SAT. The three-letter word every high school student dreads. What does it mean? How does it benefit us? Do we need to take it? What is so important about it?

SAT stands for Scholastic Assessment Test. It is very important because it provides the opportunity for you to connect to scholarship opportunities and learn more about your academic strengths. SAT scores are among the factors considered in college admission. It tests the reading, writing and math skills that you learn in school and that are critical for success in college and beyond.

It is time to get back into study mode, as the first SAT is almost upon us. The first one will take place at the Out-of-Door Academy campus on Saturday, October 5. Sign up soon because open spots are going fast.  It is open for all grades but is mostly directed towards juniors and seniors.

The number one thing you can do is try and be prepared for the test. There are numerous ways of preparing such as by taking the PSAT. The PSAT, the main practice method for the SAT, is also used by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation to identify top students. The students with the best scores nationwide are designated as National Merit Scholars, a title that opens many doors for college admissions and scholarships. Ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders will take the PSAT on October 16^th.

To provide advice about testing, Ms. Evans, ODA Academic Dean and SAT tutor, said, “I tell every student I work with that the best thing to do is really learn vocabulary. Not just memorize it for a quiz and spit it out but learn it and commit to it and use it your daily lives because if you know words you will be able to comprehend what your read. If you know words, you are going to find reading more enjoyable. You will read more, and you will recognize good writing. If students simply studied their vocabulary and learned words, they would see themselves improving just naturally. I have seen it happen over the years with students I have tutored.”

There are other methods to preparing such using the online resource, Shmoop. Shmoop is an online website that provides homework help, studying resources, and test prep. Some of you may remember last year’s enthusiasm some students had for racking up “Shmoints” on the “Leaderboards” as they correctly answered PSAT practice questions. It is both fun to compete against your classmates and learn at the same time.

This year ODA has renewed its subscription with Shmoop to give students another tool to use in preparing for test day. For more information see Ms. Giraud. She can help you with setting up your account.

Practice is key to increasing your score for the SAT. Do not put off this task.  It’s better to start earlier than later.