The SAT DemystifiedMODULE 6

Brandon LiuHarvard – 2014

Varun PemmarajuUC Berkeley – 2014

Kavya ShankarHarvard – 2014

Betsy TsaiUCLA – 2014

Hey everyone!

The subject matt er of this module could potenti al ly be the most daunti ng of your high school career. Thus, the intent of this module is not to instruct you about the test, by any means. Any informati on regarding the test is defi nitely avai lable onl ine or in books and would be more updated. We want to provide you with the ins ight of how we fi t this one exam into our l ives without los ing our heads about it .

Most of the burning questi ons Lynbrook students have is about how much ti me and eff ort should be al lott ed for it . When everyone is trying to one-up each other with more classes, starti ng earl ier, i t ’s diffi cult to understand how much ti me and eff ort is necessary.

We’l l hopeful ly answer your questi ons about preparati on, study techniques, retaking, and score interpretati on.

It ’s just a test. The unfortunate hype surrounding the s ignifi cance of the exam, however, is a lso a test of your confi dence in your academic planning.

Good luck, you may now turn to the next s l ide.

Introduction

I. PreparingA. When?B. How?

When did you start studying?

Bott om line : Any ti meline is possible, and can fi t your lifestyle. Taking this test is just a part of your l ife, so fi t it in where it ’s

comfortable to do so.

“Early Bird”

While I don't think you need begin targeted studying for the SAT at a very young age, at the same time, it's important to work on developing your quantitative, critical thinking, and writing skills as early as possible. Challenge yourself to read higher reading level books and newspaper articles. –Kavya

“<9 months”

I personally don't think that you need to start more than 9 months in advance, assuming that once you start, you spend at least 2-3 hours/week studying (don't just look at the book for 20 minutes each week). If you're already feeling really good, then as little as 2-3 months is fine. –Brandon

“~5 months”

I did fine by almost anyone's standards with about 3 months of preparation, as long as you are diligent about it. I'd say a time by which you should start is summer before your junior year. At the very least, you can get a taste of the material. –Varun

Why start studying then?“Early Bird”Go ahead and roll your eyes at that classmate learning vocabulary in 8th-9th grade. However, having taken the SAT Reasoning test junior year and year, amidst the academic stresses of the end of high school, I wish I had started way earlier to simply get the test out of the way. The skills needed are not particularly special or hard. You as a prepared freshman might do as well as a prepared senior. Waiting won’t give you any smarts that you’ll need on the test. --Betsy

“<9 months”It varies from person to person, based on how well you're already doing on the SAT, how effective you are at studying, and how much the SAT matters to you. --Brandon

This long-exposure approach is good for a consistent development of test-taking skill, which is great if you’re uncomfortable with cramming.This is probably recommended for students who give the SAT great significance.

“~5 months”I think the sense of panic helped me a little bit, but is not something I would necessarily recommend. Set out a plan (4-6 months) where you can attack each bit of the test. –Varun

There is absolutely nothing wrong with spending a little less time preparing. We all have busy lives. Use this time to schedule test dates and periods of time for consistent study. You can succeed with self-confidence and motivation. Study effectively.

• Give yourself a break between tests.

• Before sophomore year, you can focus on preparing for the PSAT. Although the PSAT your sophomore year doesn't technically count for anything, it's a good benchmark and helps you assess where you are. It’s no fun doing worse than you expected on the PSAT junior year—only to panic thereafter.

Other tips for Scheduling

How do I go about studying?

Prep Class, or no?

I strongly recommend a prep class. I think that no matt er how moti vated and smart you are, someti mes, it really helps to have someone else set a schedule for you. A prep class wil l help accelerate your learning by providing a "crash course" on the SAT. However, something important to note is that a prep class is not a substi tute for self-studying, but rather a complement . --Kavya

I f you think you wil l not be able to moti vate yourself to consistently spend ti me on the SAT and you want to pay money to ensure that you do, then go for the prep class. The class, however, does not guarantee that you'l l do bett er than if you self-studied. --Brandon

How do I go about studying?

