College Board’s assessments such as the SAT and PSAT/NMSQT play a critical role in preparing students for the transition to university and shaping their undergraduate application to colleges in the U.S. and many other parts of the world.
Today, many students are comfortable using web-based resources to prepare for standardized tests. The College Board provides many free as well as inexpensive online resources to help students prepare for our different assessments.
For SAT practice, students should visit http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/ and explore the different practice tools available online, such as those listed below:
- Question of the Day – Students can practice a new question every day, which they can receive by email by subscribing. Questions for the past 30 days are also available on the website. Students can see how many students have answered the question, and the percentage of correct answers.
- Full Practice Test – Students can print the test or take it online. A Scoring Guide is available for easy reference.
- Free Practice Questions – Available on the website for every SAT section.
- Answers Imagined – Using this tool, students can see useful tips about using a creative approach to handle tough SAT questions.
- Skills InsightTM – A free tool to help students identify the types of skills that are tested on the SAT with sample test questions so that students can do their best. The way it works is that students select a section of the SAT they want to focus on, and select a score band where their current score is (if they haven’t taken the test, they should start from the lowest score band). Then they select a skill group, and look at the types of skills tested in each score band. Students can answer the sample questions and understand the meaning of each skill in a score band. Reviewing the bands below and above can help recognize differences between them.
- The Official SAT Online Course has 18 interactive lessons with multimedia content to create an engaging learning environment. Students get access to 10 complete practice tests, several practice questions, and detailed explanations for correct/incorrect answers to all questions. Students receive detailed personalized feedback on all practice tests and quizzes, and can practice for the SAT essay by responding to essay questions and getting back immediate, computer-generated scores. The Online Course is priced at $69.95 (discounts available on combination purchases).
- Khan Academy Tutorials – The College Board has partnered with the Khan Academy to provide free practice resources to students across the world. The website has video tutorials, practice questions and tips to help students prepare for the SAT.
The SAT is being redesigned, and the new SAT will be administered for the first time in India in May 2016. In order to help students prepare for the Redesigned SAT and provide complete clarity on what the changes entail, the College Board has partnered with Khan Academy. On the Khan Academy website, students will be able to access a high quality SAT prep course, for free, anywhere, and anytime.
Besides the SAT, the College Board also provides high quality test preparation resources for the PSAT/NMSQT. The PSAT/NMSQT of October 2015 is being redesigned to mirror the changes of the SAT that is changing in May 2016. The free SAT prep resources on the Khan Academy website can be used to prepare for the PSAT/NMSQT as well, due to the SAT’s close alignment with the PSAT/NMSQT. Additionally, free practice questions and a practice test for PSAT/NMSQT can be accessed at: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat-suite-assessments/practice/practice-tests.
The biggest advantage of using online resources, is that students can pace themselves and learn at a speed they are comfortable with. We encourage students to use the high quality resources made available to them by the College Board and our partners at Khan Academy.
