Test Taking Strategies to
Improve Your SAT Score
Westminster High School
October 4, 2010
Average GPA and SAT for Admission in 2009-10
Colleges
GPA
SAT (Math and CR
only)
Frostburg State Univ.
3.1
1010
Johns Hopkins Univ.
3.7
1400
McDaniel College
3.41
1120
Morgan State University
3.0
1000
Penn State University
3.55
1200
West Virginia University
3.3
1050
Salisbury University
3.6
1120
Towson University
3.5
1100
University of Delaware
3.7
1200
University of Maryland
3.93
1295
Stevenson University
3.47
1050
What does the test look like?
Section
Content
Number of
Questions
Critical Reading
Extended Reasoning
Literal Comprehension
Vocabulary in Context
Sentence Completions
Total
36-40
4-6
4-6
19
67
Number & Operations
Algebra & Functions
Geometry & Measurement
Data Analysis, Statistics &
Probability
Total
11-14
19-22
14-16
5-8
Essay
Improving Sentences
Identifying Sentence Errors
Improving Paragraphs
Total
1
25
18
6
50
70 minutes
Two 25-minute sections
One 20-minute section
Mathematics
70 minutes
Two 25-minute sections
One 20-minute section
Writing
60 minutes
One 25-minute essay
One 25-minute multiple choice
One 10-minute multiple choice
54
How difficult is the SAT?
• On average, students answer 50 or
60 percent of questions correctly
• 80 percent finish nearly the entire
test
• Almost all students complete at least
75 percent of the questions
Timing is Everything!
• Test is 3 hours and 45 minutes of testing time, plus three 5-minute
breaks, for a total of 4 hours to complete the entire test.
• Don’t spend too much time on any one question.
– Spend seconds on the easiest questions
– Hesitate to spend more than 1-2 minutes even on the hardest
questions
• Remember the SAT consists of a series of small, timed, mini-tests.
– Keep track of the time allotted for each one and how much time
remains.
• Wear a watch to the testing center.
Understand the Scoring!
• You get a point for a right answer.
• You lose one-quarter point for a wrong
answer.
• There is no deduction for omitted
answers, or for wrong answers in the math
section’s student-produced response
questions.
• Each of the 3 sections is on a 200 to 800
point scale.
Overall Test Tactics
• Learn the section directions now.
• Answer easy questions first.
• Mark skipped questions so you can quickly
locate them.
• Guess….. IF you can eliminate at least one
answer choice.
• Skip any question if you don’t have the
faintest idea about the answer. You
DON’T lose points!
Overall Test Tactics
• Easy questions usually precede hard ones.
• Don’t change an answer unless you’re sure
you made an error.
• Read the words of the question carefully.
Be sure to answer the question asked and
not the question you recall from a practice
test.
Recording Your Answers
• You MAY and SHOULD write in the test booklet.
– Cross out wrong answers.
– Do scratch work.
• Take care when filling in the answer grid for the
student-produced response questions.
• Avoid stray marks on the answer sheet.
• Make sure you are using a No. 2 pencil.
• Mark only one answer per question.
• Keep checking that you are placing your answer in the
correct section and number on the answer sheet.
Retaking the SAT
• 55% of juniors taking the test
improved their scores as seniors
• 35% had score drops
• 10% had no change in score
• On average, juniors repeating the SAT
as seniors improved their combined
critical reading, mathematics, and
writing scores by approximately 40
points
Using SAT Skills Insight
www.sat.collegboard.com/practice
Shows which academic skills students can
concentrate on to improve their scores
Using the College Board site to
prepare for the SAT
www.sat.collegeboard.com/practice/sat-practice-questions
Sample questions for each area of the test as well as a
full length practice test
www.sat.collegeboard.com/practice/sat-study-plan
Allows you to create a personalized plan to prepare for
the test based on the number of times you’ve previously
taken it and your testing date
Using the College Board site to
prepare for the SAT
www.sat.collegeboard.com/practice/answers-imagined
Helps provide suggestions for how to handle tough SAT
questions
www.sat.collegeboard.com/practice/sat-question-of-the-day
Sign up for a daily emailed question of the day
Answers will include explanation of the correct answer
Calculator Policy
• Calculators are highly recommended.
