10 Most Common SAT Mistakes

  1. PANICKING AND GIVING UP – Many students don't realize that this test is different from other tests you have taken in class; you can get a lot of answers wrong on this test and still get a good score.
  2. READING TOO SLOWLY – Students tend to take too long with the reading passages because they want to remember all the details. Not necessary!
  3. BEING AFRAID TO GUESS – Many students are afraid to guess if they are not 100% sure of their answers. The test, however, is designed to encourage aggressive, educated guessing.
  4. MAKING RANDOM GUESSES – There is absolutely no benefit to random guessing, and there are no answer “patterns” that are more common than others.
  5. NOT KNOWING THE TEST FORMAT – No student should be letting the clock tick away while reading test directions. Knowing the format beforehand saves valuable time!
  6. FAILING TO REVIEW MATH AND GRAMMAR – Many points have been lost because a math or grammar rule learned years ago was forgotten. Memories fade. Reviewing corrects that.
  7. SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON THE HARDEST PROBLEMS – You are not expected to know every answer! And there are no “bonus” points for the harder problems. Sometimes omitting an answer is the wise choice.
  8. NOT UNDERSTANDING ESSAY EXPECTATIONS – Style and providing supportive examples are very important; point of view, less so; spelling, hardly at all.
  9. TELLING YOURSELF YOU CAN'T DO IT – Students who lack confidence going into this test tend to be more nervous and are more likely to perform poorly.
  10. NOT UNDERSTANDING PACING – If you omit too many easy problems, you are probably rushing. If you omit too many at the end of the sections, you are probably going too slowly.