Tips for Writing a Great SAT Essay

Hello Again!
    If you have already become familiar with the essay format for the TOEFL, then the SAT essay shouldn't be a problem.  However, this essay requires a little bit more expertise.  Here are some useful tips that I found on the net.  The funny thing is that I found one that said 5 tips and the other said 10 tips, but I decided that I am going to copy both :).
Before the tips, I found an excellent explanation that can help you become familiar with the SAT Essay in testpreview.com:
For the essay section of the SAT test, writers are asked to develop a point of view on a particular issue. They must develop this point of view by using evidence, reasoning, and examples based on readings, observations, or their own personal experiences. Each essay question is accompanied by a paragraph about the specific issue, and this paragraph provides important information for the completion of the essay. Each SAT test essay is scored on a scale of one (low) to six (high).
When grading the SAT test essay, there are several things that the essay readers look at. Each of these things must be done well in order to receive a high essay score. The essay readers look at the following: the organization of the essay, that the essay has a clear and well-defined focus, that the essay is coherent and has a smooth and logical progression of ideas, that language is used properly, that there is evidence of an accurate and varied vocabulary, that there is variety in sentence structure, and that the SAT test essay is free or (or has only minimal) errors in usage, mechanics, and grammar. In addition, the main ideas presented in the essay must be supported appropriately and sufficiently using appropriate examples and/or reasons.

10 Tips for the SAT Essay

By Grace Fleming, About.com Guide

1. Follow the rules.
Don’t score a zero for failing to follow instructions. Use the essay paper that is provided. Do not write in your booklet. Do not change the question. Do not use a pen.
2. Divide your time.
You will have twenty-five minutes to write your essay. As soon as you begin, make a note of the time and give yourself benchmarks and limits. For example, give yourself five minutes to brainstorm for main points (which will become topic sentences), one minute to come up with a great introduction, two minutes to organize your examples into paragraphs, etc.
3. Take a stance. You will be writing about an issue. Readers judge essays on the depth and complexity of the argument you make (and you will be taking a side), so be sure to show that you understand both sides of the issue you’re writing about. However, you can’t be wishy washy!
You will pick one side and explain why it is right. Demonstrate that you understand both sides, but pick one and explain why it is correct.
4. Don’t get hung up if you don’t actually have strong feelings one way or the other on a subject.
You don’t have to feel guilty about saying things you don’t really believe. Your task is to show that you can craft a complex argument essay. That means you will have to make specific statements about your position and expound upon your individual points. Just take a side and argue it!
5. Don’t try to change the subject.
It may be tempting to change the question to something that is more to your liking. Don’t do that! Readers are instructed to assign a zero score to an essay that doesn’t answer the question provided. If you try to change your question, even slightly, you are taking a risk that the reader will not like your answer.
6. Work with an outline!
Use the first few minutes to brainstorm as many thoughts as possible; organize those thoughts into a logical pattern or outline; then write as quickly and neatly as you can.
7. Talk to your reader.
Remember that the person scoring your essay is a person and not a machine. As a matter of fact, the reader is a trained educator—and most likely a high school teacher. As you write your essay, imagine that you are talking to your favorite high school teacher.
We all have one special teacher who always talks with us and treats us like adults and actually listens to what we have to say. Imagine that you are talking to this teacher as you write your essay.
8. Start with a fabulous or surprising introductory sentence to make a great first impression.
Examples:
Issue: Should cell phones be banned from school property?
First sentence: Ring, ring!
Note: You would follow up on this with well-crafted, fact-filled statements. Don’t try too much cute stuff!
Issue: Should the school day be extended?
First sentence: No matter where you live, the longest period of any school day is the last one.
9. Vary your sentences to show that you have a command of sentence structure.
Use complex sentences sometimes, mid-sized sentences sometimes, and two-word sentences a few times to make your writing more interesting. Also--don’t keep repeating the same point by rewording it several ways. Readers will see right through that.
10. Write neatly.
Neatness counts to some degree, in that the reader must be able to read what you’ve written. If your writing is notoriously difficult to read, you should print your essay. Don’t get too hung up on neatness, though. You can still cross out mistakes that you catch as you proofread your work.
The essay represents a first draft. Readers will like to see that you did, in fact, proof your work and that you recognized your mistakes.
More tips:  Click on the links:
Five Tips for Writing a Great SAT Essay
The SAT Essay  (very useful indeed)
The SAT Essay: Basic Principles
The Four SAT Essay Ingredients

And remember,  practice makes perfect!

See you around!
Eva

SAT Math Section

Hello,

   All the SAT sections are important.  Here are some useful video tips for the Math Section:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZJfpdtThb8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwnaKJCckTA&feature=channel

Practice Test: To see how much do you know?

