Bombed the May SAT need to raise score

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
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<p>To Ivybaby:
I'll give you my opinion on your questions. My opinion may be right or wrong but all you are going to get on a message board is opinions so here are mine.</p>

<p>1- Can I raise my score by 500 points for the next SAT?
I see that you got a 1490 on your PSAT and since you got the same on your SAT that implies that your SAT score was not a freak score but is an accurate reflection of your ability at the current time. Since you have all summer to study you probably can pull it up quite a bit maybe even 300 points but I think 500 is pushing it. In addition to that even if you could push it up 500 points to a 2020 that is going to be on the bottom end of ivy league SAT scores, with a 3.6 GPA it is going to be tough to get in.</p>

<p>2- Do you have Any stories of raising your score? What did you do? Etc
Here is my story, I first took the test in 9th grade and got an 1180/1600 then I got 1870 in 10th grade, at the beginning of this year(11th) I got a 1980 and on this latest test I got a 2220. I did not study at all for the first and second test. I study about 5 hours total in the week before my third test and for my latest test I study about 20 hours in the 2 weeks prior to the test. To study I used the blue book and after each section I looked back over the ones I got wrong and an explantion of why I got it wrong. This really helped because I could see myself learning from my previous mistakes as I took different tests. In all I took 3 practice tests and spent some time reading the review section.</p>

<p>3- What suggestions do you think I should do? What books to get, should I take a couse, etc?
To raise you score 500 points I would get a blue book and a couple other books with lots of practice tests. Over the summer work in the books for at least an hour a day and when school starts do it when you can around homework.</p>

<p>I tried to edit this into my above post but it won't let me after 20 minutes.</p>

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<p>Hahahaha</p>

<p>First let me begin by pointing out your misconception that I was against insults in all forms; that is not true, therefore your last little jab is rendered completely meaningless. Congratulations.</p>

<p>Next, let me remind you that colleges are not the ultamite deciding factor in one's life, therefore, just because a standardized test is one of the ultamite deciding factors in college applications doesn't mean it measures "aptitude" of life itself.</p>

<p>Furthermore, I'd like to point out your implied use of the oxymoron "meaningful standardized test." Need I say more?</p>

<p>I deleted much of this message when I saw that you posted something that proved to me that you thought about what I said.</p>

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<p>Well I am done. My CR score is hopeless.</p>

<p>CR 380
M 720
W 560 (MC 53 Essay 9)</p>

<p>My m/v gap is growing. It was 300 points in PSAT. Now it's 340 points. O wells. My CR score was the first number there when the page finished loading. I felt heartbroken when I saw that score, because I thought I had atleast a 400. You don't know how I feel!!! :(</p>

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<p>*
"First let me begin by pointing out your misconception that I was against insults in all forms; that is not true, therefore your last little jab is rendered completely meaningless. Congratulations."*</p>

<p>Your not making much sense. Do you mean that you are only against insults to ivybaby and that it is ok for you to insult others?</p>

<p>*
"Next, let me remind you that colleges are not the ultamite deciding factor in one's life, therefore, just because a standardized test is one of the ultamite deciding factors in college applications doesn't mean it measures "aptitude" of life itself."
*</p>

<p>*I agree with you that in 20 years wether or not you have a succesful life will have little to do with the SAT scores you got in high school. There is no way that you can construe what I wrote to say that I beleive the SAT is a measurement of the "aptitude of life itself". I simply mena that the SAT is a large factor in determing where can go to college right now most of us are very concerend with where we can go to college, hence we are posting on COLLEGE confidential. *</p>

<p>*
"Furthermore, I'd like to point out your implied use of the oxymoron "meaningful standardized test." Need I say more?"
*</p>

<p>Again standardized test are meaningful for getting into colleges so this is not an oxymoron.</p>

<p>'When you come home from the long day at school where your numbers make up for your lack of any social confidence, is your conscience whispering that it's okay you don't do well with society?'</p>

