chocolate-chip chooky Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 My daughter is working towards doing the general SAT exam. So far she's done a couple of practice tests on Khan Academy and used some flashcards made by Barron's. She's keen to do more prep, in both literacy and numeracy. Which books, materials or websites have you found the most helpful? I'm a bit overwhelmed with the options out there. Thanks heaps 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 My DD used KhanAcademy to study for the PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT. They have an Official tie-in with the College Board. Your DD should have accounts on KhanAcademy and on CollegeBoard.org that are connected, so they can provide maximum help to her. https://www.khanacademy.org/ KhanAcademy is Free. Note: Your DD should also consider taking the ACT. The SAT and the ACT are very different exams. Some students do well on both exams. Other students do much better on one than on the other. Good luck to her! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 Follow-on to my first reply. I spoke with my DD. She said that she also used PrepScholar. Whatever was free in their Blog, etc.. Also, I believe that strategy is important. For example, if you allocate a certain amount of time for each problem and are stuck on a problem after half of that time has elapsed, move on and if you can, come back to it. Also, I believe that guessing is recommended for the SAT? Or is that the ACT? There are different strategies for the SAT and for the ACT. I believe that she had spent quite a bit of time with the Math formulas so those would be things she wouldn't need to spend time on.. My DD used nothing that cost $ for the PSAT/NMSQT or SAT. She did have access to the Kaplan Online course that was I think $99 for 6 weeks, for the ACT. I believe that same course on the ACT is now $99 or $100 for 6 months? It had access to some live sessions with an instructor, where the students could ask questions. She felt that was somewhat better than the free KhanAcademy help. I believe her scores were close, on the SAT and the ACT, but quite a few students do much better on one than on the other. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 Thank you, Lanny. I appreciate your replies. I have no idea if the ACT is even offered here in Australia or if the universities here recognise it. But then, I didn't know the SAT was an option here until recently, so I'll definitely go looking. Thank you for that suggestion. Yes, I agree with regards to developing strategies. Just a couple of day ago, my daughter did a full practice test on Khan Academy and in one of the maths sections, she only got one wrong, but ran out of time, so had something like 6 unanswered. She could recognise that it wasn't the maths that was the issue. It was her time management. I'll definitely have a look at prepscholar. Thank you for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 Scroll down to SAT - test prep on this thread 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 The best book for tips and how to figure out missed questions that I found is the SAT black book: https://www.amazon.com/SAT-Prep-Black-Book-Strategies/dp/0692916164/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3IYYY5N3H1CJD&keywords=sat+black+book&qid=1555186135&s=gateway&sprefix=sat+black%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1 To get the exams that match it, you need: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1457309289/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 For area study and extra questions for each specific section, I like the Panda books, also if you go to his website and sign up for emails, you'll get tips and practice exams. https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Math-Advanced/dp/0989496422/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=panda+sat&qid=1555186223&s=books&sr=1-2 His website: https://thecollegepanda.com 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 It looks like you can get the same exams as are in the second book I linked for free, maybe cheaper for you in Australia to print yourself from the PDFs, the book had free shipping for me so easier to buy. https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 (edited) PrepScholar has free articles online with strategies, but they also have a paid service. I bought the paid service. I didn't feel confident that I would be able to hone in on the areas my son needed bolstering, so I paid for their program. They have the student work on different problems and as they master a skill they move on to new skills. I think there was a deal going on when I signed us up, because I don't remember paying as much as it says on the website right now. https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/pricing Here are a few of their strategy articles my son read recently, just before he took the test: https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-800-on-sat-reading-10-strategies-by-a-perfect-scorer https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-800-on-sat-writing-11-strategies-from-a-perfect-scorer https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-800-on-sat-math-by-a-perfect-scorer https://blog.prepscholar.com/sat-tips-and-tricks-you-must-use If she's going to write the essay, start with this prepscholar post and be sure to click on links to other articles at the end. The SAT essay isn't a persuasive essay. It's an analysis of how the author of an essay tried to persuade you as the reader. So...you read an essay and then analyze how the author tried to sway you: emotional language, facts, anecdotes, etc. Keep clicking on links and you'll find where they break down the usual techniques authors use to sway you so you can brush up on those. Edited April 13, 2019 by Garga 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted April 14, 2019 Author Share Posted April 14, 2019 Thanks folks. I really appreciate your advice and input. 💐 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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