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SAT Preparation Tips 2025: Last-minute Tips & Tricks To Get 1500+ score

• Updated on 20 Aug, 2025 by Santana Banerjee

SAT Preparation Tips 2025: Effective SAT preparation starts with regular practice and the right resources. Besides, candidates must take full-length SAT Practice Tests online to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Using trusted study materials such as Barron's SAT Study Guide, College Board's Official SAT Study Guide, and Princeton Review SAT Premium Prep can help candidates strengthen their knowledge. Apart from these, joining online prep courses and SAT discussion groups on platforms like Reddit or Quora can help candidates know about the tips and tricks to crack the SAT Exam 2025. Thus, with consistent effort, achieving a score of 1300 or above is absolutely within the reach of candidates.

 

Table of Contents
  1. SAT Preparation Tips 2025: Common Strategies
  2. Last-minute SAT Tips
  3. Section-wise Digital SAT Tips and Tricks
  4. Best Books For SAT Preparation
  5. SAT Preparation Tips 2025 FAQs

 

SAT Preparation Tips 2025: Common Strategies

A good SAT score shows candidates' readiness to begin their undergraduate studies abroad. The following are a few SAT tips for them to help improve their scores:

  • Review the test pattern and structure: Candidates will have 134 minutes and 98 questions on the SAT Exam. They must cover topics such as Comprehension, vocabulary, analysis, reasoning, making connections between texts, text revision, and grammar from the Reading & Writing section. Additionally, from the Maths section, they must practice Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, problem-solving, and data analysis.
  • Take full-length practice tests: To identify areas of strength and weakness, candidates should begin by taking a free online practice test. Later on, they should focus on improving the weak areas and take full-length practice tests every day to track their progress.
  • Review mistakes: Always take time to review mistakes and note what went wrong. Knowing that can help candidates avoid similar errors on the day of the SAT.
  • Use the SAT study materials: Students can use the SAT study materials to get a detailed description of the testing format, pacing techniques, weekly study guides, and several practice exams.
  • Sign in to the SAT preparation course: Applicants can sign in to SAT preparation courses online to get structured feedback and support.
  • Join SAT discussion Group: Joining discussion groups at Reddit and Quora can help candidates learn SAT tips and tricks from the successful journeys of past students.
  • Spend time reading passages: Candidates must spend time reading harder passages to understand the basic idea or context of the paragraphs.
  • Access study materials from Khan Academy: Students are encouraged to use the SAT study materials from Khan Academy to enhance their preparation journey.
  • Select the correct order for attempting questions: Maintain a proper chronology of answering questions while solving SAT Practice tests. This improves speed and precision.
  • Identify punctuation marks: Refer to grammar books to identify punctuation marks correctly.
  • Practice inferring charts and graphics correctly: Practice connecting the right sentences with the correct graphic to interpret the data correctly.

Also Read: SAT Syllabus 2025

 

Last-minute SAT Tips

SAT preparation typically takes 3-6 months. If candidates are short on time, they do not need to worry. Here are some powerful last-minute tips to help them ace the exam:

  • Before moving to another practice test, candidates must review the past tests to identify their mistakes.
  • Practice reading passages and try to annotate the basic idea from each paragraph. This will help candidates to answer the questions more easily.
  • Candidates must focus more on what a passage says than what it implies.
  • For literature-based questions, students should focus on character relationships and why each character acts the way they do.
  • Candidates can refer to Erica Meltzer's complete SAT grammar rules to understand the basics of punctuation, verb tenses, possession, and other key concepts.
  • For the Maths section, practice problems, rinse and repeat.
  • Try to solve the no-calculation section in about 15 minutes and the calculation section in 40-45 minutes.
  • When the SAT is just days away, doing 2-3 revisions every day is a must.

Also Read: SAT Exam Pattern 2025

 

Section-wise Digital SAT Tips and Tricks

Section-wise focus is crucial for acing the Digital SAT. Each section demands a different approach to preparation. For example, for the Reading & Writing section, candidates must practice reading passages, improving grammar, and vocabulary skills. Accordingly, for the Maths section, candidates must focus on calculation-based tasks and their time management. Refer to the following to know more about the Tips & tricks.

