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General test-taking tips, but some applicable specifically to the SAT.

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The SATs can be one of the more stressful events for a teenager during their high school career. From studying for hours each week for the test, on top of already having challenging school work, to taking practice tests, and studying material you haven't mastered yet, the SATs are stressful for everyone. However, there are many strategies to help make sure you do your best on the test, and earn as many points as possible! Here, you will find 50 strategies that can help you on test day to best prepare yourself mentally and physically, and ultimately help you get your best score.

Before the Test

1. Get a good night sleep. Go to bed early the night before, and don't try and stay up cramming. Staying up late is going to do more bad than it will do good to you. The SAT is a long test, and you need full energy to get through it.

2. Eat a good breakfast. Breakfast will also help give you sufficient energy to make it through the test. Try to eat the typical "brain foods," and don't eat anything with too much sugar.

3. Make sure you are dressed in comfortable clothing. You don't want to be fussing around with your clothes instead of being 100% focused on the test. Also, you never know what the temperature of the test room is going to be, so always come prepared for different climates.

4. Go to the restroom. You have breaks in between certain sections in which you are allowed to use the restroom, but make sure you go before the test so you get off to a strong start and aren't distracted by your need to use the restroom.

5. Bring water. You don't want to get thirsty in the middle of the test and not have water with you to quench your thirst.

6. Bring any necessary medicine. If you feel a headache coming on, be prepared and bring some Advil with you. If you have asthma, make sure to bring your inhaler. You don't want your test to be distracted by a simple medical issue you know can be fixed.

7. Bring the correct pencils for the test. Most tests require standard No. 2 pencils, but make sure to check with the official test website, and come prepared with at least two fully sharpened pencils with erasers.

8. Bring an approved calculator. You will possibly need a calculator on some parts of the math section, so make sure your calculator is an approved type.

9. Make sure to have extra batteries. You don't want your calculator to die, and you to be unprepared. Always bring an extra set of batteries to ensure you will have your calculator working for the whole test.

10. Bring a photo ID. You will not be able to take the test without having proof that you are taking the test in your name.

11. Print out and bring your admissions ticket. You will have to prove that your admissions ticket matches your ID. This is essentially your ticket into the test.

12. Bring snacks. The test is long. You are most likely going to get hungry in the middle of the test, and food will help give your body energy and give your brain power to thinking harder.

13. Remember a watch! Not all rooms will have a clock for you to track the time passed. Since the SAT is partially about timing, it is vital to have a watch with you. You don't want to be stuck on a question and not even realize it because you have no watch!

14. Have a backpack. There are many materials you need for the test, and many things you aren't allowed to bring into the test room. Having a backpack (packed the night before ideally) will be the easiest way to transport all of your materials to and from the test.

15. Exercise. Try to walk around a bit, even if it is just around the block, the morning before the test. It will help get the blood flowing in your body and will let it flow through your brain!

16. Stimulate your mind. Before the test, you already want your brain to be stimulated. Try reading a short news article, or something similar, to get your brain churning.

17. Make sure you don't have certain things with you. Specific items are prohibited in the test rooms, such as iPods, cameras, highlighters, alarm clocks.

18. Turn off all alarms on your phone and watch. Not only is in embarrassing, but it will ruin your test if an alarm goes off on any device you bring with you in the test room.

19. Arrive early. If you arrive late, you will not be allowed to take your test. Make sure you leave enough time for yourself to get everything set up comfortably, and to potentially use the bathroom.

20. Stay positive! Don't psych yourself out before the test even starts. Boost yourself up and give yourself confidence that you are going to ACE this test!

During the Test

1. Don't panic. If you become stressed at the beginning of the test, take a second to take a deep breath.

2. Utilize writing in your test booklet. Don't use your pencil for only bubbling in answers. Don't be afraid to write in your test book, even if it's just scribbles.

3. Underline key words. To remind yourself what the question is really asking, make sure you underline key words and concepts, such as if there is a in a question.

4. Cross out answer choices. If you are positive one answer is not correct, cross it out to make your answer choices seem simpler, and so you don't get confused.

5. Make sure you read the question. You will get the urge to scan through the question, but if you misread the question, you will take the time to think through the wrong question and get to the wrong answer.

6. Don't be afraid to skip a problem. If you don't know how to approach a problem immediately, it is okay to skip it. You don't want to get caught up on one problem because each problem is worth the same amount of points.

7. Answer every question. You don't get penalized for answering a question wrong, so it is much better to guess on a problem, than it is to leave it blank.

8. Keep track of your bubbling. If you skip one question, lightly note it on your scantron. If you skip a question in the test booklet, but don't skip a row on your scantron, it could potentially mess up your whole section.

9. Figure out which method of bubbling works for you. Before the real SAT, figure out if you work best bubbling in answers right after you answer them, or finishing the section then bubbling in all your answers at once.

10. Cross check your bubbling. If you have extra time at the end of a section, always cross check your bubbling to make sure your test book answers match what you bubbled in.

11. Use process of elimination. If you know certain answers are wrong, but you are not sure which is right, use the process of elimination to narrow down your choices.

12. Choose which questions to answer first. In math sections, the questions get increasingly difficult. However, in other sections that is not the case. So answer the easier questions first, then come back to the harder ones.

For the math section

1. Read the question carefully. Especially with word problems, it is important to understand the wording of the question and what exactly they are asking you for.

2. Plug in numbers. It is easy to eliminate choices by plugging in simple small numbers such as 3 and 5. Don't use 1, and try and steer away from using 2.

3. Plug in the answer choices. Sometimes, you are able to simply plug in the answer choices to an equation, and whichever choice fits is the right answer.

4. Leave more time for the questions at the end. The math section increases in difficulty, so you should be able to breeze through the first few questions. That should leave you more time on the back end to tackle harder math questions.

5. Use your calculator whenever you are allowed to. You don't want to worry about making a mistake when doing simple arithmetic in your head. Using the calculator, you can never go wrong.

6. Estimate sometimes. If the question is talking about radicals or dividing numbers that don't go into each other perfectly, it is okay sometimes to estimate.

7. Make sure you know your math language. It is easy to get mixed up between all of the sums, differences, products, and quotients. Make sure you know what all of those terms means.

8. Translate words into math. If the question uses math language, change that into an equation so it is easier to work with.

9. Know all of the formulas. Have the math formulas committed to memory, so you don't need to spend time thinking about what the correct formula is for a problem.

10. Know your triangles. Make sure you know properties for all the common triangles, such as 30-60-90 and 45-45-90.

11. Never rely on diagrams they provide. The diagrams the SAT provides are never drawn to scale, so always make sure you read the questions to know what the true properties of the shape are.

For the reading/writing section

1. Know how to skim. In the comprehensive reading section, you won't have time, most likely, to read the whole passage. Look for keywords that will help you location answers to the questions.

2. Use your pencil. Underline what you think are key words.

3. Take notes. Write reminders to yourself in the margins of longer passages that will help you identify the main points.

4. Know the types of questions they are going to ask you. They will ask you some main idea questions, some inference questions, some detail questions, maybe some in-context vocab questions, and then function questions that will ask about the purpose of a specific part of a passage.

5. Don't let them trick you. They put answers choices there to try and trick you. Know how they are going to try and trap you, so you don't get trapped. Sometimes, they will just give you extra information for no reason, or twist information from the passage so that it is no longer correct.

6. Predict the answer before you read the answers in sentence completion. Read the sentence, and look for keywords such a singular or plural indicators, past or present indicators, etc.

7. Believe in yourself! Don't second guess yourself. You've been studying hard for this test for a while, and approach each question with confidence.

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Top 50 SAT Strategies for Test Day - Chegg Test Prep - SAT General Study

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The SATs can be one of the more stressful events for a teenager during their high school career. From studying for hours each week for the test, on top of already having challenging school work, to taking practice tests, and studying material you haven't mastered yet, the SATs are stressful for everyone.

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A list reminiscent of the playfully titled self-help "...for Dummies" series notes various test-taking strategies.

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From SAT For Dummies, 9th Edition

By Geraldine Woods, Ron Woldoff

Yes, this is a cheat sheet . . . but you wouldn't even think about cheating when you take the new SAT or any other test. The test-center security is too good, and to be an honest person, you should take an honest SAT. Think of this cheat sheet as a series of tweets giving you the stripped-down essentials of the exam.

What to Look For in the SAT Writing and Language Multiple-Choice Section

Are you worried about the multiple-choice writing and language section on the new SAT? Don't be! Remember to check for these common issues, which show up frequently on the redesigned SAT. When you read the four passages, pay special attention to these topics:

Grammar mistakes, especially subject-verb agreement, verb tense, complete sentences, and pronoun case

Punctuation errors (misplaced or missing commas and missing semicolons)

Word choice, especially words that don't fit the context of the sentence

Smooth and concise sentences

Unity and focus

How to Get Through the Math Section of the SAT

When it comes to the SAT, the challenge isn't just working the math: It's also answering all the questions in the time that you're given! With less than 90 seconds per math question, you had better have these strategies in place to get the questions right and done on time.

Look for the underlying trick or pattern based on the logic of the math concept. If you find yourself doing a lot of number crunching, you missed the point of the question.

If you're stuck on a question, circle the question number (in your test booklet, NOT the bubble sheet), take a guess, and come back to it at the end. (The exception being the calculator section's last question, which is worth 4 points. That question will take more than two minutes.)

Trust your ability to work simple math. You don't need the calculator for everything.

Don't rush. Rushing leads to mistakes in both math and logic (and even calculator number-punching), which produces the wrong answer and may even slow you down as you search for the mistakes. If you know what you're doing, you can find the right answer quickly, without rushing.

Circle and return to the hard questions, so you can get to all the questions you're able to answer, even if they're at the end.

What to Remember If You Decide to Write the SAT Essay

The new SAT features an optional essay, which is always the last section of the exam. It adds 50 minutes to your morning, but may enhance your college application. The essay is based on a short nonfiction passage that makes an argument. The prompt is always the same: Explain how the author's writing choices help convince the reader of the author's point of view. Keep these ideas in mind when you write the SAT essay:

Go beyond the main idea and analyze the supporting points or subtleties of the argument.

