<p>Hey guys, I'm at a plateau here. Roughly 3 weeks before taking my first SAT May 2010, I took the free online practice/diagnostic one and got a 2010 (I don't remember the break down, and my account no longer has the scores). I took the actual SAT and got a 2040 (720CR/660M/660R/10e).
A week before the tests, I did some prep (not much as my schedule doesn't allow me much free time) and made a 2060 from a BB Test. I took the Oct SAT now as a senior and got a 2040 again (690/680/670/essay score not available) with a 2070 superscore. I need at least a 2100 to qualify for a 1K prize my school is offering (5K for a 2400), and I junior and senior fees to pay off, so I need to break this plateau. FYI, my PSAT scores (no prep):
9th grade: 175 (53CR/65M/57W)
10th grade: 177 (61/62/54)
11th grade: 187 (I don't have these at the moment -- the same year I took my first SAT)</p>
<p>I collected some threads of wisdom here, and some prep material (a bit dated though like 08-09 stuff, Grubers, Barrons, Direct Hits, etc) I encountered across the web. However, some say don't use any questions but CB questions, so what I have left are maybe 5-7 BB tests. I also here that there are patterns to the test, this goes in accordance with my epiphany I had my first go around on the math section (that there's a "face value" way to approach a CB problem and understanding immediately the concept they are asking for and the answer comes in a fraction of the time.), though I don't see them to the extent that the "answers jump out" at me, and the extent to which I can see little patters/tricks/shortcuts is limited to the math and writing section easy/medium questions. </p>
<p>Should I bother with the new materials I found, or should I just stick to analyzing patterns, reviewing and taking more BB tests?</p>
<p>I would recommend barrons SAT 2400 for Critical reading for sure (though it only made my score go up by 20 points )</p>
<p>For writing, there are obvious patterns and you will need practice it. The more tests you take for this one, the higher your score.</p>
<p>For math, it really depends on what type of problems you are getting wrong. For me, on my actual SAT, I usually get the “easy or medium” problems wrong, mainly because harder problems are actually easier for me because they are more conceptual and dont leave room for sillly mistakes. IF time is an issue, practice. Work on not using your calculator as much. If you are getting the hard ones wrong, I would recommend studying and practice, as there are obvious patterns in the problems. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t recommend taking an SAT class, especially now that you are in your senior year. But make sure you take at least 4 or 5 full length SAT tests (preferably 1 every week) to build your test endurance.</p>
<p>Personally, I do better on the actual test compared to practice tests, because I do better under pressure. IF you are like me, make sure to get yourself pumped for test day. If not, stay calm during your test.</p>
<p>I recommend just using the Blue Book since other materials like Kaplan have different styles of questions. I just took the CR sections there and I used some methods up here but overall I developed my own personal method for tackling those questions. Writing is just practice with the BB tests and same with math. And don’t forget to review the correct and wrong answers. I like to try to reason out why the correct answer is correct before looking up the explanation for the question.</p>
)</p>