<p>hey for the cb blue book, i read the essay examples and is it me or is that second essay listed under the score of 6 in which the narrator uses his personal life stories as examples is not really worth a 6? i don't understand why that got a six, i've always been told that drawing examples from literature and history would outscore essays involving personal experiences..</p>
<p>another thing...how do i become faster at math? it drives me nuts. whenever i do the test untimed, i understand how to do the questions, but under timed conditions, i totally suck...any help here guys?</p>
<p>when you guys miss questions in the CB blue book, it has no answer explanations, so what do you do to make sure you don't make that mistake again?</p>
<p>Practice makes perfect.</p>
<p>And don't be nervous or second guess yourself.</p>
<p>That's pretty much it.</p>
<p>wow thanks a lot..your post was quick! :)</p>
<p>I've thought the same thing about the essay, and Kaplan gives a 6 to the essay with a personal experience too. The most reliable source with whom I've discussed this is my brilliant (seriously) sophomore English teacher who also happens to be a grader for CollegeBoard. She prefers, I think, examples from current events, literature, history, etc. but if a personal story is particularly poignant and explained clearly, that can be just as good. I still think non-personal experiences show greater thought and creativity, but as long as your examples are relevant, support the topic and are clearly explained, anything is fine.</p>
<p>okay, i'm glad i wasn't the only one who was like <em>huh a 6</em> when i read that essay haha. i think i'll play it safe and leave the personal stories out and stick to literature and history lol</p>
<p>id did 50 problems a day in the first days (without timed), from sources like blue book, RR, 10 real, Barrons. </p>
<p>For Math: Practice, its the only solution</p>
<p>how long did you do the 50 problems before you started timing yourself?</p>
<p>approx a month and a half, i had to do this over summer break</p>
<p>how did you go over the problems for CB blue book? i have the book but I don't want to spend anymore for the online answer explanations (running low on cash lol)</p>