Check the structure of the passage and analyze the chain of logic.

Decide how the author's choice of words influences the reader's reactions.

Note figurative language (metaphors, similes, and so forth) and show how this technique adds meaning.

Discuss appeals to emotion, logic, and authority (if present).

Allow time to plan and to revise the essay.

Support your analysis with evidence (quotations and specific references to the passage).

Don't give your own opinion of the topic.

Helpful Hints for the Reading Section of the SAT

No matter how fast you read, time is always an issue when you take a standardized test, and the redesigned SAT is no exception. You don't have to be a speed-reader, but you do have to work efficiently. Here are some tips for gaining the maximum number of points on the Reading section of the new SAT:

Skim the introductory material. You may find information that helps you answer the questions.

Look at the question stems. Don't bother reading the answer choices at first. Determine what the question is asking.

Put a circle around any evidence question. When you answer the question before, underline the evidence. If you do so, you already have the answer to the evidence question!

Check the graphic element, if one is present. Note the title, caption, and any labels.

Read the passage, jotting notes in the margin and underlining key points.

In a paired-passage set, read one passage and answer the questions. Then hit the second passage. Last, answer the questions that refer to both passages.

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Yes, this is a cheat sheet . . . but you wouldn't even think about cheating when you take the new SAT or any other test. The test-center security is too good, and to be an honest person, you should take an honest SAT. Think of this cheat sheet as a series of tweets giving ...

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In Paul Bogard's essay "Let there be Dark" he emphasizes the importance of natural darkness. Bogard begins his argument by first providing a story from his personal experience, appealing to the reader by adding imagery. "I knew night skies in which meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars."

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A link to a list of six different practice tests.

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Official SAT tests released by the College Board are the absolute gold standard for SAT practice questions. Each official practice test contains real questions given to actual students at previous administrations of the SAT.

In this article, I'll show you where to find all official SAT practice tests online. This comprehensive guide gives you access to more practice tests than any other guide out there. Most of these tests are free and great practice to get started with your SAT prep. We'll also discuss how to use these practice tests to help you get the most improvement possible out of them.

A Quick Intro to SAT Practice Tests

I've divided the sources of SAT practice tests into a few categories based on what version of the SAT the tests follow. There are three basic versions:

SAT (2016 to present, out of 1600)

Old SAT (pre-2016, out of 2400)

Very old SAT (pre-2005, out of 1600)

All free tests are released publicly by the College Board and made available for download without copyright concerns. The College Board releases a free test each year for students to practice with.

Tests based on the current SAT are by far the best to use for SAT practice since they're exactly like the SAT. While you can still use old SAT practice tests, it's important to be aware of out-of-date question types, scoring systems, and sections.

All Free SAT Practice Tests (2016 and Later, Out of 1600)

These are the ONLY eight official practice tests for the redesigned SAT, provided by the College Board itself. These will be the absolute best tests to use when studying for the SAT.

Practice Test 3: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay

Practice Test 5: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay

Practice Test 6: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay

Practice Test 7: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Free SAT Practice Tests, Old Format (Pre-2016, Out of 2400)

These tests follow the old 2400-point format of the SAT, with separate Reading, Math, and Writing sections. This test had its last administration in January 2016.

Even for the current SAT, these tests are useful for your studying. However, be sure to note the major changes between the old and current SAT. Here's how you should be using these older practice tests:

Know that the structure and timing are different. The SAT now has only four sections and doesn't skip around subjects like the old SAT did.

Reading on the SAT is very similar to how it was on the old SAT. In these old SAT practice tests, Reading passages and questions are all useful to practice with.

Writing on the SAT tests similar grammar skills-but they're tested in a different passage-based format. You can use these old SAT tests to practice key SAT grammar rules, but know that you won't be seeing any questions based on isolated sentences anymore.

Math on the SAT is similar in format, but it now emphasizes algebra and de-emphasizes geometry. Go ahead and use these old tests for math practice, but be sure to focus more on the skills that the current SAT tests.

Official SAT Practice Test 2013-14: Questions | Answers

Official SAT Practice Test 2012-13: Questions | Answers

Official SAT Practice Test 2007-08: Questions | Answers

Official SAT Practice Test 2004-05: Questions | Answers

All of the other years are repeats of these tests, including 2011-12, 2010-11, 2009-10, 2008-09, 2006-07, and 2005-06. You might find these on other forums or websites. Don't waste time taking these tests, as they're the same tests as the four above.

Free SAT Practice Tests, Very Old Format (Pre-2005, Out of 1600)

Before the redesigned SAT in 2016, the last time the SAT changed was in 2005. This was back when I took it and earned a perfect SAT score.

The following links are a hidden gold mine of old tests that few students know about, so by taking these tests, you'll have that much more of an edge over current students.

However, there are important caveats to know before taking these tests:

Skip the analogy questions on Reading sections. These are the questions that look like "CAR : ENGINE ::." You won't see this question type on the SAT now, so don't spend any time on it. That said, the passage questions are all still very useful.

Skip the comparison questions on Math sections. These are the ones that show two boxes and ask you to choose whether A or B is greater. Since this question type isn't on the SAT anymore, there's no use practicing it.

There are no Writing sections on these tests. As a result, you won't get the grammar and English practice you need to do well on the SAT's Writing and Language section.

Be grateful you didn't need to do some of these old-format questions-analogies were the main reason that the SAT got a bad rap for forcing students to memorize vocab!

Official SAT Test 2004-05: Questions| Answers

Official SAT Test 2003-04: Questions | Answers
Official SAT Test 2002: Official SAT Test 2001: Questions + Answers Questions + Answers

Disappointed with your SAT scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

3 Additional Resources for Official SAT Practice

We've given you all official SAT practice tests above, but is there anything else you can use for quality SAT practice? Each of the following resources contains more official, quality SAT practice.

On top of full-length practice tests, the College Board website offers a decent number of sample SAT questions for the Reading, Writing, Math, and Essay sections. While some of these questions appear on official practice tests, not all do. Thus, I highly recommend using this resource for extra SAT practice.

In total, you'll get the following number of questions for each section:

Reading: 24 questions (with two reading passages)

Writing: 22 questions (with two reading passages)

Math: 30 calculator-permitted questions, 18 no-calculator questions

Essay: Two prompts (with 16 sample essays)

Price: Free!

The College Board has partnered with Khan Academy to offer free and official online SAT prepto test takers.
Price: About $20
Although the website doesn't offer a comprehensive prep program or any new practice tests (all of the tests here are those on the College Board website), it does offer a lot of extra, high-quality SAT practice questions not available elsewhere.

Khan Academy's best feature is its tutorial videos, which teach you step by step how to solve and approach specific SAT question types, from Math questions dealing with linear functions to Writing questions focused on parallel structure.

This official SAT prep book contains 10 old-format SAT practice tests not available online, and is helpful if you're looking for a massive source of practice material.

That being said, remember that the format used here differs considerably from the current version of the SAT. Therefore, I recommend using these practice questions in isolation instead of taking the tests in full. As you go through the book, pinpoint the questions most like those on the current SAT, and then drill them for extra practice.

How to Use Official SAT Tests Effectively: 5 Key Tips

There's an art to using official SAT tests effectively and getting the biggest improvement from your time investment. Here are five critical strategies to keep in mind when taking the tests:

#1: Use Strict Timing on Each Section

Most students have issues with time pressure on the SAT. Adding just two minutes to a section's time limit can change your score by as many as hundreds of points. So don't deceive yourself about your abilities; the point of practice tests is to identify your weaknesses.

Here are the official time limits for each section as well as how much time you should (approximately) spend per question:

SAT Section Time per Section Time per Question

Reading

65 minutes

75 seconds

Writing and Language

35 minutes

48 seconds

Math No Calculator

25 minutes

75 seconds

Math Calculator

55 minutes

77 seconds

#2: Take the Test in One Sitting

The SAT is a marathon, lasting four hours on a Saturday morning. I've heard from hundreds of students how difficult it is to stay focused and avoid careless mistakes at the end of the test. Just like training for a marathon, you have to make sure you have enough endurance for the SAT -which is why it's so important to take each SAT practice test in one sitting.

If there's no possible way for you to take a practice test in one go, it's OK to split it up over a few days. Ideally, you'll split up the test in such a way that you're not stopping and starting midway through any sections.

In the end, it's better to do some practice than none at all. Just make sure to time yourself on each section.

#3: Review Your Answers

The point of taking practice tests isn't to just do a lot of questions-it's to learn from your mistakes.

For every test, spend time reviewing the mistakes you made as well as every question you got right. If you don't know why you missed a question, don't just gloss over it! Doing this keeps you from being able to identify and attack your weaknesses. As a result, you'll end up making the same mistakes over and over again, ultimately hampering your score.

In short, prize study quality over quantity. I'd rather you take three practice tests with detailed review than six practice tests with no review.

#4: Take at Least 4 Practice Tests Before Test Day

I've found from experience with thousands of students that this number of tests gets you really comfortable with the SAT in all respects-timing, endurance, stress, etc. You can definitely take more tests if you want, but make sure to balance this with focused prep on your weaknesses so that you can ultimately make faster progress.

#5: No Score Improvement? Find Extra Prep Support

Some students can learn perfectly by themselves with practice tests-they'll see a mistake they made and instantly realize why they made that mistake and avoid it in the future. Most students, however, need additional help to pinpoint their weaknesses and teach them the key skills and strategies for doing well on the SAT.

Good options for extra support include tutors, prep programs, and classes. To do well on the SAT, you'll need to determine what kind of support works best for your particular learning style (as well as your budget). Our free guide can help you figure out what kind of support is right for you.

What's Next?

Want to get a super high SAT score? I scored a perfect SAT score, and I teach you what it takes to get a perfect score yourself.

Here are the best study guides for SAT Reading, SAT Writing, and SAT Math, available anywhere. I guarantee you that these guides will improve your score!

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Complete Official SAT Practice Tests, Free Links

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Official SAT tests released by the College Board are the absolute gold standard for SAT practice questions. Each official practice test contains real questions given to actual students at previous administrations of the SAT. In this article, I'll show you where to find all official SAT practice tests online.

