The Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, is unavoidable for teens hoping to get into college. It is a very important test with a lot of information involved. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that test day has to be a dreaded day. With the right preparation, the SAT isn't nearly as hard as it seems, and there are many ways to prepare. Teens have probably already heard about traditional ways to study such as practice tests, word lists, and study guides, but there are other, more overlooked ways to prepare as well. So, how else can a teenager study for the SAT? Believe it or not, a lot of studying opportunities arise within resources and media that teens use every day.
Web Videos
Video sharing websites such as YouTube gain thousands, sometimes millions, of videos every day. While many of them are filled with simply silly things, many of them can be quite insightful, some in seriousness, some under the guise of silliness. Going to a big video sharing site and typing in queries such as "SAT vocabulary" or "SAT math" brings up all sorts of videos on SAT subjects.
A great place to start for scholastic videos is SchoolTube. This site comprises entertaining videos created by students and teachers on all subjects, not just English and math. This makes it a great tool to use for not only the SAT, but any major test a student might need to study for.
Music
When Far East Movement's 2010 hit "Like a G6" was released for radio play, one of the top searches on Google was "what is a G6?" Many people were searching for a definition – so why can't the same be done for SAT-worthy words found in songs? There are numerous songs, old and new, containing words that just might be found on the SAT. If a word is heard that isn't comprehended, a search on a search engine can easily remedy this. This should be taken advantage of.
There have also been songs written specifically for SAT study. For example, David Mendelsohn, Michael Moshan, and Michael Shapiro released Rock the SAT, a book that comes with a CD of 13 likable and catchy rock songs containing SAT words. These are not jingles; these are real songs in a music style that teens will enjoy. The book contains a very funny study guide to solidify the existence of the SAT words in one's brain.
Magazines
Reading words in context is one of the most important ways to build an SAT-worthy vocabulary. However, when most teens think of reading for the SAT, they think of reading dry, 900-page books. This is not always the case – in fact, it quite often isn't. Lighter books work as well, but for teens that have a strict aversion to reading books, magazines are a second option. Magazines such as Seventeen and Teen Vogue share not only fashion and makeup tips, but stories. Often, a noteworthy word or two will appear in each of these stories, despite these magazines' reputation for being "light reads."
The traditional ways of studying certainly work and are certainly important. But for a generation of non-traditional beings, these methods just might open even more doors.
Sources
- Mendelsohn, David, Michael Moshan, and Michael Shapiro. Rock the SAT. McGraw-Hill, 2006. ISBN 0-07-146903-6.
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