top 10 time management tips for the sat

8/10/2019 Top 10 Time Management Tips for the SAT

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Completion and Reading Comprehension), and 20-minute section with 19 questions (Sentence

Completion, Reading Comprehension)

• Math consists of three sections: one 25-minute section with 20 questions (Multiple Choice);

one 25-minute section with 18 questions (Multiple Choice, Grid-In), and one 20-minute section:

16 questions (Multiple Choice)• Experimental won’t be marked as such—but you’ll have 25 minutes to do it (the number of

questions will vary).

3. Be familiar with the instructions ahead of time. This one’s (relatively) easy: Take enough

practice tests/do enough practice problems to know the instructions for each section ahead of

time. It’ll save you precious minutes come test day.

4. Don’t be afraid to skip questions and return to them later. There’s no law that says you have

to do questions in order. If you think you might be able to answer a question, but know it might

take you a little while, skip it for now and return if you have time.

5. Don’t be afraid to guess— when appropriate. If you have absolutely no idea how to solve a

problem, and have no idea how to eliminate any answer choices, do NOT guess. Statistically

speaking, the numbers aren’t in your favor. It is, however, worth it to guess on the SAT if you

can eliminate one or more wrong answer choices. So if you know answer choice E is wrong, but

have no idea how to eliminate further, bubble in a guess and move on. Don’t waste valuable time

wrestling over a question you’re not going to be able to narrow down further.

6. Take notes on Reading Comprehension passages. Underline key sentences and jot down the

main idea of each paragraph. It may seem like a waste of time, but in the end, it’ll save you time.

How? Well, if a question asks about a particular detail, but doesn’t tell you where to look in the

passage, what will happen if you haven’t taken notes? Right—you’ll have to reread the passage.

So: Develop a note-taking strategy that works for you, before test-day comes around!

7. Don’t spend the same amount of time on each question. Allocating your time equally to spend

x minutes on each and every question might seem like a great strategy. However, it’s important

to remember that (except in the critical reading section) questions go in order from easiest to

hardest on the SAT. Answer the earlier questions more quickly, saving time for the trickier

questions towards the end. As for Critical Reading: Answer detail-oriented questions first; they’ll

familiarize you with the passage and allow you to answer general questions without having to

reread the passage.

8. Use all the time you’re given. If you’re lucky enough to finish all the questions in a section,

don’t sit around twiddling your thumbs! Go back and check your answers. Look especiallyclosely at any questions where you had to make an educated guess. You might just be able to

eliminate another answer or two, further increasing your chances of success.

9. Plan your essay-writing wisely. Yes, you only have 25 minutes to complete what will be

considered a “final first draft” by SAT essay graders. Still, this does not mean that you should go

straight to writing. Take a minute or two to brainstorm and another few minutes to write a rough

outline, with your thesis and supporting examples. You’ll get a better score on the essay if your



essay is structured logically — and your essay is more likely to be structured logically if you take

the time to outline.

10. Know your target score. News flash: Unless you’re aiming for a perfect 800 on each section of

the SAT, you don’t have to answer all the questions on the test. If you get 80% of the questions

on an SAT section right, for example, you’d achieve a 650— a very respectable score. In otherwords, you could leave one-sixth of the questions blank, get a few questions wrong — and still

walk away with a 650. If you’re not looking for an 800, it might be in your best interest to

increase your accuracy by spending more time on fewer questions. If you’re looking for a:

• 700: You can leave one-twelfth of the questions blank

top 10 time management tips for the sat

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