CONTENT REVIEW
Access the content review section link HERE.
Who Should Use This Course
This course is meant for students who are already generally comfortable with high school level course-work and want to take the next step to boost their SAT score to a high-performer level.
How to Use This Course
Note: This guide contains content review, a diagnostic exam, section strategy guides (click "read more" in the drill sections to access), and individual question type drills, followed by a practice exam and appendix. Read the section strategy guides ("read more") before doing each drill. Question subtype drills can only be completed once. If you start a drill but are interrupted / choose not to complete, press the back button on your browser to exit before submitting/running out of time and you will be able to start from scratch the next time you start the drill.
This guide is meant to be a high value-for-time resource. We will go over the basics of content first, and then question-specific strategies. Many other SAT prep books take 300+ pages to go over content, but miss out on many of the specific tactics that become important when aiming for a high score. The content section in this book is concise and potent – read through it first and do the section-specific practice questions until you are comfortable with the subject matter.
Knowing the content is fundamental to achieving a high SAT score. With infinite time and preparation, almost anyone can become comfortable with the vast majority of the content. Your biggest enemy on the SAT is not the material, but the time pressure. Both the time crunch of answering 44 Writing questions in 35 minutes (for example) as well as the sheer endurance it takes to perform optimally over the course of a three hour test are major resource constraints. After you are familiar with the basic content of the exam, this book will take you through strategies and exercises focused on speeding up your answering process, and dealing with the inevitable questions that slip through gaps in your knowledge.
After you have a handle on both content and speed, the next most important part of test preparation is improving endurance. The best way to do this is by taking the official SAT practice tests, accessible through the CollegeBoard website. There are a plethora of third-party test prep resources offering their own practice exams. I have used many of them in the past. They are generally not 100% accurate depictions of the real exam and should preferably only be used if you need additional practice beyond the official papers. The online course associated with this guide contains practice tests that should simulate the questions types covered on the SAT. Even so, I would recommend you complete at least 1-2 official CollegeBoard practice exams before taking the SAT.
Recommended Process
1. Initial Content Review
2. Take Diagnostic Test (at least 1-2 days after Content Review work)
3. Drill content based on areas of difficulty on Diagnostic Test
4. Strategic Practice / Optimizing the Process
5. 1-3 Practice Tests to put it all together
Exam Structure
The Digital SAT (2024) will have two sections in the Reading & Writing category. Each section will be 27 questions long, with 32 minutes of allotted time. The module will start with Reading questions, which will involve textual analysis and some vocabulary. This will be followed by Grammar questions, which will test your understanding of English conventions and vocabulary. Finally, there will be 5-10 Semantics questions that will test your understanding of the content of sentences/passages rather than their structure.
There is no essay section on the standard Digital SAT, but some specific state-mandated version may include one (this is the vast minority). I have included an essay drill in this course for your benefit, and submissions will be reviewed/scored by a real instructor within 7 days.
The Digital SAT (2024) will have two sections in the Mathematics category. Each section will be 22 questions long, with 35 minutes of allotted time. The module will have 16-17 multiple-choice questions of the 22, and the rest will be Student Produced Responses where you must write your own answer. If your answer to a Student Produced Response is a fraction, write it in as an improper fraction (7/3) or as a decimal rounded to the fourth digit (2.333). Do NOT write it as a mixed number (2 1/3) or a decimal truncated too quickly (2.3). Write only the number – don’t include symbols like commas, %, or $. Questions in this section are ordered roughly according to the CollegeBoard’s view of their difficulty. You will have three sheets of scratch paper and can use your own pen and pencil. I highly recommend writing down each step for each question, even if it’s easy, as it helps with proofreading and avoiding silly mistakes. Calculators are permitted on every Math question unless stated otherwise, and the Digital SAT app includes a built-in calculator. The calculator should be similar to the one here (https://www.desmos.com/testing/cb-digital-sat/graphing). Since there are trap answers, make sure you understand the logic of the question/answer before plugging numbers away.
There are four different broad content areas in the math section. They breakdown (per module) as follows:
• Algebra – 7-8 questions
• Advanced Math – 7-8 questions
• Problem-Solving and Data Analysis – 3-4 questions
• Geometry and Trigonometry – 3-4 questions
APPENDIX
The Appendix contains answers to Tactical Exercises and the full 1000-word Vocab List.
Access the appendix section link HERE