SAT Test Time Management Tips

Class Location: The Internet.

Description: This course is designed to help you learn about the SAT Math Test.

Objective: Learn the structure of the SAT Math test, as well as tips and strategies.

Performing well on the SATs requires you to master a number of skills in addition to knowing the actual information on the test. One of these skills is managing your time within each section so you can answer as many questions as possible. Several tips can help your time-management abilities during the test.

• Keep track of your time. You must remember to look at the time during the test. You should always know how much time you have left. Work on developing this habit during practice tests. Watching the time during practice tests will also help you pace yourself and develop an innate sense of what 10 or 20 minutes feels like. You may not always be able to see a clock during the actual test, so bring your own non-beeping watch or timer. As you start each section, write down what time that section will end so you can constantly refer to it to know how much time remains.

• Make smart use of your test time. The SAT purposely makes you work under pressure. Don't waste that precious time by having to read instructions. The instructions for each test section are pretty standard. Familiarize yourself with the instructions before the test so you can get right to the meat of it when time counts.

• Pace yourself. Practice enough so that you know how long you should spend on each question. Don't rush through questions just so you can finish, but don’t spend too much time on a single question and run out of time for the rest. Practice will help you find the happy medium between the two.

• Skip questions if you must. All the test questions count the same amount toward your score, so you don't benefit by spending more time on the harder questions. The hardest questions usually come at the end of each section and are designed so that only 10 percent of the test-takers answer them correctly. Don't spend more than 20 seconds on a multiple-choice question if you can't eliminate even one of the answer choices. But be sure to read the question thoroughly. A question that's confusing at first glance may be easier than it seems if you read it carefully.

• Keep track of the questions you skipped. Put some kind of mark next to them so you can go back to them if you have time left over at the end.

• Don't spend the same amount of time on every question. Except in the critical reading section, questions go from easiest to hardest. Plan to move through the earlier questions more quickly so that you have enough time for the harder questions. Practice will give you a better sense of the best way to allocate your time on the various degrees of difficulty to maximize your score.

• Use all of your allotted time. If you’re finished before time is up, go back and see if you can make an educated guess at the questions you skipped. Also double-check your answers on the easy questions to make sure you didn't make a silly mistake or misread something.