Preparing for the SAT; The Best Way for your Student

The easiest way to determine if you should self-study, or if you might need the services of an academic tutor or SAT preparation course, is to take a diagnostic SAT. These are available on the College Board website for free or at the front of the most recent edition of "McGraw Hill SAT Guide," "College Board SAT Guide," or the "Barron's How to Prepare for the SAT" book, my personal favorite for its thoroughness and test "tactics" (strategies).

After receiving your computer scores from the website or self-scoring the Barron's test, you must then decide if those scores are acceptable or within a reasonable range of your target goals. 

To help with this determination, search the websites in the admission requirements section of the universities/colleges to which you intend to apply and see their SAT score criteria. If your scores do not meet these criteria, or if there are several skill areas in which you are deficient, then you should consider consulting with a private tutor, a preference for those individuals who want customized 1:1 attention and require strengthening in specific areas or enrolling in a preparation course.

If you choose to hire a private tutor, do not assume that a student who has scored close-to-perfect on an SAT will make the best tutor. She or he must be able to convey material in an easily understandable and intelligent manner, which an experienced educator may be better qualified to do.

Before hiring that educator, be sure to check their credentials and references. The main advantages of a private tutor are the ability to customize your study plan to best meet your needs, as well as the likelihood that personalized private lessons could actually be more affordable than a generalized preparation course.

In collaboration with a tutor, the student should first develop a study program:

• Know and understand the purpose and format of the SAT by researching the College Board website and reading the SAT Guide Book.
  
• Establish a structured program of study, devoting a set amount of time each week.
• Do many full-length practice tests spread out over an extended period, preferably one to two months, so that you can continually assess your strengths and weaknesses, as well as develop the stamina needed for this rather lengthy test.

Keep a cumulative list of notes, such as common errors you make or particular mathematical formulas that trip you up, so you can review them prior to the test.

There are many general and specific strategies for improving test scores which are most important to learn to up your score. 

Source: Examiner.com
Written by Preston Fields