SAT 2011 Dates, Syllabus, Scores
Every test contains three verbal sections; three math sections, and one equating section that may be either verbal, or math. Be advised to always get the up-to-date information about the areas that you can expect on the SAT exam. There is a possibility that the test pattern will change from one year to the other.
SAT Pattern:
Some of the test questions have multiple choice answers, while others don’t. The following is the test sections; the quantitative portion consists of three sections, which covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry, probabilities, permutation and combination, estimations, ratio and propositions, etc. One section has thirty five questions, each with multiple answer choices. It is common that the multiple answer choices can vary in number, meaning some questions might have five answers, while others have four. There is also a math section that contains ten questions and no multiple choice answers. The verbal portion of the SAT contains three sections, which gauges your verbal abilities in reasoning, and reading skills, which are in Standard English. One of the sections, tests the student’s ability in analogy questions; there is another section on critical reading passages and one section contains sentence completion questions.
SAT Preparation Material:
The following are the most recommended books to gear up for your SAT preparation:
- The Official SAT Study Guide
- The Princeton Review, Cracking the SAT
- Kaplan SAT Premier Program
SAT Preparation Tips:
The first step is to know what you will be asked; this would essentially educate yourselves on what you will be tested. And the second step is to know the right preparation material; supposing you have read the above paragraphs; you are good with the first two steps.
Timing is the key to everything; be aware that there is only limited time given to you for answering the questions. Hence, working on the right strategy is crucial. Answer all possible questions, only if you can eliminate answer choices; meaning, unlike other exams, you are penalized a 0.25 point, when you get a wrong answer. So the best approach would be to answer a question for which you can work on getting the answer, or effectively use process of elimination. Process of elimination is about getting rid of as many wrong choices, as you can on the SAT, before answering a question. Wrong answers are often easier to find, rather than working all the way through finding the correct answer. Pay close attention to what is being asked, that will help you make your choices of elimination, easier. As mentioned before, since there is negative scoring, it is best not to rush up; choose the questions in random. It’s very hard to finish all the problems with high accuracy. So, select the questions that you are confident of answering; this means you need to work on, as many practice tests as possible. That will give you a better idea of the areas, you are strong and the areas, which categorizes you, as weak. Trying as many practice tests will help you with increasing your effectiveness of getting to the answers of the various question types. Another important note is that make sure you have marked the answer choices correctly.
Make sure you are well aware of the directions of each and every section. There is no time to waste in the test center, hence do not spend time on reading the instructions that you already know.
