Learn how to get started with your SAT® Preparation
STEP 1- Understand how the digital SAT® differs from past SATs
The digital SAT is different beyond the fact that you take it on a computer. It is a “black box” test that takes in your answers and returns a score without really allowing you to understand how that score was calculated. Your unique combination of correct and incorrect answers, combined with the pattern of easy, medium, and hard questions influences your score. So, student A could have 8 questions wrong on the RW section and obtain a 650, while student B could have 11 questions wrong and obtain a 680.
Because of the hidden nature of the scoring, you CANNOT focus on practice test scores from third-party tests to determine your readiness. There is no way for a private company or test prep professional to replicate what is happening on the real SAT®. These tests are fine for practice, but you should get happy or sad about the results; they are just data. The BlueBook App practice tests are limited (only 7) and need to be used carefully and strategically so you don’t waste them.
The question formats for Digital SAT® Reading/Writing are completely different from the question formats from past tests. The level of difficulty, the topics, and the skills may have some overlap, but overall, you don’t want to practice with old materials too much.
STEP 2-Identify your weaknesses
Yes, I just said to be careful with the Bluebook tests, but we are going to use 1 now. If you have already done 1 or some of the tests, then use those for gathering your data. Set aside 2 ½ hours and do a complete test, timed properly. If you cheat this, your data will be flawed. Ideally, do it on a Saturday morning at 9 am, like you would when taking an official test. While taking the test, keep track of “guesses”. You might be a good guesser or a weak guesser, but if you are looking for a 700+ score, you don’t want guessing to be part of your strategy.
Once finished, don’t freak out about the score. The score is not important right now. Instead, scroll down and find all the questions you got wrong and the questions you got right but guessed on. You can download this free Overview that has pages that identify the question types for the RW questions. The College Board’s sections and question types are too broad. I have broken down the section into 21 question types.
Analyze your data. What types of questions do you tend to get wrong? Did Section 1 go okay and then you crashed in Section 2? Do your errors seem random? Did you guess right most of the time? This information is to help you understand your strengths and weaknesses, so we don’t waste time.
STEP 3- Decide your path
Reddit and other SAT® forums are filled with students asking for the “perfect” plan. But there isn’t one because everyone is different, and if a single book helped everyone achieve a perfect score, then that would be the only one on the market. Most students fall into one of these 3 categories: self-study, group class, private tutor. You can have great success with any of these systems, but it all depends on you.
A) Self-Study
This works if you are self-motivated and can follow through on your plans. Plenty of students have stacks of materials or folders filled with materials and links but never get started because they are afraid of “wasting time”. Meanwhile, nothing has happened for 6 months to avoid wasting time. Be honest with yourself about whether you can self-study or you need some external pressure to get to work. Don’t forget you can team up with someone else to hold each other accountable. I’m going to give you a list of books and resources below to go this route. This is often the lowest cost option.
B) Group classes
First, understand that the goal is to take most of the class and help them improve their scores by 100-150 points. Usually from the 500s to 650ish. If you are in that range and 650 is your ideal score, then a group class can work for you. But it isn’t magic.
You need to do the work.
The teacher will also have a big impact on your improvement. Some teachers are highly experienced and can clearly explain the skills you need to improve. Unfortunately, others just scored well on the test themselves but won’t guide you through the steps you need to take. There are some great online course options produced by small companies that work hard to produce the best results. The difference between an online course with videos and an in-person course will again be a matter of whether you can make yourself do the work. I will have some suggestions below. Group courses can be expensive, and a few hours with a private tutor might be more economical.
C) Private Tutors
Tutors are human beings, not robots. They have distinct personalities and distinct skill sets. Some charge enormous fees, and others are more reasonable. When looking for a good tutor, seek those with experience teaching, not just getting a high score on the SAT®. Olympic coaches can’t do what their athletes do, but they are excellent at identifying weaknesses, designing strategies, communicating, and encouraging a healthy mindset. You need a tutor who can coach you, not just one who knows all the answers. Tutors are time efficient. Ideally, he or she will help you identify your weaknesses, devise a plan to develop your knowledge and skills to remediate those weaknesses, and give you the strategies to get your best possible score. Remember, an expensive tutor is not a magician who can produce a perfect score. You need to do the work.
Step 4 -Get to work
As I mentioned, there is a tendency to delay getting started because you are looking for a perfect set of materials or plan to avoid wasting time. The problem is that many of the skills for reading/writing take time to improve, and there are no shortcuts. If you want to improve your vocabulary, you need time and effort. If you want stronger reading skills, you need to read more. So waiting is not helpful.
**Links below may take you to Amazon.ca because I am in Canada. You should buy the products from your whichever Amazon is closest to you, or the author’s website if possible.
Long Term Work
Most students need to work on vocabulary and reading comprehension over a long term basis. This means you should set up a system for learning vocabulary daily and practice reading daily.
Vocabulary Suggestions
- Robert’s Extremely Nerdy Digital SAT Vocabulary by Robert Michael Lewis
- Roots2Words by Mike Bergin (daily free subscription
Daily Reading
International Testers Daily Reading practice (60 articles and short stories)
If you are more than 6 months away from taking your final SAT test, then focusing on reading and vocabulary before anything else will help you the most.
Grammar
My favorite SAT® Grammar book is Matthew’s Guide to Digital SAT Writing. It is a comprehensive guide to the grammar questions.
Reading
I have not found an SAT® test prep book that does a good job with guiding students through reading. I have checked out dozens of books, and everything that is in Kindle Unlimited, most of which is AI slop, outdated information, or vague. My SAT Reading Writing Bundle currently has 8 reading section lessons and 9 writing/grammar lessons, plus a couple of extras.
Tests
As I mentioned, the BlueBook App only has 7 official tests (and we used 1 to evaluate weaknesses) so you don’t want to do them all and then run out of tests. If you are within 4 months of taking your final SAT®, try to take 1 official test every 2 or 3 weeks, leaving test 11 for the end as it is the closest to the current tests. As an alternative to official tests, I suggest buying Test Innovator’s SAT Unit which includes 12 practice test and extra practice questions. I have used this system with some students and have found it to be a good place for students who need Test Practice.
Online Course
SuperTutorTV has an online course with 4 practice tests that looks reliable.
Extra Questions
The College Board has a question bank that you can access. BUT! Make sure your click “exclude active questions.” If you don’t the bank will include the questions found on the Bluebook practice tests. Like the official tests, I would use these questions after you have spent time understanding the skills being tested.
Math
I don’t teach math, but I do have a couple suggestions for preparing for the Math section.
Tutorlinni has a Youtube channel
SAT Math Manual and Workbook: For the New SAT by Dr. Ela Sharma
What about all in one books like Barron’s or Princeton Review?
Big name companies design their all in one books to appeal to a mass audience, and so give very general advice that will help a lot of people just a little bit. In general, those books are mostly Math with very little help for the Reading section, so I don’t find them terribly helpful for the SAT®.