SAT Myth 1: Some SAT test dates are easier than others

Unfortunately for many, there is not an SAT test date in which you will find the exam easier than another test date. Although the College Board creates a different exam for each date, they do so in a way so that the exams will be in the same level of difficulty. According to the College Board:

"Raw scores are placed on the College Board scale of 200 to 800 through a process that adjusts scores through a process that adjusts scores to account for minor differences in difficulty among different versions of the test. This process, known as equating, is performed so that a student's reported score is not affected by the version of the test taken or by the abilities of the group with whom the student takes the test...scores earned by students at different times can be compared"

Also remember that some colleges allow you to pick what scored you want to send to them. So if you scored better on the Math section in the January exam than in the June exam, you can send the January exam score for the math section.

SAT Myth 2: Everything will be fresh in your mind during the exam if you review the day before

I briefly discussed this in a previous post (see: SAT Success? This Is What I Did), and I decided to write about it again because the amount of people who think this is astonishing. A good rest is crucial for a good performance during the exam! A recent study by University of California, Los Angeles, showed that "teens who stay up late at night cramming are more likely to have academic problems the following day-- doing poorly on the test they studied for" (read more here). Get at least 8 hours of sleep the day before of the exam. I would also recommend a stable sleep routine the week of the exam, so that way the day before the exam, you won’t have a hard time falling asleep.

SAT Myth 3: Don’t study for the first time you take the SAT exam. Use it as a practice test.

“If you begin to accumulate too many test scores, we believe that colleges will begin to lean toward averaging out your performance; wondering why you had focused so much energy on testing instead of coursework or your activities; and figuring that your "real" scores are somewhere between your highest and lowest results.”

What this means is that if the first time you took the SAT you didn’t study at all, then you probably didn’t get the score you need to get in to the colleges of your choice. Thus, if on the second try you realize that your top college wants a higher Critical Reading score, then you would have to take the exam a third time, and let’s face it: taking the SAT three times is not fun at all.