Prepare for the SATs:
Is It Worth the Time and Effort?

Before you prepare for the SATs, think of this quote: “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” I was reminded of this quote last night when I watched the movie “The Little Black Book” on t.v. This is a good quote to remember when you prepare for important test or almost anything in your life for that matter.

I have not taken the SATs myself but me and my friends have talked about how they prepared for it every once in awhile when we used to take breaks from our studying. From what they tell me, preparation really is the key if you want to do well on this particular standardized test. This is also true for a lot of the things you will be doing in your life so preparing or planning for things ahead of time is a good habit to develop early in your life.

This “prepare for the SATs” section will not explain the test’s background or history etc. I will leave that part for the expert web sites such as the Collegeboard and Petersons. These web sites can provide you resources you can use in order to fully prepare for the SATs. For instance, Collegeboard sells study guide books and online courses that you can use to test your SAT knowledge. On the other hand, Petersons has some really good information, for parents and students alike, because they provide you with timelines and tips before you take the test.

If you are in the tenth or eleventh grade and have been wondering if you need to take a preparation course for the SATs then, this section is for you. Test preparation courses really do help you get a great score on standardized tests. However, many of them are costly. Because they can take a chunk out of your budget, there are two main questions you should ask yourself and these are: how much time you have to study and prepare for the SATs and what type of student you are.

First up: how much time do you have? This is an important thing to consider because test preparation courses provide you with many resources to study the concepts that you need to know in order to have a great SAT score. In addition to these resources, the courses also offer you a lot of opportunities to do practice tests. These are the two main offerings of most test preparation courses while some also offer live tutorials etc. As you can imagine, going over all these materials require a great deal of time on top of your regular school work (e.g. projects, exams etc.). So, if you have the time to take advantage of what the courses have to offer, then you should seriously think about taking one.

The next question: what type of student am I? Having the time to do study the concepts and practice tests is not nearly enough if you don’t have the motivation to complete them. This is where your student personality comes to play. For instance, if you feel that you want to do well on the SATs bad enough and can stay focused on studying for it, then a test preparation course will be a great investment for you. Some students may think that these courses are some kind of miracle wherein once they sign up for it, they would get phenomenal SAT scores without doing the hard work.

Another factor that has to do with your student personality is your time organization skills. If you need to prepare for the SATs while you’re taking your high school classes, then you will need to come up with a schedule that sets aside study time for both the SATs and your regular classes. You will also need to have the discipline to stick with your schedule especially if you have other extra curricular activities such as volunteering in the community or spending time with your friends.

Even if you decide not to take a SAT test preparation course, your school should provide you with some form of practice which may be enough if you learn and understand concepts quickly.

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