If you’re planning on taking the SAT, congratulations! You’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’re going to offer you one of the most valuable resources in your test prep arsenal: a free SAT practice test with 154 SAT practice questions–just like the real SAT.
If you were planning on taking the SAT but thought you’d do it without practicing (or at least, without any full-length SAT practice tests), think about the life of a YouTube makeup vlogger. Do you think she’s going to show the world the first time she tries to do a flared, 1960s-style line with liquid eyeliner? Or a Hollywood red lip?
Definitely not. As anyone who’s tried either one of those knows, it takes a lot of practice to not end up looking like a hot mess. But once you practice them, those can end up being signature looks.
See where I’m going with this? It’s time to master the SAT to the extent that you’d be proud to post a YouTube video of you taking the test for the whole world to see (though I’d adjust your expectations about audience size…).
Convinced? Awesome. Wondering where to find full-length practice tests? Read on for tons of advice on the best resources, plus Magoosh’s SAT Practice Test PDF!
There’s a treasure trove of information here, so we’ve broken it down for you!
If you’re totally new to the test prep game, or you’ve been here a while, but you’re not convinced that a 3-4 hour test session is in your best interests…let’s talk.
To maximize your score on the SAT, you’ll need three things:
And despite what a lot of students believe, those last two aren’t interchangeable!
Lessons are super valuable for reviewing content that you might not have seen for a while—or ever. Practice questions are great for making sure you’ve mastered (and continue to remember) the lesson content.
Learn it, practice it…why the third step?
Well, first of all, the official SAT won’t have an “algebra” problem set or a “geometry” problem set. It’ll have all kinds of problems mixed together within the three sections. So doing 10 triangle problems in a row won’t prepare you for the experience of thinking about triangles, transitioning to number properties, going over to some functions…etc. And it definitely doesn’t prepare you for hopping from Reading to Writing and Language to Math over the course of several hours!
Speaking of several hours, those 10 triangle problems probably took you less than half an hour to complete. That’s a big difference from test day, when you’ll be in front of the exam for at least three hours (more if you’re taking the essay). Not only do you need to mentally prepare for that experience, but you also need to physically prepare for it. You need to know when your breaks are, when you get hungry, when you need to go to the bathroom…and how to stay alert and focused for that long on a Saturday morning!
Jumping at the chance to take your first (or next) practice test? Great! Because we’re about to take a look at Magoosh’s latest awesome resource…the SAT Practice Test PDF!
We’re so excited to give you access to this full-length printable SAT practice test. Our experts have spent days crafting the 154 questions you’ll find inside, which we then thoroughly student- and tutor-tested until the data told us that the test was more than up to snuff.
So what will you see?
Well, 154 questions, to start. But beyond that, the test has…
So I’ve convinced you that taking a new SAT practice test before test day is important. Great! But you may still have questions:
In case you were wondering, the answers are yes, yes, yes, and NO!
Now, in a little more detail…
Taking a practice test at the start of your prep is a good idea. Not only does it give you a baseline score (don’t worry, this is just for comparison!), but it also familiarizes you with the test format. After all, you’re going to want to know what you’ll be looking at when you sit down in that exam room.
What that means for you as a test-taker is that you’ll:
1. want to get familiar with the format of the test;
2. make sure you understand the timing of the sections;
3. identify the problem types at which you excel;
4. identify the problem types at which you need work.
Take an SAT practice test!
Sure, you might be taking individual sections (or SAT practice questions) and getting a sense of your scores on those, but it’s a whole different ball game when you take the test all at once.
Don’t believe me? The difference between running for an hour and running for four hours is approximately the difference between a 10k and a marathon—and the difference between testing for those amounts of time is equally vast!
Besides, regular practice tests will show you exactly where you’re improving and where you can still improve.
Take an SAT practice test!
So your test is in two weeks? Take a final SAT practice test (or even your first SAT practice test) to make sure you’re prepared for the whole experience. Bonus: you’ll get a sense of what score can you expect to get on the official exam, though not, of course, your precise score.
Take an SAT practice test!
Go get some sleep! Being refreshed and awake tomorrow is way more important at this point than exhausting yourself by basically taking two full-length SATs in a row. If you’re worried, consider scheduling a second test date for a retake—studies show that most students will get their best scores the second time around. (And during that second time around…Take an SAT practice test! But DO NOT take one right now!)
Khan Academy has paired up with the College Board (they’re the test creators) to offer free online practice tests for the new SAT. There are four full exams on the Khan Academy site, which can also be found on the College Board site. After you’ve taken an exam or two, you can then sharpen your skills with practice in different areas with resources on Khan Academy’s site and elsewhere.
“Did ’em! Should I buy some prep books?”
While prep books can be great for lessons, they tend to be better for learning than for full-length tests. Yes, the College Board’s book is awesome, but guess what? Those eight tests are the same eight tests you can find on their website, just printed and bound (they’re transparent about this). There are a few great books out there and a few to avoid—you can check them out in Magoosh’s post on the best SAT books.
Once you’ve covered the official exams and the Magoosh test, you’ll be in great shape—but for even more SAT practice questions, you can check out Magoosh’s SAT prep, which has hundreds more to choose from!
Ready to mimic the official experience? Fantastic! Here’s what to do:
A final word on examining those results—it’s a good idea to spend at least as much time examining your results as you did taking the test. Why? Well, did you get a question right because you knew the answer, or because you were guessing? Did you get a question wrong because you filled in the wrong bubble? (Practice tests help a lot with this latter problem, by the way!) After you’ve examined your results, do some practice in your weak areas and take another test. Lather, rinse, repeat.
While free practice resources for the new SAT may not be as easy to find once you’ve finished the work available here and on the College Board site, don’t worry! There are plenty of other online resources–including this blog!–both free and low-cost, that will allow you to target your weaker areas and keep your strong areas strong.
Whether you have six months or three days to prep, we’ve got you covered! Here are Magoosh’s detailed SAT study guides to help your practice.
Ready for even more SAT practice questions and resources? You can find them in these Magoosh resources!
Of course, there’s a lot more to taking a practice test than simply completing every question: you have to learn from the process. Let’s say you’ve finished grading each section and you’ve tabulated your score. Sure, take a quick stretch break (though don’t check that text!). You want to get right back to focusing on and understanding what you missed. To do so, follow these steps.
Of course, if you can’t figure it out go to step #2.
If so, don’t just think, “I made a careless error.” Be more specific and think about exactly what led you to the careless errors. Were you so busy doing calculations that you forgot that the question asked for the ‘x’ value, not the ‘y’ value? Well, that’s a very different error from rushing through a large graph and looking at the wrong column or row. The key is that the more aware you are of what led to the careless error, the more likely you’ll avoid a similar one in the future.
Not sure where to start? Magoosh can help! Take a peek at our posts on how to get a great score on SAT Writing and Language, on SAT Reading, and SAT Math.
You’ve made it this far. Congratulations! That shows commitment—the same kind of commitment you need to master the SAT (and get the perfect winged liner, btw). So what are you waiting for? Dig out those #2 pencils, find yourself a quiet corner, and get on it! It’s time to start boosting your score.
