Mac Daniel's Advice

Preparing for the SAT

Evan Kleiman - 2002.06.11

While my SAT might not be coming up until next year now, the summer is never a better time to start studying. Today I'll help you find out some great resources, Mac-related and not, to help prepare for the SAT or PSAT next spring!

Get the Tests

While unfortunately only available for the classic Mac OS and Windows, the nice people who create the SAT tests each year have provided a program that simulates a real SAT test.

For some reason, the Macintosh version of the test is 11 megabytes, while the Windows version is only 4 megs. So, of course, I downloaded the Windows version, since Virtual PC runs much faster than Classic does. Go figure.

Check Out Some Books

The College Board's website is not the only place that offer many different practice tests for your choosing. There are also a rather large variety of books out there, which include everything from SAT tips to the actual SAT tests themselves (not the ones currently in use, but ones from past years).

Some of my favorites, as well as the critics (or whoever's in charge of picking the best books) are, 10 Real SAT's and the Kaplan SAT Prep series. All of these books are available at your local book store, or, of course, at my favorite places, eBay and Amazon.com.

Use the Web

Obliviously, the Internet can be a very helpful resource for preparing for the SAT. The people who make the SAT, the College Board, have a very nice website, at collegeboard.com. At their SAT Prep Center, you can take practice tests, read prep-book reviews, and try out their question of the day, a question in the form of one from a real SAT test.

Take the PSAT

Obviously, the best way to prepare for something is to practice, which is exactly what the PSAT is for. So taking the PSAT is a very good idea. Of course, the schedules and other information about the PSAT is at everyone's favorite indelible SAT resource, the College Board website.

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