Instead of seeing the SAT as some sort of monster, approach it as if it were a tool, a means to an end—getting into college. Don’t worry about your score in relation to 1600. Your score is only important in relation to the scores of other people applying to the colleges to which you are applying.

Therefore, the first part of your SAT preparation should have nothing to do with filling in multiple-choice grids. Instead, you should do some research to figure out, given your grades and extracurricular activities, the colleges you have a realistic chance of getting into and, of those colleges, which you might want to attend. Talk to your guidance counselor. Go to the bookstore and thumb through a guide on colleges. If you have an older sibling or siblings in college, talk to them. If you have a friend with an older sibling or siblings in college, try to talk to them. If you have a friend with an extremely attractive older sibling in college, try very hard to talk to them. It’ll be worth it, even if you don’t learn a thing.

While getting a sense of the college scene and where you see yourself within it, you should also get a sense of what SAT scores you’ll need to get into the schools you’re considering. Most guides on college admissions publish the average SAT scores of incoming freshmen.

If the average SAT scores of incoming freshmen at the schools you want to attend range from 1100–1200, you should set a target score of 1260 (a good target is something a little higher than the average of the schools that appeal to you). Once you have a target score, forget about 1600. Your target score becomes the only important number.