Hey Chargers! Because it’s the spring semester, it is officially SAT season! I took the SAT last year, and I just wanted to write a quick article with little tips and tricks for any juniors who may want or need them.

My first little bit of advice is to make sure not to freak out about the test too much. What’s great about the SAT is that you can take it as many times as you want, so it’s seriously not going to be the end of the world if you don’t get your desired score the first time. I was insanely sick and nervous when I took my first SAT in April, and I definitely didn’t do as well as I had hoped for. I spent the summer without worrying about it, and I took it again in August. I was able to get a score I was very happy with, which was above average for most colleges.

It’s also important to remember that the SAT isn’t really a huge factor in college decisions anymore. If you’re a terrible test taker, it’s definitely not as big of a deal as it used to be. Half of the colleges I applied to are test-optional, and a lot of my friends didn’t even submit their scores; however, test scores can definitely still be a big deal, especially if you’re planning to apply to a more competitive college. More competitive colleges as well as multiple southern schools definitely take the SAT into careful consideration before admitting students. One current senior shared her application experience with a competitive school: “They didn’t even take my high GPA into consideration and just disregarded my application only because of my SAT. This is especially true at Southern schools; Tennessee, for example.” It’s also super important when applying for scholarships.

On that note, I’m going to be sharing some strategies I used while taking the SAT, which improved my score substantially.

First, it’s extremely important to take advantage of all the classes that the school offers. If you’re a year or two ahead in math, these classes will definitely make a difference. Because most of the content on the SAT is about algebraic concepts, the classes and sessions that the school offers act as a great refresher on earlier math topics. The classes this year start on 3/26 during advise.

One thing that definitely raised my score from the first time I took it to the second was my use of earplugs. If you buy yourself a super-cheap pair of earplugs from your nearest Walgreens, they will truly make a world of difference. I don’t understand why earplugs are so popular or why a lot of students don’t take advantage of them; they’re genuinely so helpful. The first time I took the test, I didn’t use them, and I kept losing my place while reading the passages because I was so focused on all the noises around me. The second time, when I used the earplugs, I felt like I was in my own world, and it was beyond easy to focus on what I was reading. They allowed me to finish all my questions with time to spare.

It’s honestly also a great idea to look up little SAT questions on TikTok right before the test. There are a lot of little tips, tricks, and shortcuts that people on TikTok have found that work perfectly for specific types of math questions. If you play these in the background while you’re getting ready for the test, the information in the videos will be fresh in your mind, and if you see a question that they went over you’ll be able to finish it super quickly and efficiently.

Good luck on your tests! You all are going to kill it!