SATs and Other Tests

Use this quiz to uncover the test-taking myths that might interfere with your success on the SAT. ...

Introduction to the SAT Math TestHow SAT Math Is Different from Classroom Math Most students are surprised to find out just how basic SAT math is: arithmetic, geometry, algebra, and a smattering of elementary logic and probability. Yes, the SAT M...

How Much Can You Raise Your SAT Score?As we just discussed, how much and how rapidly you can raise your SAT score depends on how willing you are to change the way you take the test. Your potential improvement depends on other factors, of course, ...

What to Do the Week Before the SAT 128 Hours and Counting: Getting Ready for the Big Day In this article we'll discuss what you should do the week before the SAT, what to expect in the exam room, and what happens after you've taken the test. You...

The SAT Sentence Completions: Basic PrinciplesI'll Say It Again: Start Memorizing Words Today Each of the three SAT Reading Test sections begins with sentence completion questions: 5, 6, and 8, respectively, making a total of 19 sentence complet...

Introduction to the SAT Reading TestWhat Does the SAT Reading Test Measure? The SAT Reading Test consists of three sections—two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section—containing 19 sentence completion questions and 48 reading comprehensio...

Concerned about math tests? Take the challenge! Find out what your teen needs to know. ...

Typical Errors on the SAT Proofreading SectionEach grammatical category begins with sentences that illustrate the different ways that particular error can occur. You will get much more benefit from the remainder of this chapter if you try to iden...

The SAT Proofreading and Editing Section: Basic PrinciplesFirst Grammar, Then Techniques In this article I'll cover everything you need to know to ace the 35-minute multiple-choice section of the SAT Writing Test. Remember: these proofreading and...

The SAT Essay: Basic PrinciplesStrunk and White Would Have Bombed on the SAT EssayThe Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and the incomparable essayist E. B. White, is universally acknowledged as one of the best books ever written on craftin...

Getting a Good Score Without FinishingSuppose you received a score of 80 out of 100 on a test at school. Would that be a very good score, a good score, an average score, or a bad score? Well, on the SAT, 80 percent right is better than a 650 on ...

Introduction to the SAT Writing TestRaise Your SAT Writing Score by 100 Points (or More) in One Week (Practically) Guaranteed! Your score on the SAT Writing Test will be determined by how well you do on its two parts. In the first part, you'll h...

When You Guess, Beware of Your HunchesYou know that whenever you can make a quick guess on a question to avoid leaving it blank, you should take the shot. The key word here is quick; you can always afford to guess, but you can never afford to was...

Types of Questions and AnswersEasy Questions Have Easy, Obvious, Popular Answers—Hard Questions Have Hard, Unexpected, Unpopular Answers It helps to think of SAT questions as popularity contests. The answer to an easy question is the most popula...

The SAT Reading Comprehension: Basic PrinciplesWhy Your Comprehension Improves the Less You Read of a Passage Three sections of the SAT Reading Test begin with sentence completion questions before the reading passages; one section consists of rea...

How Much Time Should You Spend Per Question?Each Question Is Worth the Same, So Spend Your Time Where It's Likely to Do the Most Good In the The SAT Is Not Like Your School Tests, we discussed some of the differences between your school tests an...

SAT Questions Are Arranged in Order of DifficultyExcept for the reading questions, each type of question on the SAT is arranged in order of difficulty. The first third of any type of question are easy, the next third are medium, and the last thir...

Don't Finish EarlyNo Matter What Your Score Level, You'd Better Not Finish Any Section Early If you've finished a section early—it doesn't matter how good a test-taker you are—you've rushed. Your goal is to pace yourself throughout each section...