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High school students worldwide take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Although some colleges have gone test-optional, a good SAT score can enhance your college application and can give you an advantage in being considered for scholarships. Because most high school students taking the SAT have many demands on their time, I am often asked to provide tools, tips, and techniques for studying efficiently and effectively for the SAT. This article will provide some facts about the digital SAT and some SAT study tips on getting the most out of your limited time when studying for the SAT so that you will be ready on exam day.
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
- The Digital SAT: Key Facts
- What Topics Are Tested on the SAT?
- First Steps
- Make the Most Out of Every Minute of Study Time
- Tip #1: Prioritize Your SAT Studying
- Tip #2: Be Realistic About Your SAT Preparation Timeline
- Tip #3: Create a Doable Study Schedule
- Tip #4: Break Up Your Study Sessions If Necessary
- Tip #5: Weekends Can Lighten Your Load
- Tip #6: Study on the Way to School
- Tip #7: Study During Your Free Periods
- Tip #8: Dial Down Non-Essential Activities
- Tip #9: Memorization Is Mandatory
- Tip #10: Study One Topic at a Time
- Summary
- What’s Next?
Let’s get started with some key facts about the test.
The Digital SAT: Key Facts
The digital SAT replaced the paper-and-pencil SAT in spring 2024. The digital version is about an hour shorter than its predecessor: 2 hours and 14 minutes, compared to 3 hours and 15 minutes.
The test is administered at school or a test center using Bluebook, an app you’ll need to download ahead of time. When you take the exam, all other features of your computer will be locked down. You may use your own computer (PC or Mac) or a school-provided one, or you may borrow one from the College Board.
In addition to the digital platform, major changes include:
- allowing you to use a calculator for all math questions
- revamping the verbal portion of the exam
- making the exam computer-adaptive.
Let’s look at each of these changes in more detail.
Overview of the Digital SAT
The digital SAT has 2 main sections:
- Math: This section offers 2 modules, each containing 22 questions and taking 35 minutes to complete. About 33 of the 44 math questions are multiple-choice questions with four answer choices. The remaining 11 questions are called “student-produced response” questions, which are essentially fill-in-the-blank questions. A new feature of the math section is that if you don’t wish to use your own calculator, you may use an online Desmos graphing calculator.
- Reading and Writing: This section also consists of 2 modules. Each section contains 27 questions, and you are allowed 32 minutes to finish. Reading passages are shorter than on the old SAT, and each passage asks just one question. The combined Reading and Writing section will also test you on grammar, punctuation, and usage.
KEY FACT:
The Math section asks 44 questions in 2 modules, while the Reading and Writing section asks 54 questions in 2 modules.
What Does It Mean That the SAT Is Section-Adaptive?
On the section-adaptive SAT, if you do well on the first module of either section then you will encounter, in the second module, more difficult questions that are worth more points. Thus, scoring well on the first module (approximately 60% or better) is important, so that you can get a high score on module 1 questions and have the opportunity to answer score-enhancing harder questions on module 2.
Because the SAT is section-adaptive, you want to make sure that you are “on point” from the get-go. Notably, your early success in module 1 of each section will play an important role in determining your overall SAT score.
KEY FACT:
The section adaptivity of the SAT adjusts the difficulty level of the second module of each section based on your getting correct answers in the first module.
What Topics Are Tested on the SAT?
Math
For the most part, the math topics that the SAT tests are similar to topics you’ve covered in your high school math classes. However, the questions may be presented or worded a bit differently from what you have encountered on, say, an algebra test. Either way, you will see the same math problem-solving concepts you’ve learned in school.
The College Board identifies 4 main topic areas that appear in the Math section. We have added subtopics to those 4 main topics:
- Algebra – linear equations, solving systems of linear equations, linear inequalities, linear word problems, linear functions
- Advanced Math – function notation, functions, quadratic functions (parabolas), factoring and FOILing, higher-order polynomials, exponents, square root (radicals) equations, absolute value, exponential functions, exponential growth and linear growth, systems of equations
- Problem-Solving and Data Analysis – ratios and proportions, percentages, unit conversion, rates, charts and graphs, mean, median, mode, probability, scatterplots, statistical inference, experiments, and observational studies
- Geometry and Trigonometry – area, volume, lines, angles, triangles, circles, Pythagorean theorem, right triangles, trigonometry
KEY FACT:
Each of the 4 College Board SAT math categories contains many subtopics.
