The most important thing to remember when preparing for the SAT is that the test is designed to help colleges screen applicants. When you take a test in school, it’s generally in your teacher’s best interest for you to do well. Your success reflects on the effectiveness of the teacher’s skills, and on the school itself. But if everyone did well on the SAT, the test would be useless. In the same way, if no one did well, it would be equally useless. So the questions are written in such a way that they not only test your skills, but also your ability to think, to look at things from different perspectives, and to avoid falling into traps. This is where many people get tripped up — even students with exceptionally good grades. Your goal, obviously, is to get the highest score you can. That means you have to be one of those people who doesn’t get tripped up.
Sharpening your skills in reading, math, and writing is important. Developing test-taking strategies is also essential. But you have to do both. Focus on either one exclusively (skills without strategy or strategy without skills), and you’re headed for trouble on the SAT.
It’s like trying out for the baseball team. The coach is looking for players who can catch, hit, and run. But good baseball players also need to understand how the game works. Not just how to throw, but where. Not just how to steal a base, but when to steal — and when not to. Skills and strategies. Either one without the other, and you’re sitting in the stands.
As you prepare for the SAT, do as many practice tests as you can get your hands on. The best book is the College Board‘s Official SAT Study Guide, because it has real SATs. If you still need more help, check out these books, too.
Mostly Bright Ideas 
Jan Simson
October 14, 2011
That’s awesome advice. I taught a course on how to do well on the ACT. I like the baseball analogy! Cheers.
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bronxboy55
October 15, 2011
Thanks, Jan. I haven’t looked at this post in quite a while. I appreciate the comment.
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arby5
July 1, 2013
I’m passionate about baseball. Since that is the truth I was able to hit a playoff game winning double, strike out 17 batters, and throw the tying run out at home from center. I had a passion for the game that even busting my head open did not prevent my ambition for playing. However, if I am not passionate or agree with something I will not promote it. During my SAT exam I would conjure ways to cheat for the next one instead of taking the actual test. At first it was said to measure your intelligence, but what I did not understand was why there would be a book to study from if that were the case.I was not going to fall into the trap the 2011 Princeton Review edition stated in the prelude, “the SAT tests how well you can take the exam.” Well the reason for taking the SAT changed but not my suspicions. If it now tests our ability to take a test that we can study for from a book then I suppose my 98 test average in a college prep schools honor class should have more merit for colleges. But of course that is my opinion. I would appreciate it if you read and shared your thoughts on both this post and my blog.
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bronxboy55
July 3, 2013
The SAT doesn’t test intelligence. It tests a person’s ability to reason through certain kinds of questions — specifically, math and reading comprehension. It also gives the student a chance to demonstrate writing skills. Your 98 average in a prep school honors class is impressive, but colleges have no way to measure that against someone else’s average at a different school, taking different courses. The premise of the SAT is that it provides a level playing field. Whether or not that’s really true is another debate. I hope you didn’t get caught cheating.
Thanks for the comment.
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arby5
July 3, 2013
I only thought of cheating. Thanks for the reply
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