5658 SAT2006[01](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:41 PM Page 12 How Do I Motivate Myself to Study? Obviously, you don’t have unlimited time to spend preparing for the SAT. How can you maximize the study time you do have? The first rule to remember is: How you study is as important as how much time you spend studying. To study effectively, you need to focus all your attention on the material. Your attitude must be: At this moment, in this place, this is the most important thing to me. Phone calls are less important right now. TV shows are less important. My social life is less important. I’m studying for the SAT. I’m preparing for my successful future. Visualize Your Future What does your future hold? To a large extent, the decisions you are making right now will determine the answer to that question. Take a minute to think about what you want. Maybe the future seems a little hazy to you. That’s okay. You don’t need to have your entire life planned out yet. But some part of you most likely knows what you want out of college, so focus on that for the moment. Let’s start with choosing a school. What kind of campus do you want to be on? Large? Small? What are the other students like? What subjects are you looking forward to studying? CHAPTER SAT Study Skills and Strategies 2 13 5658 SAT2006[02](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:41 PM Page 13 Form a visual image of yourself on a college cam- pus. If you have a dream college, practice seeing your- self there. Visualizations like this are a powerful tool. They motivate you to work toward your dreams, and that helps make your dreams your reality. Okay, you know where you want to be, at least in a general sense. Keep that vision in your mind and use it whenever you are tempted to neglect your study plan. It can be hard to stick to a study plan. There are always other things you’d rather be doing—you may encounter obstacles, feel overwhelmed at times with the size of the task, or experience anxiety about your chances for suc- cess. These are all common problems, and you can over- come them. This book will show you how. How to Study The key to success in this endeavor, as in so many aspects of life, is to take things one step at a time. Break this giant task down into manageable pieces. Your first step toward successful studying is to map out your study plan. First, decide what skills you need to improve upon. You may want to take a practice test to help you assess your strengths and weaknesses. Then, write down each type of question and how well you scored on it. Now you can prioritize your study time. Remember, though, no matter what you score, you will get better with practice. You practice learning to drive a car, to play soccer, or to play an instrument; and as you prac- tice, you get better. Taking the SAT is no different. The Schedule Next, take a look at how much time you have between now and the test date. Get out your calendar and decide what time is available to you for studying. Your life may be pretty busy now, but there’s bound to be some time you spend on less productive activities (like watch- ing TV) that you could use to make your college dreams come true. Make a commitment to yourself, and then keep it. One way you can help yourself stay motivated to study is to set up a system of rewards. For example, if you keep your commitment to study for an hour in the afternoon, you get to watch your favorite television show. If you stay on track all week, you get to go out Saturday afternoon. This is a game you play with your- self, so you only win if you play by the rules. As with Solitaire, it’s not a lot of fun if you cheat. And anyway, remember that the ultimate way to win is to excel on the SAT and attend one of your top-choice colleges. Your Learning Style Another way to make studying easier for yourself is to know how you learn best. Are you a visual learner, an auditory learner, a kinesthetic learner, or some combi- nation of the three? A visual learner likes to read and is often a good speller. Often, she finds it hard to follow oral instruc- tions, or even to listen, unless there’s something inter- esting to watch, too. When a visual learner studies, she can make good use of graphic organizers such as charts and graphs. Flash cards will appeal to her and help her learn, espe- cially if she uses colored markers. It will help her form images as she learns a word or concept. An auditory learner, by contrast, likes oral direc- tions. He may find written materials confusing or bor- ing. He often talks to himself, and he may even whisper aloud when he reads. He likes being read aloud to. An auditory learner will want to say things aloud as he studies. He could even make tapes for himself and listen to them later. Oral repetition is an important study tool for him. Making up rhymes or other oral mnemonic devices will help, and he may like to listen to music as he works. A kinesthetic learner likes to stay on the move. She finds it difficult to sit