Kaj početi teden pred SAT

1 teden do konca

Kaj početi teden pred SAT 128 ur in odštevanje:priprava na veliki dan
V tem članku bomo razpravljali o tem, kaj morate narediti teden pred SAT, kaj pričakovati v izpitni sobi in kaj se zgodi po tem, ko opravite test.

Želite, da bi teden pred testom potekal čim bolj gladko, zato se lotite rutine, ki se začne v nedeljo zvečer teden pred testom (128 ur). Poglejte si svoj koledar za tisti teden in se prepričajte, da vnaprej načrtujete vse ostalo v svojem življenju:domače naloge, prihajajoče teste, papirje, pošolske dejavnosti.

Ta teden je enostavno pozabiti nekatere pomembne stvari, ki jih morate opraviti, zato naj ta članek preberejo tudi vaši starši. Lahko natisnejo kopijo s spletnega mesta RocketReview, tako da vam knjige ni treba odreči.

Ta teden se sprostite
Ta teden se ne preobremenjujte. Pravzaprav naredite vse, kar lahko, da olajšate svoj običajni urnik. Če običajno sodelujete v dveh ali treh pošolskih dejavnostih, razmislite o opustitvi vsega, kar vam ni treba storiti.

Tvoji starši bi morali vedeti, da moraš biti tudi ta teden osredotočen. Dovolili bi vam, da prenesete nekaj svojih običajnih odgovornosti, da lahko opravite opravila teden po SAT.

Če vas učitelji ta teden zadenejo s kakšnimi večjimi nalogami, bi morda morali vi in ​​vaši sošolci zaprositi za manjšo preložitev na SAT. Večina učiteljev bo razumela, če se morate ta teden nekoliko umiriti – verjetno se spomnijo, kako je bilo opravljati SAT, in vedo, da je danes na izpitu veliko več, kot je bilo pred eno generacijo.

Poskusite se vklopiti v rutino v dneh pred izpitom. Pojdite v posteljo in se zbudite ob primerno enakih časih. Če vam zjutraj vzame nekaj časa, da se zbudite, se v tem tednu vsak dan zbudite eno uro prej kot običajno, da boste imeli na dan testa dodatno uro, da si razbistrite glavo; SAT se začne dokaj zgodaj zjutraj in želite biti popolnoma lucidni, ko se test začne.

Mimogrede, če je mraz, si pogosto umivajte roke, zadnja stvar, ki jo potrebujete na SAT, je, da ta teden zbolite. Tukaj niste obsesivni ali hipohondrični; večina virusov prehlada prehaja iz okolja v vaše roke in iz vaših rok na vaš obraz. (Če zbolite teden pred testom, vam to ne bo uničilo možnosti za SAT, vendar ostanite doma iz šole in ozdravite.)

Vstopite v pravi okvir misli
Ob koncu sezone in pred prvenstvom gredo športniki skozi "fazo zoženja", da zagotovijo, da bodo nastopili na vrhuncu, ko to šteje. V nekem smislu ste bili mentalni športnik in želite se prepričati, da boste dosegli svoj vrhunec, ko to šteje:na dejanski SAT.

Za vas je zmanjšanje obsega drastično zmanjšanje količine priprav, ki ste jih opravili, da lahko svojemu umu daste priložnost, da se spočije in poveča svojo motivacijo. V tem tednu bi morali opraviti veliko manj dela, vendar veliko višje kakovosti. Namesto, da bi na primer opravili celoten del SAT, porabite enako količino časa, da se osredotočite na tri ali štiri resnično težka vprašanja. Veliko več boste pridobili, če se boste deset minut – ali več – borili s težkim vprašanjem, kot pa boste hitro postavili deset preprostih vprašanj.

Pravzaprav ta teden ne počnite ničesar časovno omejenega. Natančno vadite tehnike, tako da bo vse v redu. Verjemite mi v tej točki:najboljši način za izboljšanje hitrosti opravljanja testov in natančnosti pri opravljanju testov je, da vadite premišljeno in se prezavestno zavedate vsakega majhnega koraka, ki ga naredite.