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Suggestions on how to improve your score, as noted by someone who scored a perfect 800.

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Are you scoring in the 600-750 range on SAT Writing? Do you want to raise that score as high as possible-to a perfect 800?

Getting to an 800 SAT Writing score isn't easy. It'll require near perfection and a mastery of both grammar rules and essay writing. But with hard work and my SAT writing strategies below, you'll be able to do it. I've consistently scored 800 on Writing on my real SATs, and I know what it takes. Follow my advice, and you'll get a perfect score-or get very close.

Brief note: This article is suited for students already scoring a 600 on SAT Writing or above (this equates to a Writing Test Score of 30+ out of 40 on the New SAT). If you're below this range, my "How to Improve your SAT Writing Score to a 600" article is more appropriate for you. Follow the advice in that article, then come back to this one once you've reached a 600.

Also, the New 2016 SAT now has a single 800 Reading + Writing score, combining the individual Reading and Writing test scores. Technically, when I mention a perfect Writing test score, I'm referring to a perfect 40/40 test score, which is essential to getting an 800 Reading and Writing score. In this guide, I'll use 800 and 40 interchangeably to mean a perfect Writing score. We won't talk about Reading here, but if you want to improve your Reading score too, check out my Perfect SAT Reading score guide.

Overview

Most guides on the internet on how to get an 800 on SAT Writing are pretty low quality. They're often written by people who never scored an 800 themselves. You can tell because their advice is usually vague and not very pragmatic.

In contrast, I've written what I believe to be the best guide on getting an 800 available anywhere. I have confidence that these strategies work because I used them myself to score 800 on SAT Writing consistently. They've also worked for thousands of my students at PrepScholar.
In this article, I'm going to discuss why scoring an 800 is a good idea, what it takes to score an 800, and then go into the nine key SAT Writing strategies so you know how to get an 800.
Stick with me-as an advanced student, you probably already know that scoring high is good. But it's important to know why an 800 Writing score is useful, since this will fuel your motivation to get a high score.

This guide has been updated for the New 2016 SAT Writing and Language section, so you can be sure my advice works for the test you're about to take.

Final note: In this guide, I talk mainly about getting to an 800. But if your goal is a 700, these strategies still equally apply.

Understand the Stakes: Why an 800 SAT Writing?

Let's make something clear: for all intents and purposes, a 1540+ on an SAT is equivalent to a perfect 1600. No top college is going to give you more credit for a 1600 than a 1640. You've already crossed their score threshold, and whether you get in now depends on the rest of your application.

So if you're already scoring a 1560, don't waste your time studying trying to get a 1600. You're already set for the top colleges, and your time is better spent working on the rest of your application.

But if you're scoring a 1520 or below AND you want to go to a top 10 college, it's worth your time to push your score up to a 1530 or above. There's a big difference between a 1460 and a 1560, largely because it's easy to get a 1460 (and a lot more applicants do) and a lot harder to get a 1560.

A 1540 places you right around average at Harvard and Princeton, and being average is bad in terms of admissions, since the admissions rate is typically below 10%.

So why get an 800 in SAT Reading+Writing? Because it helps you compensate for weaknesses in other sections. By and large, schools consider your composite score moreso than your individual section scores. If you can get a perfect 40 in SAT Writing and a perfect 40 in SAT Reading, that means you only need a 750 in SAT Math. This gives you a lot more flexibility.

Princeton's 75th percentile for Writing is 800.

There's another scenario where an 800 in SAT Writing is really important: if you're planning to apply as a humanities or social science major (like English, political science, communications) to a top school.

Here's the reason: college admissions is all about comparisons between applicants. The school wants to admit the best, and you're competing with other people in the same "bucket" as you.

By applying as a humanities/social science major, you're competing against other humanities/social science folks: people for whom SAT Writing is easy. Really easy.

Here are a few examples from schools. For Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Dartmouth, the 75th percentile SAT Reading+Writing score is an 800. That means at least 25% of all students at these schools have an 800 in SAT Writing.

But if you can work your way to an 800, you show that you're at an equal level (at least on this metric). Even if it takes you a ton of work, all that matters is the score you achieve at the end.

Know That You Can Do It!

This isn't just some fuzzy feel-good message you see on the back of a milk carton.

I mean, literally, you and every other reasonably intelligent student can score an 800 on SAT Writing.

The reason most people don't is they don't try hard enough or they don't study the right way.

Even if language isn't your strongest suit, or you got a B+ in AP English, you're capable of this.

Because I know that more than anything else, your SAT score is a reflection of how hard you work and how smartly you study.

SAT Writing is Designed to Trick You - You Need to Learn How

Here's why: the SAT is a weird test. When you take it, don't you get the sense that the questions are nothing like what you've seen in school?

You've learned grammar before in school. You know some basic grammar rules. But the SAT questions just seem so much weirder.

It's purposely designed this way. The SAT can't test difficult concepts because this would be unfair for students who never took AP English. It can't ask you to decompose Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. The SAT is a national test, which means it needs a level playing field for all students around the country.

So it HAS to test concepts that all high school students will cover. Subject verb agreement, run-on sentences, pronoun choice, etc. You've learned all of this throughout school.

But the SAT still has to make the test difficult, so it needs to test these concepts in strange ways. This trips up students who don't prepare, but it rewards students who understand the test well.

Example Question

Here's an example: find the grammar error in this sentence:

The commissioner, along with his 20 staff members, run a tight campaign against the incumbent.

This is a classic SAT Writing question.

The error is in subject/verb agreement. The subject of the sentence is commissioner, which is singular. The verb is "run," but because the subject is singular, it should really be "runs."

At your level, you probably saw the error. But if you didn't, you fell for a classic SAT Writing trap. It purposely confused you with the interrupting phrase, "along with his 20 staff members." You're now picturing 20 people in a campaign-which suggests a plural verb!

The SAT Writing section is full of examples like this, and they get trickier. Nearly every grammar rule is tested in specific ways, and if you don't prepare for these, you're going to do a lot worse than you should.

Here's the good news: this might have been confusing the first time, but the next time you see a question like this, you'll know exactly what to do: find the subject and the verb, and get rid of the interrupting phrase.

So to improve your SAT Writing score, you just need to:

Learn the grammar rules that the SAT tests.

Study how the SAT tests these grammar rules and learn how to detect which grammar rule you need in a question.

Practice on a lot of questions so you learn from your mistakes.

I'll go into more detail about exactly how to do this. First, let's see how many questions you need to get right to get a perfect score.

What It Takes to Get An 800 in Writing

If we have a target score in mind, it helps to understand what you need to get that score on the actual test.

On the Writing section, there are 44 multiple-choice questions. How many questions you get right determines your scaled score out of 40.

From the Official SAT Practice Tests, I've taken the raw score to scaled score conversion tables from the first four tests. (If you could use a refresher on how the SAT is scored and how raw scores are calculated, read this.)

Raw Score Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4

These grading scales are harsh. For every test, if you miss just ONE question, you get dropped down to a 39. This means your maximum Reading + Writing score becomes a 790, in the best case.

The exact score conversion chart depends on the difficulty of this test. This particular score chart is as strict as it gets-sometimes, you can miss one question and still get a 40. But I've never seen a test allow missing two questions and getting a 40. Sometimes, if you miss two questions, you drop down to a 37.
So the safest thing to do is to aim for perfection. On every practice test, you need to aim for a perfect raw score for an 800, and an essay score of at least 10.
It's pretty clear then that you need to try to answer every question. You can't leave any questions blank and expect to get an 800 reliably, which means you need to get to a level of mastery where you're confident answering each question.

Whatever you're scoring now, take note of the difference you need to get to a 800. For example, if you're scoring a 38 raw score now, you need to answer six more questions right to get to a perfect 40.

As a final example, here's a screenshot from my exact score report from March 2014, showing that I missed 0 questions and earned an 800.

(This was from the older 2400 version of the SAT, but the grading scale was similarly tough back then.)

OK-so we've covered why scoring a higher Writing score is important, why you specifically are capable of improving your score, and the raw score you need to get to your target.
Now we'll get into the meat of the article: actionable strategies that you should use in your own studying to maximize your score improvement.
9 Strategies to Get an 800 on SAT Writing

What's your greatest weakness?

Strategy 1: Understand Your High-Level Weakness: Time Management, Content, or Essay Score

We're deliberately starting high level, before diving into grammar rules, because you need to know what type of game you're playing before you practice.

Every student has different flaws in SAT Writing. Some people don't have full mastery of the grammar rules. Others run out of time on the test. Yet others aren't fluent in their essay writing.
Here's how you can figure out which one applies more to you:
For each section, use a timer and have it count down the 35 minutes for the Writing section. Treat it like a real test.

If time runs out and you're 100% ready to score your exam, then do so. If you're not ready to move on, keep on working for as long as you need. For every new answer or answer that you change, mark it with a special note as "Extra Time."

Grade your test using the answer key and score chart, but we want two scores: 1) The Realistic score you got under normal timing conditions, 2) The Extra Time score. This is why you marked the questions you answered or changed during Extra Time.

See what we're doing here? By marking which questions you did under Extra Time, we can figure out what score you would get if you were given all the time you needed. This will help us figure out where your weaknesses lie.

If you didn't take any extra time, then your Extra Time score is the same as your Realistic score.

Here's a flowchart to help you figure this out:
Was your Extra Time scaled score a 35 or above?
If NO (Extra Time score < 35), then you have strategy and content weaknesses. All the extra time in the world couldn't get you above a 35, so your first angle of attack will be to find your weaknesses and attack them (We'll cover this later).
If YES (Extra Time score > 35), then: Was your Realistic raw score a 43 or above?
If NO (Extra Time score > 35, Realistic < 35), then that means you have a difference between your Extra Time score and your Realistic score. If this difference is more than three points, then you have some big problems with time management. We need to figure out why this is. Are you taking too much time for each question? Or are particular types of questions slowing you down? More on this later.

If YES (both Extra Time and Realistic scores > 35), then you have a really good shot at getting an 800. Compare your Extra Time and Realistic score-if they differed by more than two points, then you would benefit from learning how to solve questions more quickly. If not, then you likely can benefit from shoring up on your last content weaknesses and avoiding careless mistakes (more on this strategy later).

