Everytime I go to take the SATs, I can only let out a huge sigh when I see those SAT newbie takers without a timer waiting for the proctor to start the test. People, this is YOUR TEST and YOU WANT TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT!

In fact, CollegeBoard recommends that you take a timer with you! (Timers are not allowed in SAT2s) So, why do people seem to forget to take these? There are many reasons, but it usually is because these test takers tend to rely way too much on their proctors. Guess what tho… Proctors are people, so there will be those that suck and those that are sharp.

Whether crappy or excellent, you want to take a timer with you. Why? To both save time and manage time.

Think about this. You are taking a test that will more than likely determine your future. Your time is limited. Don’t you want to know your pace while you are taking the test? Yes. Do you really think that looking up at a clock on a wall will help you a lot?  No.

You want to know, without thinking!, how many minutes you have left. Also, psychologically, actually seeing how much time you have left will push you on even more than just looking at what time the section will end at.

A simple tip? Indeed. Will it be helpful? A LOT.

Don’t forget your timers anymore! Also, don’t forget to make it so that it doesn’t beep!

P.S. The last time I took the test, I was the only one out of about 20 people taking the test…

Tags: cetra, Cetra's Insider, sat insider tip, SAT Tips & Tricks

I’ll take a break from the time management for this week, as I feel that this tip will go a lot longer way than another article about time management during the test.

Prior to the test, the proctor will say that you should fill in your circles completely and that you should use the 2B pencil all the time so that your answers show up and that you should never use ink. Okay, don’t use ink as it’ll get you a zero. But please… 2B all the time? I hope that you’re not taking him or her seriously…

The mechanical pencil has to be your best friend during the test if you’re used to using one. Well, maybe that graphing calculator may be the better friend. Anyways, one thing for sure is that you don’t only want the 2B to be doing the job. You do want to use the 2B to fill in the circles (because the HBs aren’t dark enough and the 3Bs tend to smudge easily…) but other than that, they aren’t that different from any other tool.

Let’s take a look at the essay section first. Oh please, do you really want to use the pencil to write the essay? It’s already bad that you are writing when the world is using computers! (Thank you TOEFL iBT!) Sharpening when the tip gets dull? Why not just use the mechanical pencils? It’s a lot easier and faster! Especially when writing the essay, you don’t even have time to erase! (Just cross out the wrong parts.) Do you actually have the time to sharpen? Maybe you can switch pencils, but let me tell you that those 2Bs get dull really quickly. The proctor won’t say anything if you decide to use a mechanical pencil instead to write the essay. Your readers will be able to read it and the essay will show up. Every single SAT I’ve taken and the SATs my friends have taken, we have all used the mechanical pencil here and never have we gotten a 0. It’s true!

Also, during the math section, especially when you need that precision to do the calculations (some by hand) in that small amount of paper space that CollegeBoard gives… Do you want to fill that up with your 0.5 cm thick pencil marks? Why not just use the mechanical pencil? Same goes for the reading and the writing sections. The scantron at CollegeBoard does not scan your workbook to see if you really used the 2B or not. All they check is your answer sheet. Use that mechanical pencil or whatever writing tool you use most of the time to your good!

Now, if you don’t use a mechanical pencil, you can just forget about this insider tip. But for those who do, hey, use it!

Tags: 2b pencil, cetra, Cetra's Insider, collegeboard, rules and regulations, sat institute, SAT Tips & Tricks

SAT is a test that takes a lot of preparation to do well on. While solving a lot of questions, memorizing a lot of words, and getting as many information and resources as possible will help, one of the biggest step that must be taken is making a schedule, a routine.

While preparing for the SATs, the touch, the feel, the sense for the test is crucial. Basketball players will shoot hundreds of balls a day to maintain their feel for the ball. Soccer players will take hundreds of kicks to kick the ball at the exact spot to make it fly both accurately and powerfully. SAT is in a sense, the same. You need to maintain that feel for the test up until two days before the test day. (Please, no sections the day before. They don’t help!)

How? It takes a lot of self-initiative and self-motivation to accomplish it. However, it is a decent deal for a 2300+ score, if that is what you are aiming at. (Hopefully all SI readers are!) Open up Excel or get out a piece of paper and draw a table or just somehow get a planner. Then, plan out what you will do each day. Maybe you can take a section each (reading, writing, math) per day and memorize 10 vocabulary. If you still have a bit of time, you can do one section a day. If you’re running out of time, how about a test a day?

The schedule really depends on your personal schedule–the time you’ll spend on homework, school work, with friends, etc.–but if you get a schedule written down and pasted right in front of your desk, it is more likely that it will help you than not.  It may be a bit hard to follow at first, but once you get the hang of it, your scores will most definitely improve!

NOTE: Don’t make a schedule if you are not going to even look at it after you are done making it.

Tags: cetra, Cetra's Insider, sat institute, sat timeline, SAT Tips & Tricks

SAT is certainly not the longest test in the world. However, as a high school student, the 3~4 hour test can be quite demanding. Unfortunately, many students are not aware of this and take the test. When they reach the sixth or seventh section… well, you can probably guess what’s going on in their minds. “When will this end?!”

For those striving for at least a 1500/2200, obviously preparation is a vital part to reaching it. While practice by solving hundreds of problems and memorizing hundreds of words may help, how you manage your time could make a huge difference in your scores.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be focusing on how to improve your time management during the test. I probably wouldn’t be blogging about how to manage your time, if I was going to regurgitate what everybody believes of time management during the test: skipping hard questions and doing easier ones first, taking a timer with you, and so on. SAT is a test where you cannot manage your time the same way you would in an ordinary school test. It is a combination of both preparation and experience.

Are you looking to take that small, yet extra step to achieving a high score?

Tune in to next Friday for the first post of the series in Time Management.

- Cetra

Tags: cetra, Cetra's Insider, SAT, SAT tips, sat tricks, time, time management

This is your new SAT Institute staff member, Cetra!

I’m currently a senior in highschool who is pretty much done with his applications. I’ve taken the New SAT and the SAT Subject Tests a few times already. My scores are not near 2400, but it’s not a bad score, so I hope to give a few tips on how to improve your scores in all three: critical reading, mathematics, and writing.

Most likely, I’ll also try to cover the latest news in the college admissions process along with the general SAT and CollegeBoard/ETS news.

Thanks and looking forward to working here!

Tags: cetra, introduction, sat institute