Strategies for Retaking the SAT
Colleges use your best scores for admission, so it is common for students to take the SAT multiple times. Many of my clients just received their September SAT results and some are planning to retake the exam this fall to earn a few more points.
Here are some strategies for retaking the SAT.
Identify Areas for Improvement
Think back to your recent SAT. What went well? What didn’t go as planned? Even before you see your score report, you can make a list of areas to improve. Once the exam started, did you follow your test day plans? What did you leave out? Why? How was your pacing? Did you finish the number of questions you had planned to complete? Did you take full advantage of the tools provided (elimination buttons, scratch paper, highlighter, etc.)? Did you identify areas where you wished you had done better review?
Once you receive your SAT score report, you can add some additional information. Both reading and math are broken down into four “content domains” represented by the bar graphs on your report. This information can show you the domain(s) where you are missing the most points, but it lacks key details.
The SAT score report doesn’t indicate WHY you missed questions. Did you run out of time? Did you know how to solve the problem but made a computation or reading mistake? Did you have the right answer but enter it wrong? The score report also doesn’t provide specifics on the questions missed. Did you miss a vocabulary question or a reading passage question in this domain? Were these the most difficult math problems? Were you better on multiple-choice versus student produced response math?
Because the SAT score report has limited information, I like to add details from a student’s Bluebook practice tests. What are the specific types of questions you still miss? Why?
Once you identify areas for improvement you can begin practicing for your next exam.
Don’t Overlook the Big Picture
While it is helpful to identify specific question types (vocabulary or grammar questions, geometry, trig, or data problems, etc.) don’t overlook the big picture.
I suggest considering three main areas for improvement:
- Individual question accuracy
- Focus / attention to detail
- Conserving mental energy
The SAT isn’t a simple test of knowledge. It is a two and a quarter hour endurance event. All too often I’ve seen student miss problems they could have gotten right. Sometimes under the pressure of test day, they aren’t reading as carefully; they miss a key word in the problem. Often, by the time students reach the hardest questions in the second module of math, they are mentally exhausted and everything feels ten times harder than it did in practice.
Practicing the big picture issues doesn’t feel as rewarding as working a bunch of content specific questions. But failing to address issues of focus and endurance may make all of your other review ineffective.
Refine Your Practice
All of my clients practiced before they took their September SAT. Before they keep doing more of the same, I want them to evaluate what worked and what needs improvement. Simply working more problems may not be enough to improve.
Here are some examples of things I’ve suggested to my students recently:
- You did great on all your practice tests taken at the desk in your room, but your brain panicked on the day of the SAT. Try doing more of your practice in unfamiliar environments. Take your next practice test in a study room at the library.
- You are incredibly accurate when working problems untimed, but didn’t have the same results on the SAT. Pacing and endurance are issues. Make sure all of your practice for the next test is under timed conditions.
- I know you want to focus on the hardest math problems in this module, but you are still missing some of the medium difficulty questions. Work on the 3-5 most do-able problems per module. Once you have those issues mastered, then you can tackle the harder problems.
Don’t Discount the Sum of Small Improvements
It is tempting to focus on the SAT equivalent of shiny objects (the two-hour YouTube video explaining obscure Desmos tricks or solutions to the hardest, most complex questions, for example.) It feels productive to take another timed practice test in Bluebook even though you haven’t done anything to change your approach.
It is harder to work through a dozen reading passage question each day and keep a list of the patterns you notice in the wrong answers. It feels “too small” to work a math module focusing on shortcuts, writing more on scratch paper, and using elimination.
So many factors contribute to success on test day. Often the sum of small changes adds up to significant score improvement.
Conclusion
Take the SAT multiple times, but as you prepare to retest, be sure to focus your efforts on the factors that will lead to maximum score improvement. Identify your weaknesses and the areas in which you can make small, but meaningful changes.
If you want specific guidance, I am available for private tutoring. Past clients can schedule a couple refresher sessions at any time. New clients will begin with my basic tutoring package. Reply for more details.