Hopefully that makes sense. Typically I see that students have both timing and content issues, but you might find that one is much more dominant for you than the other. For example, if you can get a 40 with extra time, but score a 35 in regular time, you know with certainty that you need to work on time management to get a 40.

Strategy 2: Comprehensively Learn the Grammar Rules

There's just no way around it. You need to know all the grammar rules tested on the test and how they work.

Certain grammar rules, like punctuation usage, appear far more often than other rules. But because we're going for perfection, you'll need to know even the less-common rules.

In our PrepScholar program, we've identified the following as the most to least important grammar rules:

Punctuation

Sentence Structure

Conventional Expression (aka idioms)

Possessives

Agreement

Parallel Structure

Modifiers

Verb Tense

Pronouns

Within these general categories, there are a lot of rules, but they differ from each other in how often they appear on the test and how hard they are to study.

For example, Punctuation is by far the most common grammar rule on SAT Writing, but it only uses a few separate concepts. The Idioms skill is slightly less common, but it uses a wide range of idioms (like "as a means of" or the use of "whereby" vs "from which"), such that each unique idiom appears no more than once on each test.

As another example, Punctuation appears 4.12 times as often on SAT Writing as the least common concept, Pronouns. So, assuming you're equally weak across all skills, you get more bang for your buck by studying Punctuation and nailing it.

It's therefore important for you to focus your time on studying the highest impact grammar rules. Our PrepScholar program, for example, quizzes you in relation to how common each grammar rule is, so that you focus your efforts on the rules that make the biggest difference to your score.

Strategy 3: Get Intimately Familiar With the Rhetoric Question Types

Aside from grammar rules, the other major category of questions in SAT Writing is what we call Rhetoric. These questions concern how to make persuasive arguments and construct logical sentences, paragraphs, and essays. The College Board also calls this "Command of Evidence" and "Expression of Ideas."

Unlike sentences with incorrect grammar, sentences in rhetoric questions don't usually have anything technically wrong with them. Instead, the SAT is testing you to find more effective ways to construct the sentence or passage.

Here's a rundown of the types, from most common to least:

Sentence Function
"At this point, the writer is considering adding the following sentence...Should the writer make this addition here?"

Concision
"Which choice most effectively combines the two sentences at the underlined portion?"

Transition

These questions underline a key transition word in between sentences or phrases. You need to pick the transition that makes the most sense.

Example: "This assertion is not supported by scientific research. For instance, one review published in..."

Logical sequence

"To make this paragraph most logical, sentence 2 should be placed..."

These questions require you to order the sentences to get the most logical flow.

Precision

These questions underline a word or phrase and ask you to pick the best replacement for them. This is as close to a vocab test as the SAT gets.

Example: "The reason for Siqueiros's secrecy became clear when the mural was confided." Answer choices: A) NO CHANGE, B) promulgated, C) imparted, D) unveiled.

Quantitative

These questions are the only ones in SAT writing that deal with graphs and data. You're usually asked to make sense of figures in the context of the text.

Note - if you don't consider yourself a math person, don't be scared - the graphs are never super complex. But you do need to be able to read graphs and charts quickly.

"Which choice offers an accurate interpretation of the data in the chart?"

Style and tone

These questions deal with maintaining the tone of the article - if it's a professional science article, it shouldn't use words like "icky" or "okay."

Example: "The writer wants to convey an attitude of ___. Which choice best accomplishes the goal?"

Even though questions of a single type look the same, they do vary significantly in difficulty. The difficulty depends on how subtle the answer choices are and the passage context.

Once again, in our PrepScholar program, we break down every single Rhetoric skill and have thousands of practice questions to drill them to perfection.

Which brings us to:

Strategy 4: Do a Ton of Practice, and Understand Every Single Mistake

On the path to perfection, you need to make sure every single one of your weak points is covered. Even one mistake on all of SAT Writing can knock you down from an 800.

The first step is simply to do a ton of practice. If you're studying from free materials or from books, you have access to a lot of practice questions in bulk. As part of our PrepScholar program, we have over 4,500+ SAT questions customized to each skill.
The second step-and the more important part-is to be ruthless about understanding your mistakes.
Every mistake you make on a test happens for a reason. If you don't understand exactly why you missed that question, you will make that mistake over and over again.

I've seen students who did 20 practice tests. They've solved over 3,000 questions, but they're still nowhere near an 800 on SAT Writing.

Why? They never understood their mistakes. They just hit their heads against the wall over and over again.

Think of yourself as an exterminator, and your mistakes are cockroaches. You need to eliminate every single one -and find the source of each one-or else the restaurant you work for will be shut down.
Here's what you need to do:
On every practice test or question set that you take, mark every question that you're even 20% unsure about.

When you grade your test or quiz, review every single question that you marked, and every incorrect question. This way, even if you answered a question correctly by guessing, you'll make sure to review it.

In a notebook, write down the gist of the question, why you missed it, and what you'll do to avoid that mistake in the future. Have separate sections by grammar skill (e.g. Number Agreement, Idioms, Sentence Fragments).

It's not enough to just think about it and move on. It's not enough to just read the answer explanation. You have to think hard about why you specifically failed on this question.

By taking this structured approach to your mistakes, you'll now have a running log of every question you missed, and your reflection on why.
No excuses when it comes to your mistakes.
Always Go Deeper-WHY Did You Miss a Writing Question?

Now, what are some common reasons that you missed a question? Don't just say, "I didn't get this question right." That's a cop out.

Always take it one step further- what specifically did you miss, and what do you have to improve in the future?

Take the Subject/Verb Agreement example I gave above (with the Interrupting Phrase trick). You likely already know how Subject/Verb Agreement works. But if you missed that question, you'd need to think about why you missed it (because the interrupting phrase made you confuse the subject and verb). Then you need to write down a strategy for noticing this in the future.

Here are some examples of common reasons you miss a Writing question and how you should take the analysis one step further:

Content: I didn't learn the grammar rule needed to answer this question.

One step further: What specific rule do I need to learn, and what resources will I use to learn this grammar rule?

Overlooked Rule: I knew the grammar rule, but the SAT question was written in a way that made me miss it.

One step further: How do I solve the question now? Is there a strategy I can use to notice this grammar rule in the future?

Careless Error: I knew the grammar rule and normally would get this right, but I slipped up for some reason.

One step further: Why did I make this careless mistake? Was I rushing? Did I misread the question? What should I do in the future to avoid this?

Get the idea? You're really digging into understanding why you're missing questions.

Yes, this is hard, and it's draining, and it takes work. That's why most students who study ineffectively don't improve.

But you're different. Just by reading this guide, you're already proving that you care more than other students. And if you apply these principles and analyze your mistakes, you'll improve more than other students too.

Bonus: If all of this is making sense to you, you'd love our SAT prep program, PrepScholar.

We designed our program around the concepts in this article, because they actually work. When you start with PrepScholar, you'll take a diagnostic that will determine your weaknesses in over forty SAT skills. PrepScholar then creates a study program specifically customized for you.

To improve each skill, you'll take focused lessons dedicated to each skill, with over 20 practice questions per skill. This will train you for your specific area weaknesses, so your time is always spent most effectively to raise your score.

We also force you to focus on understanding your mistakes and learning from them. If you make the same mistake over and over again, we'll call you out on it.

There's no other prep system out there that does it this way, which is why we get better score results than any other program on the market.

Check it out today with a 5-day free trial:

Strategy 5: Justify Every Answer. Point Out Specific Grammar Errors. Justify the Rhetoric Choice.

Many top students take a "soft approach" to SAT Writing. They learn the grammar rules when studying, but on the test they go "by ear": if a sentence sounds off, they'll assume it's wrong without thinking too hard about why.

When you've mastered grammar rules, this can serve you well. For example, if I said "The bee fly to the hive." You know this is wrong instantly-it just feels wrong. You know simple subject/verb agreement so well that you can tell something is wrong before you can articulate what exactly it is.
However, most students never get to this level of familiarity with all SAT grammar rules. This makes trusting your ear unreliable for many rules.
What's the strategy to counter this? Point out the specific error, and justify it to yourself.

This is especiallytrue in rhetoric questions, where the answer choices can be vague and subtly different. You have to understand why one answer is definitely the right answer, and the other three answers are definitely the wrong answers. This is a standardized test.

Let's take one of the more difficult questions in an SAT practice test:

Try to solve it yourself if you like.

Here's what I'm thinking as I read the question (a " stream of consciousness"):

" 'Likewise, anyone considering a career as a video game designer must be skilled writers and speakers,' and 'skilled writers and speakers' is underlined. There's no clear glaring problem, but the end of the sentence is funky. 'Anyone' is singular, as is 'video game designer,' but it switches to plural 'skilled writers and speakers.' This is a number agreement error - it should be "a skilled writer and speaker." Let's look at the answer choices. B is exactly what I predicted. C and D both have the same issue of inappropriate plural forms, and, aside from this error, neither is that much better than A. So I'm pretty confident B is the best answer."

Now, I'm not literally thinking all these words in my head, but it matches my thinking process as I go through the question and evaluate each answer choice.

As you learn the different grammar skills and how they appear on the test, you'll start evaluating answer choices for common ways that the SAT tries to trick you.

Is a verb underlined? I'm going to check the subject to see if it follows subject/verb agreement. Then I'll check the verb tense.

Is a pronoun underlined? I'm going to check the antecedent to see if it matches.

Does an underline come right after a comma? I'm going to check if there's a faulty modifier error.

I can justify every one of my answers because I know the grammar rules. This makes my answering more robust, not just based on whether something 'feels' right or wrong.

Let's try another example for fun.

Try to solve it yourself if you like.

I'll start my stream of consciousness after I read the question:

"This is a classic illogical comparison error - you're comparing "organically grown crops" with "people." Crops aren't more nutritious than people! We need to compare organic crops with conventionally grown crops. So I need an answer choice that solves this:

A: same as original, which is wrong

B: "organic crops are safer than the purchase of their conventionally grown counterparts" - no - it's better than comparing crops to people, but it's still not comparing crops to crops

C: "organic crops are safer than purchasing their conventionally grown counterparts" - no, same error. This would be fine if the sentence read "they believe purchasing organic crops is safer than purchasing conventionally grown counterparts." But it doesn't.