• You may NOT share calculators.
• Calculators permitted during testing are:
– Graphing calculators
– Scientific calculators
– Four-function calculators (not recommended)
• Unacceptable calculators
– Models with typewriter keypad, pen-input stylus, or touch-screen
capability
– Models that use paper tape, “talk” or make unusual noises
– Modes that can access the Internet, have cell phone capability, or
have a digital audio/video player or a camera
Critical Reading Section
• What does it test?
– How well you understand what you read
• What do the questions look like?
– Sentence completion (19 questions)
– Passage-based reading (48 questions)
Sentence Completions
• Measure
– Knowledge of the meanings of words
– Ability to understand how the different
parts of a sentence fit together
logically
Sentence Completions
• Work on these first. They take less
time to answer than the passagebased reading questions.
• The difficulty of sentence
completion questions increase as you
move through the section.
Sentence Completion
Strategies
• Answer a sentence completion
question with two blanks by focusing
first on one of the two blanks.
• If one of the words in answer choice
is logically wrong, then you can
eliminate the entire choice from
consideration.
Sentence Completion Example
Hoping to ------ the dispute, negotiators
proposed a compromise that they felt
would be ------ to both labor and
management.
(A) enforce. .useful
(B) end. . divisive
(C) overcome. . unattractive
(D) extend. . satisfactory
(E) resolve. . acceptable
Passage-Based Questions
• Measure your ability to read and think critically about several
different passage ranging in length from about 100 to 800
words.
• Passages are taken from a variety of fields including the
humanities, social studies, natural sciences, and literary fiction.
• They vary in style and can include narrative, argumentative, and
expository elements.
• Some selections consist of a pair of related passages on a
shared issue or theme; in some questions, you are asked to
compare and contrast these passages.
Types of Questions about the Passage
• Vocabulary in context
– Ask you to determine the meaning of words from
their context in the reading
• Literal comprehension
– Assess your understanding of significant information
directly stated in the passage
• Extended reasoning
– Measure your ability to synthesize and analyze
information as well as to evaluate the assumptions made
and the techniques used by the author
– Most of the reading questions fall into this category
– You may be asked to identify cause and effect, make
inferences, recognize a main idea or an author’s tone, or
follow the logic of an analogy or an argument.
Passage-Based
Reading Questions
• Do not increase in difficulty from easy to hard.
Instead, they follow the logic of the passage.
• Information you need to answer each reading question
is ALWAYS in the passage(s).
– Don’t be misled by an answer that looks correct but is not
supported by the actual txt of the passage(s).
• Reading questions often include line numbers to help
direct you to relevant part(s) of the passage.
• Do not jump from passage to passage. Stay with a
passage until you have answered as many questions as
you can before you proceed to the next passage.
Mathematics Section
• Contains two types of questions
– Standard multiple choice (44 questions)
– Student-produced response questions
that provide no answer choices (10
questions)
• On the HSA these were called “grid ins”
Strategies for the
Mathematics Section
• Familiarize yourself with the directions
ahead of time.
• The test does NOT require you to
memorize formulas.
– Commonly used formulas are provided in the
test book at the beginning of each
mathematics section.
– It is up to you to decide which formula is
appropriate for a given problem.
Strategies for the
Mathematics Section
• Read the problem carefully.
– Note key words that tell you what the
problem is asking.
• Ask yourself the following questions
before you solve each problem:
– What is the question asking?
– What do I know?
Strategies for the
Mathematics Section
• With some problems, it may be useful to draw a
sketch or diagram of the given information.
• Use the test book for scratch paper.
• Decide when to use a calculator.
• For multiple choice questions, you may want to
refer to the answer choices before you determine
your answer.
• Eliminate choices.
• Make sure your answer is a reasonable answer to
the question asked.
– Especially true for student-produced answer choices.
• All figures are drawn to scale unless otherwise
indicated.
Grid-In Guidelines
• Answers are NOT multiple choice
– Written in a grid as numerical values
• All fractions should be expressed as improper
fractions, not mixed numbers
• Start the answer in the left-most grid column
• Never forget to fill in the bubbles as well as
writing the number at the top of the grid
• Always guess on this section
– You are not penalized for a wrong answer in this section
Calculator Tips
• Remember to bring your calculator to the test and be
familiar with how to use the calculator you bring.
