Begin SAT Test Prep Early for Best Results: Five Tips for Test Day

Preparing for the SAT test is a strenuous process, and it is strongly advised that students take the preparation for this task very seriously. Starting early and working with a private SAT tutor will ensure the best possible score results. As the following article states, there are some important tips to keep in mind on test day, but test preparation begins long before this and will have you confident and ready to go on test day.

SAT Tip: Five Things to Avoid on Test Day

Most of these are common sense, but AVOID these five things on Test Day to make sure all your hard work and studying pay off. Don’t let any of these silly mistakes ruin your SAT test prep and hurt your college admissions progress.

DON’T cram the night before. The SAT is not a test you can successfully cram for—taking the test exhausted is a surefire way to wind up with a bad score. Make sure you are sleeping regularly at least six hours a night in the weeks leading up to your test day; create an SAT test prep schedule and stick to it. This “cram” method never works, so don’t try it with college applications either.

DON’T be late. If you are late, the time will come out of your allotted time for the next SAT section.
DON’T forget to bring extra batteries and pencils.
DON’T be a messy bubbler. Bubble in your choices fully and darkly, so that there is never any confusion about which choice is intended. But don’t spend more than 5 seconds on each bubble—that’s just a waste of time. Always use No. 2 pencils when you study with SAT practice questions so you get into the habit of using them.

DON’T attempt to cheat. College admissions officers are looking for candidates with the best SAT scores, of course, but they are also looking for students with character and integrity. There is no guarantee that on test day the person you are cheating off of knows the correct answers. The best schools regularly accept students who have slightly lower standardized test scores but who are exceptional in other ways. Don’t let SAT test pressure persuade you that cheating is a good idea.

So what SHOULD you do on Test Day? Relax, trust your hard work, and go for it.
To make certain you are ready for test day, take a full-length SAT practice test to sharpen your skills.