How to....Use the Collegeboard Blue Book
Part of our “Here’s How” Series with Satellite Prep founder Drew Valins, putting together over 20 years of experience as a master tutor for the SAT, ACT and many other standardized tests.
I LIKE TO CALL IT YOUR JUNIOR YEAR BIBLE...
The dreaded, ever-popular, ever-useful BLUE BOOK.
If you don't have it, get it.
Like today.
And don't borrow your older sister's blue book from two years ago with all of her work already in it.
Get a brand new one.HERE is the easiest place.
Yes, we have to pay Amazon about $19.99.
If for any reason you can't swing the cost, then download the tests HERE
But I highly recommend you buy the book. It's just gonna be better for you.
The Blue Book has three basic parts.
Part 1: Instructional Material
Part 2: Eight full length tests
Part 3: Answer Explanations
The first thing you should do, right off the bat, is take a full length timed practice test. It doesn’t matter which test you choose, so you might as well choose the first test in the book, which is Test #10 (don’t ask why).
Go ahead and score your test. If you aren't sure how, click our blog here to find out.
Once you’ve scored your test you have your initial baseline. Down the road you can take a practice test again and see your growth.
But now, it’s time to PRACTICE and GROW
So…The most important thing I can tell you is this: BE A BOXER
No, not that type of boxer. This one:
Work the practice material in four rounds. Here is HOW:
ROUND ONE: Take a section, UNTIMED (why untimed? Becuase it’s important, at first, to see how well you can do in a totally relaxed, unpressured state of mind!)
ROUND TWO: Grade it, using the key in the back of the book, and mark the questions that you got wrong in the section. Don’t write down the correct answer. Just list the questions that you got WRONG.
ROUND THREE: RE-TRY the questions you got WRONG, BUT DON’T PEEK AT THE CORRECT ANSWER. Why? Because as soon as you look at the right answer, you lose the opportunity to give yourself the critical SECOND TRY. The SECOND TRY is super duper important because you will often discover that you missed the question due to a reading error! Not due to a deficiency in your intellect.
ROUND FOUR: Jot down all the questions you missed TWICE. Now it’s time to look into the answer explanations which are located in the back of the book. These will help you learn and grow your knowledge base.
Now go be a testing boxer and do your four round workout!
