My advice as a 1550+ scorer on the (Digital) SAT
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Youraj N shares his SAT preparation journey, focusing on the English section. He emphasizes the necessity of mastering Khan Academy's English resources and suggests mimicking test conditions, including timing and routine. Youraj advises not to be disheartened by low practice scores and to maintain a balanced approach. He shares tricks like substituting answer choices in math and being strict with English questions. He also recommends doing grammar questions first for efficiency and encourages viewers to develop their own strategies, trusting their intuition over strict rules.
Takeaways
- 📚 The SAT with an English focus is relatively easier compared to the standard SAT, especially for non-native English speakers.
- 🎓 Utilizing Khan Academy's English resources is not just recommended, but essential for SAT preparation.
- 🌅 Mimicking test conditions, including eating the same breakfast and following the same routine, can help your brain adjust to the test environment.
- 🚫 Don't let low practice test scores demoralize you; they're meant to be challenging and are part of continuous improvement.
- 🌙 Maintaining a balanced approach, including getting adequate sleep before the test, can significantly impact your performance.
- 📈 Practice tests should be approached with the mindset of self-improvement rather than stress and anxiety.
- 🔄 If stuck on a math question, try substituting the answer choices to see which one fits correctly.
- ✅ Be strict with English questions, ensuring you're not misled by similar but incorrect answers.
- 🔎 Look for hints in the questions, especially in the Writing and Language sections, where similar phrases can indicate the correct answer.
- 📝 Start with the grammar questions first as they are generally easier and quicker to complete.
- 🤔 Develop your own tricks and strategies by observing question patterns and making connections that work for you.
- 🤓 Trust your gut feeling when it comes to English conventions; your intuition can be a powerful tool in answering questions correctly.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video?
-The main focus of the video is to discuss strategies and tricks to help students prepare for the SAT, particularly for students for whom English is not their first language.
What is the significance of the speaker's location in the video?
-The speaker is in a hotel room in Tokyo, Japan, which indicates that the video is being filmed during a vacation, emphasizing that the speaker is sharing tips despite being away from their usual study environment.
Why is the Khan Academy's English data prep considered a necessity according to the speaker?
-The speaker emphasizes that Khan Academy's English data prep is a necessity because it provides comprehensive resources for mastering the SAT, including videos, quizzes, and unit tests.
What does the speaker suggest to mimic test conditions?
-The speaker suggests waking up at the time of the actual SAT, eating the same breakfast, following the same morning routine, and then taking a practice test without any distractions to mimic test conditions.
How does the speaker advise dealing with low practice test scores?
-The speaker advises not to let low practice test scores demoralize you, as they are just practice and do not define your potential. They encourage keeping spirits high and believing in one's own potential.
What is the importance of balance when preparing for the SAT according to the speaker?
-The speaker stresses the importance of balance by stating that while some stress is acceptable, being completely engrossed and worrying about the SAT can lead to mistakes on the actual test day.
What is the speaker's personal experience with stress levels during SAT preparation?
-The speaker shares their personal experience of being extremely stressed during their first attempt, working until 2:00 a.m. the night before, which resulted in a lower score compared to their second attempt where they slept early and barely studied.
What trick does the speaker suggest for math modules in the SAT?
-The speaker suggests substituting the options into the question to see which one is correct as a trick for math modules, as it can help solve questions that are not directly solvable.
How should one approach English questions according to the speaker?
-The speaker advises being very strict with English questions, ensuring to only select the answer that matches what the question asks, and to look for hints in the questions, especially in note-taking questions.
What is the speaker's recommendation for the order of answering questions?
-The speaker recommends skipping to the grammar questions first because they are easier and require less text, which can save time and make the test taking process easier.
What final advice does the speaker give about developing one's own tricks?
-The speaker advises developing one's own tricks by observing question patterns, understanding answers, and making connections that can be used to one's own advantage.
What is the speaker's advice regarding gut feelings during the SAT?
-The speaker suggests that if you feel confident in your English skills, sometimes it's better to trust your gut feeling over strict adherence to rules, especially when the standard English conventions feel incorrect.
