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TPS - SAT Tips
The purpose of this page is to provide you with a range of advice and tips that are provided among the more credible websites and YouTube videos. AS well, I will give a couple textbooks that seem to be the best. Beyond what I give, it is important to use your own searches for sources. You can be overloaded so keep the list manageable.
This site has been updated to reflect the new SAT, formerly referred to as dSAT that was introduced in March 2023 and is now the standard SAT test.
As well, I will post a new tip every week and archive them on my SAT blog.
This site has been updated to reflect the new SAT, formerly referred to as dSAT that was introduced in March 2023 and is now the standard SAT test.
As well, I will post a new tip every week and archive them on my SAT blog.
Free SAT Websites and Blogs
There are a number of good SAT websites that seem to give credible information and give you a lot of detail on the test itself. Make sure you are getting information on the dSAT, launched in MArch 2023, which is now the standard SAT
For free apple itunes Apps, I would recommend the Official Sat Question of the Day, (Collegeboard app) and Sat-up
There are, of course a lot more so if you do a google search on "Best SAT Websites" you can see a whole lot more. The ones I have mentioned are just my opinion. I would recommend you to exhaust the free ones before paying any website because in test prep the adage "you get what you pay for" does not hold very well, quite honestly in many cases.
- The first one is the SAT official site with its separate sites for practice in reading and writing tips and is by Collegeboard, the same organization that runs the tests, so it is reliable. I like it especially for its study plan . Its disadvantage is that it is a huge site, which could be thought of as a disadvantage but you tend to get information overload and it is not so easy to navigate.
- The second is still part of the official site but specific for [practice tests in the dSAT called SAT Suite. This is where you get the Blue Book download link of practice tests
- The Third is by Princeton Review . This is a fairly established tutor site (since 1981). It has a really detailed menu but remains quite simple to navigate and gives you all kinds of information including a good comparison between ACT and SAT and it does not require registration or passwords but does want you to enter a zip code (just key in any fake one). The only disadvantage is that about half of the sites are designed to get you to register for one of their tutorial programs but what they do offer for free is solid.
- A fourth one is called 4tests . It doesn't give a lot of advice but it gives the easiest to use practice exams and that alone makes it worth bookmarking.
- My fifth selection I would recommend is called About.com Testprep . There is a Test prep expert who has put together a good website with both good tips and practice.
- A great source for advice and practice tests is the Khan Academy which is now the official source for SAT prep. I especially like their 13 unit prep course, free of charge, that takes the test through the different question types
- An excellent blog for reading is one that is called The Critical Reader. There is a focus on reading but it is just loaded with great advice and provides guidance in areas the other ones do not.
- Blueprep has a free full length practice test and it is quite similar to the official ones
- This next one, called Free Rice is primarily designed for vocabulary building and has levels from 1-60. It is actually a charity and when you get an answer correct you donate rice to the hungry. Although not necessarily specific to SAT, it helps it and you feel as if you are doing something worthwhile beyond just getting a better SAT score. Start with the hardest levels and work your way down but do not be surprised of you get them all wrong at the highest levels.
- Finally, check out ThoughtCo site on things to do before SAT - use this site to develop a checklist.
For free apple itunes Apps, I would recommend the Official Sat Question of the Day, (Collegeboard app) and Sat-up
There are, of course a lot more so if you do a google search on "Best SAT Websites" you can see a whole lot more. The ones I have mentioned are just my opinion. I would recommend you to exhaust the free ones before paying any website because in test prep the adage "you get what you pay for" does not hold very well, quite honestly in many cases.
SAT YouTube Videos
YouTube is full of SAT advice but the quality of many of them is questionable and a lot of them will just tell you things that really anyone could, and that you already know. They may give earth shattering titles but really only give motherly advice like "be confident" and "get lots of sleep". Since you are not paying anything, it is worthwhile to look at a variety of them and see what is common. Don't be put off that they are eventually advertisements for their services. We are all trying to make a living! On the other hand, do look at the dates they are posted because they may be featuring the old exam. It should be no older than 2023.
- The most trustworthy is the famous Khan Activity. It has 43 videos on the reading writing section and they are all on the dSAT
- It doesn't hurt to take whatever advice of Settele Tutoring with his dSAT YouTube videos. These are videos from an actual tutor and they are specifically on the dSAT exam
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Textbooks
- Obviously the first source to go to would be the Blue Book download link put out by official SAT dSAT called SAT Suite. This is where you get the most realistic practice exams.
- Also, you can get the official Practice book by Collegeboard (2024 edition) and although it is a huge book to go through, it is a valuable source since it has 7 practice tests. It might be a bit cheaper to get the earlier version of the dSAT
- Barrons is another reliable and comprehensive book, albeit like the Collegeboard book, thoroughly boring! It is not meant to excite you but it is well worth reading through.
- Princeton has a textbook for the dSAT book for the 2026 that gives 3 practice tests - not enough but for those desperate for more that does give some extra practice. But if you find this pricey, get the earlier 2025 version that still covers the dSAT
TPS SAT Tips for Reading & Writing
I have divided up the SAT advice into different types of questions. I do not distinguish reading questions from writing questions because in the new dSAT, questions are merged, although their placement is often in predictable areas of the tests. Instead the two categories are Reading Content Questions and Reading Structural & Form Questions. The percentage reference is my estimation of how frequently they occur in the test as a percentage of questions in the reading and writing. Practice questions will follow each tip and you will be redirected to my blog by the link at the end of the tips.
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For these types of reading content questions click here
Central idea/ purpose/ structure (10%) Vocabulary, (15%) Information (3%) Logical Text Completion (8%) Function of Underline (3%) Linking Quote to claims (3%) Linking Article Claim to Findings (3%) Linking Data to claims (5%) |
For these types of structural reading questions click here
Synthesis (1%) Notes to Summary (12%) Grammar (30%) Linker Transitions (in underlined text) (7%”) |