Verbal
The Reading part of the Reading and Writing section asks questions dealing with the following:
- Craft and Structure – structure, general or specific purpose, words in context, and paired passage questions
- Information and Ideas – main idea, detail, inference, quantitative or textual evidence
The Writing part of the Reading and Writing section asks questions dealing with the following:
- Standard English Convention – subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, plural and possessive nouns, verb forms, modifier placement, punctuation, sentence structure
- Expression of Ideas – transitions, rhetorical synthesis
KEY FACT:
The Reading and Writing section of the SAT tests your ability to analyze passages and to identify proper grammar and usage.
First Steps
Take a Practice Test
Taking an initial SAT practice test will help you determine your present level of SAT knowledge, and will help you establish your test prep starting point.
Until you know your baseline score, you won’t know whether you need a score improvement of 30 points or 300 points. Consequently, without a baseline score, it will be tough to calculate how long you will need to study. Thus, taking a practice exam is crucial for building a successful SAT study plan.
First, get registered at the College Board resources website. Then, download College Board’s free Bluebook app. You will find that there are 4 free practice tests. Take the first one, but don’t worry too much about your score. You’re just getting a basic idea of how much you’ll need to study to get the score you want.
TTP PRO TIP:
Take an SAT practice exam to determine your baseline score.
Choose Great Study Resources
What is your plan for starting your SAT studying? Would buying an SAT study guide and just answering random questions would be a good idea? Or maybe just take another practice test to figure out which topics you need to study? Hopefully, you’ll have a more structured approach than either of these.
There are multiple ways to effectively study, and you need to decide which one will work for you. Fortunately, you have many options, from private self-study to using great online resources. Now, let’s look at several of them.
TTP PRO TIP:
Don’t start studying for your SAT until you have considered which study resource will work for you.
Enroll in an In-Person or Online Prep Class
If you need a lot of structure for your studying, consider an in-person or online prep class. A class requires you to be committed to a pre-set time and day. Additionally, you will be in class with other students who have the same goal as you. Plus, you’ll have assigned homework, so you’ll be held accountable for completing it and keeping up with assignments.
A major drawback is that you won’t have any flexibility regarding class meeting times. Even more important, though, might be that the class will never speed up or slow down based on your personal goals and study path. You should keep these drawbacks in mind when considering a prep class.
KEY FACT:
An in-person or online SAT prep class will keep you on track with your studying, but it will not be personalized to meet your unique needs.
Hire a Private Tutor
For many students, hiring a private tutor is the perfect way to study for the SAT. Your tutor will design each study session around your exact needs. You can speed up or slow down according to your abilities. Furthermore, you can reschedule a session if you have a scheduling conflict. Your tutor will keep you on track and will hold you accountable for staying on track. However, private tutoring is more expensive than self-study or prep classes.
KEY FACT:
A private tutor, while expensive, can tailor your SAT prep around your specific needs.
Create or Join a Study Group with Friends
If you have friends who are also planning to study for the SAT, consider creating an SAT study group. Find friends with goals similar to yours, set a meeting schedule that you all can agree upon, and get started! Just make sure that the study group focuses on studying more than socializing, and you’ll all benefit from working together on a common goal.
TTP PRO TIP:
You can combine studying with socializing by forming an SAT study group with some friends.
Enroll in an Online SAT Prep Course
An online SAT prep course might fit your study needs. SAT prep courses are generally preferred because they:
- are designed by SAT experts
- provide a comprehensive study plan
- schedule automatic progress tracking
- teach the exact material that is tested on the SAT
- provide analytics, giving you valuable feedback on the types of questions that you have trouble with and why you miss certain questions
- supply equation guides and flashcards
- present you with various test strategies..
First, research online SAT courses, and try a few free trials. Then, select the course that is the best fit for you. The Target Test Prep SAT Course offers a free 5-day trial. Also, online SAT courses offer 24/7 access, making them an attractive option for students who want flexibility in their studying.
