You’ve spent months preparing for this – the SAT. You’ve studied hard, quizzed yourself and taken practice exams and you finally feel prepared. In order to gain the most from your hard work, you’ll want to make sure to stay on track, focused and prepared when the actual test day comes.
Before your test day arrives make sure you are familiar with exactly what test you are taking. This should be a no-brainer, but you don’t want any chance for confusion, so make sure you know whether you’re taking the SAT or an SAT subject test. You also want to make sure you are familiar with the location where your test will be administered. If the test is not taking place at your high school, consider scoping out the test area. The last thing you want is to get lost on the morning of the test and never even making it.
When the morning of your test arrives, you’ll want to make sure you’re up and awake early and with plenty of time before your test. Of course you want to get a good, restful night of sleep, but plan your morning so you’ll have a nice relaxing chunk of time before you leave. If you don’t give yourself enough time in the morning, running late will certainly cause you unwanted stress. Use your time in the morning to eat a healthy and filling breakfast. In order to keep your mind sharp and focused, you’ll want to avoid any distractions – and hunger can be a big distraction. While you’re eating breakfast you can even read the newspaper or something similar to get your mind warmed up. If you feel like you need to do some practice math problems as well, you can take the time to do so now.
Before you leave the house make sure you have all the supplies you’ll need for the test. You can even set these out the night before so they’ll be ready and waiting for you.
What to bring to the SAT:
- Your admission ticket
- A valid photo ID
- No. 2 pencils
- Soft erasers
- Calculator – Graphing or scientific calculators are preferred. Four-function calculators are permitted but not recommended.
Some items that are not necessary, but may be helpful include:
- A watch – Just make sure it does not have an audible alarm.
- A backup calculator or batterie
- A bag or backpack
- Snacks and drinks – These can only be consumed during your breaks.
While there are several important items you must bring with you in order to take the SAT, there are also several items that are not permitted and can get you rejected from the test if you bring or use them improperly.
Do not bring the following to your test:
- Cell phones – Even if your cell phone were to make noise during the test, you could be in hot water.
- Laptops, PDAs, iPods, iPads or timers
- Cameras of any kind
- Recording equipment or any electronic devices with the ability to record sound
Any electronic devices that are found during the test that are not turned off and put away completely can be confiscated and it will not bode well for you. The best way to ensure these items do not cause a problem is to leave them at home if possible.
Once you are ready to take the test, make sure you listen carefully to the instructions given by the person administering your test. If you are at all unclear on anything or want to clarify any of the rules make sure you ask questions at this time. It will be better to clear up any confusion now than to keep quiet and let it affect your test scores.
Most importantly, remember to relax. The SAT is important and you should take it seriously, but if you’ve spent your time preparing and studying wisely, you should be fine. Have confidence in yourself and faith that your hard work will pay off.
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