by Bri Kennedy

Created on: March 06, 2007   Last Updated: May 02, 2007

Regardless of your feelings toward the SAT, GRE, MCAT, or other standardized tests, they are a necessary evil. The best scores on these exams are not always earned by the "smartest" students. Rather, score is proportional to drive and the amount of time you spend studying.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON YOUR GOAL

If your goal is to become a neurosurgeon, medical researcher, great mathematician, or other highly technical profession, you are going to have a lot of competition. You need to focus on that goal when you are preparing for college and preparing for standardized tests. Because most admissions committees know nothing about you, they will typically select individuals whose numbers look good, except in rare circumstances. Take these exams very seriously. It takes a lot more effort to undo a bad score than it does to simply work hard and earn a good score.

START YOUR PRACTICE EARLY

Recently, a friend of mine decided to take the GRE (the graduate school version of the SAT) and asked me for a few tips since he knew I had scored well. When I asked him how much time he had to prepare, he told me he had only two weeks before the test. THIS WAS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH TIME! If you are going to spend the money and time to take a standardized test, start your preparation as soon as you decide to take the test. The reason that most people object to tests like the SAT or GRE is that they lack relevance and that they test material that is not typically taught in high school or college courses. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE! These tests do not test the material you learn in your courses, so you should not assume that your courses have adequately prepared you. Instead, invest in a preparation course, preparation book, and some practice exercises. Then, invest a couple of hours a day to practice.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Take advantage of all possible practice opportunities. The Kaplan website offers preparation software, practice tests, and personalized preparation programs. In addition, ETS offers their own prep books and software online and by mail. There is no shortage of this material. You should go through ALL of it if you can. Also, SAT and GRE tests often use words that are antequated or have fallen out of common use. They do this on purpose to trick you. However, a good prep book will get you up to speed on these less common words. Also, you can subscribe to "Word of the Day" services through Merriam Webster online, which will send a word and its definition to your email every day. If

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