Ta teden je tudi odličen čas, da vidite, kako daleč so napredovale vaše sposobnosti, odkar ste se pred tedni začeli pripravljati na test. Vzemite svojo knjižico PSAT ali prvih nekaj vadbenih izpitov in si oglejte svoje delo. Tako boste presenečeni, kako ste včasih reševali vprašanja, da svojega dela sploh ne boste prepoznali.

Ta teden nadaljujte s svojim besediščem, vendar ne poskušajte strniti več besed, kot je običajno – to ne bo bistveno vplivalo na vaš rezultat, poskus pa bo le povečal vašo tesnobo v času, ko boste bi moral biti pomirjen.

Ne čakajte do zadnje minute, da poiščete svojo vstopnico. Če ste se registrirali prek spleta, ga lahko natisnete s spletnega mesta College Boarda.

1 dan do konca Dan pred preizkusom

  • Če še niste, se prepričajte, da poznate lokacijo svojega testnega centra. Če ne veste, kako priti do centra, natisnite navodila iz MapQuest.com. Če še niste opravili testa v svojem testnem centru, se pozanimajte med starejšimi, ki jih poznate, ali morate kaj vedeti o kraju.

  • Če se niste uspeli pravočasno registrirati in se odpravljate v testni center, izberite veliko spletno mesto, ki ga poznate. (Veliki, dobro vodeni testni centri bodo imeli pri roki dodatne knjižice SAT za vstop.) Če greste kot sprehajalec, je dobro imeti tudi načrt ukrepov ob nepredvidljivih dogodkih.

  • Ko že govorimo o načrtih ukrepov ob nepredvidljivih dogodkih, če naj bi vas nekdo odpeljal v testni center, poskrbite, da imate rezervni načrt, če oseba jutri zjutraj prespi, zboli ali se kako drugače ne pojavi (ne pozabite, to je dan pred testom) ob določeni uri.

  • Čez dan se prepričajte, da imate digitalno uro ali podobno napravo za merjenje časa, najbolje takšno z velikimi, lahko berljivimi številkami. Najboljša naprava za merjenje časa je tista, ki šteje navzgor in ne navzdol, vendar je vsaka digitalna naprava boljša od analogne ure s težko berljivimi kazalci.

  • Poskrbite tudi, da imate v hiši delujoč alarm – ali dva! –, da se boste zagotovo pravočasno zbudili. Če ga ne najdete, si ga izposodite od prijatelja ali soseda.

  • Čeprav lahko zjutraj ob testu dobite nekaj žvečilnih žvečil in morda steklenico vode, je verjetno dobra ideja, če to dobite danes.

  • Kalkulatorji so moteča, a če se vam zdi bolj udobno, če imate enega ob sebi, ga imejte pri roki. Če si izposodite kalkulator od prijatelja, se prepričajte, da veste, kako deluje:če se z njim na dan preizkusa potikate, bo verjetno zaskrbljujoče.

  • Če se niste pravočasno prijavili in opravljate test kot prehod, se prepričajte, da imate ček za pravilen znesek, ki ga lahko prinesete s seboj.

  • Nazadnje je dobro, da imate na testni dan pri roki mobilni telefon. Če ga nimate, si ga izposodite in se prepričajte, da je zaračunan.
Če je to vaš prvi SAT – bodite navdušeni
Naravno je, da se dan pred testom počutite nervozni, morda celo nekoliko panični, vendar poskusimo dobiti pogled na vašo situacijo. Poskusite razmišljati o svojem prvem SAT kot o avdiciji za kolidž, vendar ne avdiciji, ki resnično šteje. Seveda upate, da bo vaša avdicija jutri potekala dobro, vendar ni nič hudega, če ne bo šlo tako dobro, kot bi si želeli. Polovica vseh študentov SAT ponovno opravi izpit jeseni zadnjega letnika. Tudi študenti, ki imajo zelo dobre rezultate, pogosto ponovno opravljajo SAT, ker vedo, da bi lahko naredili še bolje.

Zato ne mislite, da vsa vaša upanja na fakulteti temeljijo na tem, kako vam gre na jutrišnjem SAT – ne. Če dobiš odličen rezultat, odlično, če pa ne, ni konec sveta.

