If you're reading this, then you've probably considered sitting for the SAT at some point. Or, you might consider it in the future. And you should, the SAT can largely affect your undergraduate study opportunities all over the world. But, sitting for the SAT isn't free of cost, so let's make sure you make the most of your shot at the exam. Here's my guide to preparing for the Digital SAT:
1) 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝘼𝙏 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠:
The first thing you need to do before you start your actual preparation for the SAT is to read through the SAT Black Book. Then you'll know what exactly the SAT is and what its purpose is (this is really important to understand).
And no, I don't mean knowing how many modules or questions it has. The SAT is a predictable test that has its own set of rules that are followed by all the questions of all modules. With the Black Book, you'll get a grasp of these rules, which is the first step to solving any and all SAT questions. Still not convinced? Okay, here's some eye candy for you: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘈𝘛 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘈𝘛. 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥.
Now, the SAT Black Book is a long read. But the good news is, you only have to read parts of it to reap the benefits I mentioned. Read all the parts except for the SAT Official Practice Test walkthroughs/answer explanations. You can go through the answer explanations later if you like, but you need to go through the rest before you start preparation.
2) 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙆𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙮 𝘿𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝘼𝙏 𝙍𝙒 (𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜) 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚:
Getting to the actual preparation, Khan Academy is your trusted stepping stone. It's free, but that doesn't mean it's inadequate. If you master their RW course and properly execute everything you learn, you'll do surprisingly well in the RW module.
Now, notice how I only mentioned their RW course. That's because most HSC or equivalent candidates in our country already have the necessary basics down for the math concepts tested in the SAT. The Khan Academy Digital SAT Math Course doesn't do much towards improving your score in the Math module, and it felt like a waste of time to me.
3) 𝙎𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙄 𝙙𝙤 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝘿𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝘼𝙏 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙝?
Hmm, well, it's not too hard to get 750+ if you have your basics down. But to get a perfect 800, you really need to put in the work and go beyond. Although the SAT tests relatively basic concepts, the difficulty comes from how the basic concepts are presented.
To deal with this, you'll have to go through lots and lots of SAT questions from previous years. Even though the Digital SAT only has a calculator section, you'll benefit from practicing both the Non-Calc and Calc section of past papers. My method of going through past papers was watching the SAT test walkthroughs by the Scalar Learning channel on YT.
4) 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙊𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙏𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝘼𝙏 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨:
As of writing this post, there are only 8 Official Practice Tests for the Digital SAT by College Board (4 in the Bluebook app, and 4 non-adaptive linear tests). An issue with them is that there are some questions that you'll find in both the Bluebook practice tests and the non-adaptive linear tests. In this case, I would suggest not using the non-adaptive linear tests; rather, take the 4 timed Bluebook practice tests which will more accurately reflect your scores.
5) 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙄 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚?
Now, if you think that 4 Bluebook practice tests aren't enough, then you're not using the practice tests right. Just taking practice tests won't improve your score, it'll only give you an idea of how you might score.
But what will improve your score is finding out which questions you're missing and why. 𝘚𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.
That's the key sentence of this prep guide right there! Improving your SAT score is all about finding issues and fixing them, over and over, until you're left with none, in which case you'll be getting a perfect score.
I know, I know, easier said than done. But with enough prep time, Batma- I mean, you can get your desired score in the SAT. You don't need to prepare 4-5 months ahead, just put in maximum effort for 1-2 months, depending on your current level and desired score (which will vary from person to person, so you have to be honest with yourself).
And that wraps up my guide on Digital SAT prep. If you have any questions, or if you want to add something that I missed, feel free to comment below. And if you need the links to the resources I mentioned above, those will be in the comments too. Sadly I won't be getting any commissions from them as they're all free : ( Lastly, do let me know if you take the SAT in the future and if this guide helped you prepare for it, that'd mean a lot to me </3
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