sattDescribe how you felt going into your first SAT exam.

I was in the middle of my year 12 exams so I was a little distracted but knew I was booked in a month later for a second attempt. I wanted to go into the exam relaxed and prepared to understand the process, get comfortable with the format, but still try my best.

Describe the setup of the day.

Make sure you are familiar with the venue.  If you are not, make sure you get there earlier enough so you find where the exam is.  The exams are held on Saturday mornings (early) so there are not many people around to ask for directions.

Can you provide some advice for any prospects that haven’t taken the test and are planning to?

Be prepared!

Take your enrollment form, some ID, make sure your calculator is charged and you have pencils & a sharpener.  Also, do some practice exams and be prepared for a long morning.

Oh, and take some snacks and drinks.

What will you take into the exam come this Saturday that you probably didn’t when you took it for the first time?

A bag with my phone and personal belongings.  I did not realise I could take these into the exam and could store them at the back of the room.  The SAT instructions I received said not to bring phones.

Do you feel more prepared this time around now knowing what to expect?

Yes, much.  It also helps to have my other exams out of the way (and schoolies) and to have had some practice exams to work through over the past few days.

Would you recommend other prospects taking it more than once? If so, describe why.

Yes.  The best thing about the SAT is the ability to use your best score in each of the three categories, reading, writing and math.  So I would recommend taking the exam as many times as possible to help boost a prospects score and help open up more opportunities.