Noč pred preizkusom

  • V redu je, če si želite ogledati film ali se družiti s prijatelji do zgodnjega večera, potem pa se vrnete domov. Danes porabite vsaj pol ure za pregled svojega dela, vendar ne več kot eno uro. Še enkrat, na tej točki se ne poskušate naučiti ničesar novega; v mislih si samo zapisujete stvari, ki bi jih že morali vedeti.

  • Preden se preveč naveličate, razporedite vse, kar boste potrebovali jutri zjutraj:osebni dokument s sliko, kalkulator (čeprav ga v resnici ne potrebujete), digitalno uro, svinčnike, morda šilček. Proctors med izpitom ne bo dovolil prask papirja, zato vam ga ne bo treba prinesti.

  • Določite oblačila, ki jih boste nosili za jutri, vključno z vsemi predmeti za srečo. Dobro je, da se oblečete večplastno, tako da, če je v prostoru prevroče, lahko slečete pulover, če je premrzlo pa ga lahko oblečete.

  • Morda boste želeli jutri s seboj na testno mesto prinesti nekaj motečega za branje ali poslušanje in morda nekaj za pogrizenje. Če je tako, nastavite tudi te elemente.

  • Napolnite svoj mobilni telefon in nastavite alarm!

  • Nikoli nisem razumel, zakaj je učencem rečeno, naj se dobro naspijo pred SAT; Sploh ne vem, kaj je dober spanec. V vsakem primeru ne vstanite veliko pozneje kot običajno, vendar tudi ne pojdite spat veliko prej kot običajno. Preveč spanja nocoj je prav tako slabo kot premalo.

Jutro Zbujanje na testno jutro

  • Ko se zbudite, se oprhajte ali naredite kratko gimnastiko ali drugo vadbo, da bo kri pritekla predvsem v svoje zaspane možgane! Če vas nekdo pelje na testno mesto, se prepričajte, da je tudi on ali ona gor.

  • Pojejte običajen zajtrk, vendar ne preveč, sicer boste omotični. Če ste navajeni zaužiti kakršno koli obliko kofeina – čaja, kave, kola – potem je to verjetno dobra ideja danes zjutraj. A le, če ste vajeni kofeina; če niste, zdaj ni jutro za začetek.

  • Prepričajte se, da imate vse s seboj, ko odidete, in pustite dovolj časa, da pridete do testnega mesta trideset do štirideset minut pred začetkom testa, da omogočite prometne zamude in se spravite v dober položaj za vstop v izpitno sobo. . Poskusite priti na spletno mesto med 7:45 in 8:00.
Prihod na testno mesto
Verjetno bo na desetine nervoznih študentov, ki bodo brskali naokoli ob vhodu na testno mesto, pregledovali flash kartice, brskali po svojih zapiskih ali mrmrali pri sebi. Na tvojem mestu bi se izogibal zbiranju v bližini drugih, da bi lahko ostal osredotočen, a to je odvisno od tebe in tvojega stanja duha tisto jutro.

Če ste prispeli zelo zgodaj, se lahko družite v avtu ali poiščete prostor za sedenje in branje knjige ali poslušanje glasbe. Če vas je starš odpeljal na spletno mesto, naj se druži, dokler se test ne začne, samo v primeru, da se zgodi kakšna nujna situacija – na primer, da ste vhodni, testni center nima dovolj testov za vas, vi pa je treba takoj odpeljati na drugo mesto.

Poskrbite, da bodo vaše konice svinčnika rahlo motne. Izjemno ostre konice svinčnika se zlahka zlomijo in traja dlje, da se izpolnijo mehurčki na listu za odgovore, kot pa topi svinčniki.

Če opravljate izpit v posebnih okoliščinah ali ga opravljate kot sprehod, je še posebej pomembno, da se zgodaj prikažete v testnem centru, da vam lahko nadzorniki sprejmejo.

Vstop v izpitno sobo
Ne zahajajte v svojo izpitno sobo le mimogrede. Poskusite biti eden prvih študentov v izpitni sobi, da boste lahko izbrali dober sedež (ob predpostavki, da sedeži niso dodeljeni, kot je včasih). Dober sedež je tisti, ki vam omogoča jasen pogled na proktorja in osrednjo uro v prostoru, ki jo bo proktor spremljal, da meri test.

