Prepare for the SAT with City Test Prep

A prerequisite of acceptance to a top undergraduate college or university is taking, and excelling, on the SAT. The SAT remains the most commonly accepted standardized test for admission to undergraduate studies at universities and colleges in the United States, however, the ACT is another test which is gaining popularity. Having high SAT or ACT test score gives you a distinct advantage and helps you gain admittance to the schools you’ve chosen.

First: Prepare for the PSAT with City Test Prep

Eager to go to college but worried about getting in to the schools of your choice? Going to college is exciting and also stressful as you transition from being a young adult to an adult while simultaneously taking on advanced level courses and discovering your career path and interests. The Preliminary SAT (PSAT) is also known as the NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) is a standardized test that is a strong indicator of your future performance on the SAT. It is administered by the College Board and sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in the United States. Performing well on the PSAT can enable you to win a National Merit Scholarship. Over 3.5 million students take the PSAT annually. While a practice test, the PSAT absolutely does help you prepare for the SAT.

The PSAT subsequent SAT tests high school knowledge and skills that you are expected to have in college. We can help you plan and practice for your PSAT test so you put your best foot forward and perform at your best on the PSAT, then extended over to the SAT.

At City Test Prep, we provide comprehensive PSAT and  SAT test prep online via live, one-on-one tutoring for our students and in person in select cities. Our tutors have excellent SAT scores in the top percentile and are experienced in teaching our students the intricacies, and full subjects, you need to master to score your best. Your tutor will work hands-on with you to ensure that you comprehend subject material, master essential skills, and are prepared to do your best. In addition, we help build your confidence, develop your optimal test-taking mindset, and gain inner resources (and tools) to excel on your SAT.

Second: Knock it out of the Park SAT Prep

The SAT tests high school knowledge and skills you are expected to have in college. A 3 hour, 50 minute exam, the SAT is administered 7-8 times a year by the College Board in paper format. You can take the test as many times as you want as most universities will only look at your highest score or the super-score, which is a combination of the highest sections. However, with longer sections in the new SAT test (as of 2016), how you pace and time yourself while taking the test is critical. We help you plan and practice for your test so time management, facility with the content, and your mindset catapault you to a great score.

We assist students taking the SAT for the first time as well as students who come to us for fine tuning help in raising their SAT scores, after another program or self-study. Statistically, students have greater score increases through one-to-one tutoring, such as what we offer. Our students consistently perform better and exceed their expectations.

Step 1. Evaluating your SAT Performance: Your Diagnostic Test
At City Test Prep, we encourage the first step in understanding your performance through evaluating a diagnostic test. Ideally, we’ll look at a test that you’ve taken (or will take) by the folks who make the SAT: The College Board.  This provides a no-pressure opportunity for you to take an “SAT test drive” to gauge your present skill level on the SAT, chart your strengths and weaknesses, and for us to understand not only ‘what’, but also “how’ you answer questions incorrectly. For many students, taking this SAT practice test may be the first exposure to the SAT. From this we create an action plan which accommodates your skill level, schedule, and test date.

Not sure if you’re taking the ACT or the SAT? We can help you make the best decision

Should I take the ACT or the SAT?

Which standardized test should I take? This is a common question among high school students before they apply to college. Choosing the standardized test that you take is very important and should be considered carefully. Select the exam that is best suited to your strengths.

Some key differences include:

– The SAT assesses reasoning ability while the ACT measures knowledge primarily.

• While both the SAT and ACT have a math section that require strong knowledge of geometry and algebra, the SAT includes “word” questions which asks you to demonstrate a creative understanding and application of geometry rules. The ACT is more knowledge-based and simpler. The ACT also includes basic trigonometry in the math section.
• The SAT places more value on reading comprehension and vocabulary than the ACT, which looks at primarily grammar and syntax.
• The ACT has a section on science that tests knowledge of biology, physics and earth science. The ACT requires understanding and interpreting graphs and charts, with the correct application of scientific hypotheses. There is no science section in the SAT.

An effective way to decide whether you should take the ACT or the SAT is to take practice exams for both under timed conditions and evaluate how you feel and how you perform. Once you complete both, compare your percentile scores. Most schools will accept both tests, so look up the schools you are applying to, and what scores are within the range of acceptance. Ultimately, choose the standardized test that demonstrates your strengths best and on which you feel the best when taking.

Considerate, Handpicked Tutors

After we diagnose your test results, we match you up with the right PSAT/SAT tutor from our team who will assist you in the specific areas you struggle with. Our tutors have on average 5 to 10 years of experience teaching the SAT as well as high SAT scores themselves. They know first-hand what is needed to excel at the SAT and are able to translate their own success into that of our students.  Our tutors are excellent communicators, considerate of your learning style, personality, and preferences.

Your Individual Game Plan

For each student, we create a personalized game plan that addresses areas you need help with and ensures you have mastery of core concepts. Your study is comprised of tutoring time, homework, and diagnostic test material to gauge your improvement. We also take inventory of how you ‘feel’ when taking high stakes tests. After all, tests don’t only measure how much you know, they also measure how well you take tests.

More on the SAT

The SAT is a 3 hour 50 minute exam and consists of five sections: Reading, Writing, Math (with calculator), Math (no calculator), and Essay (optional).

SAT Test Format

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 100 minutes
This section tests your ability to comprehend and analyze written material, your knowledge and understanding of standard English conventions, and your effectiveness in writing, convincingly, on a given topic.

Mathematics: 80 minutes
This section measures your ability to understand and calculate mathematics that you are taught at the high school level such as algebra, geometry, and problem-solving, The test extends further to measure your ability to solve advanced question types, as well.

Essay: 50 minutes (optional)
This section measures your ability to analyze a source statement or idea and to respond by writing a compelling, evidence-based essay.

New SAT Scoring Model

The new SAT (redesigned in March 2016) has a different scoring model from before.
This includes:
 Composite Scores ranging from 400 to 1600 (similar to the prior test) and is a combination of both area scores
 – Area Scores that range from 200 to 800 and test evidence-based reading and math scores
 – Test Scores that range from 10 to 40 and tell you how you performed on individual test sections for reading, writing & language and math
 – Essay Score that ranges from 6 to 24 and is scored in three categories (each category receives a score from 2 to 8) – reading, analysis and writing
 – Cross-Test Scores that ranges from 10 to 40, reflect your performance within context and span questions from different test sections and test your knowledge in science, history and social studies
 – SubScores that range from 1 to 15, tell you how you performed on specific questions or content and evaluate your knowledge of reading, writing and language and mathematics.

SAT Registration Dates

View SAT test dates, download SAT practice tests and SAT sample questions and review the College Board’s guidelines here. See Test Centers and SAT test dates and register here.