<p>Do you guys literally just memorize all the grammar rules? There are so many... Is the key to improving simply just memorizing the rules? Is there some sort of trick that you guys have figured out? Why am I doing so horrible on this section... should I just memorize all the grammar rules?</p>
<p>You’re doing “horrible?” Where exactly are you scoring that’s so bad? Try not to feel too bad. People in my school, even the smartest, are saying that it’s the toughest section. I don’t feel this way, as my critical reading level is lower(due to my terrible reading comprehension abilities) than my writing(gauging from the PSAT scores, I’m taking the SAT this Saturday). I’m much better at math than writing, however.</p>
<p>If you’re scoring 700+ in this section and saying you’re doing horribly, cut the arrogance. You’re doing a great job. Otherwise, try practicing writing essays and have your smartest friends or a good English teacher grade it according to the SAT scale. Also, try some practice tests and learn as many rules as you can. As you practice more, you should notice some errors off hand(I spotted one on a friend’s facebook post: “You two did this for a projects.”) Become a grammar Nazi on facebook. It helped for me on the PSAT, though it may tick off your friends, so don’t push it unless they’re okay with it. If all else fails, follow this advice: trust your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t(unless you’re on a hard question at the end trying to trick you).</p>
<p>Best of luck! This is coming from someone who got a 63 on the PSAT(630 SAT), if that’s credibility enough for you. If not, keep searching for more people to help you.</p>
<p>It’s actually the hardest section. The mean score on the writing section is about 8 points lower than that on the reading section, and about 22 points lower than that on the math section.</p>
<p>Memorizing grammar rules usually doesn’t work. For most test takers the memorization doesn’t stick. There’s logic behind most of the grammar “rules”, and you would need to internalize that so you can apply the rules instinctively. It’s all about practice.</p>
<p>For example (I’m really not trying to pick on you … just to point out the difficulty of English grammar, and how easily it’s misapplied) your post has a serious grammar error which is often tested for in the writing section. The error is the use of an adjective form instead of an adverb form. In your post “horrible” should be “horribly”. Practice and practice some more. Good writing will take you a long way in college.</p>
<p>My method is to memorize some basic rules and note all my mistakes when practising. And carefulness is really inportant when you are taking the real test.</p>
<p>I don’t really memorize any rules and I used to suck at the writing section. Its just after you’ve taken enough practice tests, you begin to see the patterns on which answers are right and wrong. You should, however, know some basic rules like when to use I or me, and know what a parallel sentence looks like.</p>
<p>btw, writing may be the lowest scored section mean wise on the SAT, but it is definitely the easiest to master. Seriously, when I was taking practice tests last year, I would be getting like 500-560 on some writing sections and I got that up to an 800 on the real SAT.</p>
<p>I dunno why some people say writing is the easiest. Maybe people scoring in the low 2000’s, but if you are going for 2400, writing seems like the hardest. The curve is just really really harsh. Math you can always miss 1, sometimes even 2 and get an 800. CR you can always miss 2, sometime 3 and still get an 800. But writing, you miss one and you are down to a 770-780. And the essay portion is so variable. Everyone i know who has gotten 2300++ has gotten a 10 or 11 and their essay. With a 10 essay, you miss just 3 MC and you are already down to 720.</p>
<p>I hate the writing section. Its so so easy except for those last couple in the ‘error’ section. They give you the worst, most awkwardly phrased sentences. I just wanna rewrite the entire sentence completely.</p>
<p>Unless they’ve changed the curve on the math section fairly recently, you almost always need to answer all of the questions correctly to score 800. On rare occasions (maybe once per year), it’s possible to score 800 in math while missing 1. I’ve never personally seen a curve that allowed 2 errors in math for an 800.</p>
<p>To the OP: I’d suggest working through the book of real SAT’s using xiggi’s method. Also, the Princeton Review might help you with the writing section. There are a few rules that they test over and over: parallelism, indefinite reference of pronouns, misplaced modifiers, agreement of subject and verb in number, tense use. You can pick up quite a few points by mastering just these topics, although there may be a few trickier questions that still elude you.</p>
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Yeah you seem to have writing and math backwards. It is very rare to be able to get 800 math with one wrong. With writing it depends on your essay a bit, but if you know how, a 10+ essay can be almost guaranteed.</p>
<p>I personally find writing the easiest because CR can be ambiguous and it’s easier to make careless mistakes in math. There is a set of rules for writing, at least. That said, it is the lowest-scoring section overall, both in median and in frequency of 800s. You basically want to be fluent with the rules. Studying the rules would work long term, but you really have to commit them to habit rather than memory. Reading a lot helps, as does paying attention to the rules in all of your writing and speech.</p>