Regardless of where you fall in the standardized testing debate, they are a reality that all of us in education must deal with. So, when Lydia Patrick proposed a newsletter issue on SAT preparation, I thought "Sure, why not?" I am here to tell you that there's a real mixed offering of free training materials available online, but with some perseverance and patience worthwhile sites can be found. This week's issue is geared towards high schoolers, their teachers and families. Thanks to Lydia, Jerry and Carrie Lowe for recommending resources for this edition!

• The College Board - http://www2.collegeboard.com/satprep/index.jsp
  As one of the national leaders in standardized test design, the College Board offers this site with lots of free information and practice materials for students eager to prepare. There's a free diagnostic "mini-SAT" that analyzes your strengths and weaknesses as a test-taker, questions from past tests with answers to help you check your progress, and a question of the day and word of the day that allows you the chance to return and find new practice items daily.
• Do Your Math - http://www.doyourmath.com/all_tests.asp
  So much attention is given to the vocabulary component of the SAT, I wanted to include a practice site for mathematics as well. Do Your Math offers practice tests for PSAT and SAT math items, and they're quick loading and browser-friendly. Each test has several dozen questions and your score is tallied on the 800 point SAT scale upon your completion. Do these problems give you trouble? Then go to GoMath <http://www.gomath.com/> where they offer interactive, animated demonstrations of all kinds of Math principles and concepts!
• Embark - http://www.embark.com/locker/testprep.asp
  Embark asks you to register using your e-mail address and zip code, but once you're in you have access to 3 complete SAT practice tests. You will receive an immediate score for your efforts and recommendations for how to sharpen your performance before you actually go in to take the real deal. There's also an SAT Tutorial available on the same page and links to ACT practice tests too!
• 4Tests.com - http://www.4tests.com/exams/examdetail.asp?eid=6
  This site lives up to what other sites promise: an actual abbreviated practice test that allows students to check their proficiency in the Math and Verbal categories. There's over 100 questions here, and once you're done taking the test you can have it graded as a whole and then analyzed item by item if you wish. This site is nicely formatted and not too much of a strain on older browsers. There are similar tests offered here for the GED, ACT and TOEFL.
• Free SAT - http://www.free-sat.org/
  While not visually pleasing, this site does offer a nice collection of drills and games to help sharpen your skills. On the Math side there are practice pages students can complete right online, and on the Language side there's a more extensive collection of vocabulary-building exercises. These activities zero in on very specific collections of words used on the SAT. There's a dead link here or there, but overall it's useful and it's free!
• Freevocabulary - http://www.freevocabulary.com/
  Here's a site that offers 5000 definitions to words commonly found on standardized tests like the SAT. it's a grocery list folks, best saved to your hard drive so you can use your browser's Find function to quickly sort through words later. There's also a link to Texas Instruments where they have created Study Cards that run on the TI-73 and TI-83 Plus covering vocabulary, literature, math science, social studies, the arts and much, much more!
• Number2.com - http://number2.com/
  Here's a completely free site dedicated to helping students prepare for such tests as the SAT and GRE with such features as word and problem of the day, a vocabulary builder, and a free tutorial that allows students to receive feedback on their work - even sending e-mail reminders of what to study! There's also a coach's page for parents and teachers trying to support their students in preparing for the test.
• PowerPrep - http://powerprep.com/satstrat.htm
  Powerprep offers four free downloadable SAT practice programs in return for a free registration: the Diagnostic Test, Digital Reader, Online Strategies and VocabMaster Lite. Each file is 1 meg or less for quick downloading. There's also free classes and tutorials. Be careful to examine each practice opportunity carefully, though, as the company also markets full versions of their software.
• Question of the Week - http://www.review.com/qow.cfm?testType=SAT
  The Princeton Review presents this opportunity to examine an SAT question each week, and to take a practice test online as well. The site is powered by Horizon, so your browser has to have the capabilities to handle the technologies they use. Not sure if you're up to par? No problem, with a click they'll test your browser and let you know if you have the capability to make use of their programs.
• Secrets of the SAT - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/
  PBS' Frontline series tackles the Standardized Achievement Test with a look at its history, a discussion of its use to screen college applicants, and an exercise in rating and following five applicants through the admissions process to see who actually is accepted. There's video and audio clips and controversial topics like the "booming test prep business" and "race sensitive admissions".
• Test Magic - http://www.testmagic.com/FreeStuff/newsletter.htm
  Simply enter your e-mail address for any or all of six Test Magic e-mail services and receive free practice questions and practice exercises right in your e-mail! The companies anti-spam pledge means that your address will not be sold or given to other companies. Tests covered include the GMAT, GRE, SAT and TOEFL .
• TestTakers - http://www.testtakers.com/ttdc/Demo/DEMO_FS.htm
  While TestTakers has a subscription service, this page of free demos includes an SAT mini-diagnostic tool to let you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and sentence completion and vocabulary mini-courses. This is a very highly formatted site and you will want to use the free browser check available there to make sure your system can handle the technologies employed in their presentation.
• Word Wise - http://www.rjsullivan.com/wordwise/index.html
  RJ Sullivan presents this free service. It requires students to register with an e-mail address and then allows them to enter and practice vocabulary drills and speed reading. The emphasis here is not so much rote memorization of definitions, but on learning the ways vocabulary questions are formatted on standardized tests so that students can more successfully determine the correct answer for each test item.
  

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