Prep Class, or no?I am a strong believer in self-studying. I know prep classes work for

some, but personally I believe the whole concept of prep classes (and for that matt er, standardized testi ng) to be a bit of a scam . Today, all the material you need is out there for you, especially for people l ike you who have demonstrated traits such as self-moti vati on and the drive to succeed . --Varun

I f you know how to spend your ti me studying, then you'l l be much more eff ecti ve because a prep class must cater to the lowest denominator , not you personally. It also saves tons of money! –Brandon

The point of a standardized test is to assess students on the same criteria from a variety of backgrounds. What ’s the point if some are paying out of nose to be considered higher achievers? The more you let this test control your l ife (and wallet), the less the test wil l say anything about you . --Betsy

So either way, I have to self-study?

Yup.But then again, you can’t treat the SAT like your biology exam,

where you gott a go (or really ought to go) to class to learn the material.The SAT has no curriculum that is the lifeline of the test. It ’s a reasoning test.

Therefore, it makes sense that the things you learn about your text-analyzing and problem-solving capabiliti es will be unique to you, and thus more useful.

Whether you may benefi t from a “crash course” in SAT material that a class provides, they can’t tell you how you study or take tests best.

II. Study Strategies

Uh, where do I start?

You can probably think of studying for this test 1 (or both) of these 2 ways:

Practi ce, practi ce, practi ce. For kinestheti c learners, maybe Identi fy and target secti ons (essay, criti cal reading…) of the test

that you think you are weaker on, focusing specifi cally on subjects (ie. passage comparisons) one at a ti me.

The word around is : It ’s not really about the material on the test.You know your grammar and your math, so don’t think you’re dumber than you are.

• The more you practice the test, the more comfortable it gets and the more machine-like you become in hitting the scores you want.

• The more you practice, you actually do better! I do not think that it helps much to take entire tests at a time. It is much much better to go through one section at a time and check your answers immediately after you finish a section. That way your answers are fresh in your mind, and you'll connect the correct answer with your mistake. --Brandon

• Don't worry about endurance, because the adrenaline will take you through the full test for the real deal. Definitely try one or two full tests before the real test, but you don’t need to practice as you perform here.

Practice Tests: Just slash and burn? Goodies for you!

Brandon’s got some past SAT tests, as well as a long list of

essay prompts:http://www.mediafire.com/?g97rvdscnyb1a76

Good Books:The big blue, Official SAT Guide, Barron’s

2400Barron’s SAT—no,

difficult, inconsistent, and confusing

Take free practice exams hosted by:

Kaplan, Princeton Review, Ivy Insiders

• Look for patterns in the way they phrase their questions (especially for critical reading).

• Every test, every vocab word, every math concept has shown up at some point before –they've simply run out of new material to test you on. –Varun

• The College Board is very consistent in their questions and answers. Learn their question style, and do not fight it. Some people refuse to conform, insist on their own answers, and end up getting lower scores. Going through practice tests will train you to understand the College Board style. –Brandon

• If you're really good at math, just do the "level 5" math problems instead of wasting your time doing all the questions. --Kavya

Is there stuff I actually need to know(and memorize)?

What did I do?

BETSY:Learning from your

mistakes is underrated. I took it to another level by

recording each wrong answer, each right

answer, and writing out why my answer (and/or other ones)

was wrong and why the right answer is

correct. I made lots of commentary, and

then compiled my conclusions into a

separate document and made a list of

general “tips” to answering questions. Check it out on the

next slides.

I wrote eight pages of tips and advice for

critical reading like this, separating them into sections of question

phrasing, vocabulary questions, specific references, tone &

rhetoric, opinions & points of view, and main

ideas.

Looking back, I can’t say I don’t think this was

overkill, but if it helps you, then I won’t think it

was a waste of time.

If you would like a copy of this document

yourself, feel free to contact me and I’ll hook

you up.

• Always fill up the full 2 pages. It's hard to get above a 10 if you don't do this.

• Use as many SAT vocab words as you can, especially if it obscures the sentence.

• Strive to get three examples in. Two is okay, but three is always better, even if the third is short!

• Some kinds of examples are better than others. Literary and historical examples are the best, with a personal anecdote being less credible.

• Practice writing a few essays and post them to College Confidential for review. Keep in mind people there tend to be a bit harsher than the College Board, at least in my experience.

• Go through the list of prompts I have attached, and practice coming up with three examples for each prompt.

What kind of essay is written in 25 minutes?!

What did I do?

BRANDON:2-3 minutes: Come up with one or two examples first that

relates to the prompt. Then take a position

based on the example that you can think of first. It's much more

difficult to pick a position first and then

think of examples.20 minutes: Write!!

Think up of your second/third example

while writing.2 minutes: Proofread

and revise.BETSY:

Intro and conclusion last. Leave a couple

lines blank.