• Make sure it is in good working order and contains
fresh batteries.
• Don’t buy an expensive, sophisticated calculator just
to take the test.
• Don’t try to use a calculator on every question.
• Get your thoughts down before using your calculator.
• Take the practice test with a calculator at hand.
Mathematics Topics on
the SAT
•
Number and Operations (20-25%)
– Arithmetic word problems
• Including percent, ratio and
proportion
– Properties of integers
• Even, odd, prime numbers,
divisibility, etc.
– Rational numbers
– Sets
• Union, intersection, elements
– Counting techniques
– Sequences and series (including
exponential growth)
– Elementary number theory
•
Algebra and Functions (35-40%)
– Substitution and simplifying
algebraic expressions
– Properties of exponents
– Algebraic word problems
– Solutions of linear equations and
inequalities
– Systems of equations and
inequalities
– Quadratic equations
– Rational and radical equations
– Equations of lines
– Absolute value
– Direct and inverse variation
– Concepts of algebraic functions
– Newly defined symbols based on
commonly used operations
Mathematics Topics on
the SAT
•
Geometry and Measurement (25-30%)
– Area and perimeter of a polygon
– Area and circumference of a
circle
– Volume of a box, cube and
cylinder
– Pythagorean Theorem and special
properties of isosceles,
equilateral, and right triangles
– Properties of parallel and
perpendicular lines
– Coordinate geometry
– Geometric visualization
– Slope
– Similarity
– Transformations
•
Data Analysis, Statistics, and
Probability (10-15%)
– Data interpretation (tables and
graphs)
– Descriptive statistics (mean, median
and mode)
– Probability
The Writing Section
• Writing section includes:
– Multiple choice questions
• Improving sentences (25 questions)
• Identifying sentence errors (18 questions)
• Improving paragraphs (6 questions)
– Writing an essay
• Essay counts 30% of your total score in the
writing section
The Essay
• Need to show effectively you can develop and express
ideas
– Take care to develop your point of view, present your ideas
logically and clearly, and use language precisely
• Must be written on the lines provided in the answer
book
• Avoid wide margins and keep your handwriting to a
reasonable size
• Write or print so that the writing is legible to scorers
• Must use a pencil – if written in ink it will receive a
score
• An off-topic essay will receive a score of zero
• If your essay does not reflect your original and
individual work, your test scores may be canceled
Sample Essay Prompt
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the
assignment below.
Many persons believe that to move up the ladder of success and
achievement, they must forget the past, repress it, and relinquish it. But
others have just the opposite view. They see old memories as a chance to
reckon with the past and integrate past and present.
Adapted from Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot,
I’ve Known Rivers: Lives of Loss and Liberation
Assignment: Do memories hind or help people in their effort to learn from
the past and succeed in the present? Plan and write an essay in which you
develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with
reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience or
observations.
Tackling the Essay
• Decide if you agree or disagree with the essay
prompt and write your thesis.
• Take 5 minutes to outline your essay response.
• Essay should consist of 4-5 paragraphs
– An introduction
– One paragraph each detailing 2 or 3 different examples
that support your thesis
– A conclusion
• Try to use one example from
literature/history/current events and your own
personal experience
• Make sure you allow time for proofreading
Final Preparations
•
•
•
•
•
SLEEP
Eat breakfast
Use a reliable alarm clock and have a back up
Be aware of traffic and other potential delays
Things to take with you to the test
– Admission ticket, acceptable photo ID, number 2 pencils with a good
eraser, calculator with fresh batteries
– Snacks (to eat during braeks), a watch (without an audible alarm), a
backpack or bag (to be kept under the seat), and extra batteries
• DO NOT BRING
– Any electronic device, scratch paper, notes, books, a dictionary,
compass, protractor, or ruler. NO CELL PHONES!!
– Highlighter or colored pencils
– Portable listening device or recording device
– Camera
• Arrive early to select a seat you are comfortable sitting in for the
test
• If you are easily distracted don’t sit near the door or test
administrator