How to Study for the SAT Without Studying

It’s summer. If you’re a rising Junior, chances are you’re feeling guilty for not signing up for a SAT test prep course.
I’m going to tell you why not to feel guilty.
Studying for the SAT involves more than just poring over cram books and sitting in a classroom listening to a SAT master (one who has scored over 90% on the SAT) lecture on secret test taking tips.
One Los Angeles private test prep tutor bragged to me that she can raise a student’s score by as much as 300 points.   But when pressed further, she admitted that the Math and Writing sections are much easier scores to raise with proper tutoring.
However, for that CR or Critical Reading score, it can be very difficult to nudge that number upwards. Especially if you’re doing the traditional prep courses, Princeton Review, Kaplan, your local place.
So how does the aspiring Ivy Leaguer raise their Critical Reading (CR) score?
By reading.  And not just Entertainment Weekly or People Magazine.
No, it pays to read the classics.
The College Board knows this because they have even gone to the trouble of creating a pretty good list:  101 Great Books for College Bound Readers.
So if you want to raise that Critical Reading score, open up the classics and get reading! Your vocabulary will be enhanced in ways you never could have imagined.  And it will be a lot more fun than sitting in a test prep classroom.
In the fall you can study for the math and writing portions the SAT.
Juliet Giglio
Educational Consultant in Syracuse, New York