D: "organically crops are safer than their conventionally grown counterparts" - yes! It's crops to crops, perfect.

You can see how I first identified the illogical comparison error in the original sentence. That made it very clear to me how I could find an answer choice that fixed this error.

Then I went through each answer choice, replacing the text and seeing if it fixed the error.

Note that in these questions, the SAT often fixes the original error in an answer choice-but then introduces another error. You need to make sure the answer you choose is 100% correct, in terms of both grammar and logic.

Don't be intimidated if you can't do this right now. With practice and reflection, you will get to this point.

Once again, it's like "the bee fly to the hive." You want to get to a point where all SAT grammar rules automatically sound as wrong as that sentence.

Find patterns to your mistakes, and make sense of the chaos.
Strategy 6: Find Patterns to Your Weaknesses and Drill Them

Remember Strategy 4 above, about keeping a lot of every mistake? You need to take this even one more step further.

If you're like most students, you're better at some areas in SAT Writing than others. You might know pronouns really well, but you'll be weak in sentence constructions and fragments. Or maybe you really like parallel construction, but you have no idea what faulty modifiers are.

If you're like most students, you also don't have an unlimited amount of time to study. You have a lot of schoolwork, you might be an athlete or have intense extracurriculars, and you have friends to hang out with.
This means for every hour you study for the SAT, it needs to be the most effective hour possible.
In concrete terms, you need to find your greatest areas of improvement and work on those.

Too many students study the 'dumb' way. They just buy a book and read it cover to cover. When they don't improve, they're SHOCKED.

I'm not.

Studying effectively for the SAT isn't like painting a house. You're not trying to cover your bases with a very thin layer of understanding.

What these students did wrong was they wasted time on subjects they already knew well, and they didn't spend enough time improving their weak spots.

Instead, studying effectively for the SAT is like plugging up the holes of a leaky boat. You need to find the biggest hole and fill it. Then you find the next biggest hole, and you fix that. Soon you'll find that your boat isn't sinking at all.

How does this relate to SAT Writing? You need to find the grammar rules that you're having most trouble in, and then do enough practice questions until they're no longer a weakness. Fixing up the biggest holes.
For every question that you miss, you need to identify the type of question it is and why you missed it. When you notice patterns to the questions you miss, you then need to find extra practice for this grammar rule.
Say you miss a lot of misplaced modifier questions. You need to find a way to get lesson material to teach yourself the main concepts that you're forgetting. Then you need to find more practice questions for this skill so you can drill your mistakes.

This is the best way for you to improve your Writing score.

Strategy 7: Be Careful With NO CHANGE Answers

In SAT Writing, most questions have a NO CHANGE option. In Improving Sentences types, A is the answer choice that doesn't change the underlined section.

The SAT loves tricking students using these answer choices, because it knows that students who don't know grammar rules won't see anything wrong with the sentence. NO CHANGE is a really easy answer to choose.

NO CHANGEs are one of the most common careless mistakes-make sure you don't fall for them.

Be very careful whenever you choose one of these NO CHANGE answer choices. Typically, these are correct answers around 25% of the time-not much more. If you find that you're choosing NO CHANGE 40% of the time, you're definitely not detecting grammar errors well enough.

Every time you choose NO CHANGE, try to double-check the other answer choices to make sure you're not missing a grammar error. Especially take note of grammar rules that you tend to ignore mistakenly. Like I mentioned in Strategy 2 above, if you write down your mistakes and study your weaknesses, you'll be able to know which grammar rules you're weak at and then pay special attention to them.

Personally, this was my most common careless error mistake. When I could see the error, I got the question correct nearly 100% of the time. The only times I missed questions were when I accidentally ignored an error.
I solved this by double-checking each of the answer choices to make sure I wasn't leaving any stone unturned.
Strategy 8: Think About Grammar in Everyday Life

Among all subjects, Writing on the SAT is special because it appears in your everyday life.

For school, you have to read a lot and you have to write a lot. Use these experiences as opportunities to notice grammar rules and sentence constructions.

This is unique to SAT Writing. SAT Math is so bizarre compared to everyday life that you won't just naturally find ways to apply the Pythagorean theorem at breakfast. SAT Reading similarly requires very specific skills when reading a passage.
But you can practice your grammar skills throughout the day. Here are some ideas:
Proofread your friends' essays. Challenge yourself to uncover every grammatical error.

Notice common errors around you. A lot of people comma splice, for example.

Read high-quality, formal publications, like the New York Times or the Economist. These articles go through editors, so they rarely have grammar errors. You'll develop that ear for language I mentioned.
Note that this isn't very efficient studying, and I don't recommend this for the sake of improving reading comprehension for SAT Reading. If you read like this for fun anyway, then go for it, but don't spend 100 hours reading for the sake of SAT Reading+Writing - spend that time on practice questions instead.

The more you think about grammar as a fundamental skill rather than something specialized for the SAT, the more natural it will feel to you.

Strategy 9: Finish With Extra Time and Double Check

Your goal at the end of all this work is to get so good at SAT Writing that you solve every question and have extra time left over at the end of the section to recheck your work.

In high school and even now, I can finish a 35 minute Reading section in 20 minutes or less. I then have 15 minutes left over to recheck my answers two times over.

The best way to get faster, as explained above, is to get so fluent with SAT grammar that you rapidly zero in on the grammar mistakes without having to think hard about it. And to get fluent with Rhetoric questions so you can spot the trap answers.

Try to aim for a target of spending 35 seconds on each question, reliably. This gives you enough time to doublecheck comfortably.

What's the best way to double-check your work? I have a reliable method that I follow:

Double-check any questions you marked that you're unsure of. Try hard to eliminate those answer choices. If it's a NO CHANGE question, double-check that you're not missing any grammar mistakes.

If I'm 100% sure I'm right on a question, I mark it as such and never look at it again. If I'm not sure, I'll come back to it on the third pass.

At least two minutes before time's up, I rapidly double-check that I bubbled the answers correctly. I try to do this all at once so as not to waste time looking back and forth between the test book and the answer sheet. Go five at a time ("A D E C B") for more speed.

If you notice yourself spending more than 30 seconds on a problem and aren't clear how you'll get to the answer, skip and go to the next question. Even though you need a perfect raw score for an 800, don't be afraid to skip. You can come back to it later, and for now it's more important to get as many points as possible.

Quick Tip: Bubbling Answers
Here's a bubbling tip that will save you three minutes per section.
When I first started test taking in high school, I did what many students do: after I finished one question, I went to the bubble sheet and filled it in. Then I solved the next question. Finish question 1, bubble in answer 1. Finish question 2, bubble in answer 2. And so forth.

This actually wastes a lot of time. You're distracting yourself between two distinct tasks-solving questions, and bubbling in answers. This costs you time in both mental switching costs and in physically moving your hand and eyes to different areas of the test.

Here's a better method: solve all your questions first in the book, then bubble all of them in at once.

This has several huge advantages: you focus on each task one at a time, rather than switching between two different tasks. You also eliminate careless entry errors, like if you skip question 7 and bubble in question 8's answer into question 7's slot.

By saving just five seconds per question, you get back 100 seconds on a section that has 20 questions. This is huge.

Note: If you use this strategy, you should already be finishing the section with ample extra time to spare. Otherwise, you might run out of time before you have the chance to bubble in the answer choices all at once.

In Overview

Those are the main strategies I have for you to improve your SAT Writing score to a perfect 40, and to a total 800. If you're scoring above a 30 right now, with hard work and smart studying, you can raise it to a perfect Writing score.

Even though we covered a lot of strategies, the main point is still this: you need to understand where you're falling short and drill those weaknesses continuously. You need to be thoughtful about your mistakes and leave no mistake ignored.

One last tip: try to keep a steady head while you're taking the test. It's really easy to start doubting yourself because you know you need a near-perfect raw score. Even if you're unsure about two questions in a row, try to treat every question as its own independent test. If you start doubting yourself, you'll perform worse, and the worse you perform, the more you doubt yourself.

Avoid this negative spiral of doubt and concentrate on being confident. You'll have studied a lot, and you'll do great on this test.

Here's a recap of all the strategies, in case you want to go back and review any:

Keep reading for more resources on how to boost your SAT score.

What's Next?

We have a lot more useful guides to raise your SAT score.

Read our complete guide to a perfect 1600, written by me, a perfect scorer.

Read our accompanying guides on how to get an 800 on SAT Math and how to get an 800 on SAT Reading.

Learn how to write a perfect-scoring 8|8|8 SAT essay, step by step.

Make sure you study SAT vocab using the most effective way possible.

Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points? We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible.

I built the PrepScholar program based on the principles in this article-the principles that worked for me and thousands of our students.
Check out our 5-day free trial today:

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How to Get 800 on SAT Writing: 9 Strategies From a Perfect Scorer

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Are you scoring in the 600-750 range on SAT Writing? Do you want to raise that score as high as possible-to a perfect 800? Getting to an 800 SAT Writing score isn't easy. It'll require near perfection and a mastery of both grammar rules and essay writing.

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15 quick tips that will help to improve your SAT writing composite.

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Whether you've never written an SAT Essay or didn't get the score you wanted on your last test, you can benefit from knowing more: both about the essay itself, and what really matters when the graders are reading your essay.

To introduce you to what you'll have to do, we've gathered up these 15 tips to master the SAT essay. If you can reliably follow all these points, you'll be able to get at least a 6/6/6 on the SAT essay-guaranteed.

The Challenge

The SAT Essay is a very short assignment. You only get 50 minutes to read a 650-750 word passage, analyze the devices the author uses to structure her/his argument, and write a full-fledged essay -and it can pass in a flash if you don't have a method for attacking it.

Writing an SAT essay requires a very specific approach that's unlike the essays you've been writing for English class in school. The goal of this strategy is to cram in as many as possible of the desired components in the 50 minutes you've got. In this article, we give you 15 key tips for the SAT essay.

The first five tips in this article relate to what the College Board tells us about what's a good essay. The next five are truths that the College Board doesn't want you to know (or doesn't make explicit). And the last five tips for SAT essay writing show you how to build an SAT essay, step by step.

