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By Laura Whitmore The August SAT is officially over. Congratulations to everyone who spent the summer studying, took the test, and can finally stop thinking about SAT questions for at least a few hours. 🎉 👉 Now comes the inevitable post-test ritual: Was English harder than usual? Why did Math Module 2 suddenly get weird? Did everyone else see that much advanced math? And what on earth was that one vocabulary word? During our live August SAT recap, I sat down with our tutor

By Laura Whitmore If your SAT is only a few days away, I have good news and bad news. 📣 The bad news: this is not the moment to suddenly decide you are going to master every obscure geometry formula, memorize 400 vocabulary words, and finally “figure out” trigonometry at 11:47 PM the night before the test. 💜 The good news: you do not need to. There are still things you can do right now that may help you pick up points—and none of them requires learning an entirely new unit

By Laura Whitmore The August SAT is coming up fast, and if you’re wondering what deserves your attention during these final days of preparation, this is where pattern recognition becomes especially useful. After years of working with SAT students and closely tracking the types of questions that continue to appear, I’ve put together 10 predictions for the August SAT—including nine Math question types and one English grammar pattern I think students should be ready to handle. T

By Laura Whitmore Scoring above a 700 on SAT Math is a major accomplishment. At that level, most students understand the test’s core algebra, geometry, statistics, and problem-solving concepts. But moving from a 700 to a 750, 780, or perfect 800 is a different challenge. The questions standing in the way are rarely solved by memorizing one more formula or completing hundreds of random practice problems. They often require students to recognize an unfamiliar setup, connect mul

By Laura Whitmore The hardest SAT Reading and Writing questions aren’t difficult for only one reason. Some passages use unfamiliar vocabulary. Others bury the main idea under technical language, ask you to compare two researchers’ arguments, or require you to connect a graph to a very specific claim. The questions may look completely different, but the best approach is usually the same: simplify what the passage is saying before you evaluate the answers. In this guide, we’ll

By Laura Whitmore Scoring above a 700 on SAT Math means you already have a strong foundation. But the final jump toward a 750, 780, or perfect 800 usually requires more than knowing the standard formulas. The hardest Module 2 questions may combine several concepts, use unfamiliar wording, or require a Desmos strategy that students have never been taught. These questions are difficult because many high-scoring students genuinely do not know how to approach them—not simply beca

By Laura Whitmore Scoring a 700+ on SAT Math is an impressive accomplishment. But if you're chasing a 750, 780, or even a perfect 800, you'll quickly discover something frustrating: the questions you're missing usually aren't testing difficult math. They're testing whether you're paying attention. These are the questions that make high-scoring students stop, stare at the screen, and wonder, "How was I supposed to know that?" Some require formulas that aren't on the reference

By Laura Whitmore Scoring in the 1300s or 1400s on the SAT is something to be proud of. It's well above average and puts you ahead of many test takers. But if your goal is admission to highly selective colleges, you may feel stuck. Many students reach this stage and respond the same way: they buy more prep books, solve hundreds of random practice questions, and spend hours studying—yet their score barely moves. If that sounds familiar, the problem probably isn't that you're n

By Laura Whitmore Grammar questions are some of the quickest points available on the Digital SAT—but they're also some of the easiest to overthink. After coaching thousands of students, I've noticed something interesting: College Board isn't constantly inventing new grammar rules. Instead, they test the same concepts repeatedly, just dressed up in different passages. That's why pattern recognition is one of the most valuable SAT skills you can develop. In this article, we'll

By Laura Whitmore Applying to college has never been simple, but the process has become even more complicated in recent years. Students and families are navigating changing testing policies, shifting admissions priorities, essays, extracurricular activities, and countless decisions about where to apply. With so many mixed messages, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. The good news? While college admissions may seem mysterious, there are clear patterns behind what competitive schoo

By Laura Whitmore I just got back from the National Test Prep Association (NTPA) Conference, where one of the most eye-opening sessions came from a University of Chicago admissions officer who pulled back the curtain on how one of the most selective schools in the country actually picks its class. Some of what he said confirmed what we tell families every day. Some of it was surprising. And a few things would probably change how your student approaches the next two years. Her

By Laura Whitmore The June 2026 SAT left many students walking out of the testing center with the same reaction: that was tough. To better understand what happened on test day, Strategic Test Prep founder Laura Whitmore sat down with two experienced SAT tutors—Will, a Strategic Test Prep tutor and 1580 scorer, and Pranoy Mohaptra from PM Tutoring—to break down the exam. Their discussion revealed several important trends that future test-takers should pay attention to. Student

By Laura Whitmore If the June SAT is just days away and you feel like you haven't studied enough, you're not alone! Every test cycle, many students find themselves wishing they had started earlier. The good news is that what you do in the final days can still make a meaningful difference. While no one can learn months' worth of material overnight, smart preparation can help you maximize your score, avoid common mistakes, and walk into test day feeling more confident. Here are

By Laura Whitmore The June SAT is almost here, and one thing has become very clear after the March and May exams: the test is continuing to reward students who recognize patterns quickly and avoid wasting time on overly complicated approaches. At Strategic Test Prep, our tutors take every official SAT that’s administered. That means these predictions are based on real trends we’ve seen firsthand — not guesses. If you’re aiming for a higher score on the June test, especially i

By Laura Whitmore SAT grammar can feel straightforward… until the test throws in a sentence that looks completely wrong, sounds awkward, or hides the real subject in the middle of a giant phrase. In a recent SAT Grammar Battle, Laura from Strategic Test Prep teamed up with Rob from Penguin Test Prep to solve some of the trickiest Digital SAT grammar questions they could find. The twist? Neither tutor had seen the questions beforehand. What followed was a deep dive into posses

By Laura Whitmore Transition questions are one of the most predictable question types on the Digital SAT Reading and Writing section. They appear constantly throughout the exam, show up in some of the most important sentences in passages, and can easily account for 8–10 questions on test day. The good news is that transitions follow patterns. Once you understand those patterns, these questions become much easier and much faster. I’m Laura Whitmore, founder of Strategic Test P

By Laura Whitmore The May 2026 Digital SAT is officially behind us—and it gave us a very clear look at what’s changing on the test. From a tougher English Module 2 to new transition question formats and subtle math trends, this exam highlighted exactly where students struggled and where preparation needs to shift. In this breakdown, we’re walking through real test-day insights from one of our tutors who sat for the exam, so you can understand what actually showed up and how t

By Laura Whitmore If you’re gearing up for the May SAT administration, this is your final tune-up. The last week before the test isn’t about cramming more content—it’s about making smart, strategic adjustments that help you perform at your best on test day. I’m Laura Whitmore, a 1590 scorer and founder of Strategic Test Prep. I’ve been coaching the SAT for nearly 20 years, and these are the exact last-minute shifts my 1500+ students use to maximize their scores right before t

By Laura Whitmore If you’re taking the May SAT, preparation isn’t just about reviewing content—it’s about understanding patterns. Recent exams have shown clear trends in both the English and Math sections, and students who recognize these patterns can move faster and avoid common traps. Let’s walk through the most important predictions and how to approach them with confidence. English Section: Precision Over Speed A New Twist on Transitions One emerging trend is transition qu

By Laura Whitmore If your SAT is coming up and you haven’t really started studying yet, you’re not alone—and more importantly, you’re not out of time. The SAT English section might feel overwhelming at first, but once you understand how it’s structured, everything becomes far more manageable. The key is knowing what to study and in what order. Instead of randomly practicing questions, you need a clear progression. This guide breaks the SAT Reading and Writing section into fou