Hello Reader!

Thanks to all of you who wrote in with questions last week!

Here is one question that came up, and I absolutely LOVE it:

where can I find good SAT practice questions?

I love this question because it brings up a really important point: only practice with real College Board questions.

This is a really big deal! The SAT is written according to specific and predictable rules. The test follows certain patterns. So, the best way to do well on the SAT is to understand these rules, be able to recognize them, and then use them to answer each question correctly.

Test prep companies like Kaplan and Princeton Review will try to write their own practice questions. I can’t be forceful enough when I tell you these are bad questions! They don't follow the same rules! Worrying over questions like these is a waste of time. (Actually, a waste of time is the best outcome. At worst, these questions can actually bring your score down.)

Here is where to find real College Board questions:

• The online Bluebook App. This currently has 6 practice tests. These are free to access and exactly mimic the test day experience.
• ​The Official Digital SAT Study Guide This book is available on Amazon and contains paper versions of the digital practice tests found in the Bluebook app. Some of the tests in here contain the easy modules while others contain the hard modules. It can be a little confusing which module you are working on. While this book doesn't hurt, I like practicing in the Bluebook app better because it is a closer mimic to test day.
• ​6 Linear PDF tests are linked here. These are called "nonadaptive" tests. These questions also overlap with the questions found in Bluebook.
• The College Board’s “Student Question Bank”. This is a super helpful resource. It is free and can be found in the “My Practice” section of the college board website. You need to use your account to sign in, and go to: https://mypractice.collegeboard.org/questionbank/search​
  • Important tip: there is a box you can check that says “Exclude Active Questions”. This is a great feature because it will exclude any questions on current practice tests. Checking this box allows you to practice in a non-test setting while saving the practice test questions for later. You can really dig into these questions and use them to improve. Then, at a different time, you can still take full practice tests, under real testing conditions, without having seen any of the questions before. This is important to obtaining benchmark scores to help measure your progress along your SAT prep journey.

Okay, so now you may be wondering whether we have “enough” of these real College Board questions.

Honestly, I wish we had more.

That said, don’t worry. If we are smart about it, we can make it work with what we have.

As you may already know, I believe there are three phases of effective SAT prep: instruction, practice, and reflection.

When you are in an instructional moment of your SAT prep - by yourself or with a tutor - I suggest using the “Student Question Bank” and checking the “Exclude Active Questions” box. You can work slowly through these questions, and take note of the patterns and trends. Look carefully at wrong answers, consider why they are wrong. Look carefully at correct answers and think carefully about why they are correct.

When it is time to practice, take full practice tests in Bluebook. Do these in one sitting. Under real testing conditions. Use the scores to measure your progress.

When it is time for reflection, reflect on the missed questions from your practice test. Sign in at https://mypractice.collegeboard.org/dashboard. You will find your recent practice scores there. Go to the “score details” to see exactly what you missed. Spend time asking yourself why the wrong answers are wrong and why the correct answers are correct.

I hope you find this helpful!

As always, write to me about your thoughts, questions and concerns! I am here to help!

Regards,

Kate, your friendly neighborhood SAT coach