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‘Hack the SAT’ author cuts through test’s secrets

Students who plan to take the SAT may want to start preparing for Oct. 4, the first fall test date and the last one before early-decision college applications are due.

Eliot Schrefer offers up some assistance in “Hack the SAT” (Gotham Books, $15). The 29-year-old Harvard grad draws on his background as a novelist and elite SAT tutor in writing a humorous, tell-all guide to the “strategies and shortcuts” peddled by SAT tutors on the wealthy streets of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Section headings include: “Learning Pretty Words” and “What to Do if You’re Screwed.”

Here’s what Schrefer had to say about the book:

Why did you decide to write an SAT prep book?

When I started writing it, I was about five years into being a tutor. I realized I had evolved a totally new set of rules that weren’t reflected [in SAT prep books] out there. I work for a lot of money and for a certain class of people. I wanted to democratize a little bit.

What was your SAT experience like?

Some people just click with the SAT, and I happen to have done really well on it when I was in high school. Even beyond that, I sort of enjoyed it in a geeky way. It was like a crossword puzzle, except it matters for the rest of your life. I didn’t grudgingly come to it. Working with this test all the time is exciting to me.

Would you mind sharing your SAT scores?

I never perfected the math section, but in verbal and writing I was able to get an 800 [the top score].

There are dozens of SAT guides out there. Why should people buy yours?

Every page is two-thirds SAT prep and one-third having fun. There are some SAT books that are funny, that have quips, but a lot of them were written not by practicing tutors but by people in a room who study the test.

What are the qualities of a top-notch SAT tutor?

The ability not to condescend but still be instructive and an authoritative figure. If a student spends their session with someone they consider a friend, they’ll look forward to it. You also need to be able to think on your feet — there are any number of questions students will ask about the test that you wouldn’t have thought of.

What are your favorite other SAT prep books — aside from your own, of course?

The one that is a must-buy is the College Board’s “The Official SAT Study Guide.” It’s the only one with real practice tests, and honestly, taking those practice tests really helps raise your score.

What do you think about the SAT’s new policy that allows students to send only their best scores?

It’s a benefit for nervous students who want to take the test over and over, but I don’t think that’s why the College Board’s made this decision. It’ll soak in fees from more administrations and be more able to compete with the ACT, which has long offered the same option and has been making inroads into the testing market. This is all about business positioning.

Types of tips you’ll get

The SAT is no easy feat: The test can take up to five hours. Don’t forget water, a snack, No. 2 pencils, a calculator (with extra batteries), your photo ID and your SAT admission ticket. To jump-start your studying, “Hack the SAT” author Eliot Schrefer offers his top tips for the test’s three sections:

Math

“The No. 1 error, especially for advanced students, is making careless errors. They key way to avoid those is: Once you’ve answered the problem, reread the question before you bubble in the answer choice. It forces you to pause and reflect on whether the answer you got is logical, and it also makes you look again at what the question is asking for and ensures that’s what you provided.”

Writing

“The essay graders are only allotted three to five minutes for each essay. Less important than writing well is having the signifiers of good writing: Include at least two instances of sophisticated punctuation — semicolons or dashes. And studies have shown that students who use the entire two pages given to them for the essay tend to get higher scores.”

Reading

“The passages are all taken from published sources and re-edited so that the main theme is stated at the beginning and end. So if you get a question about a passage’s main purpose, you can look at those lines for the answer. You never have to synthesize the whole passage.”

More study guides

Here are more SAT prep books that admissions counselors and students recommend:

• “Cracking the SAT, 2009 Edition” (Princeton Review, $19.95)

• “11 Practice Tests for the SAT and PSAT, 2009 Edition” (Princeton Review, $19.95)

• “The Official SAT Study Guide” (College Board, $19.95)

• “SAT 2009 Comprehensive Program” (Kaplan, $22)

• “Barron’s SAT 2400” (Barron’s, $18.99)