<p>Practice tests are usually good precursors of how you'll do on the real SAT/PSAT, correct? Well, lately, as I've been doing them (keep in mind here that so far I've completed just 4 tests) and my scores aren't really that great. Generally, they're around the 1980-2000somethings. </p>
<p>Would this be considered usual for a student just beginning to do practices for the exams? I'd really rather have my scores be around 2200 or higher, seeing as I want to go to schools like Stanford or Princeton. </p>
<p>Anyone have any comments, opinion, and/or suggestions on this?</p>
<p>Well, you're only 15, so your scores will be lower than what you'll actually get when they eventually take them for real I think.</p>
<p>As you're doing those practice tests, I suggest you READ a lot daily and learn LOTS of vocabulary and go over the questions you missed. This will significantly increase your score as you attempt to take more practice tests. This has worked for me.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm definitely getting one of those SAT vocab books...</p>
<p>personally, I would just buy Barron's How to Prepare for the New SAT, which gives you practice, albeit skewed, and also contains the 3500 word list, a must if you want near a 2400</p>
<p>How is memorizing 3500 words a "must if you want near 2400"?</p>
<p>Dont memorize vocab words. Just read magazines like scientific american, economist, etc</p>
<p>Unless you are lucky, there is no way that you can get a perfect score without having a descent command of vocabulary. I was exagerrating the "must" part, but there is not one strategy in this world that can get you a question right most of the time if you don't know the meaning of just two words in the question. . .</p>
<p>I'm actually doing that list and am almost done (47/50 word lists done). I would say that just do the high frequency words because those have helped me the most out of all the words I've done that weren't on the high frequency list, I've only come across them a couple times on practice tests. But damn, being almost done, if I don't get all those sentence completions right EVERYTIME I'll go insane.</p>
<p>if you are well read, you don't need to memorize vocab. let it come naturally instead of forcing it. </p>
<p>if i had memorized any words, i might have done better...dang, regrets.</p>
<p>I have memorized 250+ words and its helped me. I don't think you need anywhere near 3,500, though! Unless you don't read any literature, I think the most anyone should study over a short period of time is >400 atleast, man.</p>
<p>They are starting to do this thing where you learned like 2,000 SAT words. You start in 7th or 8th grade. They're just like vocab quizzes. And they are supposed accumulate. Good idea, but you know how kids study for vocab quizzes. Won't work unless you tell them how fantastic the money is and reinforce them not to forget words.</p>
<p>Mmm...well, personally, I've done pretty well without even doing the vocab...seems to me, based on the practice test I've done, that my weakness is math. Kinda hard to believe, seeing as I did Alg II in 9th grade and thus, should prolly be able to do almost all the SAT Math questions correctly...hm.</p>
<p>If your weakness is in math then your problem might be in your concentration level/focus.</p>
<p>In my opinion, the math section is similar to seeing how long you can concentrate intensely at a blank piece of paper. The math is very very simple but there are so many problems and with the occasional little tricks they throw in you must be paying attention every problem, no matter how easy.</p>
<p>memorizing vocab helps me a lot.</p>
<p>Yeah, there are just so many problems, and each of them has one little trick or twist that when you read the answer, you're like, OMG, HOW COULD I FALL FOR THAT???</p>
<p>That's one of the only parts I dont like about these tests.</p>