October SAT Last-Minute Tips (2024)

Strategic Test Prep

2 Oct 202408:55

Summary

TLDRLaura from STP provides last-minute SAT tips for students preparing for the upcoming test. She offers advice like warming up your brain, not leaving questions blank, and using strategies such as guessing middle-range numbers and skipping difficult questions to return to later. She emphasizes the importance of practice tests and introduces Preply, a digital SAT prep app with customizable quizzes and flashcards. Laura concludes by sharing links to additional resources and encourages viewers to subscribe for more helpful tips.

Takeaways

💡 Warm up your brain before test day by going through easy English questions without checking the answers.
📱 Use the Preply app for SAT prep, offering over 1,000 unique questions and customizable practice to improve on specific weaknesses.
❌ Never leave questions blank—guess if needed, as there is no penalty for guessing on the SAT.
🚀 Start with the easier questions in the English module and save the harder ones, like reading, for later to maximize your time.
🔢 For math questions with ranges, guess a middle number, as it has a higher chance of being correct.
🔧 Use 'nice numbers' when dealing with variables in math problems—pick a value, work it out, and apply the same number to the answer choices.
✅ Use the pronoun trick on English questions with verb tenses to identify subject-verb agreement issues.
🔍 Look for three wrong answers in reading questions instead of focusing on finding one right answer—especially watch out for trap answers.
⏳ Flag difficult questions and move on if you've spent more than a minute on them, especially in Module 2 math.
🅿️ If you're running out of time, answer remaining questions with 'D' to increase the likelihood of scoring extra points.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the video?
-The purpose of the video is to provide last-minute tips and strategies for students preparing for the SAT, particularly those who may be cramming for the exam.
What is the first tip mentioned in the video?
-The first tip is to warm up your brain on test day by practicing easy English questions before the test. This helps get your brain ready, similar to how athletes warm up their muscles before a game.
What is the recommended strategy for answering questions when unsure?
-If you're unsure about a math question, it’s recommended to guess a middle number in the range, as middle numbers are more likely to be correct than those on the extremes.
What should you do if you are stuck on a question?
-If you are stuck on a question and have spent over a minute on it, you should flag it and move on. This helps you manage time effectively and prevents you from missing easier questions later.
How should you approach multiple-choice reading questions?
-For reading questions, you should focus on eliminating three wrong answers rather than trying to find the right answer immediately. This method helps you think critically and avoid trap answers.
What does the speaker recommend for students cramming for the SAT?
-For students cramming, the speaker provides ten last-minute tips to help improve their performance, including strategies like guessing middle numbers, warming up before the test, and eliminating wrong answers.
Why does the speaker advise against leaving questions blank?
-Leaving questions blank is discouraged because there is no penalty for guessing. Even if you are unsure, guessing gives you a chance to earn points.
What is a ‘half right, all wrong’ answer in reading questions?
-A ‘half right, all wrong’ answer is when the first part of the answer seems correct, but the second part is incorrect. Students are warned not to pick such answers without fully reading them.
What is the role of the app Preply mentioned in the video?
-Preply is an app designed for SAT preparation, offering over a thousand unique questions, customizable flashcards, and AI tutoring to help students practice and improve their scores.
What is the bonus tip given at the end of the video?
-The bonus tip is to take a full SAT practice test ahead of the test day to avoid any surprises. This helps students familiarize themselves with the test format and improve their timing.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Last-minute SAT Cramming Anxiety and Warm-up Tips

Laura introduces herself and acknowledges that many viewers might be cramming for the October SAT, which gives her anxiety. She encourages viewers to share their study plans in the comments, whether they’ve been cramming or preparing for a while. Laura then offers her first tip: warm up your brain before the test with a document she links in the description. The document contains English questions designed not for correctness but to get the mind into test-taking mode, similar to how athletes warm up before a game. This section also introduces a sponsor, Preply, a digital SAT prep app, highlighting its features such as customizable flashcards, AI tutors, and a leaderboard for competitive motivation.

05:01

🚨 Critical SAT Test-taking Tips for Guessing and Prioritizing Questions

Laura offers key tips for SAT test day. She stresses the importance of not leaving any questions blank, reminding viewers that there’s no penalty for guessing. She suggests guessing the number 3 if completely unsure in math questions. Another crucial tip is skipping to question 15 on the English module to answer quicker, easier questions first, leaving the harder reading comprehension questions for later. Laura shares an important finding about successful SAT students, noting that subscribing to her channel can improve scores (a playful plug). She also gives advice on guessing middle numbers in math problems and using 'nice numbers' to solve questions with variables.

🧠 Essential SAT Tips: Verb Tenses and Eliminating Wrong Reading Answers

Laura continues with SAT tips, focusing on English questions and reading comprehension. For verb tense questions, she introduces the pronoun trick, where students use ‘he’ or ‘they’ to identify subject-verb agreement. On reading questions, Laura advises looking for three wrong answers rather than trying to find the right one first. She warns about 'trap' answers, especially ones that are partially correct but have subtle errors. Words like 'likely' or 'largely' can dramatically change an answer’s correctness, so it’s important to read the choices carefully and critically.