• Brandon highly recommends using Anki as a flashcard program, as it uses spaced repetition, a very powerful tool for learning! By just spending 15-20 minutes a day, you can very quickly amass a large vocabulary.

• When you read books (yes, like literature), take the time to look up words you don’t know. Bonus points if you make your own personal dictionary.

• Most SAT vocab products you can find should be sufficient. (Barron’s flashcards are good.) If you want to ace the vocabulary questions, aim to learn 2000-3000 words.

• Additionally, try to play vocabulary games (www.freerice.com, www.number2.com) to develop your vocabulary early on.

Wait, what about vocabulary?What did I

do?BETSY:

Forget flashcards.Get a big whiteboard.

Write words you don’t know and their

definitions on it.(I write them in rows

of diff. colors so each word stands out.)

Hang it in the kitchen or in your room.

Now, you see these words all the time,

when you’re dressing, eating… heck, do jumping jacks and

see if you can say all the definitions before you get tired. I could

fit 40 words at a time, and I would erase

words when I knew them.

• Write on the book. Circle your answers on the test if you can, and transfer them over to the scantron every page. This is more efficient, keeps your focus on the text (not on the scantron), and makes it much much easier to check answers later. Please don't think about the resale value of your book. It's not worth it.

• Ask questions! Ask College Confidential or your friends when you don't understand why a particular question has a particular answer. Yeah, if the SAT can ask you questions, why the hell can’t you?

Other general study tipsWhat did I

do?BRANDON:

I read through the questions first, looking

for all questions that refer to a specific place

in the text, like line numbers, and mark the lines with the question

numberThen I read the text, and whenever I hit a

circle, I go to the question and answer it!

Questions that refer to a specific place in the text

rarely reference material that is later in

the text.If I read the whole thing first, I would often have

to go back and reread the relevant section

anyway.

III. Is my score good?

Well, what do you want your score to mean?

“I don’t want to sound like a prick, but I want to go to a Top 10 school.”

For Ivies, I think you should aim for 2300+. Don't worry about getting 2350+. –Brandon

However, I do want to point out that the test is honestly pretty important for your academic career. Even as a college student, sometimes when applying to jobs or submitting resumes, I'm asked to include my SAT score. –Kavya

Similarly, if you are looking for a Regents’ Scholarship at a UCLA or Berkeley, you might want to aim that high for a “safe” score. My primary motivation for retaking the SAT and passing 2300 was to get a full-ride scholarship from USC, unfortunately. –Betsy

But always keep in mind…The standard out of Lynbrook will be higher. I was surprised to find that quite a few of my floormates at Berkeley scored about 2000 on the SAT but are just as intellectually bright as the 2200s out of schools in this area. –Varun

It depends where you want to get accepted to. If you really do want an answer, the only way to get a concrete response is to look at college websites and look at their quartiles, medians, etc.

Also, you got an ace up your sleeve?In other words, do you have really unique achievements and/or life experiences? Do you have a wide variety of activities? The more you have that’s not related to grades or the SAT, the more it looks like you value other things, which is fine, respectable, which also makes a good candidate. But, if you sacrificed sports for SAT studying, your score “better be higher.”

Retaking the Test

Yeah, it ’s sad. No one wants to have to do it.There are a number of reasons why students at Lynbrook want to

retake it:

“My parents don’t think it ’ll cut it.”“It ’s just a mediocre score. It ’s not a safe score for ___ University.”“I think it ’s a prett y average (or below average) score for Lynbrook.”“I did consistently bett er on practi ce tests.”

Yeah?

Retaking the Test

“My parents don’t think it ’ l l cut it .”Are your parents admissions offi cers? Do they work for College Board or a college counseling agency?. I f you do feel comfortable with your score and do not want retake, say so, spend your eff orts on something else (bett er), and apply to those colleges anyway knowing you’re more than your score. Unfortunately, i f they want you to improve that 2270, they ’l l s ign you right up for that Saturday morning and you’l l have to respect their wishes. It ’s tough, but there are some things they have say over, but at the very least, don’t let them tank your self-confi dence, because most parents have a very l imited perspecti ve that typical ly refl ects the throw-more-money-at-it-unti l-you-get-it mental ity.

