Tips to ACE the SAT from AIM Experts

Are you SAT ready? If you're not fully there, you should already be pretty close - especially if you're planning to sit the exam any time within the next month and a half. As daunting as it may sound, the truth is that these exams help chart the very direction of the next steps of your life. Dreaming of heading to college in the USA? Not committing your all and doing your absolute best is simply not an option!
 
We know how important doing well on the SAT is to you and your journey, so we've gathered all of AIM's best SAT tutors and asked them for their best advice.
LEADING UP TO THE EXAM
SET GOALS
Setting goals allows you to give the time and energy needed for each topic, thus making your study session more effective and ensuring that you are ready to take those exams head on and WIN!
 
USE ANY DOWNTIME WISELY
Students prepping to take the SATs do not typically have much downtime. Especially in the year of the exam, all holiday periods involve a precarious balance of rest and exam preparation. When you are on break, even though you are at home there are a lot of things you can do. Now is the perfect time to learn something new, research your interests, learn a new language and think of ideas for summer programs! And STUDY!
 
DON'T CRAM
Cramming doesn't work! It can actually result in you forgetting the information you spent time learning. Don't risk it. Give yourself the time to prepare. Develop a study plan and schedule and stick to them. If you are close to the exam and there are topics you still haven't covered or understood, go back to the things you do know and refine your knowledge. With less than a week before the exam it's better to practice what you already know instead of trying to cram new concepts and topics.
 
TAKE PRACTICE TESTS & CORRECT YOUR MISTAKES
Taking Practice Tests help you to perfect timing, identify knowledge gaps and alleviate anxiety. Any practice test you do should be timed and most importantly, practice should be reviewed and corrected. If you're not correcting what you get wrong then you will keep doing the wrong thing and get the same score. Remember practice makes permanent! So make sure you're practicing the right thing so that your practice makes perfect!
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE EXAM
PREPARE! PREPARE! PREPARE!
Pack everything from the night before. Put your ID, pencils, calculator and even a light snack all in your bag the night before the exam. You don't want to be scrambling to look for things you will need which can make you late.
 
Seriously. Don't forget that snack. The SAT can feel like a long marathon, but luckily there are short breaks in between some sections. Pack your own water to stay hydrated, and light snacks (granola bar, a fruit, etc.) to keep your energy up!
 
GET REST
A few days before the exam make sure you have a predictable sleeping schedule. Go to bed early so you can get enough rest. It will help with anxiety.
EXAM DAY
DON'T LEAVE ANY QUESTION UNANSWERED
Once upon a time in SAT land, you actually LOST marks for every wrong answer. That's right... in addition to not getting the point for the wrong answer, they deducted even more as further penalty. But in 2016, that all changed.
 
You don't lose marks for an incorrect answer so attempt every question. You will have a chance of a higher score without the risk of losing marks for incorrect answers.
 
BREATHE!
You can do this! You've prepared for this! Finish strong!
 
Remember that you CAN do the SAT more than once, which will allow you to increase your chances at your best SUPERSCORE. Some colleges and universities give you the chance to take your BEST scores from EACH section of the SAT and combine them for your best score possible.
 
AIM can help you get your best SUPERSCORE. We've seen students take the exam twice and use their superscores to secure THOUSANDS of dollars in scholarships, that would have missed them if they only depended on their first sitting score.
Author: AIM Online Academy
AIM Online Academy (was AIM Educational Services) is the leading college prep provider in Jamaica, that helps students maximize their potential as they make the journey towards college in the US, UK and Canada. For over a decade, AIM's team of College Experts & Essay Coaches have assisted students from all over the Caribbean, the USA and Canada get into the college of their dreams with enough scholarship and financial aid to actually attend.

You can find out more about how AIM Online Academy can help YOU here: http://www.aimonlineacademy.com

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