Hornets Prep for Free SAT
Start prepping now, Hornets! A free SAT is coming March 27.
Photo Credit: Sherry Chen
By SARAH SHOICHET
A free SAT will be provided to all juniors on Wednesday, March 27.
In preparation, the school is also offering a free after-school SAT class taught by the Princeton Review starting in February. Limited spots are available. (For information, see the assistant principal of English, Ms. Suzane Thomas, in room 347.)
The SAT consists of four sections: reading, writing and language, math without a calculator, and math with a calculator. The test also contains an optional essay portion, which the free SAT offered by the school doesn’t include. On each section, a student can score between 200 and 800. Overall, a student could receive a maximum score of 1600 points on the SAT. The average score is 1050.
Some students have been preparing for this exam for quite a while, while others don’t know where to begin.
Daniel Drozdov ’20 has been studying and working with a tutor for two years.
“Private tutoring gives me a customized approach,” said Drozdov. “The teacher knows me so he can teach me better since it’s a one-on-one lesson.”
Tutors also cover SAT topics that are sometimes overlooked in today’s classes.
“I feel that schools don’t focus on teaching proper grammar anymore,” Loulou Krivobok ’20 explained. “I got most of my grammar teaching and tips from my tutor.”
An alternative to tutoring is Khan Academy, a great website that allows students to learn about almost any topic they need to know. In addition, it gives high school students a chance to practice for the SAT free of charge. The website has a partnership with the College Board and provides students with eight full free SAT tests. Moreover, the website provides numerous practice problems in math, reading and writing, and the essay portion, with concepts that often appear on the exam.
Khan Academy offers tips and strategies about the SAT, daily practice, and a review section to help students achieve the highest score possible.
“Khan Academy is a phenomenal site,” Armin Pasukanovsu ’20 explains. “It’s very helpful because it makes subjects easier to learn at home on your own.”
Students may find it helpful to use different workbooks to review for the SAT. Some popular companies that produce SAT review books are Barrons, Kaplan, College Board, and Princeton Review. These books provide practice as well as explanations for each section and help student sunderstand each topic better.
Lastly, students recommend beginning studying for the SAT right away.
Anna Sapozhnikov said, “Don’t put it off for too long. And get a tutor because there is a lot of things you don’t know by yourself.”