Myth: The SAT assesses a student’s knowledge

False:  This test is all about reasoning and logic. It contains universal questions that anyone can answer regardless of his or her academic background (public, private, or homeschool). So all that stuff  you learned about history, science and microeconomics you can throw out the window during this test. On the digital test, there are just two sections: Math and Reading/Writing and Language.  It doesn’t matter what topics are presented in those sections, each of them test your critical thinking not your knowledge. Don’t let the test makers fluster you with a short passage on  marine biology or a strange looking math formula that you’ve never seen before. Both are just mechanisms that the test makers use to test your critical thinking skills. Everything you need to know to answer the question will be right in front of you. Sure, you need to know the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic to get a good score on the SAT but mostly you need the ability to think logically.

Therefore, it is just as important, if not more so, to improve your critical thinking skills when studying for the SAT as it is to solidify your algebraic skills. Too often students focus only on the basic mechanics of the test without really studying for the test itself. Every question on the SAT can be figured out through logic. Always ask yourself, “what is the question actually asking?” Eliminate all obvious wrong answers and work from there. Sometimes you can get the right answer just by crossing out all the ones you know can’t possibly work.

Regardless of which section you struggle with the most, learning the logic behind the test questions can help you improve your score.