Why do most people worry about the SAT so much? Well, for starters, they hear all the same strategies from the big test prep companies that end up giving you the same Act score calculator  average score everybody gets. When you use these methods, you'll never do very well.
One common piece of advice is that you should guess if you can eliminate one or more answer choices. That doesn't work though, because it depends on random guessing - which no one does - and it counts on the test-taker not accidentally eliminating the correct answer, which happens all the time.

A new element of the test that has a lot of students worried is the SAT essay. Usually they get at least an hour to create an essay that makes an intelligent point with logical supports about literature or history. But that won't help you much on the SAT - the best way to go is to crank out a mechanical, 5-paragraph, 2-page essay that is clear, direct, and boring.

Students frequently feel like reading comprehension is impossible. After all, in high school you are expected to read into passages to find messages that the author never states directly. How can you be expected to interpret the passage correctly when there are so many different ways to do it? The answer is easy: don't interpret anything. Answer the questions in the most literal way possible, and you'll get a high score.

And don't memorize vocabulary when you prepare for the SAT. You could work with a list of thousands of words and only come across a handful. That's a huge waste of time. Instead, learn how to recognize word roots, then spend the rest of your time learning reliable strategies you can use on the rest of the test.

The SAT doesn't have to be so difficult or stressful as long as you take the time to learn the best way to prepare for it. Just don't get caught up in the bad SAT advice from the big companies, and instead search for the sources that offer intuitive, efficient SAT prep that works on real SAT question from the College Board.

John Tutor has been a private SAT tutor for more than a decade. Act score calculator  He has developed his own unique approach toward the SAT which focuses on strategy and standards, not memorization or formulas. His goal is to teach students everywhere how to beat the College Board at its own game and get the highest SAT score possible with a minimum of time invested.