How to Prepare for the SAT -- By: Alan Chim, Pacific Steelers

The Scholastic Aptitude Test or SAT is a standardized test used to measure a students mathematical and verbal abilities. Your score on this test will generally determine which colleges and universities will accept you (see

The SAT is scored on a scale of 1600.  As a general rule of thumb, a score of 900 or better puts you in range of the less academically competitive colleges.  A score of 1100 or more puts you in range for admissions for the majority of colleges with division 1 programs, and a score of 1250 puts in great shape for even the most academically competitive schools.

Players aspiring to play Division 1 hockey should try and score as high as they can on the SAT to maximize their options.

The good news is that with some studying and hard work, a player can boost her score.  I personally know of players who were able to boost their scores from 1100 to over 1300.

There are companies such as Kaplan and Sylvan Learning Centres that offer pre courses for the SAT. However, the courses are quite expensive, and I believe you can achieve similar results by studying on your own, if you are discplined and work through the following books:

Cracking the SAT (2001 Edition) -- Princeton Review

10 Real SATs - The College Board

If you are planning to apply to an Ivy League school, you will also want to prepare for the SAT II.  The SAT II are tests in specific subject areas. In general, colleges will require you to take a Math SAT II, a English SAT II, and then another SAT II of your choice. The following books are useful for the SAT II preparation.

Real SAT II Subject Tests - The College Board

How to Prepare for the SAT II: Math Level IC

How to Prepare for the SAT II: Writing