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How to Take the SAT Video a la Shmoop If you dream of getting into a good college

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after high school, no doubt you are revving up to take the SAT.

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If you’re just kinda “meh” about your future, then no need to take the test. Who

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really needs wealth, security and pride in their work anyway?

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But assuming you would like to take care of your family and live a great life, you’ll

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probably want to follow in Rich’s footsteps. Rich and Mitch are twin brothers. And yes,

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their parents were cruel. As with many twins, the two siblings are very

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competitive. One time they both got grounded and raced each other to their bedrooms.

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They compete for girls, for their parents’ attention, and for grades. They are masters

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of one-upsmanship. Naturally, when it came time to take the SAT,

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Rich and Mitch were determined to outscore one another.

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Mitch, the cocky one, decided he didn’t need any help to study.

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He already knew this stuff – all he needed to do was cram.

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He pulled out all his old textbooks and began poring over them. He reviewed past exercises

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and homework. He even re-read a handful of books he’d been assigned over the years.

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Meanwhile, Rich felt that a more focused approach would benefit him.

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He logged onto Shmoop. He went to their SAT Test Prep and accessed

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his Dashboard. There, he set his test date so he wouldn’t

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forget. He took reading, writing and math diagnostics

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that gave him a sampling of what he might expect to see on the actual test.

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He reviewed the skills he needed to practice. And got some valuable advice from the Game

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Day Tips section. By the time test day rolled around, Rich was

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ready. Mitch, on the other hand, was so worn out

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from studying every word in every book known to man… that he slept through his alarm.

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He made it to the testing center in time, but just barely. He hadn’t slept much in

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the past week, and he had covered so much material that barely any of it was sticking.

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Rich, however, had taken those Game Day Tips to heart, and he had slept plenty.

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Mitch had been so busy studying the actual test material that he had forgotten to bring

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anything other than his admission ticket and photo ID.

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But Rich had his watch, his #2 pencils, his calculator, a drink and a snack.

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Halfway through the test, Mitch had lost track of time, gotten parched and hungry, and run

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out of scratch paper. Because Rich was well-rested, had spent his

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time studying the right material and had come properly equipped, he finished the test well

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before his brother did. But it wasn’t about speed. Okay, it was

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a little about speed. They would have to wait until the test scores

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came back before they’d know who the real winner was.

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Mitch knew the answer even before they opened their respective envelopes.

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Sure enough, Rich absolutely torched his brother on every single section of the test.

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Of course, he only gloated for a second or two before going over to Mitch and consoling

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him. They may be competitive, but they are still brothers.

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Mitch learned the hard way that the SAT is too big a deal to attempt going it alone.

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Take a lesson from Rich. Using Shmoop’s SAT Test Prep guide will get you ready for

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your big day. No, not that one – the other big day.

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You’ll know what to bring – and what not to bring on the day of the test.

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You’ll learn ultimate test-taking strategies, and you’ll be able to compare your practice

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test scores to others on the site. Which is great for all you super-competitive

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twins out there.

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