still for a long time and will often tap her foot and wave her hands around while speaking. She learns best by doing rather than by observing. A kinesthetic learner may want to walk around as she practices what she’s learning. Using her body helps –SAT STUDY SKILLS AND STRATEGIES– 14 5658 SAT2006[02](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:41 PM Page 14 Visual Learner ➧ form images in your mind ➧ use color codes ➧ use flash cards Auditory Learner ➧ say things out loud ➧ record tapes for yourself ➧ explain things to others Kinesthetic Learner ➧ write information down ➧ walk or move around as you study ➧ act it out 15 her remember things. Taking notes is an important way of reinforcing knowledge for the kinesthetic learner, as is making flash cards. It is important to note that many people learn in a mixture of styles, although they may have a distinct preference for one style over the others. Setting So far, you’ve gathered information. You know what you need to learn. You’ve thought about techniques to help you absorb what you’re learning. Now it’s time to think about where you’re going to study and what kinds of things will enhance your learning experience. You know that to do your best work, especially when you’re studying, you need to be focused, alert, and calm. Your undivided attention must be on the task at hand. That means you have to set up your study time and place with a lot of forethought. The first thing you can do is ask yourself: where, when, and how? 1. Where do I like to work? Where do I feel com- fortable and free from distractions? Find a comfortable, convenient space where you can focus on studying for the SAT without inter- ruptions or distractions. 2. What time of day is best for me to study? When am I at my most alert and focused? Are there potential conflicts with other duties that need to be worked out with family members? If you can, it’s a good idea to set a regular study time and make the people around you aware of your study schedule. You can expect more sup- port for your efforts if you let family members and friends know you are working to achieve a goal and that you need to stay focused. And, be sure to let them know you appreciate their sup- port when you receive it! There is one weekly time slot that is the very best time to prepare for the SAT, especially in the weeks leading up to the test. That time is Saturday morning. Why do you think that is? Because Saturday morning is the time you will take the actual exam. If you practice taking the test and work on improving your test-taking skills on Saturday mornings, your mind and your body will be ready to operate at peak efficiency when you really need them. 3. How do I study best? What kind of study atmosphere works best for me? Each person is different when it comes to study habits: Some people need quiet to concentrate, while others like listening to music; some people enjoy snacking when they study, while others find that food slows them down. Is there any- What’s Your Learning Style? 5658 SAT2006[02](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:41 PM Page 15 thing—a picture of your first-choice college, maybe—that will help motivate you to study for the exam? Consider these questions when setting up a place and time to prepare for the SAT. There are no set rules for studying, as long as it is pro- ductive for you. Now that you have a good idea where you will study and what kind of environment you want to create for yourself and you’ve developed some ideas for how to motivate yourself and keep yourself on track, it’s time to learn some more specific study strategies. Study Strategies This book will give you a solid foundation of knowl- edge about the SAT. As mentioned previously, you may also want to get a few good vocabulary building books, such as LearningExpress’s Vocabulary & Spelling Success in 20 Minutes a Day and 1001 Vocabulary and Spelling Questions; some math review books, such as Practical Math Success in 20 Minutes a Day, SAT Math Essentials, and 1001 Math Questions; and writing guides like Write Better Essays in Just 20 Minutes a Day and SAT Writing Essentials. You may also want to consult the College Board’s The Official SAT Study Guide, which is the only source that contains actual SAT questions. You will also want to gather some other study tools and use them for your SAT preparations: ■ a good dictionary, such as Webster’s 11th Edition ■ a notebook or legal pad dedicated to your SAT work ■ pencils (and a pencil sharpener) or pens ■ a highlighter, or several in different colors ■ index or other note cards ■ paper clips or sticky note pads for marking pages ■ a calendar or personal digital assistant Gather Information You’re already working on this step. For updates about the SAT, you can go to your high school guidance office or online to www.collegeboard.com. Using these sources, you can be sure to find out where and when the exam is being offered, as well as how much it will cost. To sign up to take the SAT, you can: 1. Register online at the College Board’s website, www.collegeboard.com. This site also provides several other college-related services. 