TTP PRO TIP:
An online SAT prep course offers many useful features that can make for an efficient, effective study experience.
Make the Most Out of Every Minute of Study Time
You have done all the background work. You understand the digital SAT, you know what’s tested, you’ve taken a practice test, and you have decided on a primary study method. Now it’s time to concentrate on getting the most out of the time you have to prepare for your SAT. These 10 SAT tips and tricks will help you immensely.
Tip #1: Prioritize Your SAT Studying
We’re all busy! Nevertheless, success on the SAT requires a commitment to putting in a decent number of study hours. To do well, make SAT studying a priority.
To get organized, create a study calendar. Next, map out your school schedule, extracurricular activities, job commitments, and other demands on your time. Then, fill in the days and times that you can devote to studying. We recommend that you study at least a little every day, but more importantly, make your schedule work for you!
TTP PRO TIP:
Create a study schedule to help you meet your study goal.
Tip #2: Be Realistic About Your SAT Preparation Timeline
Start on the right foot by being realistic about how much time you’ll need to prepare for the SAT. Work backward from your college admissions application deadlines to determine when you should take the test, and then you’ll have a good idea of when you should start your SAT prep. Leave plenty of time to still meet your application deadlines, even if you decide to retake the test to get a better score. You can get more tips about the length of your prep by checking out our article on how long to study for the SAT.
TTP PRO TIP:
Give yourself ample time to study for the SAT.
Tip #3: Create a Doable Study Schedule
When it comes to SAT study schedules, you have to balance school, sports, jobs, homework, family and community commitments, and time with friends. Thus, your study schedule must be one that works for you.
Your study schedule should pinpoint the times you’ll study each day. Can you wake up early to study for an hour? Or is it easier to study right after you get home after school? Will you be able to stay up late and put in your study time after all your homework is done? Or will you want to do the bulk of your studying on the weekend? The decision is yours.
Let’s look at what a sample weekly study schedule could look like:
- Monday: 4-5 p.m.: 1 hour of studying
- Tuesday: free period at school: 45 minutes of studying
- Wednesday: 4-5 p.m.: 1 hour of studying
- Thursday: free period at school: 45 minutes of studying
- Friday: 6-6:30 a.m.: 30 minutes of studying
- Saturday: 8:30-10 a.m.: 1.5 hours of studying
- Sunday: 8-9 p.m.: 1 hour of studying
You can schedule your SAT studying at various times throughout the week without making it a constant irritant. Most importantly, make a study schedule that fits your lifestyle to find the time to get in your SAT prep. In this example, we were able to fit in 6.5 hours in a week with minimal disruption.
TTP PRO TIP:
Your SAT study schedule has to be doable!
Tip #4: Break Up Your Study Sessions If Necessary
Finding even an hour for SAT study might sometimes be difficult. You might consider occasionally breaking up your studying into shorter, more manageable study sessions. Notably, having shorter sessions will help you keep your focus and keep your forward momentum, even on tough days. So, even if you have just 20 to 30 minutes to study, use them to your benefit and catch up later. Even short study sessions can be beneficial!
TTP PRO TIP:
Break up your study time into smaller chunks when necessary.
Tip #5: Weekends Can Lighten Your Load
If it’s possible, do longer study sessions on Saturday and Sunday. For example, if there are certain weekend days when you do not have any critical commitments, do a couple of long sessions (2-3 hours). There are 2 benefits to this type of study session. First, and obviously, you get a lot of studying done. But more importantly, you practice focusing for a couple of hours — an amount of time similar to that of the actual exam. Getting a twofer is always good!
TTP PRO TIP:
Consider scheduling long study sessions on weekend days.
Use Weekends to Take SAT Practice Tests
While you won’t have to worry about this initially, you’ll take the remaining three free practice exams on Bluebook after you finish the “learning phase” of your SAT prep. Since those exams will be mentally taxing and take several hours, consider taking them during the day on a weekend. You’ll have to carve out the time to take each practice test in one sitting, and you’ll be more relaxed doing so on the weekend than during the week. Thus, your score will be more accurate, giving you usable feedback about how close you are to your target SAT score. Also, you’ll have time to review the questions you answered incorrectly.
