On the other hand , SAT essay graders have only 2 and a half minutes to evaluate and score your essay , that’s why when writing the essay you must know few important tips if you want to obtain a good score .

1. Pay attention to the essay requirements and make sure that you understand the subject ; you need to read carefully all information given, including the one in the introductory paragraph which can be very useful for developing a proper argumentation .

2. Pay attention to your handwriting style , remember that persons correcting SAT essays read thousands of compositions and they don’t have time to guess what you wanted to say if they don’t understand your writing. Exercise every day the way you write until is easily readable .

3. Remember that first impression is the one that counts and try to make an original introductory phrase to catch the attention of the reader; keep the introduction and the conclusion quite short , you have only 25 minutes for your SAT essay and you don’t want to waste your time for these parts . Much of your grading score comes from the evaluation of the “body” .

4. Be careful to respect grammar rules , one or two mistakes won’t count but many more surely will affect your final score . Also, don’t forget about proper punctuation

5. Write your own point of view on the topic and sustain it passionately ,bringing original arguments ,that would impress the readers , no matter what side you take , the majority or the minority’s . Give one or two examples ( is not absolutely necessary to give many examples, better few and good )to sustain your point of view and take time to explain them very well .

In order to improve your chance of writing a more interesting SAT essay ,a good idea is to practice it with a specialist at least for several months before the exam day , a trainer who can appreciate you correctly , show you where your weaknesses are and teach you some writing techniques. It may cost you some money but consider them a good investment in your future .Also, there are many sites where you can find ideas for different topics and some forums where you could meet other SAT essay takers and evaluate each other writing skills .

Like for any other standardized test , in order to acquire good results for SAT someone must prepare seriously for that long before the day of the test .

Researchers in the field of education have demonstrated  that is better for a student to prepare for any examination for few hours /day for a longer period of time ahead the day of the exam than to undergo an intensive preparation all day long for a short period before taking the test.

There are many sites and books that offers SAT preparation courses ,however , when choosing the right one , you must take into account that SAT assess your ability to think rationally, in other words your reasoning skills that makes you successful in life , regardless of  your university grades . Most of the universities are looking not only to attract  students who could manage to achieve good grades but  those who are able to make the best of their abilities ,too.

That ‘s way an effective  SAT preparation program must include a well developed and affordable method for improving both your formal and informal reasoning skills .

Formal reasoning is a skill used  in studying different sciences like computers, mathematics, chemistry , physics , while informal reasoning ( or critical thinking )  is an aptitude that combines natural creativity and perseverance with a  certain level of intelligence that comes from resolving life challenges  . Having good critical thinking skills help you to  identify, analyze  and integrate knowledge  into a good argumentation discourse and to resolve with success in a proper time a  critical situation .

While formal reasoning it is formed in school when acquiring and practicing  the necessary knowledge during specific courses  , there is little evidence that education system improves substantially your informal reasoning ( or in some rarely cases is taught as an isolated skill on how to make a research incorporated in a regular coursework  ) , and since critical thinking doesn’t come naturally either ,you must make seriously personal efforts in order to acquire this necessary skill if you  want to become successful in your exams.

Here are some tips on how to start your SAT preparation program :

I. Improve your informal reasoning skills :

a) make a habit from regarding knowledge not as simply content that need to be accepted as it is and reiterated but content that can be questioned  ; raise precisely and clearly formulated questions about every new information that comes along;

b) gather as many information as you can about a specific topic you want to discuss and argue about ;

c) analyze the pros and cons for  situations , topics , subjects , proverbs etc. ,apply your knowledge  and come to your own interpretation  instead of accepting others’ conclusions ;

d) learn how to communicate effectively with others to find out more complex solutions at different problems;

e) make a habit to put in writing in your own words some ideas , concepts and new knowledge you acquire every day  ; this will help you focus on your thoughts and put them in a order that makes sense .

II. Work on developing better formal reasoning skills.

That means intense studying of the theory required for SAT (you cannot find out the length of the hypotenuse if you don’t know Pythagora’s theoreme ! ) and then putting  into practice that knowledge by doing thousands of exercises . Like we said in the beginning , this is a task you should spread over a longer period of time , so the sooner you start taking SAT preparation courses, the better the results.

III .        Develop effective time management strategies .

You’ll be taking SAT in a specific given time so it is crucial for you to be able to finish ,if possible , all  questions  before the expiring time , that’s why you should practice enough to know how long you may spend for a question .

People react differently under pressure , so  observe yourself while working under pressure and try to minimize the negative effects of the stress by learning appropriate coping strategies .

IV . Look for some good SAT preparation books

We recommend you to purchase at least three SAT preparation books , one of which  should be the official guide from the College Board ,the most informative book in the field so you’ll get used to the real questions of the SAT .

Apart from this guide , there are plenty of  unofficial good  SAT preparation books on the market ,like for instant :

How to Prepare for the New SAT (Barron’s How to Prepare for the Sat I ) by Sharon Weiner Green and Ira K. Wolf

SAT Practice: The New Verbal Section by K. Titchenell

McGraw Hills –SAT I

Cracking the SAT, 2008 , Princeton Review

Kaplan Sat 2008 , Premier Program

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