Everything You Need to Ace the SAT
Complete SAT exam guide covering format, preparation strategies, practice tests, books, courses, and free resources to help you score higher.
What is the SAT?
The SAT is a standardized college admissions test that consists of Math and English sections. The test is accepted by universities across the globe, most prominently in the U.S., as well as at many institutions in Europe, Asia, Australia, and more. A strong SAT score can not only open doors to these institutions but also potentially help attain scholarship opportunities.
What is the SAT Test format?
The SAT is now a digital test, which takes 2 hours and 14 minutes to complete. It consists of four modules; two in Reading and Writing and two in Math. There is a ten-minute break after the first two Reading and Writing modules. The test is now adaptive, which means your performance in the first module determines the difficulty level of the second module. This also means that it is very important to perform well in the first module; otherwise, your score will be capped regardless of your second module performance.
| Section | Modules & Time | Number of Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Reading & Writing | 2 modules x 32 min each = 64 min | 54 questions (27 per module) |
| Math | 2 modules x 35 min each = 70 min | 44 questions (22 per module) |
| Total | 2 hours 14 minutes | 98 questions |
How to Prepare for the SAT Test?
The SAT tests a variety of topics across Math and English. It is recommended that students begin preparation around the 10th-11th grade to ensure familiarity with a majority of the tested topics. In Math, based on the standard trajectory of the U.S. education system, the test covers content upto Pre-Calculus. This is important, as it gives you an idea of when it would be optimal to get ready for testing. For Reading and Writing, there isn’t such a defined class set that is covered. The primary concepts that are tested are vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension.
SAT Resources
Now that you have an idea of when it is ideal to begin preparing, let’s talk about the most effective way to do so. There is no right or wrong approach, but depending on your preference, you may want to choose specific methods.
SAT Practice tests:
Practice tests are the best way for you to determine your current standing and identify the gaps you need to address. The College Board, the creator of the SAT, offers 7 official practice tests for free. You can find these on the Bluebook platform. Students are encouraged to take one practice test before beginning preparation. The remaining tests should be spaced out thoughtfully based on the test date, preparation time line, and the number of times the student plans to take the SAT. The optimal number of attempts to maximize your score is around three to five. You can take it as many times as you’d like, but it may not be the best use of your time. Take all of this into consideration as you plan your practice tests.
Third-Party SAT Practice tests:
There are other third-party practice tests available. However, these should generally be used only if you run out of official practice tests. These often don’t reflect the College Board questions well, and the scoring system may be less accurate. They are good for extra practice, especially for time management. However, students should interpret scores from third-party tests cautiously. Another consideration is that many of these either only have one free practice test or none.
Here are some popular third-party resources:
- Princeton Review Offers one free full-length SAT practice test online; additional practice tests require purchasing a course or prep book.
- Kaplan Offers one free full-length SAT practice test online; additional practice tests require enrollment in a paid program.
- Barron’s Offers no free online SAT practice tests; full-length practice tests are available only through purchased Barron’s SAT prep books.
- BluePrep Offers 1 free full-length SAT practice test after account creation; additional practice tests require payment
Books:
There are excellent books for both the Math and English sections of the SAT. If you learn best through text, then this may be the best option for you. Many times, this can serve as a great way to start preparation, as books delve into topics you may not have brushed up on in a while. Some things to consider are that none of the books mentioned below are free, and they are not official College Board practice materials. This can lead to question styles that do not accurately reflect College Board questions. It is recommended to combine these with College Board practice tests for optimal results.
Math
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PrepPros: The Complete Guide To Digital SAT MathThis is an excellent book that comprises 36 chapters of Math in a digestible manner. Each chapter has a plethora of questions that are categorized into 4 different levels. These are merely suggestions for students based on what level they’re currently at. This book does a great job of including all levels of questions that show up on the test.Note: This book is often used alongside PrepPros courses, which have video solutions and lessons. I say this as the answer key found at the end of the book simply has answers and not explanations or solutions like some other books.
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The College Panda’s SAT MathAnother great SAT math book. The differentiating factor between this and the PrepPros book would be that this is definitely a more challenging book. Now this can be good and bad. It certainly can overprepare you, but sometimes it isn’t reflective of the types of questions the SAT actually has. This book does have detailed solutions at the end for every question, which is an added benefit. Another benefit is that this book is also available as an online book on the College Panda website for a lower price than the paper version.
