If you’re looking to apply abroad or even to liberal arts institutions in India, The SAT is a test which is advised to take. The basic way to for many will be to go to coaching centres but these can be expensive and thus not accessible and affordable by all students. Self-studying for SAT is no less than going to a coaching centre if you are willing to put in the time for it.
The SAT is very different from the normal school examinations, especially for the ICSE and ISC students. However, with constant practice, it is pretty easy to get a score as close as possible to 1600.
STEPS TO SELF-STUDY FOR THE SAT:
1. TAKE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST:
A diagnostic test is the first step on your SAT journey. Take this test without any prior practice or training. It will show where you stand in terms of the test and how much practice you require. Take a free diagnostic test on Khan Academy(click here) or do a real SAT Test. Make sure you do it on a pen and paper format.
After you get your results for the diagnostic test, ask yourself a few questions which will determine your next step- How far are you from your goal score? Did you run out of time in any of the sections? Which sections did you struggle with the most? Which type of questions did you struggle with the most?
Usually, a good score is one above 1500 but it all depends on the college you are applying to and what is your general aptitude.
2. DETERMINE HOW MUCH PRACTICE YOU NEED:
Ask yourself the questions mentioned in the previous step. Based on them, decide how many hours you need to devote studying for the test. These hours are based on how much you intend to improve from your diagnostic test score.
3. GET THE BEST RESOURCES:
This is undoubtedly the most important step when self-studying. As you will not be receiving any coaching, it is essential to learn from the right material and the right way.
I am going to tell you the best and most recommended books to use for the SAT and even some online coaching platforms which are free of cost.
So, to start off the number one resource that is a prerequisite for SAT Prep is the Official SAT Study Guide by College Board. This book can be bought or its contents can be downloaded online free of cost. However, if you are downloading the content make sure to print out the practice tests while doing them. Another thing to know about the tests in the book is that they do not have a grading scale but the CollegeBoard has an app in which you have click pictures of your bubble sheets and they will grade them for you.
The best material to practice from is always the official material. Khan Academy has a lot of free prep material which is highly recommended as well. It is authentic material and will be your best friend while studying for the SATs. You can set question targets and test dates and daily reminders are sent to you so that you don’t forget about it in the midst of all your other work.
Now, most would buy other practice books from the BIG THREE brands: The Princeton Review, Barron’s, and Kaplan. Although they are the most reputed brands, there are not recommended for someone who is self-studying. These brands are good for extra practice and practice tests which you might need around a month before your SATs. Since the SAT is not like a regular school exam, there are certain skill-building and strategies required to ace this test and the official material will not give you that.
The first author to turn to, especially for English sections, is Erica Meltzer. Her books are known to be very good at teaching basic rules of grammar and learning the SAT English. For the reading section, she is also helpful in teaching good basic reading strategies. However, her practice tests are
not very challenging to you may want to refer to a few other practice books for those.
Moving on to the math section, the first recommended book is ‘PWN the SAT’. This books EXPLAINS a lot of the questions very well and is great for a self-prepper. It is especially for those looking to score 600+ on the math section.
The next book for the math section is the College Panda book on SAT Math. This book has math practice tests, thorough overviews, and updated questions. Some things that are left out in this book are in the PWN.
Now, in terms of practice, the last book I would recommend is a free book by Varsity Tutors. It gives you 475+ practice questions and 75 lessons. Again, I would highly recommend that you print out all the practice material while doing them.
(click the book)
That is all the book recommendations I had to give based on some research and reviews. All the books recommended are majorly by smaller brands but they are much better at teaching and giving practice material as compared to the bigger brands.
I know that buying these many books can also be expensive. A good tip would be to ask around and use second-hand books. Ask your seniors, neighbours, or anyone you know who had taken the SAT for their books.
Overall, in terms of resources, I would recommend you to mix and match your brands to get all types of questions and strategies. Make sure you do timed practice tests as your test dates near and ANALYSE your mistakes thoroughly.
Don’t be too stressed about the exam. Standardized testing is an important part of the application but if the SAT does not work for you, you can always try out the ACT. Stay tuned for the ACT article!
ALL THE BEST! :)
Well written. Useful for students planning to take SAT in the coming years