SAT Test Day is Almost Here. Now What?!

April 27th, 2010 by Kate Hedman Share

The May SAT is nearly upon us, and some of my students recently asked me why they’ve heard

that the SAT takes about five hours when the College Board states that it’s only three hours and

fifty minutes long. That question, as well as the fact that the test is this weekend, made me think

that I should share some last minute tips and information with you.

First of all, the SAT really is a three hour and fifty minute test. The College Board doesn’t

sneakily add time to it or anything. But they do give you three five-minute breaks. So there’s an

additional fifteen minutes. They also ask that you arrive about an hour early, or by 7:45am.

You’ll get checked in and get an assigned seat, and the test center doors close at 8:15. No

students are admitted after that, so BE ON TIME! Basically, it’s the test plus all that extra stuff

that adds up to about five hours of being at the test site.

During the breaks, you will be allowed to eat and drink, so it’s a good idea to bring snacks and

drinks with you. One snack that helps you improve your test scores is chocolate, which is good

news for anyone out there who loves the stuff. Supposedly, it’s the flavinoids that make the

difference, so if you don’t like chocolate, have some tea, which may have a similar effect.

In the last couple of days before the SAT, do a little bit of sat prep studying, and double check

the College Board Checklist to make sure you have everything you’ll need. The night before the

test, put out your clothes and supplies for test day and get some good sleep. You want to be

organized and well rested so that you can focus and do your best. On test day, eat a good

breakfast, get to your test site early, and remember to focus on doing your personal best. Good

luck!

Tags: SAT Prep, SAT Test, SAT Test Day

Kate Hedman, MSEd, has been helping students succeed on the SAT for seven years. She has

been a verbal teacher with ESC for six years, and taught high school English for three years. She

loves reading about new advances in brain research that she can use in the classroom to help her

students learn how to achieve higher scores on the SAT.

This entry was posted by Kate Hedman on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 10:59 am and is filed under SAT Prep

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