SAT Study Skills and Strategies

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How Do I Motivate Myself to Study?
Obviously, you don’t have unlimited time to spend preparing for the SAT. How can you maximize the study time
you do have? The first rule to remember is: How you study is as important as how much time you spend studying.
To study effectively, you need to focus all your attention on the material. Your attitude must be: At this
moment, in this place, this is the most important thing to me. Phone calls are less important right now. TV shows
are less important. My social life is less important. I’m studying for the SAT. I’m preparing for my successful future.
Visualize Your Future
What does your future hold? To a large extent, the decisions you are making right now will determine the answer
to that question. Take a minute to think about what you want. Maybe the future seems a little hazy to you. That’s
okay. You don’t need to have your entire life planned out yet. But some part of you most likely knows what you
want out of college, so focus on that for the moment.
Let’s start with choosing a school. What kind of campus do you want to be on? Large? Small? What are the
other students like? What subjects are you looking forward to studying?
CHAPTER
SAT Study Skills
and Strategies
2
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Form a visual image of yourself on a college cam-
pus. If you have a dream college, practice seeing your-
self there. Visualizations like this are a powerful tool.
They motivate you to work toward your dreams, and
that helps make your dreams your reality.
Okay, you know where you want to be, at least in
a general sense. Keep that vision in your mind and use
it whenever you are tempted to neglect your study plan.
It can be hard to stick to a study plan. There are always
other things you’d rather be doing—you may encounter
obstacles, feel overwhelmed at times with the size of the

task, or experience anxiety about your chances for suc-
cess. These are all common problems, and you can over-
come them. This book will show you how.
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How to Study
The key to success in this endeavor, as in so many
aspects of life, is to take things one step at a time.
Break this giant task down into manageable pieces.
Your first step toward successful studying is to map
out your study plan.
First, decide what skills you need to improve
upon. You may want to take a practice test to help you
assess your strengths and weaknesses. Then, write down
each type of question and how well you scored on it.
Now you can prioritize your study time. Remember,
though, no matter what you score, you will get better
with practice. You practice learning to drive a car, to
play soccer, or to play an instrument; and as you prac-
tice, you get better. Taking the SAT is no different.
The Schedule
Next, take a look at how much time you have between
now and the test date. Get out your calendar and decide
what time is available to you for studying. Your life
may be pretty busy now, but there’s bound to be some
time you spend on less productive activities (like watch-
ing TV) that you could use to make your college dreams
come true. Make a commitment to yourself, and then
keep it.
One way you can help yourself stay motivated to
study is to set up a system of rewards. For example, if

you keep your commitment to study for an hour in the
afternoon, you get to watch your favorite television
show. If you stay on track all week, you get to go out
Saturday afternoon. This is a game you play with your-
self, so you only win if you play by the rules. As with
Solitaire, it’s not a lot of fun if you cheat. And anyway,
remember that the ultimate way to win is to excel on
the SAT and attend one of your top-choice colleges.
Your Learning Style
Another way to make studying easier for yourself is to
know how you learn best. Are you a visual learner, an
auditory learner, a kinesthetic learner, or some combi-
nation of the three?
A visual learner likes to read and is often a good
speller. Often, she finds it hard to follow oral instruc-
tions, or even to listen, unless there’s something inter-
esting to watch, too.
When a visual learner studies, she can make good
use of graphic organizers such as charts and graphs.
Flash cards will appeal to her and help her learn, espe-
cially if she uses colored markers. It will help her form
images as she learns a word or concept.
An auditory learner, by contrast, likes oral direc-
tions. He may find written materials confusing or bor-
ing. He often talks to himself, and he may even whisper
aloud when he reads. He likes being read aloud to.
An auditory learner will want to say things aloud
as he studies. He could even make tapes for himself and
listen to them later. Oral repetition is an important
study tool for him. Making up rhymes or other oral

mnemonic devices will help, and he may like to listen
to music as he works.
A kinesthetic learner likes to stay on the move.
She finds it difficult to sit still for a long time and will
often tap her foot and wave her hands around while
speaking. She learns best by doing rather than by
observing.
A kinesthetic learner may want to walk around as
she practices what she’s learning. Using her body helps
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SAT STUDY SKILLS AND STRATEGIES
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Visual Learner
➧ form images in your mind
➧ use color codes
➧ use flash cards
Auditory Learner
➧ say things out loud
➧ record tapes for yourself
➧ explain things to others
Kinesthetic Learner
➧ write information down
➧ walk or move around as you study
➧ act it out
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her remember things. Taking notes is an important
way of reinforcing knowledge for the kinesthetic
learner, as is making flash cards.

It is important to note that many people learn in
a mixture of styles, although they may have a distinct
preference for one style over the others.
Setting
So far, you’ve gathered information. You know what
you need to learn. You’ve thought about techniques to
help you absorb what you’re learning. Now it’s time to
think about where you’re going to study and what kinds
of things will enhance your learning experience.
You know that to do your best work, especially
when you’re studying, you need to be focused, alert, and
calm. Your undivided attention must be on the task at
hand. That means you have to set up your study time and
place with a lot of forethought. The first thing you can
do is ask yourself: where, when, and how?
1. Where do I like to work? Where do I feel com-
fortable and free from distractions?
Find a comfortable, convenient space where you
can focus on studying for the SAT without inter-
ruptions or distractions.
2. What time of day is best for me to study? When
am I at my most alert and focused? Are there
potential conflicts with other duties that need
to be worked out with family members?
If you can, it’s a good idea to set a regular study
time and make the people around you aware of
your study schedule. You can expect more sup-
port for your efforts if you let family members
and friends know you are working to achieve a
goal and that you need to stay focused. And, be