Outlines
📚 SAT Prep Tips and Tricks
The speaker, Youraj N, shares personal experiences and strategies for preparing for the SAT, particularly focusing on the English section. He emphasizes the importance of using Khan Academy's resources diligently, including watching all videos, completing quizzes, and retaking unit tests until mastery is achieved. He also advises mimicking test conditions by following the same morning routine as on the actual test day, including eating the same breakfast and taking practice tests in a distraction-free environment. Youraj N encourages viewers not to be discouraged by low practice test scores, as they are part of the continuous improvement process. He shares his own experience of scoring lower before an actual test but then doing better by taking a break and believing in his potential. He also stresses the importance of balancing preparation with other aspects of life to avoid excessive stress, which can negatively impact test performance.
🧠 SAT Test-Taking Strategies
In the second paragraph, Youraj N offers specific strategies for the SAT, starting with a trick for the math section: substituting answer choices into the question to find the correct one. For the English section, he advises being strict with question requirements and looking for hints within the questions, especially in the Writing and Language (W&L) questions. He recommends starting with the grammar questions first, as they are easier and require less reading, which can save time and reduce stress. Youraj N also encourages developing personal strategies by observing question patterns and making connections to improve test-taking skills. He shares a personal anecdote about trusting his gut feeling over standard English conventions when they felt incorrect, highlighting the importance of intuition based on years of language use.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡SAT
💡Khan Academy
💡Test conditions
💡Practice test
💡Demoralize
💡Balance
💡Math modules
💡English questions
💡Grammar questions
💡Own tricks
💡Gut feeling
Highlights
The speaker started their SAT journey when the test was new, with limited resources available.
The English section of the SAT is relatively easier compared to the normal SAT.
The speaker will focus mainly on the English section to help students, especially non-native English speakers.
The speaker is currently on vacation in Tokyo, Japan, where the video is being filmed.
It's crucial to drill the Khan Academy English data prep.
Khan Academy is not overrated and is actually very helpful for SAT preparation.
Mimic test conditions by waking up and having the same routine as on the actual SAT day.
Practice tests will be challenging and should not demoralize you.
Believe in your potential and don't let low practice test scores affect your confidence.
Balance is important; don't let stress and worry about the SAT affect your performance.
The SAT is just a part of your college application and does not define your entire future.
For math modules, try substituting the options into the question to see which one is correct.
Be strict with English questions and avoid being misled by similar but incorrect answers.
There's always a hint in the question, especially in the WAB questions.
Skip to the grammar questions first as they are easier and require less text.
Develop your own tricks by observing questions, their patterns, and understanding their answers.
Trust your gut feeling about English conventions, especially if you've been speaking English for a long time.
Sometimes, forgetting the rules and trusting your intuition can lead to correct answers.
Transcripts
hey guys I'm youraj n and this is my
video on the digital
side like many of you are planning to do
I gave my dad twice in the 11th grade
and when I started my SAT Journey the
dad was relatively new it was the first
year it had just been introduced there
were barely any resources out there so I
developed a ton of tricks to help me get
through this and that's what I'll be
talking about today but we'll get back
to that later and firstly I would like
to mentioned that the D is the English
in the D is relatively easier compared
to the normal sat and that's what I'll
mainly be focusing on since a lot of
students face problems in the SAT area
especially those who don't have English
as their first language and you might be
wondering what the setup is about I'm
I'm in a hotel room right now I'm
currently on vacation in Tokyo Japan so
that's where I'm filming
from first and foremost I'd like to talk
about the fact fact that it's crucial
that you drill the Khan Academy English
datat prep see this is not just a
suggestion it's a necessity I did this
too and you have to ensure that you
watch all the videos do all the quizzes
and repeat the unit test until you get
everything right keep at it until you
mastered everything and the fact is that
people say this is overrated that the
English D KH academ or just Khan Academy
in general is overrated but it's
actually really
good so so the next tip is to mimic
teste conditions and I mean this like in
the most extreme way possible so many
people including me face this issue of
their brain working slower in the
morning and I honestly I hate it because
all everything every exam is in the
morning well the only way to make sure
that this doesn't happen in the actual
set is to have your brain get used to it
so how you're going to do this is that
you're going to wake up and the at the
time of the actual sat you're going to
eat the same breakfast
do all the same things that you do in