Here are some useful links for you to test your knowledge:
http://sat.collegeboard.com/practice/sat-practice-questions
http://www.majortests.com/sat/grammar.php
http://www.proprofs.com/sat/exams/practice-tests.shtml

Regards,
Eva

Tips for Each Section

Here are some tips taken from: http://www.testinfo.net/sat/sat-tips.htm
General Tips:

1. Learn the section directions now. Use the time saved during the test to work on questions.
2. Answer easy questions first. Mark skipped questions in your exam book so you can quickly return to them later.
3. Guess...if you can eliminate at least one choice.
4. You can write in the test book: cross out wrong answers; do scratch work.
5. Take care when filling in the answer grid for the student-produced response questions.
6. Avoid stray marks on the answer sheet. A machine scores your test and can't distinguish between a correct answer and a careless doodle.
7. Easy questions usually precede hard ones.
8. Mark only one answer per question.
9. Skip any question if you haven't the faintest idea about the answer. You don't lose points.
10. Understand the scoring! You get a point for a right answer. You lose a fractional point for a wrong answer. There is no deduction for omitted answers, or for wrong answers in the math section's student-produced response questions.
11. Keep checking that you are placing your answer in the correct section and number on the answer sheet.
12. Don't spend too much time on any one question. You should spend only seconds on the easiest questions, and hesitate to spend more than 1-2 minutes on even the hardest ones.
13. Practice, practice, practice!
14. Remember that the SAT consists of a series of small, timed, mini-tests. Keep track of the time you're allotted for each one and how much time remains.
15. Bring a watch to the test center. You can't be guaranteed that there'll be a working clock there.
16. Don't change an answer unless you're sure you made an error.
17. Read the words in the question carefully. Be sure to answer the question asked and not the question you recall from a practice test.
18. Know the Question Types to Expect on the SAT I: * 19 sentence completion * 40 reading comprehension * 35 math multiple-choices * 10 student-produced responses

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SPECIFIC SECTIONAL STRATEGIES

CRITICAL READING Section --- SENTENCE COMPLETION:

1. Before looking at the answers, try to complete the sentence with words that make sense to you.
2. Don't rush your selection. Consider all the answers to make the best choice.
3. Use the context of nearby words to figure out unknown words.
4. Don't overlook the reversing effect of negative words (like not) or prefixes (like un-).
5. If you're really stuck for the meaning of a word, try to think of other words that have similar prefixes, roots, or suffixes.
6. Eliminate choices in double-blank questions if the first word alone doesn't make sense in the sentence.
7. Let transition words (like although and likewise) help suggest the best answer.

CRITICAL READING Section --- READING COMPREHENSION (Short and Long):

1. You should base your answers to the questions solely on what is stated or implied in the passages.
2. Read the italicized introductory text.
3. Skip questions you don't know. Return to them after answering other easier questions.
4. First and last sentences of each paragraph are critical.
5. Find the right spot in a passage by using any line reference numbers that appear in the questions.
6. Answer questions on familiar topics before unfamiliar topics.
7. Read the passages before reading the questions.
8. Don't waste time memorizing details.
9. Passage content comes from the Humanities, Social Science, Science, and Literal Fiction.
10. Some passages are presented in pairs. Read the brief introduction first to see how they relate.
11. Spend more time on answering the questions than on reading the text.

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WRITING Section --- WRITTEN ESSAY:

1. Write a short (about 250-300 words), persuasive essay on an assigned topic.
2. Keep in mind the structure of an essay - 5 paragraphs consisting of an: Introduction, Body (about 3 paragraphs), Conclusion
3. The alloted time frame is 25 minutes. Read the essay question quickly and think about the topic (about 5 minutes). Allow most of your time (about 15 minutes) to write the essay. Spend the remaining 5 minutes reviewing and editing your work.
4. Introductory Paragraph should state the position that is being taken. It should also state about 3 points that support this position.
5. The Body Paragraphs should expand the points that you present with specific detail and examples.
6. The Concluding Paragraph should summarize your point of view by restating the thesis statement in a revised format.
7. Keep your writting simple.
8. Avoid wordiness.
9. Avoid slang.

WRITING SECTION -- MULTIPLE CHOICE: Usage, Sentence Correction, and Paragraph Correction

1. Think about the question before you answer it.
2. Move around within a Section.
3. Usage & Sentence Correction questions are based on individual sentences. They test basic grammar, sentence structure, and word choice.
4. Paragraph Correction questions are based on 2 brief passages, with several questions per passage.
5. Read the questions carefully.

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MATH Section --- STUDENT PRODUCED RESPONSE (GRID):

1. Guess if you can't figure it out. There is no penalty for wrong answers in this section.
2. Negative numbers are not possible as answers in this section. If your answer comes up negative, do it again.
3. You may begin to enter a short answer in any column. For instance, .6 can be entered in columns 1-2, or 2-3, or 3-4.
4. If an answer is a repeating decimal (like .33333333), just enter as many decimals as will fit in the grid (.333).
5. You may enter an equivalent decimal for a fraction as your answer, but why waste the time evaluating the fraction?
6. Do not try to enter mixed numbers. For example, if your answer is 3 1/2, enter it as 3.5 or 7/2.

MATH Section - STANDARD MULTIPLE CHOICE:

1. Read the question well. Be sure to select the best answer for the variable, value, or expression that is requested!
2. Learn in advance all of the critical definitions, formulas, and concepts that appear in common questions.
3. Remember to use the test booklet for scratch work, as well as for marking up any diagrams/graphs.
4. Early questions in this section are easier. Spend less time on them.
5. Don't get carried away with detailed calculations. Look for a trick or a shortcut if the question seems time consuming.
6. When a question contains a weird symbol, just substitute the accompanying definition when figuring out the best answer choice.

Getting started

Hello Again!

   I found this very useful video on youtube that helps understand the SAT format and gives you some tips.
   

Welcome!

Hello!
  Welcome to my blog where you can find links, videos, tips and many other strategies to succeed on the SAT Test.   Feel free to visit any time.

Regards,
Eva