The Best Ways to Use Online SAT Practice Exams
The Complete List of Places to Find Digital SAT Practice Exams
The College Board declared in 2022 that the SAT would soon be given online. International students started taking the SAT in its new digital format in March 2023, while U.S. students started taking it in March 2024. Pencil-and-paper tests will no longer be available following the transfer.
Many test-takers are pleased about the change, but how will the new format affect your test preparation? One tactic is obvious: ensure you’re taking the appropriate practice tests if you intend to take the digital SAT. To help you be ready for the online version of the test, let’s take a close look at digital SAT practice exams. Masterclass Space offers Online Digital SAT Course in Houston.
The Value of Online SAT Practice Exams
Complete practice exams that closely resemble real test-taking circumstances are an essential part of any standardized test preparation. This will assist you in familiarizing yourself with the format and surroundings of the test. You will have less anxiety on test day if you are more at ease with these circumstances.
Additionally, you will be able to anticipate your result more accurately if you take high-quality practice exams. Additionally, you’ll have a better idea of the areas you should focus on during test preparation to enhance your performance.
Therefore, taking genuine digital SAT practice exams is the ideal option if you intend to take the digital SAT. After that, you can get acquainted with the kinds of questions that will be asked in the two test portions (one is for reading and writing, and the other is for math), as well as how much time you will need to spend on each area. Additionally, as you progress through the Math part, you can become familiar with Desmos, the onscreen graphing calculator, and get a sense of how the SAT adjusts to your unique skill level.
Where to Get SAT Tests Online
Digital practice exams that mimic the most recent iteration of the examination are what you’ll want to take, you know. However, which practice tests will best prepare you for the new digital SAT?
Bluebook is your first stop.
The full-length practice tests available on Bluebook, the College Board’s online testing platform, are the closest thing you can get to taking the real SAT. As you get ready for the new digital format, the four practice tests that are provided give you an idea of the format, scoring, and interface of the online test. The Bluebook practice SATs are even better—they’re free!
Apart from comprehensive tests, Bluebook provides sneak peeks at specific SAT questions. As you experiment with the new digital interface and learn what types of reading prompts and math problems to anticipate, even these can be helpful. Masterclass Space is a Digital SAT Preparation in Dallas (DFW metro).
You might need to get permission before downloading Bluebook on a campus device in order to finish practice tests if you don’t have a device at home and must take the SAT and its practice exams on a tablet or laptop that your school provides. If you want assistance, contact the official exam administrator at your school.
You can still prepare by downloading Bluebook to any device you have available in the interim, whether it’s a device in the school computer lab, a public computer (like the one at your local library), or a device you’re borrowing from the College Board because you won’t have access to a tablet or laptop on test day. Once more, before downloading the program on a device you don’t own, you might need to get permission.
The PSAT Digital
In the fall of 2023, the College Board started making the PSAT available digitally. The format of the digital PSAT is like that of the digital SAT. Therefore, you have previously experienced the interface by taking the PSAT the year before, if you are a junior taking the SAT in the spring of 2024.
If you want to get the most out of your preparation, try taking the digital PSAT practice tests offered by Masterclass Space and going over the courses and explanations before attempting the digital SAT practice tests.
Additional Useful Online SAT Prep
The easiest way to get used to the new SAT’s digital format is to take full-length practice exams. However, you can add less thorough practice from both official and informal sources to your preparation.
SAT Practice Exams in Digital Format with Modifications
On the digital SAT, you will be granted the same or more accommodations if you are permitted to use them on paper standardized tests. The new model may eliminate the need for some adjustments.
You may utilize a screen reader for the digital SAT, for instance, if you are permitted to have a human reader for tests that are taken on paper and pencil. You can use Bluebook’s Zoom capability on test day if you use exam forms with huge print. Also, you will be granted comparable accommodation on the digital SAT if you are granted extended time or any type of breaks (such as extra or extended breaks).
If you are authorized to use assistive technology (AT) on the SAT, such as screen readers, you should use these same programs to finish your digital SAT practice exams to prepare for the new SAT format with accommodations. Before the big day, make sure your AT apps are functioning correctly. If you find that any unique setups are required, make the necessary adjustments.