sure to let them know you appreciate their sup-
port when you receive it!
There is one weekly time slot that is the
very best time to prepare for the SAT, especially
in the weeks leading up to the test. That time is
Saturday morning. Why do you think that is?
Because Saturday morning is the time you will
take the actual exam. If you practice taking the
test and work on improving your test-taking
skills on Saturday mornings, your mind and your
body will be ready to operate at peak efficiency
when you really need them.
3. How do I study best? What kind of study
atmosphere works best for me?
Each person is different when it comes to study
habits: Some people need quiet to concentrate,
while others like listening to music; some people
enjoy snacking when they study, while others
find that food slows them down. Is there any-
What’s Your Learning Style?
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thing—a picture of your first-choice college,
maybe—that will help motivate you to study for
the exam? Consider these questions when setting
up a place and time to prepare for the SAT. There
are no set rules for studying, as long as it is pro-
ductive for you.
Now that you have a good idea where you
will study and what kind of environment you
want to create for yourself and you’ve developed

some ideas for how to motivate yourself and keep
yourself on track, it’s time to learn some more
specific study strategies.
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Study Strategies
This book will give you a solid foundation of knowl-
edge about the SAT. As mentioned previously, you may
also want to get a few good vocabulary building books,
such as LearningExpress’s Vocabulary & Spelling Success
in 20 Minutes a Day and 1001 Vocabulary and Spelling
Questions; some math review books, such as Practical
Math Success in 20 Minutes a Day, SAT Math Essentials,
and 1001 Math Questions; and writing guides like Write
Better Essays in Just 20 Minutes a Day and SAT Writing
Essentials. You may also want to consult the College
Board’s The Official SAT Study Guide, which is the only
source that contains actual SAT questions.
You will also want to gather some other study tools
and use them for your SAT preparations:
■
a good dictionary, such as Webster’s 11th Edition
■
a notebook or legal pad dedicated to your SAT
work
■
pencils (and a pencil sharpener) or pens
■
a highlighter, or several in different colors
■
index or other note cards

■
paper clips or sticky note pads for marking pages
■
a calendar or personal digital assistant
Gather Information
You’re already working on this step. For updates about
the SAT, you can go to your high school guidance office or
online to www.collegeboard.com. Using these sources,
you can be sure to find out where and when the exam is
being offered, as well as how much it will cost.
To sign up to take the SAT, you can:
1. Register online at the College Board’s website,
www.collegeboard.com. This site also provides
several other college-related services.
2. Get the SAT Registration Bulletin from your high
school guidance office. The Bulletin contains a
registration form and other important informa-
tion about the exam.
3. Call 1-609-771-7600 to speak with a customer
service representative from the College Board.
Of course, you also need to find out what kinds of
questions you will encounter on the exam. You already
know a bit about the kinds of questions on the SAT, and
Chapters 3, 4, and 5 will talk about the questions in
detail and give you more study tips and strategies for
answering them correctly. You can also obtain printed
materials from your high school or www.college-
board.com. Seek out that information right away—
you will need it as you set up your study plan.
Create a Study Plan

You have thought about how, where, and when you will
study. You’ve collected your tools and gathered essen-
tial information. Now you are ready to create your per-
sonal study plan. Here are the steps:
1. If you have not done so already, take a practice
test. You can use the questions in Chapters 3–5 of
this book or take one of the tests in the College
Board’s The Official SAT Study Guide. To create
an effective study plan, you need to have a good
sense of exactly what you need to study.
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SAT STUDY SKILLS AND STRATEGIES
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Steps to Successful Studying
1. Take a practice test.
2. Analyze your results.
3. List your strengths and weaknesses.
4. Determine your time frame.
5. Prioritize your study plan.
6. Study!
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2. Analyze your practice test results. No matter
what your results are, don’t worry about them.
Just look at each question as you score it, and for
each incorrect answer, ask yourself the following
questions:
a. Was there something I needed to know that I
didn’t know? If so, write down the skill needed

for that question. Make a list of the skills you
need to learn and devote extra time to study-
ing them.
b. Did I misunderstand the question? The good
news is that, with practice, you will become
much better at understanding the SAT’s ques-
tion style.
c. Did I make a careless mistake on the question?
Careless mistakes include transference errors
(marking the wrong bubble on the answer
sheet) and simple misreading, such as mistak-
ing one word or number for another. If you
are making careless mistakes, you need to
work on focusing. Again, this gets easier with
practice.
3. Make a list of your strengths and weakness. Use
your analysis of why you missed the questions
you missed. Now you know what specific math
and verbal skills you need to work on, and you
know what test-taking skills you need to
improve.
4. Determine your time frame. Decide how much
time you can devote each day and each week to
your SAT preparation. Be realistic about how
much time you have available—life will go on,
with all its other demands. Once you know how
much time you have, estimate how long you have
to work on each specific task you have set for
yourself. You may find it useful to break down the
three exam sections by question type. You may

have to prioritize your work in various areas,
depending on how much time you have to pre-
pare and in which subjects you can most improve
your score.
5. Prioritize your study plan. “Learn everything by
April 1” is not a useful plan. The first priority on
your study plan should be to go through this
book thoroughly so you can absorb the study tips
and strategies for the exam. Then, set up a realis-
tic study schedule based on the amount of time
you have left before the exam. Rather than trying
to study everything at once, practice one or two
subjects or question types at a time.
Break It Down
Many people get discouraged when a task seems too
big. It seems like they will never reach the end. That’s
why it’s a good idea to break down all big undertakings,
like this one, into smaller, more manageable bits. Set
small goals for yourself, for example, “This week, I will
work on mastering sentence completions.” Sentence
completions is a much more manageable task than “pre-
pare for the SAT,” even though it moves you in exactly
that direction. Establish positive momentum and
maintain it, one step at a time.
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