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SAT Math Orange Book Volume IThe Orange book is excellent for someone who wants to begin with the absolute basics. It works in a progressive manner, which is great for someone who’d like to review the basics. This is a book that has two volumes because of the additional chapters to review the basics. This book can be a good option if your math score is around or below 600. If not, I would suggest you begin with a different book, as this wouldn’t be a great use of your time.
English
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The Critical Reader, Sixth Edition: The Complete Guide to SAT ReadingErica Meltzer, the author of this book, has made some excellent books for the reading and writing section for the SAT, and this is no exception. This book is excellent at covering all the strategies and tips you’ll need to tackle the reading section of the SAT.
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Sixth Edition, The Ultimate Guide to SAT® GrammarAnother great Meltzer book, this book is excellent at preparing you for the writing section of the SAT. Every grammar rule you’ll need is covered with practice material for you to hone those skills.
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SAT® Vocabulary: A New ApproachAn excellent way to review and practice vocabulary, this Erica Meltzer book takes a brilliant approach to vocabulary. Using pop culture, Hollywood, and other references, this book has a memorable and engaging methodology to prepare for the vocabulary tested on the SAT.
Question Bank
The College Board SAT question bank is one of the best resources available to prepare for the SAT. With over 3000 questions that reflect the actual test day question accurately, there isn’t a better way to practice. This is another free resource that The College Board provides for preparation. Some tips for the question bank: a big chunk of these questions overlap with the questions in the practice tests. To avoid this, exclude active questions when you use the question bank. The official practice tests wouldn’t accurately reflect your progress if you have seen the questions on them previously. Even with active questions removed, you have an abundant amount of questions to practice. When you’ve completed the practice tests, you can include active questions for review purposes.
To use an interactive version of the question bank, oneprep.xyz is a great resource. It’s the same questions through a better interface. It’s able to track what questions you’ve already done with an indicator of whether you answered them correctly or incorrectly. It also has a ton of other great resources on there.
Courses
Courses with video lectures and practice material are great if you prefer a more interactive and engaging method of preparation. Most of these are paid, but if that’s not a factor, then these are often easier and more digestible.
An official partner of The College Board, Khan Academy’s SAT Math and English courses are tailored to the test to a tee. These courses are free and require no payment whatsoever for instruction or practice material. They are, however, ideal for students with scores below 700 on either section. The material is tailored to help learn the fundamentals, and once you’ve reached above a 700, the course doesn’t have much to offer.
PrepPros, alongside their book, offers courses that have practice tests, video lectures, and solutions to all problems in their books. These videos are excellent and taught by a perfect scorer. The video explanations are excellent at thoroughly explaining the most difficult questions. They offer both Math and English in their Ultimate Digital SAT Course. The math book is the only additional purchase that is suggested alongside the course. For pricing, check out their website, as it does fluctuate.
YouTube Channels
There are excellent and cost-free YouTube channels that cover the Digital SAT. Below you’ll find suggestions for Math and R/W.
This channel has a ton of great videos for the math section. From a video course that delves into every math topic alongside practice worksheets, a course that covers every way Desmos can be utilized, to a breakdown of every official practice test. This is one of the best free resources available.
Once again, we have PrepPros, this time for their YouTube channel. They have a ton of tips and tricks available on their channel, alongside short 10-question videos explaining some of the most challenging Math questions on the SAT. This is a great resource, especially if you’re close to test day and looking to refine.
Great tips, explanations for every grammar concept, and practice questions are just the beginning of everything this channel offers. They do have Math, too, but I would say that English is their specialty. If you want to learn grammar or understand reading question types, this channel is amazing.
An excellent channel overall, Hayden has an English course that covers everything. The English section is often harder to find good resources for, and that’s why I’ve highlighted the English portion of this channel.
Vocabulary
In addition to the book, courses, and YouTube channels, flashcards are essential for vocabulary.
Below you’ll find two great platforms for flashcards.
Quizlet: You’ll find a ton of flashcard sets available here. There are some fun and engaging ways to learn vocabulary with the game modes that Quizlet offers. I would recommend searching for particular vocabulary sets, like the 400-word College Panda SAT vocabulary set.
Anki: Another way to learn vocabulary through flashcards, Anki has a great way to memorize vocabulary. You can download sets like College Pandas and then upload them to Anki. Anki has a method of ranking how easy it was for you to remember a word from 1-3, and depending on that, it brings up the word in a specific amount of time.
