SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

Studying hundreds of fancy words from big lists has long been a mainstay of SAT prep. But with the redesigned SAT focusing on medium-level words in the context of passages, do you still need to drill yourself on little-used vocab words?

Before you expend superfluous energy to bolster your cognizance of recondite terminology (or waste time learning lots of obscure words), read this guide to learn what vocabulary you need for the new SAT. First, what changes are being made to the SAT in terms of vocabulary?

I get this question from students a lot, and it's definitely an important one: how long before the SAT should you begin preparing for it? Moreover, how long is too long (you won't remember the material)? And how long is too short (you won't have enough time to study)?

You'll need to know how to answer these questions if you wish to study effectively. Our four most important tips will help you determine when you should start studying for the SAT.

For a lot of smart students, the SAT is a struggle. If you have a high GPA, but a low SAT score, you're not alone!

If you feel like you're good in school but not great at test taking, here's our expert guide on how you can boost your chances of getting into a great college. You'll be able to show colleges your true academic potential.

You got your SAT/ACT score back, and it isn't what you'd hoped it'd be. Even though the SAT and ACT are each just a few hours long, the score you get often counts for a third or more of college admissions and can therefore have a big impact on your future.

The fact that you're looking for solutions is a good first step. It's important, now more than ever, not to freak out and to instead calmly plan the best steps forward. In this article, we go over our top four tips for what to do with a low SAT or ACT score.

If you hope to get an amazing SAT score and improve your chances of getting into the college of your dreams, you'll need to know the best way to study for the SAT. But without a definitive study plan and the tools needed to study effectively, you won't be able to maximize your score, even if you put in tons of prep time.

In this article, I'll explain all of your SAT study options to help you figure out which ones are right for you, and also give you essential study tips for your SAT prep.

Calculators are allowed on the SAT, and not using them correctly can put you far behind. SAT experts Fred Zhang and Allen Cheng discuss which tips and strategies worked for them in getting perfect scores.

Studying for the SAT is a big undertaking, and you might not know where to start. A good way to get yourself into gear is to learn about the structure of the test and different ways you can adapt your strategy to improve on each section. In this article, I’ll provide you with a comprehensive list of the top 23 tips (broken down by section) that you should be using to get your best scores ever on the SAT.

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?

UPDATE: This article discusses a previous version of the SAT. If you are looking to get a perfect score on the digital SAT check out my guide to getting an 800 on SAT Reading and Writing.

With the new 2016 SAT, Khan Academy has partnered with the College Board to create a free SAT prep program.

All things considered, Khan Academy's SAT prep program is high quality. It's a great introduction to the test and elevates the bar of free SAT materials. Students unable to afford books or prep programs have a useful resource to train for the test.

But it's not complete.

There's still a lot missing from the Khan Academy SAT program that can prevent you from getting the highest score possible.

In this review, you'll understand what exactly is wrong with the Khan SAT program—and why the partnership with the College Board means these problems will never be fixed. If you plan to use the Khan Academy SAT program, this will show you what you're missing.

If you’re reading this guide, I’m going to assume you don’t have a lot of time before your SAT test date. If you do have a lot of time before your SAT test date (one month or more), feel free to read this article for useful tips, but I urge you to spread your prep out over the full amount of time you have. Do not wait to cram.

The total amount of time spent preparing for the SAT matters, and though you can make great strides in just 10 days, you still need to put in the time. I’ll guide you through the steps to successfully cram for the SAT and raise your score by up to 200 points.

Are you struggling with an SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score between 300 and 500? You're not alone—hundreds of thousands of students are scoring in this range. But many don't know the best ways to break out of this score range and get a 600 or higher.

Here, we'll discuss how to improve your SAT Reading score specifically and why it's so important to do so. Unlike other fluffy articles out there, we'll be focusing on actionable strategies. Put these eight strategies to work and I'm confident you'll be able to improve your SAT Reading score.

UPDATE: This article discusses a previous version of the SAT. If you are looking to raise your score on the digital SAT check out my guide to getting an 600 on SAT Reading and Writing.

Are you struggling with SAT Writing + Reading scores between 300 and 500? You're not alone—hundreds of thousands of students are scoring in this range, too. But many don't know the best ways to break out of this score range and score 600 or higher.

Here, we'll discuss how to improve your SAT Writing score effectively, and why it's so important to do so. Put these principles to work and I'm confident you'll be able to improve your score!

UPDATE: This article discusses a previous version of the SAT. If you are looking to raise your score on the digital SAT check out my guide to getting an 600 on SAT Reading and Writing.

Are you struggling with SAT Math scores between 300-500? You're not alone—hundreds of thousands of students are scoring in this range. But many don't know the best ways to break out of this score range and score a 600 or above.

Here we'll discuss how to improve your SAT math score effectively, and why it's so important to do so. Put these principles to work and I'm confident you'll be able to improve your score.

You might have heard that College Board released a new version of the SAT in 2016. So what should you do if you want to prepare for this version of the SAT but are mainly familiar with the old version? And do you really have to throw out all of your "old SAT" study materials?

We will go through the SAT section by section and note key differences between the old and new SAT. Next, we will explain how to prep for the new SAT based on those differences. We will point out places that you can still use old prep materials to prepare for the new SAT and also point you toward other free study resources online. We will also link extensively to our SAT study guides throughout this post to give you more targeted advice by section.

CRAMMING FOR THE SAT - WEEKS, DAYS, OR HOURS LEFT TO STUDY. WHAT TO DO?

So the SAT's coming up, and you need to cram for the test. You might have a few weeks, or even a few days left. You might be able to spend just 10 or fewer hours studying. If you're wondering how to best make use of your time before the test, this article's for you.