I need some advice please.
I haven’t started preparing yet.
I am going to give the SAT with the essay in March and I need to know how exactly should I prepare to manage to score at least 1500?
Which books should I use? Is there one single book which has all that I need?
Also I can only manage to study 1-2 hours per day so is 1500 realistic considering I haven’t even started yet?
Try Kahn for SAT content. On another thread someone recommended Up Your Score because it contains strategies… Do you need to take the essay component? Many schools no longer require that.
No one can possibly know whether 5 weeks or 5 months is enough time for you to prep. Only you will know that once you begin. However, I assure you that 5 months is PLENTY sufficient for most.
@JBStillFlying Thank you! I’ve started the Khan Academy online prep and it’s brilliant! I’m probably not going to use Up Your Score because I read it somewhere that it just reiterates what the main books teach.
Yeah I need to take that; I’m mostly going to use the college panda book and whatever resources are available online for the essay. Aiming for at least 20.
I hope so because I can’t give this more than once so I need to give it my all on the first go ;-;
Some students never can get to 1500. Things that tend the hold them back are slow math processing speed or their English language skills aren’t strong enough.
A 1500 SAT would put you in the top 1%. There is no study tool and no set amount of studying that can guarantee you will achieve that goal. A number of good resources have been noted above and it sounds like you will study hard to do the best you can. Good luck.
I’m a test prep tutor for the verbal sections of the test, but I am very familiar with the math, so this advice is true for the whole test.
The most important resource is the official SAT prep guide published by College Board. Or, you can print each test for free from their website. The book is better though because it gives tips.
The single best SAT prep book for someone who will be doing it on their own with no professional help is the SAT Prep Black Book. Get the most recent edition. This book is completely designed to be used in conjunction with the official College Board SAT practice tests.
Many people swear by Khan Academy. IMO, the Black Book is better. You may have a better experience with Khan Academy. Try both.
1-2 hours of prep a day until March is ridiculous. I would never ask my students to spend that much time prepping. You will burn out and go down in flames if you try to do it that often, and you will definitely run out of prep material. Aim for an hour a week right now, then over the holidays, start doing full practice tests as often as you can. Don’t time yourself right away. Save that for about 6 weeks out.
1500 will be realistic for some an not for others. A tiny percentage of people will get 1500 and above. Your best bet is to be prepared as possible and do your best on the day.
The only prep my kid ever did was to take some of the exams in a quiet setting, timed, in various prep books and grade himself. His HS also offered almost-free exams thru Kaplan that was helpful. And his tests came out 1500+ all the time.
The only material outside of the tests that my kid said that was worth it was the advice given on how to prepare for the writing assessment part of the test.
I’ll add on to @Lindagaf’s advice, since I’ve taught a million or so math SAT prep courses.
At the end of the day, no one can tell you how to prep. Your results will be the end result of what kind of student you’ve been for the past 11 or so years, your native ability, the luck of the draw with the questions they use that day, how much sleep you’ve gotten, how good a vocabulary you have, your ability with a calculator, and so many other small factors.
One of my favorite resources is the book Up you Score, the Insider’s Guide to the SAT. It’s full of strategies, no practice tests. But the strategies are all concrete. I’m the one who keeps recommending it, because it contains large and small strategies that I’ve used with my kids for years. If you find that you’re already comfortable with all the strategies, then you should already be pulling solid scores.
Personally, I’m not a fan of Khan Academy. I find the explanations in math far too convoluted. But many kids here seem to like it. Again, your mileage may vary.
Promising to work 2 hours a day is not a good idea. For starters, if you were that dedicated to you schoolwork, you wouldn’t need to pose the question in the first place. In addition, that’s 2 hours a day taken away from your regular schoolwork, and your GPA is bound to take a hit.
At the end of the day, you want a score which represents you as a student. That will enable you to get into a school where you’ll fit in academically. Is it 1500? I have no idea-- and neither does anyone else. So do reasonable prep, keep your hopes and plans realistic, and take deep breaths. You’ll bloom where you’re planted.
Thank you all for your input :]