Tis the season for standardized testing! Juniors are in the midst of perhaps one of the most important tests of their lives: the SATs. With the May 2 testing date less than a month away, people might be wondering what they should be doing to prepare.
Pentucket offers an SAT prep course that meets once a week. Teachers, such as Ms. Lynch and Ms. Chory, teach tips and tricks to prepare juniors for test day. Aside from the weekly homework, juniors claim that it is helpful and they highly encourage the program.
Senior Tia Pittunicous took the class last year. She admits that she didn’t do the homework every week, but when it came close to test time she finally did the assigned homework and used it as a study tool. She says, “If you plan on studying, don’t half study. Be invested and commit.”
Aside from the class, students recommend that you do studying on your own. Junior Rebecca Torrisi took the SATs in March. She suggests reviewing the vocab, the part of the test that she struggled with the most. Vocab lists containing hundreds of “SAT words” can be found online that can be utilized as a study tool.
Torrisi also suggests getting a good night’s sleep. “I was tired the day of the test, so I didn’t do my best.” She says, “Don’t stress out about time constraints either; just work though the problems.”
Junior Kelly Murray took the March test, too. She says she didn’t do anything to prepare for the test, but once she received her scores she bought an online pack that shows what questions she got wrong. “I use these questions to practice so I’m ready for the next test.” It is important to take the SATs more than once so you can have a chance of bettering your score.
By taking the test multiple times, you can “superscore” your SAT score. Club Z Tutoring explains that this is a method where colleges only look at the “best individual sections from each test while reviewing a student’s college application, rather than just looking at one individual test date’s score.” Many colleges accept superscoring, and it is a great way to better your score.
One suggestion that each interviewee mentioned regarded the issue of hunger. They said eat a big breakfast and bring snacks. The testing period lasts several hours, so it is important to be prepared.
So charge your calculators and sharpen your #2 pencils! Make sure you take the proper steps so that you are ready for the SATs.