What the College Board Does Tell You: 5 Tips

The College Board explains the main components of the successful SAT Essay in its scoring criteria. Here they are, condensed:

#1: Give a Clear Thesis

The SAT essay rubric states: "The response includes a precise central claim."

What this means is that your essay needs to make a clear argument that the reader can easily identify. All you have to do to create your "precise central claim" is to identify the main idea of the passage and list the methods the author uses to support it.

Fortunately, the SAT provides you with the passage's main idea, so you don't have to go hunting for it yourself. I've bolded the claim in this (fake) sample prompt so you can see this for yourself:

Write an essay in which you explain how Sam Lindsay builds an argument to persuade her audience that more works of art should feature monsters. In your essay, analyze how Lindsay uses one or more of the features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of her argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.

Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Lindsay's claims, but rather explain how Lindsay builds an argument to persuade her audience.

Now, here's an example of a thesis statement for an essay responding to this prompt:

In the article "Monsters Monsters Everywhere," Sam Lindsay uses personal anecdotes, vivid language, and appeals to emotion to persuade her audience that more works of art should feature monsters.

It's fine to copy the exact words describing the author's central claim from the prompt into your thesis statement-in fact, this guarantees that the graders will see that your thesis is there and on-topic.

#2: Include Both an Introduction and a Conclusion

The SAT essay rubric states: "The response includes a skillful introduction and conclusion."

Including an introduction paragraph in your essay is absolutely essential to getting a Writing score above a 4 (out of 8). The introduction paragraph introduces the reader to what you'll be talking about and allows you to set up the structure for the rest of the essay. Plus, an introduction can be a pretty good indicator of the quality for the rest of the essay-a poorly constructed introduction is often a warning that the essay that follows will be equally discombobulated.

It's best to have both an introduction and a conclusion, but if you're running short on time and can only have one, definitely pick the introduction. The main reason for this is that a good introduction includes your thesis statement. For the SAT essay, your thesis (or your "precise central claim") should be a statement about what devices the author uses to build her/his argument.

Introductions can be tricky to write, because whatever you write in that paragraph can then make you feel like you're locked into writing just about that. If you're struggling with the introduction paragraph, leave yourself 10 blank lines at the beginning of the essay and jump into writing your body paragraphs. Just make sure you remember to go back and write in your introduction before time's up!

#3: Use Effective Language and Word Choice

There are a couple of parts of the Writing score section on the SAT essay rubric that pertain directly to style.

The SAT essay rubric states this about a perfect-Writing-score essay: "The response is cohesive and demonstrates a highly effective use and command of language."

For most of us, "command of language" is an area that takes a long time to develop, so unless your language skills are really rough or you're prepping at least a year ahead of time (or both), you'll probably get more out of focusing on the other components of the essay.

The SAT essay rubric also states: "The response has a wide variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates a consistent use of precise word choice. The response maintains a formal style and objective tone."

This basically boils down to: don't be repetitive and don't make grammar mistakes. In addition, you should avoid using first person statements like "I" or "My" in the essay, along with any other informality. You're writing the equivalent of a school paper, not an opinion piece.
Bad (Too informal):
"I think that Sam's super persuasive in this article cause she's just so passionate. It made me feel kinda bad that I don't really monster it up in my everyday life."
Good (Formal):
"Lindsay's passionate defense of how drawing monsters 'allows us to laugh at our personal foibles' causes her audience to put themselves in her shoes and empathize with her position."

Finally, try to use different words to describe the same idea-don't use "shows" 15 times. Take the chance to show off your vocabulary (if, and only if, the vocabulary is appropriate and makes sense). This component is the biggest reason why revising your SAT Essay is essential-it's fast and easy to change repeated words to other ones after you're finished, but it can slow you down during writing to worry about your word choice. If you're aiming for a top score, using advanced vocabulary appropriately is vital.

#4: Only Use Information From the Passage

All the relevant information is in the passage, so avoid getting drawn into the topic and using your outside knowledge-you want to be sure to show that you've read the passage.

In real life, there are many ways to support a thesis, depending on the topic. But on the SAT, there's one kind of correct support: specific details drawn from the passage you're asked to analyze. We'll show you more below.

#5: Focus Your Essay on Relevant Details

You don't have to mention every single detail that makes the argument effective. In fact, your essay will be more coherent and more likely to score higher in Analysis if you focus your discussion on just a few points. It's more important to show that you're able to pick out the most important parts of the argument and explain their function that it is to be able to identify every single persuasive device the author used.

Think about it as if you were asked to write a 50-minute essay describing the human face and what each part does. A clear essay would just focus on major features-eyes, nose, and mouth. A less effective essay might also try to discuss cheekbones, eyebrows, eyelashes, skin pores, chin clefts, and dimples as well. While all of these things are part of the face, it would be hard to get into detail about each of the parts in just 50 minutes.

And this is the eye, and this is the other eye, and this is the...other eye...and the other eye...and the other...wait...what's going on here?

What the College Board Doesn't Tell You: 5 Secrets

Even though the SAT essay has clearly stated, publicly-available guidelines, there are a few secrets to writing the essay that most students don't know and that can give you a major advantage on the test.

#1: Read the Prompt Before the Passage

Why? Because the prompt includes the description of the author's claim. Knowing what the author's claim is going into the article can help keep you focused on the argument, rather than getting caught up in reading the passage (especially if the topic is one you're interested in).

#2: Your Facts Must Be Accurate...But Your Interpretation Doesn't Have to Be

A big part of the Analysis score for the SAT essay is not just identifying the devices the author uses to build her argument, but explaining the effect that the use of these devices has on the reader. You don't have to be completely, 100% accurate about the effect the passage has on the reader, because there is no one right answer. As long as you are convincing in your explanation and cite specific examples, you'll be good.

Here's an example of an interpretation about what effect a persuasive device has on the reader (backed by evidence from the passage):

Lindsay appeals to the emotions of her readers by describing the forlorn, many-eyed creatures that stare reproachfully at her from old school notebook margins. The sympathy the readers feel for these forgotten doodles is expertly transferred to Lindsay herself when she draws the connection between the drawn monsters and her own life: "Often, I feel like one of these monsters-hidden away in my studio, brushes yearning to create what no one else cares to see."

Now, you don't necessarily know for sure if "sympathy for the doodles" is what the author was going for in her passage. The SAT essay graders probably don't know either (unless one of them wrote the passage). But as long as you can make a solid case for your interpretation, using facts and quotes from the passage to back it up, you'll be good.

#3: You Should Write More Than One Page

This has always been true for the SAT essay, but for the first time ever, the College Board actually came out in The Official SAT Study Guide and explicitly said that length really does matter. Here's the description of a one-paragraph, 120-word-long student response that received a Writing score of 2/8 (bolding mine).

"Due to the brief nature of the response, there is not enough evidence of writing ability to merit a score higher than 1. Overall, this response demonstrates inadequate writing." (source: The Official SAT Study Guide, p. 176)

You'll have one page for (ungraded) scrap paper that you can use to plan out your essay, and four pages of writing paper for the essay-plan on writing at least two pages for your essay.

#4: Be Objective When Reading the Passage

Being able to stay detached while reading the passage you'll be writing the essay about can be tricky. This task might be especially difficult for students who were used to the old SAT essay (which pretty much made it mandatory for you to choose one side or the other). You'll have to practice reading persuasive essays and gaining objectivity (so that you are able to write about how the argument is constructed, not whether it's good or bad).

A good way to practice this is to read news articles on topics you care deeply about by people who hold the opposite view that you do. For instance, as a composer and violist/violinist, I might read articles about how children should not be encouraged to play musical instruments, since it holds no practical value later on in life (a view I disagree with vehemently). I would then work on my objectivity by jotting down the central ideas, most important details, and how these details relate to the central ideas of the article.

Being able to understand the central ideas in the passage and details without being sidetracked by rage (or other emotions) is key to writing an effective SAT essay.

" Always Wear a Helmet." ©2015-2016 by Samantha Lindsay. Used with permission.
Don't let the monster of rage distract you from your purpose.
#5: Memorize and Identify Specific Persuasive Techniques

Once you're able to read articles objectively (as discussed in point #4 above), the next step is to be able to break down the essay passage's argument. To do this successfully, you'll need to be aware of some of the techniques that are frequently used to build arguments.

The SAT essay prompt does mention a few of these techniques (bolding mine):

As you read the passage below, consider how Lindsay uses

evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.

reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.

stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.

It's certainly possible to wing it and go into the test without knowing specific names of particular persuasive devices and just organically build up your essay from features you notice in the article. However, it's way easier to go into the essay knowing certain techniques that you can then scan the passage for.

For instance, after noting the central ideas and important details in the article about how more works of art should feature monsters, I would then work on analyzing the way the author built her argument. Does she use statistics in the article? Personal anecdotes? Appeal to emotion?

I discuss the top persuasive devices you should know in more detail in the article " 6 SAT Essay Examples to Answer Every Prompt".

How to Get All the Necessary Components in 50 Minutes: 5 Step-By-Step Strategies

When you write an SAT essay, you only have 50 minutes to read, analyze, and write an essay, which means that you need a game plan going in. Here's a short step-by-step guide on how to write an effective SAT essay.

#1: Answer the Prompt

Don't just summarize the passage in your essay, or identify persuasive devices used by the author-instead, be sure to actually analyze the way the author of the passage builds her argument. As The Official SAT Study Guide states,

"[Y]our discussion should focus on what the author does, why he or she does it, and what effect this is likely to have on readers."

College Board makes a point of specifying this very point in its grading rubric as well-an essay that scores a 2 (out of 4) or below in Analysis " merely asserts, rather than explains [the persuasive devices'] importance." If you want to get at least a 3/4 (or a 6/8) in Analysis, you need to heed this warning and stay on task.

#2: Support Your Points With Concrete Evidence From the Passage

The best way to get a high Reading score for your essay is to quote from the passage appropriately to support your points. This shows not only that you've read the passage (without your having to summarize the passage at all), but also that you understand what the author is saying and the way the author constructed her argument.

