As the school year starts many students are going to take the SAT. The purpose of the SAT is to measure a high school student’s readiness for college and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants. College admissions officers will review standardized test scores alongside your high school GPA, the classes you took in high school, letters of recommendation from teachers or mentors, extracurricular activities, admissions interviews, and personal essays.

The SAT that we know is a blue bubble sheet where you answer the questions that are given to you, but starting from March 9, 2024 all SAT testing was changed from paper to digital. Students taking the test internationally were the first introduced to the new format in 2023.

Some of the good websites that you can use to study for SAT, are “Khan Academy”, “Bluebook”,” College Board” and many more. It is very important to know some of the test taking tips.

Pace yourself.

The test has a built-in timer, which you can show or hide based on your preference. On the Reading and Writing section, you have about 1 minute and 11 seconds per question. On the Math section, you have about 1 minute and 35 seconds per question. This doesn’t mean that every question will take the same amount of time, so it is better to be prepared.

Don’t rely on answer choice probability or patterns

You may have 10 A’s in a row, or no A’S at all.

Don’t leave questions blank

It is better to get a partial credit, than no credit at all. This tip is more helpful for the open-ended question, but if you don’t know the answer for the multiple choice, you can always try to guess.

Take a full-length practice test in Bluebook

You can get used to the timing of the test, and practice with accommodations if you’ll have them on test day.

Get a good night’s sleep the night before, eat a good breakfast and try to do your best.

It is better to be awake and full, than if you studied the whole night, and you are falling asleep during the test.