North Allegheny School District

1. MAKE A STUDY PLAN AND FOLLOW THROUGH.  A good study plan will prepare you and build up your confidence on the day of the SAT test.

2. LEARN THE TEST DIRECTIONS IN ADVANCE AND KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.  If you already know the six SAT question types and answering strategies, you can jump right in without wasting valuable time.  The question types will not change on test day, so there won't be any surprises.

3. MAKE EDUCATED GUESSES.  If you can eliminate one or more answer choices, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by guessing.

4. PACE YOURSELF BY NOT SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON ANY ONE QUESTION.  Answer the easier questions first and develop a sense of timing so you can complete the entire test.  In each section, remember that questions are arranged from easy to hard.  Of greatest importance, remember that all questions are worth the same!

5. COMPOSE YOUR RESPONSE TO THE WRITING PROMPT AS THE FIRST DRAFT OF AN ESSAY.  Brainstorm and compose a brief outline with the points you want to discuss before you actually begin writing your response. Stay on the required topic, answer the specific prompt, and use detailed examples to support your main points.

6. LOOK FOR CLUE WORDS IN SENTENCE COMPLETIONS.  These words reveal the sentence meaning and point you to the right answer.

7. SAVE PASSAGE-BASED READING QUESTIONS FOR LAST.  These questions take more time than others, but you do not get any more credit for them.  Take on the rest of the Critical Reading section first.

8. IF A MULTIPLE CHOICE MATH QUESTION STUMPS YOU, WORK BACKWARDS FROM THE ANSWERS.  The correct answer has to be one of the five choices.  The choices are arranged in size order, so start with (C).  That way you will have to perform the fewest calculations.

9. BLACKEN THE BUBBLES IN COMPLETELY.  If you do not, the computer will not give you any points.  Get everything that you deserve!