The same commands you use to explore the Web when using AT will be used to navigate the digital test interface. Before opening Bluebook or any other platform you use to take practice exams, make sure your AT software or device is turned on. You might need to think about an alternative if you use web-based AT or browser extensions, as these might not function correctly during practice or real digital SAT exams.
How to Utilize Online SAT Practice Exams
You must now know how to use official digital SAT practice tests effectively after learning where to find them.
Complete the Initial Practice Exam
To familiarize yourself with the format and questions, you should first take a full-length test. Take the digital practice test in a well-lit, peaceful environment to replicate test-taking circumstances. To simulate the real SAT experience, stay focused and follow the time constraints for each module.
Assess Your Weaknesses and Strengths
After that, evaluate your scores to identify your areas of strength and weakness. Make a note of the areas in which you perform well and those in which you struggle (for example, whether you are better at math or reading and writing), but also pay special attention to the specific question types where you performed well or where you need to improve (for example, whether you require more assistance with argumentation than with syntax or algebra than with geometry).
Because Bluebook and the College Board are collaborators, you can utilize both of these resources to determine which questions you’ll need to study for in order to perform better. Prior to using your College Board login credentials to access Bluebook, you must first register for a free College Board account. You may then check your results on each section and module by logging into the College Board website after finishing a Bluebook practice exam. This will help you choose which areas you should concentrate on as you continue your SAT preparation.
Review the test questions and responses.
After completing your first digital SAT practice test and identifying your areas of weakness, go over the questions you missed and those you weren’t sure about in detail. To have a better understanding of how to answer that kind of question, read through the explanations of the answers.
Bluebook and Masterclass Space can be used together to examine your wrong responses. Enter your College Board username and password to access your Masterclass Space account. Then, before test day, use Masterclass Space Official SAT Practice to practice questions, read articles, and watch videos that will help you improve in the areas where you need to improve the most.
Take One More Practice Exam
Take another digital SAT practice exam once you’ve practiced the parts and skills that initially confused you. Try to replicate the test-taking atmosphere as you worked through the first one. After that, repeat the previous procedures, noting your progress and whether you need to use your test-prep materials to gain more tactics and ideas for answering each kind of question.
Don’t take too many practice exams at once.
You should see that you’re getting better each time you go through this process again. However, you should invest some time and energy into studying between practice exams. Therefore, don’t try to fit all of your practice exams into one week or even one month; instead, take your time.
Rather, consider how many practice exams are available to you. After that, reserve two of the batches and space them out equally before the date of your actual digital SAT test. You can then take the remaining two tests a little closer to each other as the test administration date draws near. This will help you prepare for the test day.
Think About Purchasing Digital SAT Prep
You might choose to look for professional assistance if you’re not making the desired progress when studying independently and completing your first practice exams. If you can afford it, you can take a test-prep program or hire an SAT tutor to gain more practice and learn more test-taking techniques.
How Much Time Should You Spend Preparing for the Digital SAT?
“How long does it take to improve an ACT or SAT score?” is a question that every student, parent, and school official asks us. When you ask this obviously general question to anyone else, the typical response you’ll hear is “experts say about 10-20 hours.”
However, what does that mean and who are these experts? Can every American youngster just go to Masterclass Space, browse for ten to twenty hours, and somehow outperform the 99 percent of people who were unaware of this statistic? Definitely not. Your time frame for raising your Digital SAT or ACT score will differ based on several important factors:
What is your score right now?
To what extent does your present score differ from your desired score?
Counting the number of questions you need to correctly answer after completing a diagnostic practice exam is the simplest method to estimate how much time you will need to study. Nevertheless, using our 20 years of experience and aggregate student data analysis, we calculate:
For every seven hours of focused study time, the average student can anticipate an increase in SAT scores of 40 points.
The caliber of your studies matters. Those seven hours cannot be spent idly staring at a talking head on a screen. Rather, you must consistently work through actual practice questions under timed situations to put what you have learned into practice. Because the SAT is a timed exam, you must not only be able to answer the questions correctly but also have the speed to do it.
