<p>I usually get around the 550's in CR, around the early 700's (early 0's) in math, and like a 760-780 in writing, which brings me to around a 2100 most times. Do I still need to prep every single day, like I used to? I'm kinda disappointed in myself today because all I did was just a little SAT II prep. Nothing for the SAT I today. </p>
<p>So yea, does this matter, honestly? Thanks.</p>
<p>Quality over quantity. You don’t need to prep everyday if you figure out strategies to nail down each section. For example: I spent months practicing CR using the “famed” method of bracketing line numbers and reading each section. My score improved like 50 points from a 500. Then I simply read the passages and improved 200 points to a 700 (I missed 2 passage questions and 5 sentence completion questions).</p>
<p>I need to try to figure out a way to raise my CR scores too! I make all A’s in english Honors but i still suck at CR. I made a 500. Terrible. And for some reason my writing isn’t where i want it even though writing is easy to me. </p>
<p>Please help us!</p>
<p>Ok well here’s my tip. You have to be a bit introspective with this, so look deep inside yourself (lol that sounds corny). Think about how you got your As in english Honors. How did you read the books, how did you remember the things you read, how did you comprehend what you read? Think about these things and translate your skills onto the test. Do not approach the SAT CR any differently from your normal methods of reading. It’s not a test that requires advanced strategies; it’s a test that tests the skills you utilized throughout your entire life. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>@the first reply: Well mine for math is to go for the problems easiest for me first. With the reading section, I just look at the questions first, and then read most (not all) of each passage. For writing, I do things in order. It really doesn’t matter to me, since grammar has always been a breeze. </p>
<p>Are these strategies OK?</p>
<p>@the second reply: Yes. I know how you feel. That was me at first!</p>
<p>I guess I’ll just take it one at a time (the passages)… that’s what i usually do</p>
<p>@xxeliza, I recommend you don’t even go to the questions before reading the passage. First, if you were in an English class and the teacher gave you a test on a book, would you look at the questions first or read the book first. Read the book first right? Do the same thing for the SAT CR. Second, It’s hard to keep the questions in mind while you read. For me, I do a thorough read through the passage (even both passages if it’s dual). I focus on comprehending EVERYTHING. That may sound counterproductive, but somehow that works for me and maximizes my retention of the passage(s). I then look at the questions and answer in order.</p>
<p>@injectmagic, Makes sense Thanks for the tips</p>
<p>Hmm… The read everything approach is pretty much the exact opposite of mine. Let me show you what I told someone else struggling with SAT CR & W the other day…</p>
<p>Don’t read the passage until you HAVE TO! This sounds nutty as can be, but trust me, I got a 750 on CR (I missed 2 vocab questions and made two bubbling errors, circled the right answer and bubbled the wrong one, curse my thoughtlessness!) without ANY prep… Anyway, in a lot of cases, you don’t need to read the passage until the last 2 questions about it (they usually ask about mood, tone, author purpose, style… Things that require you to read the whole passage); if a question gives you a designated line number that you need to read, read it, answer the question, and move on! When you havvvvvve to read the passage to answer a question, go ahead and read it. </p>
<p>Learn how to recognize passive voice if you aren’t already able to. If you didn’t know, Passive voice is a more advanced kind of grammatical “error” in the English language… </p>
<p>Active voice: David plants a tree.
Passive voice: A tree is planted by David. </p>
<p>A few incorrect answers on a bunch of questions are in passive voice, so if you can recognize passive voice and eliminate those answer choices quickly, you can save lots of time stressing over answer choices. </p>
<p>Anyway, you should also read a lot, and look up words you don’t know… I read a lot, and for about two years, I used to read a new book (~400 pages) every day. I was reading Jane Austen in 3rd grade, so yes, reading definitely helps [with vocabulary and with getting a feel for different sentence structures]. If you really, REALLY hate reading, at least try to memorize some vocabulary… I’ve heard “Direct Hits” is pretty good for that, but I wouldn’t know… Math is my problem, not CR. =P </p>
<p>Take practice tests too, of course… Use these strategies, you’ll be astounded at the ease with which your score rises. Best of luck, and remember… You can do it!</p>
<p>Thanks for the support/Tips! I think i will try to do a comparison of your way and then taking it one step at a time. I’ll post my results later on.</p>