Ko sem opravljal izpite, sem vedno raje sedel v zadnjem delu sobe, ker mi ni bilo všeč občutek, da se za mojim hrbtom dogaja nekaj, česar ne vidim. Morda ste drugačni in raje sedite čim bližje sprednjemu delu sobe. Pomembno je, da izberete sedež, ki vam ustreza, in ne tistega, ki ga vzamete privzeto.

Priporočam, da se usedete ob okno ali ob steno, da vas drugi učenci ne stisnejo na obeh straneh. Med testom si boste morda želeli vzeti nekaj sekund odmora in pretegniti vrat; to je težko narediti, če imaš študente na obeh straneh. Lepo je, da lahko občasno pogledaš skozi okno, da si razbistriš glavo.

Ko kontrolor bere navodila – Počistite mize in vse svoje stvari pospravite pod sedež. Natisnite svoje ime in nato priimek, v prvih nekaj črkah na prvi strani vašega lista za odgovore, bla, bla, bla – ne presledite. Izkoristite čas za osredotočenost in pozornost, tako da boste, ko se test začne, pripravljeni na delo.

Pripravite se, da svojo digitalno uro nastavite na nič, da odšteva navzgor in ne navzdol in počakajte na signal nadzornika.

Najstrašnejši trenutek v izpitni sobi
Ali veste, kdaj je? Predstavljajte si, da je proktor končal z branjem navodil in vsi v sobi imajo svoj svinčnik pripravljen, da zlomi pečat testne knjižice in čaka, da se sekundna kazalec zavihti do dvanajstih na uri v sobi, ko se test začne.

Končno sekundna kazalec zadene dvanajst, minutna kazalec klikne enkrat. Proktor pogleda v sobo, polno zaskrbljenih obrazov, in oznani:Odprite svoje testne knjižice in začnite. Na voljo imate petindvajset minut, da dokončate prvi del.

Phwip, phwip, phwip, phwip, phwip. Tišino v prostoru prekinejo refren pečatov, ki se lomijo po prostoru, in trepetanje odpirajočih se testnih knjižic. Potem je v sobi tiho, edini zvok je čečkanje svinčnikov.

Ne, to ni najstrašnejši trenutek na izpitu, vendar se bo kmalu zgodil.

Čečkaj, čečkaj, črčkaj. Na prvi strani se ukvarjate s težavami, tako kot ste že večkrat. Vse teče brez težav, ko se proktor občasno sprehaja gor in dol po hodnikih.

Potem pa kar naenkrat vsi v sobi zaslišijo zvok, ki zbudi skupen zadih:zvok obračanja prve strani!

"O ne," si mislijo vsi, "ne premikam se dovolj hitro!" Naenkrat se glava vsakega študenta v sobi spusti bližje testni knjižici, odločno stisnjeni zobje in še hitreje črčkajo svinčniki. V 30 sekundah – obljubim – bodo tudi vsi ostali v sobi obrnili svojo prvo stran in poskušali dohiteti.

Zagotavljam vam, da prva oseba v izpitni sobi, ki obrne svojo stran, nepremišljeno dirka skozi težave – in bombardira veliko. Naj vas ne zavede, da poskušate slediti tem tempu. Držite se našega načrta igre. Ostani zbran. Brez bližnjic. Boli se. Če to storite, boste dosegli vsaj dober rezultat in morda zelo dober rezultat. Čas za pospeševanje je na koncu vsakega odseka in ne prej.

Pripravljen, nastavljen ... Prezri ta dva glasu v glavi
Želim vas opozoriti, da bosta med testom dve majhni nevidni vili sedeli na vaših ramenih in vam šepetali na ušesa. Slišali boste samo eno od vil in ne boste prepričani, katera je, dokler se test ne začne.

Ena od vil veselo zašepeta:"Ne morem verjeti, kako lahek je ta preizkus." Druga vila zlovešče zašepeta:"To je daleč najtežja preizkušnja, ki sem jo kdaj naredil."

Vile vam seveda ne šepetajo na ušesa, vendar vam obljubim, da boste slišali eno od teh dveh sporočil. Ne glede na glas, ki ga slišite, ga ignorirajte – vaš um se igra z vami.

