It is time to register (and to prepare) for the May and June SAT. The next test, March 13, deadline for registration is long past. There is a way that you may be able to take the test on March 13. Show up with the money, the completed registration form, and your testing supplies (pencils, calculator) on the day of the test. Just like airplane flight seats, test seats can become available for standby test-takers who are ready to go. There is no guarantee, but there is a strong possibility.
If you need to take the March 13 test because you want a preview before the later tests, and/or you need to get scores on the way with your applications to your colleges of choice, and/or you need to fill out a portfolio to apply for scholarships, you may be able to test on March 13. You will have no guarantee, but the trial run can still help you for the future test date, even if you don't get in. Finding out about where to go, how long it takes to get there on test day, where to park, and all the other information you will gather will all be useful when you do take the test. There is probably a testing location you can choose that is more likely to fit you in. Try a site with large facilities or one near several high schools and private schools.
Of course, if you are eligible for accommodations, you generally need to schedule in advance to arrange the accommodations. Standby status will not work in this instance unless you can get the arrangements cleared for the particular accommodations you need at the site. For example, need for wheelchair accessibility is not likely to block you from standby seats, if available; but your need for another type of accommodation could block your access to a standby seat if the appropriate accommodation is not available.
If you are scheduled to take the test on March 13 or if you are determined to try to take the test as a standby candidate, go to the http://www.collegeboard.com/ site daily for practice questions, tips, and complete instructions about what you can have with you on the test date. Print the pages with the checklists, and use them: If you did register ahead, you must have your ticket. Either way, you must have picture I.D. You need sharpened pencils (No. 2). You need a calculator. Know how to use yours! Carry extra batteries in your pack. Take water and snacks for breaks. Remember, if you are going standby, you have to print out the registration form, complete it, and prepare to pay. Consult the site for details.
Check the site for details daily. Practice the entire test on the site. Read the answers and explanations right away. Be sure to practice how to do the grid answers! Use the college board site and the Princeton Review books to know the style of the questions. Know the answers to the predictable questions. If you are taking the test on March 13, use the next few days to practice directly from the college board site.
Use the on-line practice test and review your scores. Be sure to practice filling in the answer grid questions for math. Be sure to practice the essay portion. If you will be taking the test after March 13, we will be practicing the grid questions and the essay, along with the rest of the study course for the SAT.
Now, for March 13, you need to know vocabulary words, style of SAT questions, predictable subjects of questions, pointers for essay, how to answer on the grid, and how to pace and manage the test booklet and answer sheet. Just use the practice tests and questions for the day, daily, and come to http://www.coolrocketschool.org/ and http://www.coolrocketschool.com/.
Come back to the site after the test, too, to decide if you want to use some strategies to take the test again in May or June to improve scores. None of this practice is wasted. All of this will come up again. Reasoning is habit-forming.
