Talkin’ About The SAT
Juniors, if you’re thinking about taking the March SAT, the registration deadline is February 10th which is less than a week away. Hopefully you have been putting in some time on test preparation. If you haven’t, here are some resources I would recommend.
First, check out Debbie Stier’s website, Perfect Score Project. In an effort to connect with her son as he was preparing for the SAT, Debbie decided to roll up her sleeves and take the test herself. Debbie’s website offers great tips, suggestions for test preparation on a budget and, for the motivated and organized, a year-long test preparation timeline.
Another website for test preparation that I really like is PWN the SAT. Created by Mike McClenathan, the site is full of tips, free diagnostic tests, and an extensive Q& A section. Oh yeah, Mike scored a perfect 2400 on his SAT! He knows what he’s talking about.
The Khan Academy, which is a great resource for visual learners, offers an extensive video library covering nearly 3,000 academic topics. Their test preparation library shows you how to work through question on the math section in the College Board’s Official SAT Study Guide. Whether you have the eight-test edition or the ten-test one, you can watch a video on how to solve each problem.
If you’re like me and standardized testing is your nemesis, check out Fair Test – the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. They maintain a list of over 800 colleges and universities who do not require the SAT or the ACT for admission. For some schools, you may need to submit AP, IB or SAT Subject Test scores for admission while for others you may ultimately need SAT scores for course placement. In the end, these schools have decided to place a greater emphasis on your transcript, essay, recommendations, and an interview. A lot of these schools have gone test-optional to level the playing field and to increase diversity on their campuses.
There’s something to like about that.
If you have any questions about test preparation and planning or would like to share any stories or experiences you’ve had with the SAT or ACT, please use the comment section below.
You can also email me directly at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com.
Eric Dobler is the president and founder of Dobler College Consulting. Follow him on Twitter.