 

Digital SAT Preparation Tips for Reading and Writing Section

To achieve a perfect 800, candidates should focus on building strong reading comprehension and grammar skills. Understanding of grammar rules, sentence structure, and punctuation are some crucial parts for acing this section. Let’s check some tips below to get a perfect score in this area:

  • Practice chunk reading to improve reading and comprehension skills.
  • Try to understand the main idea, tone, and author's intent from a passage.
  • Read newspapers and magazines on a daily basis.
  • Make use of flashcards for better recall of the learned concepts and ideas.
  • Learn helpful strategies to prepare for adaptive testing from the Bluebook.
  • Practice test breakdowns from Khan Academy materials.
  • Take the test at the College Board's official website at three levels: Foundations, Medium, and Advanced.

 

Digital SAT Preparation Tips for the Maths Section

For the Maths section, candidates must learn how to use the on-screen calculator efficiently. Accordingly, they must work on identifying question patterns and avoid spending too much time on one calculation. Here are some ways to improve the SAT Maths section:

  • Use the built-in Desmos graphing calculator to run calculations quickly.
  • Take a full-length practice test in Bluebook.
  • Answer questions using Official Digital SAT Prep on Khan Academy.
  • Use the Skills InsightTM tool to practice different types of questions.

 

Best Books For SAT Preparation

Besides the official SAT resources, candidates who prefer self-study can also refer to some of the best SAT Exam Books 2025 listed below:

Sections

Names of SAT Exam Books

Reading & Writing

  • The Complete Guide to SAT Reading, 4th Edition
  • Princeton Review: Reading and Writing Workout for the SAT
  • The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar, 5th Edition
  • New SAT Reading Practice Book
  • SAT Reading: History Passages
  • Barron's SAT Reading Workbook
  • SAT Reading Course Books

Mathematics

  • Dr Steve Warner's 500 New SAT Math Problems
  • PWN The SAT: Math Guide, 5th Edition
  • SAT Math Prep by Test Prep Books
  • Princeton Review: Math Workout for the SAT
  • 1600 SAT Math Orange Book
  • Kaplan: SAT Math Prep

 

SAT Preparation Tips 2025 FAQs

How to prepare for the SAT Exam 2025?

To prepare for the SAT Exam 2025, candidates must use the SAT official resources from the College Board account, take full-length practice tests, join discussion forums and improve vocabulary.

What is a perfect SAT score in 2025?

The total SAT Score is 1600, in which each section carries 800 marks. So, the perfect SAT Score in 2025 is 1600, but if a candidate aims to score between 1300 and 1500, he/she can still get into top colleges like MIT, Harvard, Princeton and Stanford.

What are some test-taking tips for the SAT Exam 2025?

Practising specific questions, setting a target score, understanding the question types and solving official SAT practice tests with Khan Academy are some useful test-taking tips for the SAT Exam 2025.

What is the best SAT prep book for 2025?

Barron's SAT Study Guide, College Board's Official SAT Study Guide and Princeton Review SAT Premium Prep are some useful books to prepare well for the SAT Exam 2025.

What is the best time to start SAT prep?

Typically, students plan to take the SAT Exam during their junior year of high school because the SAT Exam syllabus is based on 11th and 12th-grade course curricula. Most importantly, the SAT Exam allows candidates to enrol in undergraduate programs. Hence, starting preparation from the 11th grade is the best time for aspirants.

What is the SAT Syllabus 2025?

The SAT syllabus comprises two main sections: Reading and Writing, and Maths. The Reading and Writing section focuses on reading comprehension, grammar, and writing skills, while the Math section includes the concepts from algebra, problem-solving, data analysis, and geometry.

How much time is enough for SAT preparation?

Candidates should begin preparing for the test at least 3-6 months in advance to ensure they cover all topics from the Reading, Writing, and Maths sections.

How many questions can I get wrong to get a 1400 on the SAT?

To score 1400, candidates need to get 700 in Maths and 700 in Reading and writing sections. Broken down by section, candidates can get seven wrong in Math for a 700 and eight wrong in Reading and Writing for a 700.

What SAT score is required for MIT?

Based on the previous years' cutoff range of MIT, it can be noted that candidates must aim to score 1550 or above to stay ahead of the competition.

How are the SAT Practice Tests useful for getting a good score?

Candidates can find a printable PDF of the full-length, non-adaptive practice test on the official website of the College Board. These practice tests help students track their progress by explaining why the correct answer choice is the best option and why the incorrect ones are not.