SAT: Self-Preparation or Institute?

The Scholarship Aptitude Test (SAT), organized by the College Board, is a foundational stone in college application for Undergraduate Studies, especially in the United States. For many, the SAT could be a differentiating factor between a successful admission cycle and an unsuccessful one. Moreover, several universities offer scholarships to incoming undergraduate freshman based on their SAT scores.

How does an SAT look like?

An SAT test, now digital, comprises questions from English and Mathematics. In a nutshell, it is divided into two sections: English Based Reading and Writing (abbreviated as EBRW) and Mathematics. Each section is worth 800 points, making the test worth 1600 points.

How to prepare for the SAT?

Let us delve into this question section-wise.

English Based Reading and Writing (EBRW)

For international students who are not native English speakers, this section could be challenging. In everyday communication, these students often believe in "go with the option that sounds the best." However, in academia, these are specific grammar rules that guide the uses of various parts of speech.

Here is one mistake I made before preparing for the SAT:

• I am a boy and I love cooking.
• This statement, which seems correct, is grammatically incorrect. It is a compound sentence joined by a coordinate conjunction: and. When two complete sentences are joined together, we must use a comma before and.
• I am a boy, and I love cooking. This is the grammatically correct statement.

Hence, one needs to go thoroughly through these grammar rules. For this, one can follow any of the several available resources:

• Erica Meltzer's Digital SAT
• Princeton Review's Practice Tests

Mathematics

For Asian students, Mathematics is a relatively easier section. Questions in the SAT are from Mathematics of lower secondary level. The freedom to use calculators and the provision for the DESMOS Graphing Calculator in the Digital SAT make this section even easier.

I suggest the test takers practice Mathematics through Khan Academy. Its resources will be more than enough for Asian students. A specifically challenging sub-section of Mathematics is Problem Solving and Data Analysis.

Self-Preparation or Joining Institute?

When this question arises, I say, it depends on several factors: one's dedication level, prior experience in self-learning, and willingness to succeed.

Let us hear from SAT successors before we give a final verdict.

Aayan Shah, 1550

"I would say the math portion of the SAT is considerably easier than the English. The only tricky thing is the fact that we are not accustomed to word problems, which are common in the Sat. In the reading section, it's necessary to be a fast reader. Practicing and reading a lot of materials is essential. So I think if one's willing to work by themselves, there's absolutely no point in going to the institutes."

Atith Adhikari, 1530 (superscore)

"Being an Asian and mastering the school mathematics allowed me to get higher points in Mathematics. For the English section, I referenced Erica Meltzer's guide and practiced questions from Collegeboard's SAT Question Bank."

Avignya Gautam, 1510

"I prepared for the SAT by myself with the help of online resources and books. The Khan Academy Digital SAT section was very useful for mathematics-related questions. As for English, reading every word of the book - "The Complete Guide to SAT" by Erica L. Meltzer - comprehensively was enough for me."

The Verdict

It depends. The testimonies that you read are of students who were disciplined, motivated, and guided. They needed directions, which they obtained via self-preparation using digital resources or by joining institutes. What mattered the most was their devotion to preparing for the SAT.