Back
to Newsletter IndexNovember 1996 Newsletter Article
Title: SAT Tips Helpful Hints for Hopeful Athletes
Author: Ray Lauenstein
No
matter what anybody tells you. The SAT is still a key to gaining college
admission. The better you score, the easier your chances for going to the school
of your choice. If you utilize the same approach to prepare for the SAT as you
would to condition your body for competition, you are guaranteed success.
By now you have been introduced to the
various strategies of taking the test. You know to memorize the directions before
you take the exam. You know its better not to guess because wrong answers
count against you and unanswered ones do not. You also know that in each section
the questions progressively get harder so its smart not to squander time
on the later questions because you want the time to answer the easier ones at
the beginning of the next section. Finally, do not to cram the night before the
exam, its too late to help. You can prepare for the SAT in several
ways. 1. Self Study- Walk into any
bookstore and choose from the dozens of SAT prep books. If you take this route,
are you really committed and ready to delve into this project with no extra help
and motivation? 2. 6 week prep courses- Kaplan and
Princeton offer classes for around $800, which meet for 3-4 hrs a week. You are
honed on actual test taking skills and strategies, and given many practice
tests. What they will not do is solve a shortcoming in content knowledge such as
vocabulary and math skills. Imagine not playing your sport for 1 year and trying
to get ready again in 6 weeks. No Way! 3. Plan like a physical training
regimen. Ask yourself this question "Would
I spend one hour per week for 18-24 weeks to improve my chances for attending
the college of my choice?" Charles Hansell of the Learning
Achievement Centers in Marblehead, MA offers the athlete’s solution and
compares it to training for a sport. "Athletes have tremendous time
constraints and they are also goal oriented people who know the benefits of hard
work over the long haul." The LAC has created an individualized
18-24 week program which can identify your shortcomings and create a program
that will strengthen those areas as well as hone the basic SAT strategies. Spend
one hour a week at LAC (no marathon weekend classes) for the same investment as
a Kaplan or Princeton course. 4. Most juniors take the SAT the first
time in May/June, the last time a Senior can take it is Oct./Nov. Plan 6
months ahead of your test date and begin your preparation. "Its just
like preseason and off-season sports conditioning" noted Hansell,
"keep your skills sharp with a little bit of work spread over many
days." Contact the Learning Achievement
Centers at 617-631-5354 for more info about individualized SAT preparation.