⏳ Managing Time on SAT Math and the Power of Guessing D

Time management is crucial on the SAT, especially in module 2 of the math section. Laura explains that questions on the August test did not follow a consistent difficulty pattern, with some harder questions appearing earlier in the sequence. She advises students to flag difficult questions they’ve spent more than a minute on and move on to avoid wasting time, as there may be easier questions ahead. If time is running out, she suggests guessing 'D' for any remaining unanswered questions since it increases the odds of getting a few points. Finally, Laura recommends doing a full SAT practice test before the exam to avoid surprises and links a math one-pager for key concepts.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Cramming

Cramming refers to the practice of studying intensely for a short period of time just before an exam. In the video, Laura addresses viewers who are likely cramming for the SAT, suggesting that it causes her anxiety but is a common last-minute approach many students take. This term is central to the video's theme, as it focuses on providing last-minute tips to help crammers maximize their performance on test day.

💡Warm up your brain

Warming up your brain is the process of mentally preparing before starting a challenging activity, in this case, the SAT exam. Laura emphasizes this as her first tip, suggesting that students should go through an English question warm-up before entering the test to activate their cognitive abilities, much like athletes warm up their muscles before a game. This helps set the tone for mental readiness.

💡Preply

Preply is an SAT prep app designed to provide digital tools for students studying for the SAT, including over a thousand unique questions, customizable flashcards, and an AI tutor. Laura promotes the app in the video, highlighting its convenience for busy students and its simple answer explanations as an alternative to traditional methods. Preply ties into the theme of SAT preparation and offers solutions for students struggling with time management or seeking effective practice resources.

💡Guessing

Guessing refers to the strategy of selecting an answer when unsure of the correct one. Laura advises students to never leave a question blank since there is no penalty for guessing on the SAT. She further suggests common guessing strategies, such as guessing the number three on math questions and choosing a middle number in the range. This emphasizes a practical approach to answering difficult questions when under time pressure.

💡Skipping questions

Skipping questions is a time-management strategy where students bypass harder questions to focus on easier or faster ones first. Laura recommends this for English modules, suggesting that students start with quicker, less time-consuming questions and return to the more challenging ones later. This method helps students avoid getting stuck and ensures they complete more of the test, especially when facing time constraints.

💡Subject-verb agreement

Subject-verb agreement refers to the grammatical rule that the subject of a sentence and its verb must agree in number (singular or plural). Laura introduces the 'pronoun trick' as a tip for handling questions that involve this rule, where students use pronouns like 'he' or 'they' to determine whether the verb should be singular or plural. This tip directly helps students avoid common grammatical mistakes on the SAT's English section.

💡Trap answers

Trap answers are misleading answer choices on the SAT that seem correct but contain subtle flaws, often used to trick test-takers. Laura explains that in the reading section, students should look for three wrong answers instead of trying to immediately identify the correct one. She points out that wrong answers may be 'half right, all wrong,' where part of the choice is correct but the other part is not. This concept encourages critical thinking and careful reading.

💡Flagging questions

Flagging questions refers to marking difficult or time-consuming questions to return to them later. Laura recommends this approach, especially for the harder second module of the math section, to avoid wasting too much time on one question. By flagging questions, students can move on and answer easier ones first, ensuring better time management and improving their chances of scoring more points.

💡Time management

Time management is the skill of effectively planning and controlling the time spent on different tasks to optimize performance. Laura emphasizes its importance throughout the video, especially in managing the unpredictability of question difficulty on the SAT. She encourages students to move past questions if they are stuck for over a minute, demonstrating how good time management can prevent rushing through the test at the end.

💡Practice tests

Practice tests are full-length mock exams that simulate the real SAT experience. Laura's final tip stresses the importance of completing at least one full practice test before test day to ensure students are familiar with the format and timing. This preparation reduces surprises on the actual test and helps students build endurance. Laura recommends using the official Blue Book tests for the most accurate practice.

Highlights

October test is right around the corner, so crammers, let us know in the comments if you’re cramming last minute.

Tip 1: Warm up your brain with easy English questions before test day to get your mind ready.

Tip 2: Don’t leave any question blank. You’re not penalized for guessing, so always put down an answer.

Tip 3: Start with easier questions first on the English module and save harder ones for last.

Tip 4: For math, if unsure, guess a middle number in the range, as it’s more likely to be correct.

Tip 5: Use ‘nice numbers’ to simplify abstract math questions with variables.

Tip 7: For verb tense questions, use the pronoun trick (he/they) to spot singular vs. plural tenses.

Tip 8: Look for three wrong answers on reading questions, not just one right answer.

Tip 9: Mark tough questions to return to later, especially on the second math module.

Tip 10: If time is running out, pick D for all remaining questions to increase your chances of picking up extra points.

Tip 11 (Bonus): Take a full practice SAT test before test day to avoid surprises.

The app Preply offers over a thousand SAT questions and customizable flashcards, providing a convenient and flexible study solution.

Preply’s answer explanations are simple and easy to understand, unlike lengthy College Board explanations.

Preply has a competitive leaderboard and an AI tutor to help quiz you on various SAT topics.

The August SAT test didn’t follow the typical progression of difficulty, so time management and flagging hard questions is critical.