Test se bo zdel veliko lažji od vaših vadbenih testov ali pa se bo zdel nemogoče težaven, a tako ali tako je tako, kot se zdi test – ni resničnost. Z drugimi besedami, obe stanji duha odražata iluzije.

Mimogrede, za vaš končni rezultat je bolje, da se test zdi pretežak kot prelahek. Zavedanje težav je znak, da razmišljate o vprašanjih in se trudite. Če se po drugi strani zdi test enostaven, je to zato, ker se ne trudite, da bi odpravili težave. Torej, če se vam zdi test lažji, kot ste pričakovali, se prisilite, da se upočasnite in se potrudite – naj bo test videti težji.

Verjemite mi v tej točki:bolje vam bo, če se bo test zdel težak. Samo dvema vrstama ljudi je SAT enostaven:geniji, ki opravljajo teste (1 od 10.000) ali preprosti pri opravljanju testov (žal, veliko pogostejši kot geniji).

Glejte tudi Resnična zgodba na strani 7.

Toda poslušajte ta glas
"Vsako vprašanje o SAT, za katero vem, da ga lahko pravilno rešim, se bom potrudil, da bom pravilno dobil. Vedno se bom potrudil."

Med preizkusom vedno ohranite oprijem – in če ga izgubite, ponovno pridobite nadzor
Ena od stvari, s katerimi se boste verjetno morali spopasti med SAT, so motnje. Nekdo, ki voha, kašlja ali tapka po svinčniku, je ena stvar, vendar sem slišal zgodbe o motnjah, ki segajo od koliščarjev na bližnjem gradbišču do šolske godbe – tube, bobni, pozavne, činele –, ki vadijo na igrišču zunaj. Nekatere motnje so zahrbtne, na primer poslušanje žvenkanja iz reklame, ki se vam znova in znova vrti v glavi.

Uporabite motnje kot opomnike, da se vrnete na test pred vami. Če vas nekdo v sobi moti, dvignite roko, s katero ne pišete, da pritegnete pozornost proktorja, vendar nadaljujte z delom, medtem ko čakate, da proktor pride do vaše mize.

Nadaljujte, medtem ko ura tiktaka
Ne računajte na to, da bo nadzornik natančen ali dosleden pri zapisovanju preostalega časa v razdelku na tabli. Nenehno spremljajte svoj čas, ko delate skozi vsak odsek.

Pazite, sicer lahko vstopite v časovni prelom. Začnete delati na težkem vprašanju, ki vas je zmešalo, in preden se zavete, se umaknete. Nenadoma "pridete k sebi" z sunkom in ugotovite, da ste pravkar porabili zadnjih nekaj minut, da ne počnete ničesar!

Da bi se izognili časovnim upogibanjem in razmiku na splošno, naj se svinčnik premika vsakih nekaj sekund, tako da označite testno knjižico. Nikoli ne dovolite, da se vaš svinčnik dvigne več kot nekaj centimetrov od strani; imejte pripravljeno za označevanje vprašanj.

Ko že govorimo o tem, da se vaš svinčnik premika, ne zapravljajte večno brbotanja po svojem listu za odgovore. Ni nenavadno videti študenta v izpitni sobi, kako umetniško zatemni mehurček za deset ali petnajst sekund. Če zapravite celo dve ali tri sekunde na vprašanje, ki se pojavlja v vašem odgovoru, boste do konca razdelka zapravili minuto ali več kot pet minut za celoten test!

Večino testa hranite list za odgovore pod testno knjižico. Vedno, vedno, vedno zapišite svoj odgovor v testno knjižico, preden svoje odgovore – v skupinah, na primer enkrat na vsaki strani – prenesete na svoj list za odgovore.

Eden od vaših oddelkov SAT ne bo štel
Vaš SAT bo imel dva oddelka za pisanje (esej in lektorska vprašanja), tri dele za branje in tri matematične dele in še enega, ki ne bo štel. Razdelek, ki ne bo štel, je lahko oddelek za matematiko, odsek za branje ali odsek za lektoriranje. (Ne boste imeli dveh razdelkov eseja.)