TTP PRO TIP:
Take your remaining three SAT practice exams on the weekend.
Tip #6: Study on the Way to School
You can get extra SAT study time by taking advantage of commuting time. On the bus or in a car, if you’re a passenger, you can pull out your SAT flashcards, to fit in some study time.
Of course, if you are driving, don’t look at flashcards! The good news, though, is that there is still something you can do. You can use an app that turns flashcards into audio flashcards. Audio flashcards are perfect for when you’re driving, walking, or doing chores.
TTP PRO TIP:
Review your flashcards during your commute to and from school.
Tip #7: Study During Your Free Periods
Free periods at school can give you some time to put in some SAT studying. You might usually spend free periods socializing with friends, but if you can use that time for your SAT prep rather than for social endeavors, you will get to the finish line faster. With this in mind, you might need to use a bit of self-discipline to go to the library to avoid distractions, but if you can do that with even a couple of free periods each week, you will put a nice dent in your SAT studying.
TTP PRO TIP:
Study for the SAT during your free periods.
Tip #8: Dial Down Non-Essential Activities
To successfully prepare for the SAT, you likely will need to reduce the number of “non-essential” activities in your life. First, list everything that you do that takes time. Next, put the items in order, from least essential to most important. Finally, eliminate the least important activities, remembering that their elimination is only temporary. Doing so will give you more time for SAT preparation!
TTP PRO TIP:
Temporarily eliminate any non-essential activities in your schedule, and dedicate the time saved by their elimination to your SAT preparation.
Tip #9: Memorization Is Mandatory
The digital SAT supplies you with a math formula sheet, which is useful but limited in scope. It gives you formulas for geometric shapes (area and volume), along with the Pythagorean theorem, and the sides and angles of special right triangles. However, you’ll need to memorize a large number of formulas to be successful on the Math section of the SAT. A great way to memorize these required formulas is to use flashcards.
There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to making a deck of flashcards. You can create the cards manually, or you can use an app. Additionally, you also don’t have to limit your flashcards to math formulas; include any grammar or punctuation rules that you need to remember, too. Create a flashcard for anything that you think will be helpful for you.
TTP PRO TIP:
Create a personalized deck of flashcards to help you memorize key concepts and formulas.
Tip #10: Study One Topic at a Time
The best way to learn SAT material is by using topical studying. This involves learning one topic at a time, and concentrating on just that one topic until you have mastered it.
For example, when you study problems involving statistics, you will learn about statistics-specific concepts, such as mean, median, mode, range, scatterplots, and statistical inference. After you learn the concepts, you’ll answer lots of practice questions of varying difficulty levels. Before moving to the next topic in your study schedule, make sure that you are comfortable with any statistics question that the SAT could throw at you.
TTP PRO TIP:
Use topical studying to ensure that you have studied and mastered each SAT concept.
Summary
In this article, we have provided you with information about the digital SAT, including an explanation of what section-adaptive means. Additionally, we’ve provided an overview of the math and verbal topics that are tested on the exam.
It’s important to plan your SAT preparation by taking some initial steps. First, you want to take a practice test to establish a baseline score. Next, before you start studying, you want to explore the many options for studying, such as taking an SAT prep class, hiring a tutor, joining a study group, or enrolling in an online SAT self-study course.
Once you start studying, here are some useful tips for studying for the SAT and getting the most out of your study time.
- Tip #1: Prioritize your SAT studying
- Tip #2: Be realistic about your SAT preparation timeline
- Tip #3: Create a doable study schedule
- Tip #4: Break up your study sessions if necessary
- Tip #5: Weekends can lighten your load
- Tip #6: Study on the way to school
- Tip #7: Study during your free periods
- Tip #8: Dial down non-essential activities
- Tip #9: Memorization is mandatory
- Tip #10: Study one topic at a time
Following these best SAT study tips will help you with your SAT preparation, making it more efficient and successful.
What’s Next?
Preparing for the SAT can be stressful. With many activities competing for your time and attention, it might be easy to lose sight of your goal, and your motivation might decrease along the way. To keep your eyes on the prize, read this article about staying motivated during your SAT prep.
Good luck!
