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Now that my nieces are all preparing for their SATs, I thought I’d share a little story with you on how I prepared for my SATs some 15+ years ago.
I’ve mentioned it a few times already that I moved to the United States when I was 9 years old, and although I was fluent in English when I arrived, where I came from, I had never read a book in my life. Translation ~ my reading & comprehension skills sucked, and I had no vocabulary!
Back in the day, the Verbal section of the SATs was divided into 3 parts – Antonyms, Sentence Completions, and Critical Reading. I sucked at all three, but my biggest weakness was reading.
My goal was to break 500 out of 800 on Verbal, and break 700 out of 800 on Math which would put me above 1200, well that was the plan at least.
My strategy – I bought a great SAT study guide, made flash cards, and memorized all 3500 vocabulary words in the SAT book over a course of 1 year. 
The Plan. Since I was being penalized for every wrong answer, I decided to skip the Critical Reading section entirely, yes, you heard right, I skipped the Critical Reading section entirely because that’s how bad my comprehension skills were, and I didn’t wanna risk being penalized for every wrong answer. By doing so, I was breaking 500 on all my Verbal practice tests at home, my strategy was working. 
And when I finally went in to take the exam, I only answered the Antonyms and Sentence Completion sections which took only about half of the allotted time. I would look over my work and wait patiently while the other students would still be finishing up the remainder of their tests. 
Did it work? Well, sorta. I was a few points shy from a 500 on Verbal, not the best score, but whatever, my Math score made up for my lack of comprehension skills. Although I’ve shared this story with my nieces, I’m glad none of them need to follow in my footsteps and skip the Critical Reading section thanks to their excellent reading and comprehension skills. 
Anddddddddddd onto this delicious Chocolate Avocado Mousse that I made for my husband and I. This pudding tastes best when eaten right away. Amazing texture and flavor. No milk, no cream, no butter. Give it a try!
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
INGREDIENTS
- 1 avocado
- 2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp honey, or maple syrup for vegan
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp bittersweet chocolate chips, melted
- pinch of cinnamon powder, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Using a double boiler, add the chocolate chips and let them melt. Or you can use a microwave.
- Slice the avocado in half.
- In a food processor, add the avocado, cocoa powder, honey, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Blend.
- Add the melted chocolate to the food processor. Blend.
- I added a pinch of cinnamon, or stop at this point.
- Serve right away - I didn't like the flavor after refrigerating. I prefer the flavor of the mousse when eaten right away. Smooth, thick, creamy!
Nutrition
STEP BY STEP IMAGES
1. Using a double boiler, add the chocolate chips and let them melt. Or you can use a microwave. 
2. Slice the avocado in half.
3. In a food processor, add the avocado, cocoa powder, honey, vanilla extract, and salt.
3. Blend.
4. Add the melted chocolate to the food processor. Blend.
5. I added a pinch of cinnamon, or stop at this point. 
6. Serve right away – I didn’t like the flavor after refrigerating. I prefer the flavor of the mousse when eaten right away. Smooth, thick, creamy!
TELL ME: Did you take the SATs? Were you better at Math or Verbal? Share your test taking strategy? If you didn’t take the SATs, how do you typically prepare for Standardized tests?