Pisci testov uporabljajo ta eksperimentalni oddelek – »enakovalni razdelek« je evfemizem, ki ga uporabljajo pisci testov – za preizkušanje vprašanj za prihodnje SAT. Ne zdi se pošteno, da bi morali opraviti del, ki ni dosežen, – in ni – toda vaša edina tolažba je, da so morali vsi, ki so kdaj opravili SAT pred vami, narediti isto.

Na koncu testa boste vedeli, katera vrsta oddelka je bila eksperimentalna, saj boste opravili dodaten oddelek za matematiko, branje ali lektoriranje. Toda kako lahko med jemanjem odseka ugotovite, ali je eksperimentalni ali ne?

Ni popolnoma zanesljivega načina za odkrivanje eksperimentalnega dela, vendar je tukaj nekaj smernic. Prvič, eksperimentalni del je ponavadi sredi testa. SAT se bo začel z razdelkom eseja, nato pa boste opravili prvi del z več izbirami, ki je lahko matematika, branje ali lektoriranje. Eksperimentalni del verjetno ne bo prvi odsek z več izbirami, ki ga boste sprejeli.

Second, the experimental section will probably be 25 minutes long rather than 20 minutes.

Third, if you get two math or two reading sections in a row, it's likely that one of them will be experimental (though you won't know which one).

Fourth, the experimental section tends to be harder—sometimes much harder—than the sections that do count. Also, if the questions lurch randomly from easy to hard to easy again, it's likely that section is experimental. (The questions in the regular sections will go from easy to medium to hard, except for the reading questions.)

If you spot the experimental section, do not blow it off or you'll have trouble regaining your focus for the rest of the test. Do the best you can on the experimental section so that you'll remain mentally limber for the remaining sections.

Students taking the SAT under special circumstances with extra time will not face an experimental section, nor will juniors taking the PSAT.

Out of the gates Never, Ever Give Up on the SAT
You already know not to listen to the fairy that whispers in your ear, "This test is impossibly hard." But sometimes you truly believe that you've bombed on a section.

Don't give up. In the first place, the section in question may have been the experimental section. But even if the section you had a lot of trouble with wasn't experimental, it's possible that you didn't do nearly as badly as you fear.

But even if you truly did have trouble with a section, do your best on the rest of the test. Use the remaining sections to practice your test-taking techniques. Get the maximum practice value out of this test so that you'll be that much better prepared when—if—you retake the test.

See also A True Story on page 7.

Keep Working on Each Section until the Proctor Says Stop
In baseball the umpires make the calls; their word is final. Proctors are like SAT umpires—especially about timing.

I mentioned earlier that you can't count on your proctor's being accurate or consistent about writing times on the board. In fact you shouldn't count on your proctor's being accurate about telling everyone when to stop, either. I've heard of proctors stopping students several minutes early, or forgetting to tell students to stop altogether!

Use absolutely every second available to work on questions, and do not stop on any section until the proctor says stop.

After the proctor finishes reading the instructions and before the test starts, he or she will ask the class whether anyone has a question. Raise your hand and ask whether it's okay that you use a digital timer. The proctor will say of course—which you knew—but your point in asking the question is actually to put the proctor on notice that someone in the room you will be timing the section down to the second. In a sense, you become a second umpire!

Don't Overreach—a Great SAT Score Happens Accidentally on the Way to a Good Score
You may be tempted during the exam to cut corners, to stop taking pains, to rush to finish thinking that doing so is the only way you'll get your maximum possible score.

Don't.

The way to get a great score is to take all pains necessary to lock in a good score—for all but the last two or three minutes of each section. Then, and only then, when you've already guaranteed yourself a good score, you can take chances and reach for the great score.

Too many students—even the strongest test takers—make the mistake of reaching for a great score from the very start. Unfortunately, reaching for a great score at the beginning of the test forces them to take too many risks too early in each section. The usual result is not pretty:not only do they not get the great score they were hoping for, but they also blow the good score they could have gotten.

Consider Steve, who's shooting for a super-high SAT math score. He's always gotten As in math, and now, as a junior, he's acing precalculus. Steve figures that SAT math problems are way easier than the advanced algebra and trigonometry questions he's been doing in his math class, so he ought to be able to get a near perfect score on the SAT.

