Students Preparing to Take the SAT Should Avoid These Common Errors

Malibu, California, September 10, 2012 – With summer coming to a close, high school students across the nation will shift their focus to the start of the school year. For many, that also means the college application process. One critical component of college admissions is a single test: the SAT. To help students prepare for the exam, Veritas Prep, the largest global provider of test prep and admissions consulting services, has outlined the five biggest SAT prep mistakes students should avoid.

Mistake #1: Assuming that high school English and math classes sufficiently prepare you for the SAT

Reality – The average high school curriculum is not structured to prep you for standardized college entrance exams. For example, how often in school are you tested on idioms and sentence completion or given a multiple choice algebra test? The answer: almost never. But SAT questions are written that way. To excel on the exam, students must prepare specifically for the SAT.

Mistake #2: Thinking that completing an SAT prep course is all you need to do to achieve optimal results on the SAT

Reality – There is no quick and easy path to a high SAT score – to achieve the best possible results, students must be willing to put in significant time and effort to study for the test. While a prep course can offer a considerable edge by helping students learn SAT-specific strategies and techniques and build the skills the exam seeks to measure, seat time in a prep class is not enough. Students must apply the knowledge gained in an SAT prep course to solving sample questions, doing vocabulary-building exercises and taking practice tests.

Mistake #3: Preparing with third-party practice SAT questions

Reality – Students should prepare for the SAT using questions produced by the College Board, the organization that creates the exam. Official College Board practice tests are the most accurate and reliable practice materials available. Only the College Board can offer genuine SAT practice questions that are guaranteed to stay consistent with future SAT exams. Don’t settle for second-rate, third party practice questions. Students can download a free College Board SAT practice test on the Veritas Prep website.

Mistake #4: Looking at answer choices before coming up with your own solution

Reality – The SAT is designed to fool unsure students. Students can avoid this issue by physically covering answer choices from sight using their hand. This helps students avoid being enticed by incorrect answer choices that SAT test writers have created as traps. Instead, students should WYPAD™ (Write Your Personal Answer Down) prior to looking at the answer choices. This gives students a concrete answer to look for without being distracted.

Mistake #5: Maintaining a clean, pristine test booklet on practice tests and test day

Reality – Unfortunately, most students have been trained in their high school classes not to write on tests because teachers often reuse them multiple times. However, the SAT is one of the few standardized exams left that is not computerized, so students should take advantage of the paper-and-pencil nature of the test and use the booklet to cross out eliminated answers, work out problems and outline their thoughts on paper instead of trying to keep track of everything on memory alone.

“Students preparing to take the SAT have the benefit of learning from the mistakes of others who have tackled the test before them,” 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. “These five mistakes are the most common errors students make – by knowing what they are, students can avoid repeating them and can prepare more effectively for the SAT.”

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 September and October Live Online SAT prep classes; the Veritas Prep SAT 2400 On Demand HD online course can be ordered at any time.

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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