As an alternative to using direct quotations from the passage, it's also okay to paraphrase some of what you discuss. If you are explaining the author's argument in your own words, however, you need to be extra careful to make sure that the facts you're stating are accurate -in contrast to scoring on the old SAT essay, scoring on the new SAT essay takes into account factual inaccuracies and penalizes you for them.

#3: Keep Your Essay Organized

The SAT essay rubric states: "The response demonstrates a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay."

The main point to take away from this is that you should follow the standard structure for an SAT essay (introduction-body-body-conclusion). Using a basic four- to five-paragraph essay structure will both keep you organized and make it easier for the essay graders to follow your reasoning-a win-win situation!

Furthermore, you should connect each paragraph to each other through effective transitions. We'll give you ways to improve your performance in this area in the articles linked at the end of this article.

#4: Make Time to Read, Analyze, Plan, Write, and Revise

Make sure you allocate appropriate amounts of time for each of the steps you'll need to take to write the essay-50 minutes may seem like a long time, but it goes by awfully quick with all the things you need to do.

Reading the passage, analyzing the argument, planning your essay, writing your essay, and revising are all important components for writing an 8/8/8 essay. For a breakdown of how much time to spend on each of these steps, be sure to check out our article on how to write an SAT essay, step-by-step.

" Watch Yourself." ©2015-2016 by Samantha Lindsay. Used with permission.

#5: Practice

The more you practice analysis and writing, the better you'll get at the task of writing an SAT essay (as you work up to it a little at a time).

It's especially important to practice the analysis and writing components of the essay if you are a slow reader (since reading speed can be difficult to change). Being able to analyze and write quickly can help balance out the extra time you take to read and comprehend the material. Plus, the time you put into working on analysis and writing will yield greater rewards than time spent trying to increase your reading speed.

But don't forget: while it's okay to break up the practice at first, you also really do need to get practice buckling down and doing the whole task in one sitting.

What's Next?

This is just the beginning of improving your SAT essay score. Next, you actually need to put this into practice with a real SAT essay.

Looking to get even deeper into the essay prompt? Read our complete list of SAT essay prompts and our detailed explanation of the SAT essay prompt.

Hone your SAT essay writing skills with our articles about how to write a high-scoring essay, step by step and how to get a 8/8/8 on the SAT essay.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?
Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more.

Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this SAT Essay lesson, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get your SAT essays hand-graded by a master instructor who will give you customized feedback on how you can improve. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next.
Check out our 5-day free trial:

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SAT Essay Tips: 15 Ways to Improve Your Score

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Whether you've never written an SAT Essay or didn't get the score you wanted on your last test, you can benefit from knowing more: both about the essay itself, and what really matters when the graders are reading your essay. To introduce you to what you'll have to do, we've gathered up these 15 tips to master the SAT essay.

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A presentation noting the changes made to the ACT and SAT exams.

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An interesting perspective that discusses how each assessment appeals to different academic strengths

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Start improving your ACT score or SAT score today with Magoosh!

ACT vs SAT ...an important choice and an epic battle that most high school students will have to take sides on.

Both the ACT and SAT are accepted by all U.S. colleges. Both the ACT and the SAT include core sections on Reading, Writing, and Math. Both tests include an optional essay, and neither penalizes for wrong answers. Both are taken by millions of students, and there is no longer the geographical divide there once was between test-takers on the coasts (mostly SAT) and test-takers in the middle of the country (mostly ACT).

So how do YOU decide whether the SAT or ACT is best for you?

ACT vs SAT: How I've Helped My Students Decide

When I did one-on-one ACT and SAT tutoring, one of my favorite games to play was "Are you an SAT student or an ACT student?" (Well, I played this game in my head anyway.) I asked students about their interests in school (literature, science, math) and outside of school (sports, dance, video games). I asked them about how they did in school and how they felt about standardized tests. I asked them about their strengths and weaknesses and their biggest worries about the college admissions process.

By the end of this initial conversation, I could usually determine with greater than 90% accuracy which test they would do better on. And this is without looking at any diagnostic test scores.

Of course, I looked at the scores too. If my students had PSAT scores, PreACT scores, or practice test scores, this often made the decision a lot more concrete.

But my point is: I could often make a really, really good guess just by sizing up who my students were as people. But this only came after years of experience helping high schoolers prep for the SAT and ACT.

If you're a high schooler trying to decide if you should take the SAT or the ACT, or a parent trying to help your child choose between the tests, or a counselor looking to advise your many students, you might not have this level of insight.
That's why we've compiled all of our best information here on the differences and similarities between the ACT and the new SAT that launched in March 2016.
ACT vs SAT: Timing

The ACT takes 2 hours and 55 minutes to complete without the essay, and 3 hours and 35 minutes with the essay.

The SAT takes 3 hours to complete without the essay, and 3 hours and 50 minutes with the essay.
Here's the full breakdown for each section:
Of course, this does not include time for filling out paperwork, instructions, or breaks. All in all, you'll probably spend at least 4 to 5 hours in the testing center. So, bring your snacks! Check out our breakdowns for SAT Test Day and ACT Test Day for more details on what your morning is going to look like.

ACT vs SAT: Time Per Question

It's also important to note that one of the major challenges of the ACT is how time pressured it is. The vast majority of students struggle to finish at least one of the ACT sections, and many struggle to finish several of the sections within the time limit. Of course, plenty of students run out of time on the SAT as well; in fact, many students and tutors have reported that the new SAT is much more difficult to finish on time than the old SAT. So it may be possible that this oft-noted distinction between the (old) SAT and the ACT is no longer as valid, but we'll continue monitoring as more students take the test.

Still the fact remains that...

You'll have less time per question on every section of the ACT than you will on the SAT.

Overall, across sections, you'll have an average of 50 seconds per question on the ACT and 1 minute and 10 seconds per question on the new SAT.

Keep in mind though that the questions are different; SAT questions may take you longer to parse than ACT questions, so you may need that extra time.

ACT vs SAT: Overall Structure and Breakdown by Section

The ACT has 4 multiple choice sections plus an optional essay. The sections always appear in this order:

The SAT has 4 multiple choice sections plus an optional essay.

Now let's talk about the similarities and differences between the SAT and ACT in each section:

ACT English vs SAT Writing

When you take a peek at the English section on the ACT and the Writing & Language section on the SAT, you'll find that they look virtually identical. Not only that, they test many of the same concepts (although we do feel these concepts are tested in a bit more of a nuanced fashion on the new SAT than the ACT, with tricker answer choice phrasing).

Still, here are a couple differences you should be aware of:

Reading Level: All of the passages on the ACT English section are at a relatively easy reading level (say, about 9th grade). The passages on the SAT Writing & Language section can vary in difficulty, however, from early high school to early college.

Informational Graphic Questions: On the ACT, all of the questions are about the text. On the SAT, you'll see a couple questions on tables and graphs connected to the text.

Check out our video on the differences between ACT English and SAT Writing for more details!

ACT Math vs SAT Math

Here's what you need to know about the similarities and differences between ACT Math and SAT Math:

Math Level: The new SAT has upped its game as far as math difficulty goes: you'll see some questions on advanced math and trigonometry. However, as our SAT expert Chris Lele reported after taking the SAT in May, at least right now, the ACT includes more questions in the realm of Algebra II and Trigonometry. But for either test, don't panic if you haven't studied trig! All of the trig knowledge tested on either the SAT or ACT is at a very basic level. In fact, I'm fairly confident you could teach yourself what you need to know with our trig study guide for the new SAT and trig resources for the ACT (and for video lessons, go to Magoosh SAT or Magoosh ACT).

Calculator Usage: This one's pretty important! On the ACT math section, you can use a calculator on every single question (whew!). But as you may have noticed above, the SAT includes a 25 minute no-calculator section with 20 questions. The math here is meant to be easy enough to do by hand, but keep in mind you might want to be brushing up on your mental math skills. If you are a whiz with numbers who can eyeball math problems and do calculations in your head, you might be at an advantage on the SAT over many of your peers.

Multiple Choice vs Grid-ins: The ACT Math test is all multiple choice, meaning you'll always be able to have at least a 20% chance of getting the answer right, even if you have no idea what you are doing. The SAT Math test is 80% multiple choice and 20% grid-ins, meaning you have to fill in the blanks with your own answers on these ones.

Our video comparing the new SAT Math and ACT Math sections tells you more!

ACT Reading vs SAT Reading

You'll likely find that the ACT Reading and SAT Reading sections look pretty similar, at least on the surface. Still, there are some important differences:

Number of passages: There are four long passages (700-900ish words) to read on the ACT and five longish passages (500 to 750 words) on the SAT. Or rather, there are 4 discrete reading sections on the ACT and 5 on the SAT. Both tests include one set of paired passages for you to compare, but count these as a single passage.

Passage complexity: The reading level of the passages on the ACT is pretty standard across the board (about a 10th to 11th grade level). On the SAT, you'll find a range from 9th grade to early college.

There are further differences in question types between the SAT and ACT, including the SAT's use of a special question type the College Board calls Command of Evidence. We have further articles breaking down the differences on our blog that you can check out, as well as this video!

ACT Science vs SAT ??

Well, it's tricky to compare apples to...nothing. The Science section is unique to the ACT; there's nothing like it on the SAT, or really on any other standardized test I know of other than those developed by the ACT organization.

Before you jump to conclusions about whether or not you are good at science and whether this means you should take or avoid the ACT, you really should know that there is very little actual science knowledge tested on the ACT Science section. Kind of bizarre, right? You'll see a handful of questions that do require you to bring in outside knowledge, but most of the questions have to do with your ability to read tables and graphs, make assumptions about scientific situations, or evaluate scientific hypotheses. I suggest you take a look at our ACT Science lessons or the example ACT Science questions on the ACT website before making any decisions about your suitability for this section.

Although the SAT doesn't have a discrete Science section, it's worth noting that the new SAT places a much greater emphasis on interpreting tables and graphs across all of the sections. You might think of this as its response to the ACT Science test. Being able to interpret data will help you on both tests.

Here's your complete guide to tackling the many graphs and tables questions on the ACT Science Test.

ACT Essay vs SAT Essay

Even though the ACT and the SAT are looking a lot more similar these days, one point of pretty significant departure is the optional essay ( optional assuming the colleges you are applying to don't require the essay).

