<p>Took the SAT twice. Got an 680 both times. Need a 750. Know that I am smarter than a 680, and very much capable of 750. My problem is stupid mistakes. Stuff like dropping a two here and there and such. Stuff you would usually loose 1/5 pts for on a regular test.</p>
<p>How do you avoid stupid mistakes?
Which prep book is the best?
How did you study?</p>
<p>I got 800 on my math and this is what i do</p>
<p>Concentrate really hard
Read the questions carefully -sometimes you might try to find something totally different from what the question is asking ex. area and perimeter (i once mixed these 2 up -_- )</p>
<p>go through all the questions in 20 minutes(very fast) with medium accuracy (takes practice)
do the hard questions and check over for the remaining time (you might find 1 or 2 errors like i do)</p>
<p>well i never practice math, but this is what i did on the real test and the practice tests i took the day before the real test</p>
<p>take your time, concentrate on everything, even the very simple stuff. </p>
<p>I do the same thing.. got 800x4 on practice tests but i guess stress got to me on teh real one and i got 720</p>
<p>I agree with Jose1. Read the questions carefully b/c misreading has tripped me up more than once. Since you said it's not really the math that's getting you, go through all the questions fairly quickly, then go over them more carefully w/ the extra time to catch any misreads.</p>
<p>also agree with jose....i have an 800 and 2 780s on the SAT I, and 800 on math IIC....you have to go fast on the first 15 or so, keep a good pace going, but make sure you read the question...and if hte question is like, x+7=15, dont waste time using a calculator, just get it and dont hesitate.</p>
<p>760</p>
<p>Two dumb mistakes involving punching the numbers into the calculator costed me a better score. I did the same on the last one I took this past saturday. What you gotta do is go relatively quickly through 1/2 the test and then slow down and read the questions on the others. Make sure you understand what they're asking. And, don't hesitate to go back and check your answers...</p>
<p>and it doesnt help to have a little luck...when i got the 800, i only had time to go back and check one question before time ran out....and sure enough, i had done it completely wrong and just had enoguh time to fix i t</p>
<p>I got a 680 first time and I knew I could do better. I had the exact same problem you had. Took it again and got 760. I think the main think I did differently was relax and read every question very carefully.</p>
<p>800- just do it, it's simple math. I mean there is no "trick" besides answering every question right. When you are done go back to like number 15 and check the last 10 or however many there are.</p>
<p>I got a 780, missed 1. umm the best way to study is practice #25 on MC and #15 on QC and the last 2 SPRs!</p>
<p>800 math. Best way to do it is to concentrate really hard on each problem as you do it. Don't check answers later (as this makes you think, at the beginning, "oh I gotta check my answers later" and rush you for time. This hurts you!). Give <em>ALL</em> the problems their due time, and make sure you read them carefully. Slowing down = higher scores.</p>
<p>But don't go too slow because then you won't get to all the questions.
The first few problems don't require too much calculations.</p>
<p>And remember you don't need a calculator for any of em.</p>
<p>Read questions carefully and make sure you catch all the hidden stuff in the question that fool people.</p>
<p>780</p>
<p>Practice. just do it. Often.</p>
<p>800 IIc.. Start from the back of the section; that way you have plenty of time to do the hard ones and if you need to you can rush on the "6 + x=18" questions. </p>
<p>Actually, the last time I took the SAT I started off with a math section, so I immediately flipped to the back. I was in the front row of desks, so the proctor lady (who was walking around) saw me and came over to look over my shoulder. She said, to me, "You're starting from the back?!" and I just nodded at her, as if everyone did this. She paused, then walked away, sort of confused. </p>
<p>Also, REMEMBER: Check POSITIVE, NEGATIVE, and DECIMAL on the QC's. Always. take the ten seconds to write that esact sentence--"check P, N and D!"--on every page so you remember. If you can't figure out the "real" way to do the problem--i.e, substitution or logic--then plugging in numbers is the next best thing. But don't say, "well, 4/x is always smaller than 5/x because 4/2=2and 5/2=2.5, okay, good, one down, that was easy, I won't go back to it..."</p>
<p>That's all I can think of. It also helps to have time to go back and check, but sometimes even I have trouble with that.</p>
<p>800</p>
<p>Try focusing on the easier questions. I tended to concentrate on the harder questions because they were "harder" and I got them right. However, I sped through the easier questions and got those wrong. Perhaps you are making silly mistakes like I did. Never underestimate those questions at the beginning. </p>
<p>Also, always try to verify your answer and like JLP said; go back and check words like positive, negative, except, integer, etc...</p>
<p>If you end up with some time at the end, check some of the questions at the beginning/middle of the section. That's where I usually made my mistakes, and I got 740 twice. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you and I'll post if I think of anything else! ^__^</p>
<p>780
i agree with all of them.. it is easy to slip and not concentrate in a 3hr paper.. just make sure ur not looking elsewhere, but only the paper in front of u.. it should be fine .. but if u dont know the answer properly, dont brood over it.. got and do the rest and then come back to this question when ur done with the rest.. u dont want to sit in front of this one question and not do the others which u could have gotten..</p>
<p>790 here -</p>
<p>I'm sure I missed one of the first, easiest questions.. heh, wonderful me always makes mistakes. Anyway, the first thing to do is have a firm grip on all the things generally tested. Just take a practice test or two and learn all the forumlas, etc, etc.. Now worry about stupid mistakes. The best advise for this is to become more and more wary as you progress. On the last question especially watch out and try to spot how they're trying to trick you. Spotting this will be easier if you are ready for the test. You should finish with 5-10 mins left over to check.</p>
<p>800 SAT 1 math 770 SAT II math iic</p>
<p>What you said abotu dropping a 2 worries me. I flip numbers around sometimes, but i never bothered to do anything about it because it hasn't affected me enough, and also because it's just numbers, never words. However, if it is more serious you coudl get extra time on the SAT if you're diagnosed dyslexic, i hear.</p>
<p>otherwise....I think it helps a lot to check your answers in a different way from how you first approached it....you catch all sorts of mistakes that way.</p>
<p>800 on both Sat 1 and Sat 2c</p>
<p>Just be sure to get the easier ones right...all questions have the same weightage and its really of no use breaking your head on the tougher ones.</p>
<p>Dont spend too much time on any question - if you cant think of solution in the first min, skip. Come back later.9 times out of ten you get it right then.</p>
<p>To avoid silly mistakes, keep track of the question number. On the first few, you are really unlikely to commit errors. The harder questions usually have twists, so read the last few questions on any section VERY carefully. read the Quant comparisons well too. They are questions where one is most likely to commit mistakes</p>
<p>More than anything else, practice. Collegeboard really has very few types of questions. Get acquainted with each type.</p>
<p>Use Princeton Review - its quite good for tricks and shortcuts.</p>
<p>Be confident. Why 750? Try 800. its really not difficult</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>780 Math 800 IIC</p>
<p>I second that on Princeton Review.
If you really want to feel you're slaloming through the real test, use Barrons! It's so much harder! It will depress you, but no pain-no gain.</p>