<p>The score that really jumps out at me is the Writing score. :)</p>
<p>NOBODY on this board should be getting lower than a 600 on the writing section, as this is the easiest section of the three SAT sections to beat. Just to underscore my point, I graduated with high honors in Mathematics, and yet I scored much higher on SAT writing than on math!</p>
<p>I think that you could gain 200 points on this section alone, simply by taking every writing test in the blue book, and then studying the patterns that are written into the test. Use the collegeboard answers on their website to learn the grammatical patterns.</p>
<p>You will be quite pleased when you discover the quantity and difficulty of grammar rules that you actually need to know!! </p>
<p>Three months ago, I barely knew that “apples grow/ an apple grows”, but yet after 3 months of intense study in this section, I scored in the 98th percentile on the May writing exam (my 1st and only SAT attempt). </p>
<p>How did you do on the essay? My essay strategy was quite unorthodox; I used extremely informal language and examples, but I was quite persuasive. My essay read more like a strong verbal sales pitch than like an academic essay. I did include some “SAT vocabulary” in my essay, but I ONLY used the words that I actually use all of the time in informal speech with my friends. I got an 11. YMMV</p>
<p>I’m in the exact same situation, I’m from Spain and this was my first time and I got 1770!!! Exactly the same as you
I felt like crap but that was my first time. I was expecting it I think. But now I will just look forward and OVER PREP during the summer!</p>
<p>This isn’t uncommon. This usually happens from overconfidence. Just practice some more and take it again. You don’t seem like a 1770; the fact that you’re on this board makes it hard to believe lol.</p>
<p>This is encouraging.
I borrowed a new SAT prep book from my buddy and I’m starting to figure out the stupid stuff I’m missing: verb-tense agreements, and errors due to blazing through the math and reading section.</p>
<p>@SAT777
I got a 10 on the essay; I just wrote it AP style.</p>
<p>Yeah, SidtheKid and anyone who’s saying you need to study for like twelve hours a day in order to get a high score is in the wrong. I just got my May SAT back with a nice 2330. The only practice I had for it was the PSAT nearly 8 months ago (which I got 196 on) and last minute cramming of the vocab words the night before the exam. Essentially zero preparation allowed me to shoot up nearly 400 points; the SAT isn’t a gauge of how much you can waste your time studying: it’s a measure of how well you can apply what you’ve learned over the course of almost ten years.</p>
<p>Anyway, my advice is just to think things through. A problem I saw with a lot of the people in the room with me was that people only checked their answers once if at all. Collegeboard allots you an absurd amount of extra time, so use it to your advantage. Honestly, with the math, just know some very basic principles. Think it through and apply the logic you’re familiar with.
The only section that truly requires a bit of brushing up is the part that drills you on specific meanings of vocabulary. 3-7 days before the next test, just review some of the words that make every “SAT VOCAB LIST” and you’ll be fine.
Those 200 dollar SAT prep classes are money-suckers, so, unless you really think you’re going to get some sort of lasting benefit from them, I’d stay away.</p>
<p>^Technically even going to school and doing schoolwork can be considered prep. Especially if you go to a tough prep school.
But either way a 2330 is a great achievement.</p>
<p>the BEST advice i have ever been given and could ever give anyone in regard to the SAT:</p>
<ul>
<li>Don’t answer questions by circling the correct choice. Answer by crossing out incorrect choices.</li>
</ul>
<p>It may seem ■■■■■■■■ but i think i can attribute this to my new comfortability with the SAT and all standardized tests. When you straight up look for the right answer, you just read the first thing that makes sense and bubble it. It is a much better idea to eliminate wrong choices, get down to 2 plausible answers and play ‘devil’s advocate’ to decide which is correct. For each choice, pretend you are trying to convince someone that that choice is wrong. I have little mini arguments going on in my head, “no this can’t be right because…”., etc. </p>
<p>It may sound ■■■■■■■■ but this has helped me immensely. Answer questions much faster and much more accurately. </p>
<p>And for studying wise, buy the dam Blue Book. This is the BEST resource for any SAT taker especially someone like you.</p>
<p>I felt just like you after the first time I took the SAT (i got a 1770 as well; 600 M, 600 CR, 570 W). By taking a bunch of practice tests and just relaxing i boosted my score to a 2030 ( 740 M, 650 CR, 640 W). The math on the first SAT i was really surprised by because thats usually my strong suit. I attribute my huge boost in scores, especially in the math to just relaxing. Don’t think about anything else at the time ( your high school scores, IQ, etc) aside from the test at hand. Be confident but not over-confident.</p>
<p>Let’s be honest. To those that are defending the OP from the bashers, it seems that the OP is just complaining at this point. Literally, he’s talking about his IQ and AP Exam scores, etc., and, people are naturally going to get annoyed.</p>
<p>He’s not a bad test taker because we’ve seen him do well on his AP Exams.</p>
<p>So OP, drop any unnecessary details and let’s keep this civil. You expected to do much better than you actually did, and you want to know what can help you. No need to call anything pitiful or terrible, because in reality, you’ve already beaten many people.</p>