the morning have the same routine and
then sit and give the test with no
distractions and try to mimic the test
conditions in the most extreme way
possible and that's the only way you can
train yourself to do
this low practice test scores I've heard
about this a lot so remember your
practice is always going to be
challenging it's always going to be
tough It's a journey of continuous
self-improvement and don't let it low
practice test SC demoralize you because
that it doesn't even matter it's a
practice test and like two days before
my second attempt I got 6 650 in my
English which was even lower than my
first attempt but I just believed in
myself and I took a break from the SAT
and I did way better in my actual sat
and that's how it works like keep your
spirits High believe in your own
potential believe in yourself
balance this one's really important many
people grind practice tests and work
long nights preparing for the start and
a little stress is okay it's acceptable
but being completely engrossed and
worrying about the SAT is only going to
lead to you making mistakes on the
actual test day see remember the sat is
just a part of your college application
it's it doesn't Define your entire
future don't let it have power over you
like I'll give you my example so on my
first attempt I was extremely stressed
and I worked till 2: a.m. the night
before and on that attempt I scored A500
now on my next test I slept early and I
barely studied or did anything regarding
the SAT the night before and I scored a
156 on on my second attempt and that's
kind of how it
[Music]
works so that's all for the tips let's
move on to the tricks now so the first
one is going to apply only to the math
modules but this is really important so
try substituting the options into the
question to see which one's correct now
most questions you'll directly get your
answer from this method but there are
some questions that are unsolvable
without using this technique and I'm
pretty sure some of these exist in the
Blue Book tests so please try them out
and if if you can't solve a question
then try to substitute the answers into
the
question okay so the next trick is to be
really strict with the English questions
and I mean this like there's always
going to be one misleading answer one
that's really similar to the actual
answer and it'll just try to get you
confused especially in the note- taking
questions sometimes they give you extra
information sometimes they give you less
information sometimes they give you
stuff that's not even in the notes so
just be extremely strict and make sure
you're doing what the question asks you
to do now these questions are
exceptionally tricky for those that are
from non-native english- speaking
countries much like myself but there's
always a hint in the question especially
in the wab questions like there's always
a phrase that that has the exact same
meaning as the correct answer and all
you have to do is identify it I mean
it's not that easy but yeah this next
trick is extremely important and I want
you to implement this no matter what
basically skip to the grammar questions
and do them first this this just makes
everything so much easier because the
grammar questions are so much easier and
there's little to no text so you can
just fly past them I used to do this for
myart and it took me 7 minutes to finish
the grammar questions after which I had
around 25 to just relax and attempt
every reading question and try my best
at every
question and the final trick is to
develop your own tricks and I mean this
because there will be a million other
people out there trying to teach you
their tricks their ideas and trying to
sell you their courses but the thing is
the tricks you build on your own are
what are going to take you to that next
level and that's the thing that what you
should do is observe questions and their
patterns and understand their answers
and try to make connections and use
those connections to your own advantage
and the tricks you develop on your own
are the tricks that you'll be able to
understand and use most effectively and
that's what you should
do now for the finale this is not a tip
actually it's the complete opposite
please don't apply this to your side but
like I just want to share this about my
experience because I feel like many of
you might experience this or relate to
this later on so the thing is that a lot
of the times when I try to apply the
Standard English conventions the answer
just never felt right and later on it
turned out that I was correct the answer
was wrong well I was wrong but you get
the point so what happened was that that
gut feeling it's really important
because remember most of you have been
speaking English for most of your lives
for a long time now and your brain might
mess up applying the rules that you
learned for a test but it'll never mess
up the language you Converse in all the
time so if you think you know English
well enough then sometimes you just have
to forget the rules and trust your own
gut and well that's it for this video
and if you want to watch more then
subscribe I can never do this part right
Browse More Related Video
How To Boost Your SAT English Score 100+ Points [Tips and Strategies]
Digital SAT English Cram Plan: Know These 3 Questions!
Introduction to Grammar | Grammar | Khan Academy
AP Language Multiple Choice Strategies and Tips | Coach Hall Writes
How to crush the SAT (from 1580 scorer)
TOEIC Listening Skills 1: Overview and Part 1
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)