By following these five steps, parents will be able to better support their students as they prepare to take what is perhaps the most critical test of their high school career

Malibu, California, August 20, 2012 – For many parents of high school students, the SAT – a standardized exam most colleges and universities use to evaluate applicants – is somewhat of an unknown. While they understand that it is an important part of the college admissions process and that a high score can result in acceptance to the best schools and lead to scholarship awards, they may not know how they can help their students with SAT test prep so they can do their best on the exam. To assist parents, Veritas Prep, the largest global provider of test prep and admissions consulting services, has outlined five things every parent can do to help their student ace the SAT and become a more competitive college applicant.

1. Encourage Your Student to be Self-Motivated – While it’s great that you bought your son or daughter some SAT prep books or an SAT class, it may all be in vain if your child is not motivated to do well on the SAT on his/her own. Parents are only an external motivator for children; scores will start to skyrocket when students have an internal drive to do well. To help foster that drive, have your child identify three reasons why he or she wants to score well on the SAT. For example, do they want to gain admission to a competitive program? Or earn a significant scholarship? By creating a list of reasons and goals, students will be better able to self motivate and if they begin to lose focus you can remind them of what they’re working toward.

2. Simulate Real Testing Conditions – You know the cliché: practice makes perfect. But in reality, perfect practice makes perfect. And in order to practice perfectly, you should make sure your student mimics test day conditions when taking an SAT practice test at home. This means timing every section, no TV/internet/cell phone, 5-10 minute snack breaks every hour and nothing on his/her desk except a pencil, calculator and water bottle. Help your student know what to expect on test day so there are no surprises.

3. Teach Your Student New Vocabulary – The SAT is an exam that requires little memorization because it primarily tests higher order thinking skills. However, a scholarly vocabulary is one asset students must have to ace the SAT. As part of your student’s SAT practice routine, write an SAT “word of the day” on the refrigerator or in another area of the house that everyone can see each morning. To make it more fun, challenge your family members to use the SAT vocabulary word in at least one sentence throughout their day. Quiz your student regularly to make sure they retain previous days’ and weeks’ words as well. Note: make sure you use words from SAT-specific vocabulary lists rather than generic vocabulary lists.

4. Subscribe Your Child to the Official SAT Question of the Day – There is no company that produces more realistic questions than the organization that makes the SAT itself: the College Board. Everyday the College Board releases a real SAT question through its website. The Official SAT Question of the Day is not a throwaway problem, but an authentic SAT question. Your student can sign up to have the question e-mailed to his/her inbox, making sure SAT prep is a part of their daily routine. Students will have a bank of real SAT questions that they can use to improve their skills by preparing with questions exactly like the ones they’ll see on test day.

5. Ditch the High School English or Math Textbook as a Prep Tool – Traditional high school English and Math classes do not prepare your student for the SAT. The SAT is an exam that can be systematically prepared for using SAT-specific strategies. Have your child get ready for the exam using SAT preparation material, not classroom material that barely relates.

“Parents shouldn’t underestimate the importance of the SAT,” said Shaan Patel, Director of SAT Programs at Veritas Prep and one of the few test takers in the world to achieve a perfect 2400 on the SAT. “The 4-hour SAT exam is worth just as much in the college admissions process as the 4,000+ hours students spend in high school earning their GPA. By following these five steps, parents will be able to better support their students as they prepare to take what is perhaps the most critical test of their high school career.”

Patel improved his SAT score from 1760 to a perfect 2400, earned more than $237,000 in scholarships and co-authored the Veritas Prep SAT 2400 program. Recently, McGraw-Hill published his book, “SAT 2400 in Just 7 Steps.”

Veritas Prep is the largest global provider of test prep and admissions consulting services. Founded in 2002 by graduates of the Yale School of Management, Veritas Prep offers its live classroom GMAT prep course in more than 90 cities worldwide and as an interactive online course available to students everywhere. Its Veritas Prep SAT 2400 course is available as a classroom course, live online, on demand in high definition or in private SAT tutoring sessions and features the only zero risk, money back guarantee in the industry. Veritas Prep is currently enrolling students in its August, September and October Live Online SAT prep classes and accepting pre-orders for the Veritas Prep SAT 2400 On Demand HD online course.

For more information, visit www.veritasprep.com/sat.

About Veritas Prep:
Veritas Prep is the world’s largest provider of test prep and admissions consulting services. It offers industry-leading programs to help applicants improve standardized test scores and gain admission to the world’s most selective universities. Founded in 2002 by graduates of the Yale School of Management, Veritas Prep offers its live classroom GMAT prep course in more than 90 cities worldwide and as an interactive online course available to students everywhere. Its Veritas Prep SAT 2400 course is available as a classroom course, live online, on demand or in private tutoring sessions and features the only zero risk, money back guarantee in the industry. In addition, Veritas Prep offers admissions consulting services for applicants seeking entry into competitive business schools, law schools, medical schools and other graduate programs. For more information, visit veritasprep.com.  

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