Furthermore, timing is also key to your calendar. The less time you spend preparing for the SAT, the closer you should be to the test. If you’re only going to spend 7 hours to get a 40-point improvement, make sure you do that, cramming all in the 1 or 2 weeks before you take the SAT. If you have more time to prepare, like 20 hours, spread that time over a couple of months, and you’re less likely to quickly forget everything.
The SAT Study Time Recommendation: It’s Math and Logic
An average student who already scored in the 50th percentile (about a 1050 on the SAT) will gain roughly 10 extra points for each right response. In roughly 45 to an hour, you may likely review a question you missed, figure out what went wrong, and review the fundamental English or math topic that was assessed.
You will need to spend approximately 1.75 hours to acquire 10 points if you multiply those 45 minutes by an hour per question by the two questions you must answer. Both figures can be multiplied by four to convert the hour metric into a pleasant, whole number. We conclude that to receive 40 points on the test, you need to spend 7 hours.
Anticipated Enhancement from Typical SAT Prep Course Structures
Let’s examine some typical study situations using the suggested 7-hour study period for a 40-point score improvement:
One day of in-class “boot camp” equals seven hours of preparation for a forty-point increase.
For a gain of 80–100 points, a two-month prep course is equivalent to 8 weeks or 16 hours.
20 weeks or 40 hours for five months of private tutoring equals about 250 points.
Boot Camp. An outside provider will be hired by many schools to conduct a one-day, about seven-hour “boot camp” in the classroom. According to our calculations, actively enrolling in the boot camp is expected to result in a 40-point improvement. This boot camp should be finished no more than two weeks before the SAT for optimal outcomes.
Two-Month Course for Prep. It’s possible that your school can devote a few more resources to SAT preparation. To assist you in getting ready for the SAT, they might arrange a teacher-led prep course with two one-hour sessions every week. You may increase by more than 80 points in these 16 hours.
Tutoring in private. Students in Houston, the home of Masterclass Space, who can engage SAT tutors, typically begin studying in November in preparation for their April exam date. During these 5 months, the student will study for approximately 2 hours per week, and after 40 hours, they should see an improvement of about 250 points.
Reduced Gains if Your SAT Scores Are Already High
It becomes a little unclear how much studying you’ll need to do to achieve an even higher score if you’re lucky enough to already be in the top 10%. There is also, of course, a diminishing rate of return; for example, you could need to spend 10 or 12 hours studying to go from a 1350 to 1400.
You’ve already taken advantage of all the low-hanging fruit, which is the main cause of this additional effort. For instance, you already know how to use a comma and that you must respond to all test questions.
The hardest questions on the Digital SAT’s hard module are the extra questions you must successfully answer in each section to advance from the top 10% to the top 1%, and answering them correctly is more complicated than relearning how to calculate a line’s slope. Instead, you must determine a line’s slope and complete five more steps that incorporate four other math concepts, possibly including something you haven’t learned yet, and are nearly certainly asked in a way you haven’t seen before.
Additionally, you may be unable to achieve that flawless score due to non-academic issues. Perhaps you almost got into a car accident on the way to school, or perhaps the testing room is too cold. Perhaps your testing neighbor grinds their teeth and unintentionally distracts you. Perhaps you have a lash in your eye. These minor details could easily cost you a few accurate questions that are difficult to prepare for. Therefore, if you receive 1550 rather than a flawless 1600, don’t worry.
You may and should, however, study for the SAT; regardless of where you start, you will raise your score. Since time is your most limited resource, get started as soon as you complete reading this post!
How to Get Ready for the SAT Online
You are prepared to begin studying for the Digital SAT now that you know how much time you need to set aside for it. If you haven’t taken a SAT practice test yet, you should do so right now. By obtaining a baseline score, you may better understand your existing skills and make plans to reach your target score. Masterclass Space eLearning software replicates the advantages of private coaching; if you want to improve your SAT score by 250 points without having to pay for 40 hours of private tutoring, Masterclass Space can assist!
While the Digital SAT Course is being developed, Masterclass Space is now posting 12 Digital SAT practice exams, which are free to take! The full-length Masterclass Space Digital SAT examinations include 54 reading and writing questions and 54 math problems distributed across several adaptive modules, just like the actual Digital SAT.
No phone number or credit card is needed.
Both full-length and flexible
Free of charge until March 2024
