ChatGPT: SAT Study Buddy
Author: Katherine Ziska
College Board has created an adaptive online test using AI, so why not use AI to help you study? The free version of ChatGPT is not a very sophisticated tool, it’s essentially trying to fill in the ___ in a sentence. Because of this, it can often get things wrong. So relying on it for explanations or generating questions can lead you astray. That being said, there are some great ways ChatGPT can help you study for the SAT.
Vocabulary Practice
As a Large Language Model (LLM), ChatGPT is very good at defining words and using them appropriately. You can leverage this by asking it to help build your vocabulary. “Give me 10 SAT vocabulary words.” Then you can interact with the words it gives you by creating sentences using those words and it will tell you how you did. This kind of interactive game helps you learn words better than flashcards and having a partner give you feedback on your usage is key to learning. You can also ask it for the etymology of words! This will show you related words and common roots to build your vocabulary even more.
Create a Study Schedule
Many people don’t know how to start studying for the SAT and feel overwhelmed by their schedule. “Give me a 10-week study schedule assuming I’ll study twice a week for 2 hours.” It gives a great overview and you can give it feedback to tailor your program.
Teach ChatGPT Content
As you review questions you got wrong, a good way to make sure you’ve learned how to get it right next time is by teaching ChatGPT where you went wrong and how to do it right. This is NOT asking ChatGPT how to do it, but testing your learning by teaching ChatGPT. It will give you feedback on your explanations. “Pretend to be a student and I’ll explain SohCahToa to you.” Putting yourself in the role of teacher and being asked questions will clarify where the holes in your understanding are and allow you to review content you might have not mastered.
Do NOT Use ChatGPT for Questions
One thing we advise not to use ChatGPT for is generating questions or full-length SAT tests. It often misses the nuances and conceptual underpinnings of the questions on the SAT and gives bad multiple-choice options. It can also use a grammar rule in the wrong context, approach math problems incorrectly, and provide you with questions much easier than those that appear on the SAT. It can provide you with questions, they just aren’t any good. We know, we tried.
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