So he rushes in the beginning of the first math section. Steve doesn't take all the pains he should to ensure that he gets the easy and medium questions right, but then hey, he's a great math student—he doesn't need to take pains.

Steve's breezing through the first section just fine when all of a sudden he gets stuck on a medium question. Now, instead of tearing himself away from the question as soon as he senses trouble, he wrestles with the question. Steve figures he has to get that question right if he wants to get the high score he's shooting for. And before he knows it, Steve's spent several minutes on the question and he still hasn't solved it. He finally does but now he's in panic mode, and he races through the rest of the section. Indeed, Steve remains in high panic mode for the rest of the test—with predictable consequences for his math, reading, and writing scores.

If Steve had been merely willing to get a good score, he would have had no trouble jettisoning the problem that confused him and moving on. Then, if he had time left at the end of the section, he could have returned to the question and tackled it again.

Ironically, the way to achieve a great score is being willing to accept a good score. Students who aren't willing to accept good scores often do even worse than that.

Imagine that you're a rock climber and about to scale the tallest, steepest cliff you've ever attempted. The way to get to the top of the cliff is to forget about getting to the top. Instead, focus on finding a firm hold for your right hand. Then, when you find a hold for your right hand, you test it a bit to make sure it's firm. When you know that your right hand is secure, you turn your attention to your left hand and to finding a firm hold for it. And when you do find a hold for your left hand, and you test the hold for firmness, just to be sure, you then turn your attention to your right foot, and finding a firm hold for it. And when you find a firm hold for your right foot, you're now ready to pull yourself up and find a hold for your left foot. Then you repeat the cycle again, and again, and again, until you reach the top of the cliff.

Doing well on the SAT requires the same kind of focus. If you do the little things right, the big things will take care of themselves.

Take pains.

Across the finish line No Matter How Well You've Prepared for the SAT, It's Always Good to Walk in Feeling a Little Unprepared
Taking the real SAT is always, always different from taking practice tests that you know don't count. The SAT does count, and you know it. It's the same difference an athlete feels between a practice game and one in the final round of a championship.

The reason it's good to feel a little—just a little—unprepared is that you won't be thrown too badly by the inevitable surprises that occur on the exam. Students who feel completely prepared are too easily thrown for a loop when things in the actual exam room don't go exactly as they'd expected.

Most of what I've said in this article applies equally well to the PSAT, with the big difference that not as much is riding on the PSAT as on the SAT.

Should You Cancel Your SAT Score?
Sometimes it happens:you're suffering from an awful cold the day of the test, or you panic, or whatever. If you know you bombed, it might be a good idea to cancel your result because every SAT score goes down on your permanent record. The cancellation will be noted in your permanent record, but that's much better than having a bad score recorded.

Now, sometimes you only think you did poorly. Emotions can run high during a big test and it may be difficult to tell how you did. Just because you realize after the test that you missed a question or two doesn't mean you did poorly (in fact, it often means exactly the opposite). And remember that one of the sections is the unscored experimental one, so if you think you did poorly on the math, say, because of one particular section, there's a good chance it was the experimental one.

Anyway, if you decide to cancel your test, you can do so either at the test site (not recommended) or by notifying the testing authorities (ETS) by the Wednesday following the test. If you think you might want to cancel your scores, ask the test supervisor for a Request to Cancel Test Scores Form but do not fill the form out at the test site. If you're not absolutely sure whether you did poorly, you should probably wait and discuss the test with your friends—you may discover that you did better than you feared—or someone else who can be objective about your options.

You can cancel your score by writing a letter with all the pertinent identification information. You don't have to explain why you want to cancel your score. Label the heading:"Attention:SAT Score Cancellation." Send it to ETS in one of the following three ways:

  • Via fax (the easiest method):1-609-771-7681

  • Via U.S. Postal Service Express Mail (U.S. only):SAT Score Cancellation, P.O. Box 6228, Princeton, NJ 08541-6228

  • Via other overnight mail service (U.S. or international):SAT Score Cancellation, 225 Phillips Boulevard, Ewing, NJ 08618
Remember: if you cancel your scores, nobody, not even you, will ever know how you did.

