming sophomores in order to take full advantage of the PSAT they have the ability to do. option to take that year. Don’t start wondering whether or not third-order polynomials will be included in the math section last week. Create a plan! If you need more structure or guidance, consider SAT prep classes, private tutoring, or an online course.

2. dress well

Think about this: someone as stunned as you are likely to set the thermostat in the test center the morning of the test. You don’t want to trust them with your comfort, and shivering while bubbling is a surefire way to “leave a lost mark.” Avoid this by dressing in layers of comfortable clothing so that you can easily adapt to your surroundings.

3. Be on time

The College Board is not happy when you are late for an SAT. For them, it is late after they have closed the testing room doors, between 8:30 and 9:00 am. In fact, its official policy states that students who are late will not be admitted to the testing center and will have to reschedule to take the test. Of course, there is a $ 24 fee for that. It’s fine if you don’t want to reschedule, but the fee you paid to take the exam is non-refundable. That’s $ 47 wasted. How do you make sure this doesn’t happen to you? Show up before 7:45 am, as recommended by the College Board. A few days before the test, map out a route to your test center and make sure you are familiar with it. If you’re particularly bad with directions, you might want to practice getting there – just think of it as another thing to study.

4. You are getting very sleepy …

Falling asleep during SAT – Fail. You could take a nap during one of the five-minute breaks you have, but we doubt it will do you any good. Instead, make sure you get a good night’s sleep before the SAT. Caffeine in the morning, whether it’s coffee or an energy drink, may be a good idea, but you should avoid it if you’re not used to it. Too much caffeine can cause nervousness and, ironically, trouble concentrating.

5. Whoops! I did it again …

If you’re wrong, don’t worry: In 2009, the College Board introduced Score Choice, which allows you to select which test scores you want to send to a university on your score report. It is an optional service; If you do not choose to use it, all of your scores will be included in your score reports. While it allows you not to disclose low scores to schools at the time of application, you should check your institution’s policy on the SAT score report; often it is helpful to report all of your qualifications.