How to Take a Practice Test

SAT Math · Axiom Academy

Best practices for simulating real SAT conditions and getting accurate results from your practice tests. Setting Up Your Practice Test Environment Find a quiet room where you won't be interrupted for 3 hours Turn off your phone or put it in another room Close all browser tabs and applications except your timer Let family/roommates know you're taking a timed test Module 1: 35 minutes for 22 questions Module 2: 35 minutes for 22 questions (after a short break) Use a physical timer or online stopwatch (not your phone alarm) Stop immediately when time is up—don't answer "just one more" Pencil or pen (blue or black ink for computer-based SAT) Calculator (graphing calculator is allowed) You have about 95 seconds per question on average Don't spend more than 2-3 minutes on any single question on first pass Mark questions you're unsure about and come back if time permits Try to answer every question—you don't lose points for wrong answers Read carefully: Circle key words and re-read the question Show your work: Even on a computer-based test, write on your scratch paper Double-check setup: Before solving, make sure you understand what's being asked Avoid common mistakes: Unit conversions, negative signs, order of operations Score your test using the answer key Note which questions you got wrong (careless vs. conceptual errors) Don't immediately look at solutions—try to understand why you missed each one first Error Analysis (Most Important!)

This is the written version of the interactive lesson above. See the full SAT Math course.