Awaiting judgment A True Story
When I first began tutoring students for the SAT, a group of them decided to take the March test. (At the time, the May test was by far the more common.) Anyway, I still remember getting the first call from one of the girls immediately after the test was over. She was in tears. She knew she had done "horribly, horribly."

At the time, the SAT had twenty-five antonym questions that were pure vocabulary items—pretty much either you knew the words, or you didn't (though you could use process of elimination techniques like the ones I showed you for the sentence completions). This was also the time the SAT curve was about 100 points harder than it is today. (Back then, only a dozen students in the entire country got a perfect score; today hundreds do.)

Anyway, as I was saying, she just knew she had bombed. I asked her whether she had used all the techniques she had learned. She said yes. I asked her whether she'd taken pains. She said yes. I asked her whether she recalled any specific math mistakes she'd made. She said yes, unfortunately, one or two.

After listening to her responses, I told her that she'd done much better than she feared, and in fact I thought she had done extraordinarily well. She said, "But what about my math mistakes?" I told her that the fact she remembered having made the mistakes after the test was in fact a good sign, not a bad one. Remembering specific mistakes is a sign of being hyper-aware during the test. I told her that the mistakes she recalled were probably the only mistakes she made. She calmed down a bit and then she hung up.

Not a minute later I got another call, this time from a boy, who was also deeply shaken by the experience. He, too, was sure he had bombed. "I didn't recognize half the words on the test." Again I asked him whether he'd used the techniques, and whether he'd taken pains. Yes, he replied. So I told him not to worry.

But that afternoon I received calls from almost all the students who'd taken that test, and every single one said basically the same thing:"I'm sure I bombed." At the same time, they all reported having used the techniques without fail, and having taken pains on all the questions.

Long story short, when scores were mailed out a month later (this was pre-Internet days, so you had to wait for an actual envelope for your scores), the average improvement of the students was nearly 200 points! And the girl who'd been in tears? Her verbal score shot from a 560 to a perfect 800 (back then you had to answer every single question correctly to achieve an 800, versus today when you can get a couple wrong), and her score in math (not her strongest subject) went up 140 points. Her total improvement was an astounding 400 points, and remember:she was convinced she should cancel her scores.

True story.

The moment of truth While You're Waiting for Your Scores, Get Back to Real Life
For the past few weeks, if not longer, you've been preoccupied with the SAT. Maybe you've let a few things slide:homework, extracurricular activities, your friends, fun. Now it's time to catch up on anything that's fallen behind and to return to your normal routine.

I know you may be feeling a little anticlimactic after getting all geared up for the SAT that's now over, but don't forget other tests that may be looming on the horizon. If it's early spring now, you may have an AP test or two looming in mid-May as well as the SAT II Subject Tests, which you may also need to take in the fall. You've worked hard preparing for the SAT and it's natural to want to relax a bit. But please, please don't blow off your AP exams or SAT IIs; in many ways these tests can be just as important to your admissions chances as the SAT.

By the way, do not throw away all your SAT preparation materials just yet—I know you're tempted—just in case you decide to retake the SAT.

What to Do When Your Scores Arrive
Three weeks after the SAT I (or SAT II), scores are mailed out to students, but scores are actually available online two weeks after the test.

Along with your score report—which you should save—the envelope will also contain an "Additional Services Order Form." Save this form, too.

Are You Planning to Retake the Test?
I discuss the question of whether you should retake the SAT at length in the FAQ section (available online, see questions 7 through 10). If you might retake the SAT, send away for a copy of the test and your answer sheet. This feature is called the Question and Answer Service. It isn't available for all test dates—nor is it clear whether this service will be modified for the new SAT.

To order, complete the Additional Services Order Form mailed with your score report. You have up to five months after the test to order your answer sheet but do so as soon as your scores arrive because it takes a month or so for your answer sheet to arrive. The cost is $10 (though this price will probably increase a bit along with everything else associated with the new SAT).

You get a photocopy of your actual answer sheet but not your personal test booklet. Still, you'll learn a lot by reviewing your errors and any blanks you may have left. When the booklet arrives, you'll learn an incredible amount by retaking the test—timed, using OmniProctor—and seeing whether you repeat any errors.


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