On the ACT essay, you'll be given three different perspectives on a debatable issue and be asked to evaluate them and present your own perspective. For those of you who excel at debate and/or coming up with supporting examples on the spot, you might be naturally suited for the ACT essay.

On the SAT essay, you'll be given a 650-700 word passage to read (yeah, that is a decent amount of reading before you even get to the writing part). Then you'll write an essay explaining how the author builds his or her argument in the passage. The key difference here is that the SAT doesn't care at all about your own opinion or your own arguments; it just wants you to evaluate the arguments in the passage. This means that if you excel at analyzing readings in your English class, you might find the SAT essay to be a better fit for you.

Check out our in-depth post comparing the ACT vs SAT essays, plus our video, for more!

ACT vs SAT: Scores

ACT: The ACT uses what's called a composite score to give students an overall ACT score. Your overall composite score ranges from 1 to 36 and is an average of your scores on each of the multiple choice sections. You'll also receive your individual section scores, which range from 1 to 36 as well, but for most colleges, it's the composite score that counts.

So, for example, let's say you received a 25 on English, 32 on Math, 28 on Reading, and 24 on Science. You're overall composite score would be (25+32+28+25)/4 = 27.5, rounded to the nearest whole number, which would be 28. (It's icing on the cake when you get to benefit from the rounding up!)

SAT: The SAT is scored on a range between 400 and 1600. This is based on adding your Reading/Writing score from 200-800 and Math score from 200-800 together. Note that even though there are three main multiple choice sections to the SAT-Reading, Writing, and Math-Reading and Writing are combined into one score out of 800. This is different from the old SAT, on which students received a score out of 800 on each of the three sections, meaning the highest score on the old SAT was 2400.

ACT vs SAT: Conversion of Scores

We've made you an awesome chart that will allow you to easily convert your ACT scores to new SAT scores. To convert your ACT scores to old SAT scores (on the 600-2400 scale), we have a post where you can convert your ACT scores to new SAT scores or old SAT scores. Check it out!
Need to find your score quickly? Enter it into the search box!
ACT vs SAT: Test Dates

The SAT and ACT take turns on months (except in June, October, and December). Both tests are offered 7 times per year.

Here's a handy chart to keep it straight:

*The January SAT was only offered through January 2017. From August 2017, an August SAT has been available.
**The July ACT will be available as of July 2018.

In some months, you could take the SAT and ACT on consecutive weekends, and there are some students that do that, but it's not always wise. Back-to-back weekends in the test center? Studying for two different tests at the same time? Yikes.

In an ideal world, you're just going to choose one or the other test to prep for (hey, that's the whole point of this post!). If you DO decide you want to take both, it's best if you can give yourself at least a month-and ideally more-in between to switch gears.

However, with the increased similarities between the ACT and the new SAT, you might find that you can get away with back-to-back tests if this fits best with your schedule. But again, I don't think that's the ideal scenario.

ACT vs SAT: Cost Comparison

This chart compares the general cost (and the hidden fees) of both exams:

Students who can't afford the ACT or SAT can work with their high schools to obtain a fee waiver, which will allow them to take the test for free (with or without the essay), although fee waivers generally don't cover additional fees beyond that.

ACT vs SAT: Which is easier? Which is harder?

We know that these are questions that you would love a straightforward answer to, but really it's going to depend on what you find to be easy or hard.

I know that's not a very satisfying answer though, so here are a few guidelines:

The ACT might be easier for you than the SAT if:

You are really fast at your work. You generally don't have trouble running out of time on tests at school and you are a fast reader. The ACT, in many ways, is still a more straightforward test, provided you can finish it in time.

You like science and are good at interpreting data and trends. Yes, I know I said above that you don't need to know much science to do well on the ACT Science section. This is still true, but it doesn't hurt to be interested in what you are reading. Students who may not be a fan of science, but are really good at seeing the trends in graphs and tables and being able to deduce the next step in a process are also likely to be successful at ACT Science.

You are glued to your calculator in math class. The prospect of the no-calculator section and the grid-ins on the SAT might be a bit more intimidating for you.

The SAT might be easier for you than the ACT if:

You're not a fast reader, but you're a good reader. You can understand readings pretty well when you take your time. While you may not be able to take all the time you'd like on the SAT, you will encounter more complex passages on the SAT vs the ACT. This combined with the slightly shorter passages on the SAT, and the slightly longer time period you have to answer questions, could make the SAT a better choice.

You're good at mental math. You'll be able to breeze through the no-calculator section with confidence while other students sweat.

You're good at reading between the lines and finding traps. The SAT, while not as tricky as it was in the past, still has some tricks up its sleeve. And the better you are at standardized test games, the better you'll be at the SAT.

Should You Take Both the ACT and SAT?

Generally speaking, we recommend against taking both the SAT and the ACT. You're splitting your test prep efforts and condemning yourself to more Saturday mornings in a testing center, cutting down on your time for school, activities, and life.
Here are a couple of exceptions:

1. You're a REALLY strong test-taker eyeing the most competitive schools and feel pretty confident you can get a top score on both tests. Some top schools (aka a few of the Ivies) have indicated that they like to see both scores. It gives them more data to have confidence that you are strong across the board. But please don't take this as a mandate. If you need to focus on studying full-force to get a top score on one test, put all your efforts there.

2. You've started your testing early and decide you need to change tactics. Maybe you've hit a wall with your ACT scores and want to try the SAT. Or vice versa. If you do this, you want to make sure you have plenty of time to focus on one specific test in your prep. For example, if possible, take the ACT in February and the SAT in May so you have three solid months in between to switch gears. But with the increased similarities between the SAT and ACT, you may certainly find that you need less time in between.

What about what students are saying about the ACT vs SAT on College Confidential, Yahoo Answers, Quora, etc.?

There's so much advice out there on the internet on ACT vs SAT, and so much of it is not good for you. A particular concern right now is outdated information about the SAT. The SAT changed drastically in early 2016, so anything written before this point that hasn't been updated is not going to help you at all. And the situation is still developing as the first groups of students take the new SAT, so we may have more information soon, and we can't rely on everything even the College Board said before the actual launch of the new SAT.

At Magoosh, we often check out what students are saying on College Confidential and Yahoo after each administration of the SAT or ACT (there's usually a thread on College Confidential about each test with hundreds of comments). What always stands out is that students have such different (and opposite) reactions to the same test. For every student who says, "The Reading section was so hard!" there's a student who says, "The Reading section was so easy!" You'll likely come out of this comment jungle more confused than you were before. Find good authoritative sources on the SAT and ACT that you trust and follow their guidelines.
Need more help deciding if you are an ACT or an SAT student? Let us know in the comments! Editor's Note: This post was originally published in May 2016 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

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ACT vs SAT: Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Test (Video)

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Start improving your ACT score or SAT score today with Magoosh! ACT vs SAT ...an important choice and an epic battle that most high school students will have to take sides on. Both the ACT and SAT are accepted by all U.S. colleges. Both the ACT and the SAT include core sections on Reading, Writing, and Math.

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Side-by-side comparison by the ACT that compares their assessment to the SAT.

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https://magoosh.com/hs/act/act-scores/2016/act-to-new-sat-to-old-sat-score-conversion-chart/Learn how the two scores translate.

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If you are currently studying for the SAT or ACT (or making decisions about whether you should take the ACT vs the SAT), chances are you are stuck in the middle of the old SAT to new Redesigned SAT transition. If you've already taken the ACT or previous SAT and are eyeing the new SAT, or if you've taken practice tests of the ACT and new SAT and want to see which test you might do better on, you probably want to know how your scores compare.

Unfortunately, comparing scores is not as easy as it might sound with all the changes in the tests.

So to answer the ACT to SAT scores conversion question, we've created this ACT to New SAT to Old SAT score conversion chart!

This information is HOT OFF THE PRESSES: just released by the College Board on May 9, 2016 and it is official information from the College Board. Note that it is not official information from the ACT, but we will update this chart if the ACT releases an official chart as well or if the College Board and ACT work together on one. (You can see our previous estimated score ranges chart at the bottom of this post.)

ACT to Old SAT to New SAT Total Score

Hint: You can also type in your score into the search box to pull up the relevant line.

ACT Composite Score

New SAT Total Score (400-1600)

Old SAT Total Score (600-2400)

We also recommend the official College Board Score Converter app, which will allow you to plug in your scores and see various equivalents across the old SAT, new SAT, and ACT, both for total scores and for section scores.

Check out how students have improved their scores using Magoosh SAT and Magoosh ACT and schedule your next SAT test date or ACT test date by clicking on these links to get your complete guides to choosing the right ones for you!

Previous ACT to SAT Scores Converter Table

These numbers are based on the prior 2015 ACT to SAT concordance tables released by the College Board and ACT that convert ACT scores to SAT scores on both the 1600 and 2400 scale. See the chart above for the most recent, accurate information.

ACT

New SAT (starting March 2016)

Old SAT (before March 2016)

Concordance Tables

Wondering what your post-2016 scores "translate" to on the old scale? We have you covered! Here are the concordance tables for new SAT scores (composite and by subject) and old SAT scores.

New SAT Scores to Old SAT Scores (Composite)

New SAT Scores to Old SAT Scores (Math)

New SAT Scores to Old SAT Scores (Reading)

New SAT Scores to Old SAT Scores (Writing)

New SAT Scores to Old SAT Scores (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing to Writing plus Critical Reading)
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in January 2016 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.
About Kristin Fracchia

Kristin makes sure Magoosh's sites are full of awesome, free resources that can be found by students prepping for standardized tests. With a PhD from UC Irvine and degrees in Education and English, she's been working in education since 2004 and has helped students prepare for standardized tests, as well as college and graduate school admissions, since 2007. She enjoys the agony and bliss of trail running, backpacking, hot yoga, and esoteric knowledge.

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ACT to New SAT to Old SAT Score Conversion Chart

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If you are currently studying for the SAT or ACT (or making decisions about whether you should take the ACT vs the SAT), chances are you are stuck in the middle of the old SAT to new Redesigned SAT transition.

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10-question quiz that provides feedback and explains the correct answer.