SAT Academy: Day 01 of 03
Getting Started with the SAT
Get ready for the big exam with SAT Academy
Welcome to SAT Academy!
The SAT is a crucial standardized test for college-bound students, assessing a wide range of skills in reading comprehension, math, and writing. Accepted by virtually all U.S. colleges, the SAT offers versatility in college applications, opening doors to numerous educational paths.
Strategy and preparation are key components of SAT success. While starting your prep journey may feel overwhelming, small, steady steps can build confidence and lead to meaningful progress—so congratulations on beginning this journey with Acely & our SAT Academy!
Academy Overview
This course will introduce you to the digital SAT and the key functions of Acely, an SAT prep tool. We’ll start with learning about the format and content of the exam, and then we’ll dive into Acely’s tools including the study plan, and practice questions. The next 3 days will give you the tools to successfully prep for your dream SAT score with Acely.
Before we get started
Studying is easier with friends! So invite your own or join our Study Community on Discord. You’ll find students just like you preparing for the exam. Join chats about study tips, shared struggles, college apps, and so much more!
Today’s Learning Objectives
- Learn about the format of the Digital SAT
- Meet Acely, the tool we’ll be using for this course
- Find your way around Acely’s app
- Make a custom plan for your SAT prep
Time to complete: 30-60 minutes
Today’s Tutorial
1. What is the Digital SAT
In March 2024, the SAT became a fully digital, adaptive exam. In addition to changing to an adaptive test, the new digital SAT is also shorter than the old paper version.
The exam is 2 hours and 14 minutes long and split into two sections: Reading & Writing and Math. Each section has two modules, making 4 total modules.
The digital SAT is an adaptive test, meaning your performance on the first module determines which second module you receive. Each section of the exam (Math and Reading & Writing) is split into 2 modules, so you can think of them as separate sub-sections. In the first module, you’ll see easy, medium, and hard difficulty questions, with the overall average difficulty centered around medium.
Depending on your performance in module 1, the test will route you into one of 2 possible versions in module 2.
Each section contains 4 topics that may appear on each exam. You’ll see these topic names a lot while you’re studying:
2. Set up your Acely account
If you’ve already created an Acely account, you can skip this section.
Getting started is as simple as going to app.acely.ai and signing up. Enter a few details about yourself, and select a plan to get a free 3-day trial. We’ll be using this app throughout the 3-day course.
Once you sign up, you’ll be directed to Acely’s onboarding flow. Complete these questions to the best of your ability.
3. Take a look around the Acely dashboard
Home Button:
You can use this button to navigate back to this page at any point.
Navigation:
You’ll find links to every exam and more in this navigation bar! It allows you to go to individual exam pages, like the SAT, or tools, like the Study Plan.
Account button:
You can use this button to access your account information, like your subscription details, or sign out.
First tasks:
To help you get started with Acely, you have three starting tasks. Don’t worry too much about completing these today. We’ll check each one off during this course.
Test cards:
Each exam you are working on will eventually appear here as a card. It’s a great way to get a quick glance at your score or jump into practice mode from the home page.
3. Decide on a goal score
Now that you know your way around, let’s start prepping!
Whether it’s a dream school you want to get into or a scholarship, many students have a SAT score in their mind that they’re shooting for. If you don’t, that’s what we’re here for.
Let’s follow these steps to create some realistic goals:
- Is there a certain school or schools you’re hoping to get into? Look up the range of scores for that school here. If you have a list of schools, then you have a broader range of scores. The same goes for scholarships, look up what the ranges are here.
- Have you taken the PSAT, the paper SAT, or a practice score to get a baseline score? If not, no worries. You’ll get a baseline score from the diagnostic exam you’ll take tomorrow.
So let’s decide on a score goal that is realistic for the time you have to study and your test date, but one that’s also a reach! You want to set a goal that you’d be proud of, but that also feels achievable. This is a great time to ask fellow students in our Acely Discord what they’re aiming for!
Set your goal score. Remember to apply the SMART goal-setting method:
- Specific: Define a clear and specific score goal.
- Measurable: Ensure your goal score is measurable (e.g., “I want to score 1400”).
- Attainable: Make sure your goal is realistic based on your current score and the time you have.
- Relevant: Your goal should align with your overall academic and college admission objectives.
- Timely: Set a deadline for achieving your goal, in this case, your SAT test date.
4. Set up a personalized plan
How does someone reach their goal score? Well, practice of course! But how do you know how much to practice or in what topic?
That’s where we can use the Study Plan tool in Acely.
A key part of SAT Prep is having a plan. Breaking up the studying into weekly goals can keep you on track and make the process feel less intimidating. Let’s set up your Study Plan now.
From your home dashboard, locate the left navigation menu and click on “DSAT Study Plan.” This will take you to the study plan setup page.
On the study plan page, you’ll be prompted to enter your test date, current score, and goal score. If you haven’t taken an official SAT yet, don’t worry—you’ll get a baseline score tomorrow. Just put your best guess for now.
Select a test date. If you do not have a test date, plan out a study period. If you’re planning to study rigorously, select a date about 3 months from now. If you prefer a slower pace with smaller weekly commitments, choose a date 6 months out.
After entering your details, click on “Generate Study Plan.” Acely will create a weekly breakdown of tasks and question sets tailored to your needs, guiding you step by step toward your goal.
And voila! We have a plan.
Great work!
That brings us to the end of Day 1 of SAT Academy! You’ve learned about the DSAT and have a plan to reach your goal score. That’s an amazing start.
Take a break for today, and come back tomorrow for the next lesson, where we’ll get a baseline score for the SAT.
Today’s Bonuses:
Next Lession
Put your skills to the Test
Take a diagnostic exam to establish a base score and learn how to practice Acely.