S.A.T.-urday - D-day for your future

Deep breaths, deep breaths!
This test only determines what colleges I get into which only determines my future! OK, so maybe I was being a tad melodramatic, but I couldn’t help it, I was taking the S.A.T.!
I had taken TEST masters and done practice tests to prepare myself, but it all came down to these four fateful Saturday morning hours! So if you haven’t taken the S.A.T. yet, have no fear! I hope that my advice will help you step up your score!
1. A little bit every day goes a long way. A year ago, I signed up on thecollegeboard.com to receive the ‘official SAT question of the day’ via e-mail. All of the questions come from previous tests and are good practice to get a feel for the exam.
2. Get “The Official SAT Study Guide” book immediately! It was a lifesaver for me because the book has 10 previous SAT exams complete with answers and explanations for the questions. I took practice SAT’s from this book and I timed myself for each section to make sure I could pace myself so I was done in the required time limit. It also gave me a good feel of what types of questions to expect on the actual test.
3. The night before the test, the most important thing is to get a good night’s sleep. Go to bed early so you are not falling asleep during the test the next day. Also, make sure that you have the correct supplies (#2 pencils, an eraser, a calculator, your ID) so you are not scrambling in the morning to find things.
4. The morning of the S.A.T., you want to make sure you are AWAKE! I woke up an hour before I had to leave to go to the testing center so I could eat a big breakfast (complete with a berry delicious smoothie with an energy boost!), go over my test taking notes, and listen to my ‘pump-up’ music on my iPod to get me excited for the test!
5. Dress comfortably. You do not have to look cute for anyone (even though there was an extremely nice looking guy at my testing center) the day of the S.A.T. so whip out the comfy sweats and cushy flip-flops!
6. During the test, focus, focus, FOCUS! Sometimes I would catch myself dozing off or daydreaming when I realized, wait a minute, I am taking a timed test! I did not let my eyes leave the testing booklet so I would not get distracted.
7. If you do not know a problem, skip it! I found myself dwelling on questions with vocabulary I did not know or equations I did not know how to solve. It is so important to move on to questions you can answer and come back to problems you didn’t know only if you have time at the end.
8. Relax! Yes, this is an important test, but do not work yourself up over it. You will do the best if you are calm and thinking clearly, so you can process your thoughts. Besides, if you do not get the score you were shooting for, you can always take the test again.
After I left my testing room, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. I am done with the S.A.T.! It is as if a weight has been lifted from my chest. All of my hours of preparation were worth it because the test was no different from the many practice tests I have seen before. It is all smooth sailing from here on out … well, at least until I get my score back (knock on wood!)!