<p>No my conscience does not whisper that numbers make things better. Also you have made a false assumption theat I have a "socially battered ego" as I have absolutley no problem participating in society.</p>

<p>By the way you mentioned that you did not bomb the SAT but you got a 1710 and based on your other posts you did not seem very happy about it so I think you are defending yourself not just ivybaby.</p>

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<p>"I deleted much of this message when I saw that you posted something that proved to me that you thought about what I said."</p>

<p>Can explain what you meant by that</p>

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<p>Plenty (not all) of people dumb down the concept and importance of standardized tests to compensate for their lacking, I advise against this, as a test is a test, and test scores are ultimately the avatar of a student's academic achievement, regardless of one's opinion.</p>

<p>ivybaby, as bigal suggested, take practice tests and look over the explanations of the ones you got wrong. For writing, there are grammatical patterns that you can remember very easily and are very logical, they consistently appear in every practice test, so you can learn those real fast. On my first SAT I got a 520 on my writing, and by doing this method, I got a 690 on my next sat and finally a 750 on my last one in May (my essay was 8 and dragged my 79 on my mc down).</p>

<p>I haven't had much luck on math or reading, they've been hovering around the same ranges the last two tests, but I suggest grabbing the vocabulary from the sentence completion questions in the reading sections that you don't know and memorizing them for your retake.</p>

<p>Good Luck.</p>

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<p>After taking the test 5 times (and I'm taking it a 6th in June) My highest is 1820.
I'm still going to take it again and again until get 1950 (or more).</p>

<p>Don't think that I'm pulling your leg(s), I really did take it 5 times!! :):(</p>

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<p>
[quote]
"oh my goodness...how can you call yourself a excellent student when your grades do not show that...no offence but i don't think you have any hope"

[/quote]
</p>

<p>^Another example of a terrible and unhelpful post.</p>

<p>1) The OP did not post GRADES just SAT SCORES. Bad scores don't mean you aren't a good student because that's not what the SAT measures.</p>

<p>2) Riiiight . . . . no hope. I love how people attach 'no offence' and then post something crushing. I'd sympathize if it was true, but it's not. The OP has a full summer to raise scores. Determine why you don't do well, and focus on those weaknesses. Is it the content? Is it the pressure? A few good techniques and practice tests can raise most peoples' scores to 600+.</p>

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<p>big al... </p>

<p>You are an idiot and I'm giving up all hope of you ever understanding what is true and what isn't. I hope you do well in college, I'm glad you did well on the SAT, and I hope that you soon realize that there is indeed life past college, past standardized testing, and past the surface that has nothing to do with "success." You probably think that you were agreeing with me about this already, but you weren't... you didn't understand. Try a couple of more times, I'm sure you'll get it eventually.</p>

<p>Also, I'd like to point out that BOMBING something, and being UNHAPPY with something are two different things, dip****, therefore I am not defending myself.</p>

<p>Perhaps you should read the post above this one.</p>

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<p>"A few good techniques and practice tests can raise most peoples' scores to 600+."
I don't beleive that at all. I have never heard of anyone rasing their score over 600 points using a "few good techniques". The princeton review has a $700 online course that only garuntees a 200 point increase so I assume most people incrase their score 200-300 points using that program. She has a chance to improve her scores but it is going to take more than a a few practice tests. It is going to take alot of practice tests and a lot of new techniques. I realize it is hard for someone that wants to go to an ivy league school to read stuff like this but it is the truth. The unhelpful post is yours, telling her everything will be alright if she takes a few practice tests over the summer beacuse that is false.</p>

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<p>Not everyone is going to do well on standardized testing. The SAT tests a particular type of ability. If one has trouble with that type of test, it might be wise to look at some of the SAT optional schools, or schools that don't require high test scores for admission but rely more in grades and other criteria.</p>

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<p>We're having a similar discussion on the parents board-- about kids who really bombed out on SAT. My d did much better on the ACT- I strongly suggest for any of you STRUGGLING with the SAT, try the ACT or look into schools that do not require standardized test. (fairtest.org??)
Parents thread is called "SAT Debacle"</p>

