SAT - Studying Within A Limited Time Frame

‘Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.’ -Lin Yuntang

In a perfect world, aspiring American college students would begin preparing for the SAT a year or more in advance. Indeed, at top American prep schools, this is precisely what happens - and extra practice results in better scores. But there is an issue when, due to whatever circumstances, students only have a month or two (or perhaps less) for preparation. Here, we go over the keys to making the most of limited time.

The first problem with preparing for the SAT on a limited time frame is the stress caused by the daunting amount of SAT material available- many thick 700-page tomes chock-full of lessons and practice questions. The trick is to identify early on what your main issues are: for example, a particular kind of math problem, reading comprehension passage, or grammar flow. Remember that the 80/20 principle applies to the SAT as well - 80% of your mistakes will come from 20% of the same question types.

To find the key question types, complete a diagnostic test and make a chart of question types you answered correctly and incorrectly (online software can help with this immensely). Identify the question types with the highest proportion of incorrect to correct answers. Then, focus your practice on these questions. A trained SAT specialist is especially useful for helping you identify your flaws and then target them with large amounts of practice questions tailored to your aptitude level. But when your time is limited, ensure your SAT success by making sure that you diagnose and practice your weakest areas, rather than trying to finish as many practice books from back to front as possible.

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