2. Get the SAT Registration Bulletin from your high school guidance office. The Bulletin contains a registration form and other important informa- tion about the exam. 3. Call 1-609-771-7600 to speak with a customer service representative from the College Board. Of course, you also need to find out what kinds of questions you will encounter on the exam. You already know a bit about the kinds of questions on the SAT, and Chapters 3, 4, and 5 will talk about the questions in detail and give you more study tips and strategies for answering them correctly. You can also obtain printed materials from your high school or www.college- board.com. Seek out that information right away— you will need it as you set up your study plan. Create a Study Plan You have thought about how, where, and when you will study. You’ve collected your tools and gathered essen- tial information. Now you are ready to create your per- sonal study plan. Here are the steps: 1. If you have not done so already, take a practice test. You can use the questions in Chapters 3–5 of this book or take one of the tests in the College Board’s The Official SAT Study Guide. To create an effective study plan, you need to have a good sense of exactly what you need to study. –SAT STUDY SKILLS AND STRATEGIES– 16 5658 SAT2006[02](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:41 PM Page 16 Steps to Successful Studying 1. Take a practice test. 2. Analyze your results. 3. List your strengths and weaknesses. 4. Determine your time frame. 5. Prioritize your study plan. 6. Study! 17 2. Analyze your practice test results. No matter what your results are, don’t worry about them. Just look at each question as you score it, and for each incorrect answer, ask yourself the following questions: a. Was there something I needed to know that I didn’t know? If so, write down the skill needed for that question. Make a list of the skills you need to learn and devote extra time to study- ing them. b. Did I misunderstand the question? The good news is that, with practice, you will become much better at understanding the SAT’s ques- tion style. c. Did I make a careless mistake on the question? Careless mistakes include transference errors (marking the wrong bubble on the answer sheet) and simple misreading, such as mistak- ing one word or number for another. If you are making careless mistakes, you need to work on focusing. Again, this gets easier with practice. 3. Make a list of your strengths and weakness. Use your analysis of why you missed the questions you missed. Now you know what specific math and verbal skills you need to work on, and you know what test-taking skills you need to improve. 4. Determine your time frame. Decide how much time you can devote each day and each week to your SAT preparation. Be realistic about how much time you have available—life will go on, with all its other demands. Once you know how much time you have, estimate how long you have to work on each specific task you have set for yourself. You may find it useful to break down the three exam sections by question type. You may have to prioritize your work in various areas, depending on how much time you have to pre- pare and in which subjects you can most improve your score. 5. Prioritize your study plan. “Learn everything by April 1” is not a useful plan. The first priority on your study plan should be to go through this book thoroughly so you can absorb the study tips and strategies for the exam. Then, set up a realis- tic study schedule based on the amount of time you have left before the exam. Rather than trying to study everything at once, practice one or two subjects or question types at a time. Break It Down Many people get discouraged when a task seems too big. It seems like they will never reach the end. That’s why it’s a good idea to break down all big undertakings, like this one, into smaller, more manageable bits. Set small goals for yourself, for example, “This week, I will work on mastering sentence completions.” Sentence completions is a much more manageable task than “pre- pare for the SAT,” even though it moves you in exactly that direction. Establish positive momentum and maintain it, one step at a time. 5658 SAT2006[02](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:41 PM Page 17 . prepare for the SAT, especially in the weeks leading up to the test. That time is Saturday morning. Why do you think that is? Because Saturday morning is the time you will take the actual exam. If. people enjoy snacking when they study, while others find that food slows them down. Is there any- What’s Your Learning Style? 56 58 SAT2 006[02](fin).qx 11/21/ 05 6:41 PM Page 15 thing—a picture of. practices what she’s learning. Using her body helps SAT STUDY SKILLS AND STRATEGIES– 14 56 58 SAT2 006[02](fin).qx 11/21/ 05 6:41 PM Page 14 Visual Learner ➧ form images in your mind ➧ use color codes ➧