Millions of high school students take the SAT every year, and needless to say, it is definitely one of the make or break standardized exams that a high school student can take. Getting the highest possible score in the SAT can be a big boost to your college applications, which is why it's only imperative for you to be equipped and be strategic when taking this test.
Chris Ryan, a former Harvard University student and now a Vice President of Manhattan Prep, shares helpful tips to Business Insider on how to get a perfect score on the SAT as he himself was able to ace the exam.
His first interesting advice was actually taken from the lyrics in a British punk rock song.
"It's like the old Clash song 'Should I Stay or Should I Go,'" Ryan told Business Insider, which means that you have to reflect if you have to stick to the same question that's taking a lot of your time, or if you should move on.
When taking the test, you should already know your strengths and weaknesses and use this knowledge to determine whether it is worth it to spend more time answering a specific question. Ryan practiced this by using a stop watch which he set to 30 seconds. He used the30 second interval to go through different set of questions to exercise his ability to determine which questions come easy and which ones are a bit difficult.
He emphasized that students should not hesitate to skip the questions that they think are very difficult, because it will only eat up their time.
He also advised students to bring beverages like Gatorade or Powerade during the test day. "Your brain undergoes something called 'decision fatigue' after you make a bunch of decisions in a row," Ryan said.
Lastly, he stressed on the most important step of the SAT test preparation.
"Get a good night sleep," he said. "There's just no substitute for that."
