Taking the SAT

Hopefully you took the SATs and aced them during your junior year. Unfortunately, this was not the case for me, and I suspect many of you need to take the SATs for the first time or retake them.

The first thing to do is sign up for a test date. You should register for October 14, November 4, or December 2. You can register by creating an account at http://www.collegeboard.com/. The cost is $41.50.

Once you have taken care of this, you should study. There are several SAT preparation books out there. I recommend you get either a Princeton Review guide, or a College Board official guide. Spend some time every night going through sample questions. Every weekend leading up to the test, it’s a good idea to complete practice sections under timed conditions. Also, if your school offers free SATs you should take advantage.

On the night before you take the test, get plenty of sleep and eat a good dinner. Lastly, be on time to the test center. I was late to my SAT last year, and I had to retake the test on another date, which was enormously inconvenient. Plan plenty of time to get to the center, and take a calculator with spare batteries (if you need them) and pencils. Finally, relax. Everything will be fine.