DOS AND DON’TS FOR TAKING THE

SAT IN 7TH GRADE

According to Mrs. Hebda

Middle School Gifted Facilitator

USD 231

HOW TO PREPARE Notice it doesn’t say STUDY! You haven’t taken any high school

classes yet, so think of this more as a pre-test.

So, RELAX!!

My goal is to help you develop an understanding of the SAT in 6 easy steps

STEP 1: DO BE PROUD OF YOURSELF Being asked to take the SAT is a very big

honor, and you should be proud of yourself.

STEP 2: DON’T FREAK OUT Don't think that just because you are

taking the SAT, you have to study like crazy to get a good score. You are taking a test meant for people 4-6 years older than you. They have learned more, so you shouldn't try to compare yourself to them. This is just an opportunity to see how you do on an upper-level test.

STEP 3: DON'T IMMEDIATELY GO OUT AND BUY AN SAT PREP COURSE.

All the preparation you need to do is in this presentation.

The software courses have new editions coming out every year. You should wait and buy the prep software when you’re in high school.

When you take the test again in high school, your junior high scores will be deleted.

STEP 4: DO STAY CALM AT THE TEST. High school juniors and seniors only

have a year or two to take the test. You're in 7th grade, so you have a ton of time and the test shouldn't be a huge deal for you.

Plus, if you’re calm and remember these tips, you’ll do better.

STEP 5: DO THE EASY QUESTIONS FIRST.

Don't spend ten minutes on a question, because there will probably be some that you don't know, especially on the math section. If you answer a question incorrectly on the

SAT, you lose points. If you can eliminate at least two of the answers, you may wish to guess.

STEP 6: DON'T EXPECT TO MAKE A 2400 WHEN YOU RECEIVE YOUR SCORE REPORT.

As you can see, the averages of 7th graders on these two tests are not that high.SAT:

Critical Reading: 420 Mathematics: 440 Writing: 411

TESTING TIPS: BEFORE Try to take the test at a large school. There

may be other 7th or 8th graders that are taking the test with you. Or, better yet, take it at the same time/place as a

friend! There are several breaks and you’ll have someone to hang out with.

Looking at a practice test can’t hurt! In fact, it will help you to understand what type of questions are on the test. http://

sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-practice-test?BannerID=pretest&AffiliateID=PREPCENTER

Do what you would normally do for state assessments – get plenty of sleep, eat a good breakfast, and drink water.

TESTING TIPS: DURING (SAT) It’s time to PASS the test

P = Pace yourself A = Answer easy questions first S = Scratch out imposters S = Skip the really hard questions

TESTING TIPS: DURING (SAT) P = Pace Yourself

Give yourself checkpoints (halfway, one-third, etc) and check the time to see if you need to speed up or slow down

Test monitor will tell you how long you get for each section and also when there are 5 minutes left

The SAT is made up of 10 sections: A 25-minute essay Six 25-minute sections (mathematics, critical

reading and writing) Two 20-minute sections (mathematics, critical

reading and writing) A 10-minute multiple-choice writing section You’ll also get three short breaks during the testing,

so don’t forget to bring a snack!

TESTING TIPS: DURING (SAT) A = Answer easy questions first

This is a high school test, so you won’t know ALL the answers.

Don’t spend too much time on a difficult question, you can skip it and come back if you have time.

TESTING TIPS: DURING (SAT) S = Scratch out imposters

Eliminate answer choices that you know are wrong. Cross them out in your test booklet so that you can clearly see which choices are left.

Use your test booklet as scratch paper. Use it to make notes or write down ideas. What you write in the booklet will not affect your score.

TESTING TIPS: DURING (SAT) S = Skip the really hard questions

Make educated guesses or skip the question. If you have eliminated the choices that you know are wrong, guessing is your best strategy. However, if you cannot eliminate any of the answer choices, it is best to skip the question. You will lose points for incorrect answers. No points are deducted if an answer is left blank.

Circle skipped questions in your test book and check that you also skip that question on your answer sheet.

TESTING TIPS: AFTER It will take a while to get your scores.

Be patient. When you get the scores, remember,

this was just practice! You’ll be amazed how much your score will improve in high school when you have taken all of the classes tested on the SAT.

SOURCES http

://sat.collegeboard.org/SAT/public/pdf/getting-ready-for-the-sat.pdf

http://tip.duke.edu/node/313#tipprep http://

www.wikihow.com/Handle-Taking-the-SAT-or-ACT-at-an-Early-Age