by Jean Burk

Many smart students bomb the SAT. They resolve to the fact that they are bad test-takers when it comes to this test - even if they have a high GPA and take honors courses in school. The fact of the matter is that the SAT is not a normal test. The reason many students do poorly on this test has nothing to do with their intelligence or knowledge that they have learned, but because they just don't understand this particular test. Since the SAT is a standardized test, it will have recurring logical patterns that can be discovered.
The key to doing well is to understand the hidden patterns, learn the secret strategies to find the shortcuts and  then practice with actual tests. This helps the student become familiar with the test and as it becomes automatic, students can ace the SAT.

The SAT contains three sections: Critical Reading, Math and Writing. It is almost four hours long without breaks. This test can be like a mental marathon and so learning time-management is a must. Most students do not finish each section on time because they treat it like other tests and work out each problem the long way. This not only results in a lot of blank questions but also a lower score for the student. Since this is a logic test, questions can be answered quickly and correctly when approached with a critical eye.

The Critical Reading section has three sections that total seventy-minutes. The first part is the Passage-Based Reading section. There are three types of passages: Long, Short and Dual. In one section alone, there are four passages, twenty-four questions and only twenty-five minutes to finish it in. Most students run out of time before finishing. Students can cut their time in half by realizing that reading the passages is a waste of time. The College Board only puts the answers in key places. There are also three question types that follow the passage: Line Citation, Vocabulary Use and Overall Passage question. Each question is answered differently and should not be answered in the order given. There are also four hidden patterns that that the SAT uses to make students second-guess themselves and choose the wrong answer.

The Sentence Completion is the second part of The Critical Reading section. By learning Scope words like but, although and not, students can determine the direction of the sentence. If these words are found, students will need to look for an opposite answer. If the sentence contains a semi-colon, comma or colon, the flow stays the same and the key to the answer will be found in the other part of the sentence. Students should be aware of the most common words-these are usually a trick and should be avoided. There are also times that the first blank should be ignored and students should predict the second blank first.

The Math section contains two sections that total seventy-minutes. Most students approach the math just like they do their normal math classes by working each problem out the long way and showing all their work. There is a long way and a short way to answer math questions. If students can learn to not use their calculator, answers can be found quicker since the mores calculations, the bigger chance of making mistakes.
There will be two types of questions found in each section. The first type is the Multiple-Choice section. This is where students will have five answer choices to pick from. Most math questions can be answered in 30-40 seconds so learning shortcuts can make all the difference in the world. The College Board has some hidden math patterns in the answer choices that are there to point students to the answer like opposites and doubles. There are usually two-three answer choices than be eliminated right away. It is also strategic to know the importance of the order of the answers-it is always the same and can help you cut your time in half.

Student-Response is the other part of the math section. This part does not contain any answer choices; there may also be more than one answer for certain question. Students will need to learn how to fill in the grid-in box correctly. There are four columns, two fraction bars, four decimal points and the digits zero through nine. There are only four columns so answers may need to be reduced to fit. Decimals need to fill up all four boxes and mixed numbers must be converted to improper fractions in order to be counted as correct.

The last part is the Writing section. It contains four parts and they will total sixty minutes.
The first part is the essay. Students will have twenty-five minutes to write an essay on an unknown topic; it will count as thirty percent of their grade. The key to a high scoring paper is to “sound smart”. The judges will spend less than a couple of minutes on each essay and they are looking for some key ingredients. Is the paper on topic? Did it have three detailed examples to support their thesis? What is the overall perception of the paper? The judges will write down their first impression of the paper so students need to end with punch.

The last three Writing parts are Sentence Error, Improving Sentence and Improving Paragraphs. Understanding basic grammar rules is important but it is still a logic test and answers can be found quickly by using reasoning and critical thinking. By concentrating only on the underlined parts in the Sentence Error and Improving Sentences, students can save time when looking for the right answer. And the Improving Paragraph section combines two previous parts learned and the sentences are reproduced in the questions so there is very little need to read the passage.

Students don't have to be a genius to ace the SAT but understanding the test and the question-types is a must in order to do well on this test. A standardized test means that the patterns stay the same. It is not a random test but students can learn to find the relationships and logical patterns that recur. With some preparation and practice, students can figure out the SAT.