“It ’s just a mediocre score. It ’s not a safe score for ___ University.”As previously menti oned, be sure to look up the stati sti cs for the insti tuti on you’re talking about. The harsh real ity as a Lynbrook student is that admissions wil l expect higher numbers from you, and typical ly, the crowded public schools wil l be more consistent in selecti ng applicants by scores, whilst private schools are typical ly more holisti c.However, honest opinion—do you know if – University is the best and only place you can advance your l i fe forward? Rather, you want a place that wants you, not a place that might accept you if succeed in trying to sati sfy their norms. College experience is something that is unpredictable, so don’t adopt a mentality working towards an experience you might not get at ___ University anyway.

Retaking the Test

“I think it ’s a prett y average (or below average) score for Lynbrook.”Unfortunately, you lucky kids go to a great high school that encourages high achievement, yet makes it harder to stand out. Admissions offi cers wil l compare you to your FUHSD peers. Somebody ’s got to be at the top. The discrepancies between the percenti les is s l im, but they ’re sti ll there. Know this, but don’t let it get to you, because there’s l itt le you can do about your fr iend standing just half an inch tal ler.

“I did consistently bett er on practi ce tests.”This might be the best (or the most val id) argument for retaking, because this refl ects the student ’s personal opinion that his/her potenti al was not ful ly real ized. It ’s one thing to face disappointment, but it ’s another thing to feel strongly that you can improve. That ’s a good sign, but do be wary of how you practi ced. Did you take legiti mate practi ce tests and tr ied to simulate the testi ng conditi ons? Be real isti c. I f you are so upset, maybe you shouldn’t have taken so many practi ce tests. ;]

I’m still not happy with my scores!

Other words about post-exam decisions:If you studied extremely di l igently and well for the fi rst exam, and you

know you did, then take the second one with ease. Make sure above al l that you are rested and relaxed.I studied way less during the ti me between my two SATs, and improved 130 points, which I att ribute mainly to calmness, peace of mind, and luck.

There’s nothing on this second one that you don’t know already, so never, ever, sacrifi ce your summer or that weekend or that club offi cer positi on to study more.Don’t do anything with the indirect intenti on of sucking up to college admissions. They don’t want to see you spend your ti me trying to look good for them. You might end up quitti ng something you enjoy, something that defi nes your character, for a mild improvement in a score that hundreds of other students have already. Don’t spend excessive eff ort trying to excel at something everyone else has on their applicati on.

Okay, having to take the SAT three ti mes really sucks. Maybe try the ACT?I regret not having taken the ACT. I personally feel l ike I wasted so much ti me preparing for the SAT. I got what I wanted, but the ACT could have cost me a lot less in ti me and energy. The ACT material is a l itt le more complex ( in math and science) than the SAT, but the questi ons are a lot more direct. And the exam is briefer and less strenuous. So consider before signing up for the umpteenth ti me.

I f you never caught on, I hate standardized tests , main ly thei r soc ia l impacts and the t rend of infl ati on that makes i t more st ressfu l for you k ids to study more, enrol l in prep c lasses , post p i les of books on your Facebook profi le—real ly just because every other c lassmate i s doing i t , and i t ’s the very least you can do to keep up.

Don’t get me wrong—I had fa l len into the t rap of cons istent studying , th inking I was going to get that score and get into A , B, and C in return. I guess I got that score. But d id I get A , B, and C? Nope, and now the SAT i s a laughable (embarrass ing ly so) topic . By a l l means, set goa ls for yoursel f, and respect the exam’s importance on your appl icati ons. (Don’t ever sound d isrespectf ul on col lege appl icati ons. You have bett er th ings to do. ) But l i fe i s not as cons istent as the essay graders ’ penchants for reading examples about the C iv i l R ights Movement or Shakespeare. (Hint . )

I th ink you wi l l d i scover for yourse l f how much the SAT means to you. And when you’ve h i t the last hour you want to spend on i t , you’ l l know that any more ti me you spend on i t wi l l inh ib i t you f rom being t rue to yoursel f.

Don’t compla in about the hours- long exam. We a l l gott a do i t . So respect the ru les , k ick butt , and move on.

Best Regards ,Betsy Tsa i

Closing Remarks

From your Compass Point Mentors

THANK YOU!

Brandon LiuHarvard

brandon.k.liu@gmail.com

Varun PemmarajuUC Berkeley

varun.pemmaraju@berkeley.edu

Kavya ShankarHarvard

kshankar.92@gmail.com

Betsy TsaiUC Los Angeles

betsyrtsai@gmail.com