Help In CR, Americans, Your opinions please?

Test Preparation
1

<p>I live in the Middle East & my school is based on the American system.
We study using american books & curriculum.</p>

<p>I did the SAT twice last year.</p>

<p>I scored:
Jan: 500 Cr, 500 M, 600 W (Essay score of 8)
May: 450!!! Cr, 610 M, 620 W (Essay score of 9) <--- I know CR is a mess! =/</p>

<p>& This year I did SAT subject tests in math 1 (640), math 2 (620), & biology (640).</p>

<p>Apparently I did well in SAT 2 than in SAT 1.
I'm planning to study abroad in either Canada or the US <em>Canada mostly (My Dream Uni is U OF T)</em>, therefore I need to get above 1800.</p>

<p>I studied really well last year & did many practice tests; My score used to range from 1850 to 1900. However, I dunno what happened to me when I did the actual test for the second time because my CR score went down.</p>

<p>I really want to achieve a higher score and my next test is in Jan 2011. I know I can do it, I have a high gpa, my english is fine, and I'm working very hard. I believe nothing is impossible, yet I always try my best but I never get what I seek, especially in CR. =/</p>

<p>I memorized around 500 words & roots for the sentence completion part & none were useful.
In addition, the passage based question are easy if I concentrate, but I have something like "SAT phobia". I get hypertensed.</p>

<p>What methods do you American students use to ace the SAT? Especially the CR section.
And How can I stay confident during the time of the test?</p>

<p>I know I can improve my math & writing scores.</p>

<p>I will really appreciate it if you answer my thread.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>Well I probably shouldn’t be answering this since CR was my worst section, but it still was a 670, so I’ll try and help you out.</p>

<p>First of all, RELAX. That’s the first and most important tip. Stress is your worst enemy. Stay positive while taking the test and work quickly, but efficiently. I’m guessing this is a really lame American saying, but you should always just try your best, and if your best isn’t good enough, then so be it. You take what you get. Lower SAT scores are really not the end of the world, and there are so many more factors that colleges look at. So don’t think that SAT scores determine your life. Because they absolutely do not.</p>

<p>Second, in general for other reading tests, teachers tell me to look at the passage questions BEFORE you read the passage. Then you can mark up the passage for stuff you need rather than wasting more time. Personally I think on the SATs this is a little time-waster as well, so this is what I do:</p>

<ol>
<li>Skim the questions in a minute or so to get the general idea of what they will be asking for.</li>
<li>Quickly skim the whole passage in a few seconds to get the general idea of what it is about.</li>
<li>Actually read the passage, but don’t try to get caught up in understanding every little detail. Understand the passage, but don’t be obsessive. When reading, the most important thing to read for is the author’s tone (whether it’s formal, informative, argumentative, persuasive, sarcastic, humorous, etc.) and the author’s purpose (what the author wants you to know or believe by the end of it). There is almost always a question on tone and purpose, and even if there’s not, it’ll help on a ton of other questions.</li>
<li>Answer the questions. If you need to look back, do so, but don’t take up too much time. If you feel like you’re taking up too much time, just circle it and come back to it later if you get finished early. Remember that you don’t get deducted on blank answers.</li>
</ol>

<p>And in general on the SAT, I always circle my answer in the test book, then darken the circle in my answer book. That way, when I go back to check, I can just read through the test book to see what answer I put rather than looking back and forth. Saves a TON of time.</p>

<p>You should be fine. Remember to relax! That’s still rule number one!</p>