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<p>Walshkc - I don't understand why you keep accusing me of saying that SAT scores are a tell all sign of how succesful your life will be. I never said this or anything similar to that. In fact I told you I agreed that SAT scores will mean nothing in 20 years. I also agree with you that success is not measured by where you go to college or how much money you make, it is a matter of wether or not you are happy with yourself as a person. </p>

<p>My whole reason for even posting in this thread was to answer ivy baby's question. I can see how when I agreed with tribal it may have been offensive so I posted another message that clarified what I thought in regards to ivybaby's questions. </p>

<p>The only reason this is still going on is that every time you post you are unable to rebute any of my points so instead you attack me personally, refuse to back up what you say, and put words in my mouth.</p>

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<p>"A few good techniques and practice tests can raise most peoples' scores to 600+."

[quote]
I don't beleive that at all. I have never heard of anyone rasing their score over 600 points using a "few good techniques".

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Let me rephrase that: Techniques applied over practice and study. Eliminate 'a few' from my statement. Also, try not to be insular in your assumptions--I'll concede that perhaps everyone can't raise their score to 600+, but there are plenty of people that do (and that I know of), even if you haven't heard of any.</p>

<p>
[quote]
The princeton review has a $700 online course that only garuntees a 200 point increase so I assume most people incrase their score 200-300 points using that program. She has a chance to improve her scores but it is going to take more than a a few practice tests.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Alright, let's say a substantial amount of practice tests rather than a few--the fact still remains that the summer exists and provides more than enough opportunity for great improvement. Besides, PR isn't the only program and 200-300 isn't the ceiling for improvement, simply because the amount of improvement possible varies inversely with the amount of improvement already attained. The PR course is for a finite amount of time, and therefore marks a general score increase for that period of time, rather than a person's possible increase.</p>

<p>
[quote]
It is going to take alot of practice tests and a lot of new techniques. I realize it is hard for someone that wants to go to an ivy league school to read stuff like this but it is the truth. The unhelpful post is yours, telling her everything will be alright if she takes a few practice tests over the summer beacuse that is false.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>For the most part, the only false things are your assumptions.</p>

<p>1) There isn't really much more to improving SAT scores. Technique, practice, and of course the base knowledge. There's no other secret method that one uses to raise scores--it's all a matter of improving technique and practice. This happens in varying degrees and in many ways, but they all fall under that category.</p>

<p>2) No no no, my post is definately not unhelpful because you're assuming everything in it is inaccurate. </p>

<p>Alright, let's give you your claim and say it is unhelpful. At least I tried instead of claiming that this person had no hope, and that's my point.</p>

<p>3) Don't put so much focus on the word 'few'. I was speaking relatively, by 'few' I don't mean 2 or 3, I mean a moderate to substantial amount stretched over the period of a summer, which is what the OP has.</p>

<p>But 50% of my post was about how unhelpful a post was saying that the OP had no hope. Basically, you're saying that 'the unhelpful post' is mine. So are then sayaing that the post calling the OP hopeless was helpful, while mine, with the attempt to give advice, was unhelpful? Please.</p>

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<p>Ok, I agree with you Murasaki that with substantial amounts of practice over the summer her score will rise substantially. I still think the 500-600 is pushing it though but 300-400 could be acheived.</p>

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<p>As in 300-400 score on a section, or total improvement?</p>

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<p>total
(I need to add more text bacause it says my message is too short)</p>

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<p>hmmmm.....</p>

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<p>I raised my score 400 points in 4 days during a prep class at my school - from a 1700 to a 2100. YOU CAN DO IT. Practice, practice, practice!!! Memorize the rules of grammar - only about 10 things are tested on the writing test. For CR, just focus. For math, learn the rules! Again, only a certain number of things appear on the SAT. If you know the rules, you can be confident and get the questions right!</p>

<p>It also sounds to me like you need some strategy with skpping, coming back later, etc. Get books from both Kaplan and PR so you can get the different opinions and see what works best for you.</p>