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SAT Test Prep Tips for Teens

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Don’t stress out when it’s time for your kid to take the SAT.  Save these SAT test prep tips for teens and help them prepare to succeed.

I have a freshman in high school and he just took the PSAT this fall.  Where has the time gone? I feel like I just was working with him on how to study.

My son’s school offers the PSAT every year to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, and we just got his results back this week! 

With him being a freshman, I really didn’t make him study or prepare for the test.  We looked through the booklet together and we read how it works. I made him take the shortest math portion so he could get a feel for what kind of questions it asked.

Don't stress out when it's time for your kid to take the SAT. Save these SAT test prep tips for teens and help them prepare to succeed.

If your child is like my son, they feel college is way off.  Most jobs will require more than a high school diploma, so I made him narrow the long list of schools to some he actually may be interested in attending.  He may not need a 4-year degree, but he’ll definitely need some sort of additional training and/or certificates.

Most of the schools he chose were public universities here in North Carolina, like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or Appalachian State in Boone.  I’ve encouraged him to think of those schools first because tuition is reasonably priced.

Don't stress out when it's time for your kid to take the SAT. Save these SAT test prep tips for teens and help them prepare to succeed.

The last thing I want him to have his a ton of student debt after college.  We are saving for college, but there is no way my husband and I will be able to afford the full tuition for all three of our kids. 

Since I’ve been researching all this, I’ve been learning so much about the North Carolina public universities and the constitutional mandate in article IX, section 9.


Sec. 9.  Benefits of public institutions of higher education.

The General Assembly shall provide that the benefits of The University of North Carolina and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense.


Don't stress out when it's time for your kid to take the SAT. Save these SAT test prep tips for teens and help them prepare to succeed.

State funding for state schools is what helps keep the tuition down.

Higher Ed Works is a great resource that educates people on why state funding for these universities and community colleges is so important.

I’m sure you have been hearing on the news about the rise of college tuition and the growth of student debt.  Yes, that’s all true, but higher education is still worth it.

Everyone that wants to attend college should be able to attend.  Tuition rates shouldn’t hold anyone back.

Don't stress out when it's time for your kid to take the SAT. Save these SAT test prep tips for teens and help them prepare to succeed.

Here are some simple tips to share with your teen.

SAT Test Prep Tips for Teens

  • Plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time to study.  Start studying in advance. Don’t wait a week before the test.  This won’t help much. Summer is a great time to set some time aside every day to study.
  • When you get a practice question wrong, understand why it’s wrong.  Learn the correct answer.
  • It’s easy to keep doing the same kinds of questions that come easy to you.  Do the hard ones! Work on the section that you have trouble with.
  • Know math formulas and grammar rules going into the test.
Don't stress out when it's time for your kid to take the SAT. Save these SAT test prep tips for teens and help them prepare to succeed.
  • Find a good study guide (a book or on the Internet).  There are some good apps for your phone you can use when you have a few minutes to spare.  Use that time wisely.
  • When you study, read the questions carefully and completely.
  • Find a study partner.  It makes things fun if you have a friend. 
  • DO take a full practice test or tests.
  • If you go in prepared, you will be relaxed and do better.

Good luck to your teen!