How to elevate your college application, the SAT
SAT graphic ( Chase Soylu Chee/ The Puma Prensa)
Witten By: Chase Soylu Chee, staff writer
Looking into joining top-tier institutions like Harvard, Stanford, or Princeton? It is more than just the grades and extracurriculars, it’s about acing the SAT and standing out in the crowd.
Created in 1926, the Scholastic Aptitude Test covers reading, writing, and math. Each section is timed with a variety of easy-to-hard level questions. Increasing the need for recruits in WWI, the SAT was made to distinguish intelligence but eventually was used for students with academic prowess. Unfortunately with the price tag and availability, this disproportionately affected non-white students.
“The SAT is all about the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in college and your career. Preparing for the SAT sharpens important skills at the heart of education,” stated the College Board.
Whether it is for a private institution or not, strengthening your college resume will increase your chances of securing valuable money grants. A high enough score can unlock numerous scholarship opportunities, making college education more accessible and affordable.
Registering for the SAT begins with visiting the College Board SAT registration page, filling out an application, selecting a nearby testing center, and uploading a valid photo ID.
Now that you have paid the application fee of $68 or received an application fee waiver from your high school counselor, you should look for ways to study. Whether spending money or going on the free route to study, you should find a reliable and effective study method.
Everyone wants free options for studying, so many go to YouTube. When searching for SAT mathematics and English study videos, there are many red flags to look out for. Ensure you are watching a video that gets straight to the point and has minimal advertisements, and comments that back up the content. Beware of impersonators and students at prestigious universities seeking to monetize their SAT videos and channels for money from online courses or subscriptions.
The Organic Chemistry Tutor and LearnSATMath were the most reliable, straight-to-the-point, and easy-to-understand YouTubers who helped me learn Geometry, Algebra, and Statistics. The Organic Chemistry Tutor develops your understanding of topics and gives you core problem-solving knowledge. LearnSATMath helps students learn how to boost points using the built-in Desmos application and math tricks and tips.
I found The Real Deets, Penguin Test Prep, and Hayden Rhodes for English. Real Deets and Penguin Test Prep helped me with grammar, punctuation, and structure rules. Hayden Rhodes reviews the Bluebook Practice tests, explaining and breaking down each question, helping prepare people for SAT-specific questions.
Regardless of what you use to study, you need to use Bluebook’s Practice Test feature. The practice test mimics the SAT with the timed sections and similar concepts, this helps you get used to the environment during test day. It will take at least an hour or two to do the full-length practices, but it will help you during test day. Bluebook shows you an authentic preview of the SAT and questions that will be similar or even on the SAT.
CollegeBoard not only offers practice tests identical to the SAT but also offers an educator question bank. The educator question bank has questions and answers to topics and subjects that are present on the SAT. If you are having trouble with a specific portion of the SAT, you can look up similar questions and practice with them.
Another form of study, using SAT textbooks, is another solid but costly method. Ranked by the Chicago Tribune, which is based in a city with 80+ colleges, states that Kaplan Test Prep SAT Prep Plus 2023 is the best textbook while The Princeton Review SAT Premium Prep. 2023 is the “best bang for the buck.” While books are suitable for people who like to read and physically solve problems, research suggests that books do not boost scores according to the National Education Longitudinal Study.
SAT preparatory courses online or in person are currently the best study option. Before considering them, acknowledge that In-person courses can range around $800 - $3,600 while online courses can range around $100 - $2,800 according to PrepScholar. While courses may be pricey, they have been seen to “20- or 30-point jump in students’ scores” according to Slate.
If you are looking for a course that costs zero dollars, consider the CollegeBoard & Khan Academy free course, which has seen a 90 - 115 point increase according to EducationWeek. This course follows a Khan Academy-type structure such as videos, practice questions, unit tests, and other support structures for students.
After learning about these well-known studying methods, let's hear from some Maria Carrillo High School students who used and even tinkered with them to prepare for the SAT.
Having taken the SAT twice and achieving a score of 1520, senior Nathan Kiehl shared his insights on studying for the SAT. Kiehl felt confident in all subjects on the test and shared an excellent, fast-paced study method.
“I used Bluebook a couple of times, mainly glancing at the problems, but mainly just like looking at what type of questions they had on the test, and repeating the ones I’m bad at,” said Kiehl
Kiehl recommended being consistent, constantly reinforcing, and mastering the problems that you may struggle with.
“I would occasionally do Bluebook but when I needed something more specific I would just go to my Math textbook,” said Kiehl.
Lastly, Kiehl recommended an essential factor during the test, the timing, and mentioned something many overlook during testing. “Watch the timing,” exclaimed Kiehl.
In December 2023 at a testing center in Ukiah, California, Scarlett Armstrong scored 1470 on the SAT and shared how she scored.
“I just like to do many practice problems, and I just think that helped me. I used Khan Academy, but I also liked Bluebook, things straight from CollegeBoard,” said Armstrong.
She studied for an hour a week and found that Khan Academy, before the College Board collaboration, helped her the most.
After hearing from the seniors, let us hear a story from someone who has taken the SAT this school year. Junior Arav Patil took the SAT at Ukiah High School, an hour-and-a-half drive from Santa Rosa. Patil studied four hours a week for three months and scored 1540.
“I took four Bluebook tests and watched many YouTube videos, such as ‘Hardest English Question’ and 'Hardest Math Question,’” Patil said.
Looking back on his study, Patil recommended taking the Bluebook Practice Tests because they help you identify mistakes and learn how to correct them on test day. You can also focus on your weaknesses on the Practice tests.
“Do not worry too much about your final score but just keep a consistent time, don’t get freaked out about your practice test scores, they come back, and you have a chance to come back [around] and be consistent,” said Patil.
The path from scheduling your SAT to taking it is a long and strenuous journey. Yet, it develops your character. From building upon the math concept we struggled with to learning about standard English structures, the SAT brings out the best in us and the academic prowess of being a Puma.