SAT Test Taking Tips: Get Into Harvard Now

The SAT test is well-known to all high school students. You’ll need to get a good score if you want to attend Harvard.

This article shares two very important strategies about preparing for and taking the SAT.

First of all, you may be wondering exactly what score you need to get into a school like Stanford.

Another thing you are sure to be concerned about is how you can get ready to take the SAT. Of course, you don’t want to waste a lot of time and money on methods that may not work.

1. Clearly, you want to get a high score on your SAT, but how high should you shoot for?

Your target score should be 2100. You will want to get a score of 700 on each section if you are hoping to be accepted by and Ivy League school. If you have less than a 700 on any section, it will detract from your application.

In my experience as an admissions officer, I can tell you that applicants with a score of 2100+ on the SAT are seldom rejected. This would only happen if there were some very negative academic aspects to the application - like very weak transcripts.

2. Keep a record of your improvement. You may have scored very badly the first time you attempted the SAT. Be sure to take the test again, and be equally sure that you show an improvement each time you retake the test.

Discover more SAT and SAT II secrets here!

3. Realize that admissions officers favor the SAT over the ACT.

ACT is a better test than SAT in a lot of ways. It is an extremely challenging test. Be that as it may, when the admissions office is comparing two very similar candidates the test taken will make a difference. If one has taken SAT and the other has taken ACT, the student who has take the SAT will be preferred.

There are two things you should focus on in preparation. You must get an early start, and you must take as many sample tests as possible.

1. Start early. Before you take the NMSQT, take the PSAT at least once. In this way, you can get practice without taking a risk. Take the SAT for the Duke TIP while you are still in 7th grade.

2. If you are considering taking a prep course, be careful of those that make extravagant claims. My parents paid a thousand dollars for me to take the Kaplan course when I was in high school. I really only remember one thing about that course. There were some flashcards that were very creative that helped me a bit with my vocabulary. Hardly a thousand dollars worth, though! Be sure to sit in on a few courses before deciding whether or not to pursue any.

3. Take a lot of sample tests. This will make more difference than anything else you can do. The more you practice answering the problems, the more comfortable you will get. Spend a lot of time at your local bookstore to get copies of all the sample tests from Barron’s to Princeton Review.

Click here to learn why high school extracurriculars matter in college admissions!