Dr. Yo’s Short- and Long-Term Steps to Higher SAT Scores

There are basically two ways to prep for the SATs and ACTs, otherwise known as the college entrance exams: slow-and-steady and cram-like-hell. Know which one’s better? BOTH.  If your goal is to be competitive at the nation’s top colleges, I recommend you prep slow-and-steady over the long haul (one to two years for most) AND cram like hell at the end. For those with less ambitious goals or where there are constraints of time and/or budget, you may choose to select a one vs. the other approach.

This week I offer you CollegePrepExpress’s plans for short- and long-term prep for the SAT for students sitting for the exam between October 2014 and January 2016 (and other than not having to study vocab, they’re likely not going to change much after that, despite all the media hullabaloo.) Next week I’ll post the same for the ACTs.

Short-Term Prep (6 weeks, or less, to 6 months):

1. Buy College Board’s The Official SAT Study Guide (the only officially licensed distributer of authentic SAT items) and CollegePrepExpress’s SAT Prep Pack© ($5.99).
2. Carve out 45-60 min a day (or night) for dedicated and focused study and WRITE it into your day planner or other time management system.
3. Alternate sessions of practice (simulating as best you can the actual exam experience) and study vocab, grammar (10 Essential Grammar Rules©), and math (Math Review packet©) as directed in the Prep Pack. Use the daily to-do checklist for motivation and feeling of accomplishment as you go, and record your scores as you go in the Student Progress Charts© to see where you’re most improving and where you need most work.
4. Regularly and cumulatively go over every item you leave blank or get wrong on practices sections.
5. As part of your study sessions, learn the 100 and 250 most commonly appearing words using CPE’s word lists on Quizlet.com. You’ve got a very good chance of seeing several of those words on game day. Time-permitting, learn the words in the 10 installments of CPE’s Root & Synonym Clusters series, and listen to their accompanying Raps to Learn.
6. Study the Best SAT Strategies© and Tips for Good Writing© documents in the Prep Pack.
7. Take at least one full-length test in a single sitting the week or two before game day.
8. Review and use CPE’s 12 Tips for Game Day
9. If possible, take one of CPE’s 6-Session SAT Prep Classes

Long-Term Prep (6 months to 2 years)

1. Buy College Board’s The Official SAT Study Guide (the only officially licensed distributer of authentic SAT items) and CollegePrepExpress’s SAT Prep Pack© ($5.99). When you finish all 10 practice tests, begin using McGraw-Hill’s 12 SAT Practice Tests with PSAT.
2. Carve out 25-30 min a day (or night) for dedicated and focused study and WRITE it into your day planner or other time management system.
3. Alternate sessions of practice (simulating as best you can the actual exam experience) and study vocab, grammar (10 Essential Grammar Rules©), and math (Math Review packet©) as directed in the Prep Pack. Use the daily to-do checklist for motivation and feeling of accomplishment as you go, and record your scores as you go in the Student Progress Charts© to see where you’re most improving and where you need most work.
4. Regularly and cumulatively go over every item you leave blank or get wrong on practice sections.
5. As part of your study sessions, learn the 100 and 250 most commonly appearing words using CPE’s word lists on Quizlet.com. You’ve got a very good chance of seeing several of those words on game day. Also, learn the words in the 10 installments of CPE’s Root & Synonym Clusters series, and listen to their accompanying Raps to Learn. Finally, learn all the words in each of the three Critical Reading section vocab lists posted on CPE’s Private Download area.
6. Study the Best SAT Strategies© and Tips for Good Writing© documents in the Prep Pack.
7. Take at least one full-length test in a single sitting the week or two before game day.
8. Review and use CPE’s 12 Tips for Game Day
9. If possible, take one of CPE’s 6- or 9-Session SAT Prep Classes

It’s no small feat, but it is certainly possible, and students just like you rise to the challenge every year. Be one of them! The scores are there for the taking. We’re here to help!