Exam tips for the SATs

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 47 percent of high school graduates took the SATs during the 2009-2010 school year. Not only does success on this exam increase your chances of being accepted into college, but it can open up great scholarship opportunities to pay for the rising cost of tuition. However, earning a good score on the SATs is no cakewalk - it involves as much strategy as it does knowledge. Here are three exam tips for taking the SATs.

Process of elimination
Chances are, you'll encounter many questions on the SAT that have you completely stumped at first. However, the multiple choice format of the exam means you can often arrive at the right answer simply by process of elimination. Consider each lettered choice as the correct answer and see if it fits the model - if not, cross it off your list until you find the right or closest answer.

Timed response
Success on the SATs requires knowing how to effectively manage and track your time. For each question, don't spend more than a minute or two considering the correct answer, or you may not have enough time left to complete the rest of the exam. If you don't have a response in this window of opportunity, move on to the next question. You won't lose points for not answering a problem - just try not to let blank answers pile up.

Easy questions first
In order to complete as much of the exam as possible, try to do most of the easy questions first, while leaving the more difficult ones for later. There's no reason you have to answer each problem in sequence - mark challenging ones so you can revisit them later.

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