<p>Hello. I’m a Junior, and I’m taking my first SAT in January. I’m not applying to colleges this year, but I’m applying to summer programs and I bombed the PSAT (2 major papers due the day of the PSAT… ughhhh). I want to do the best I can, and if possible, not take the SAT again (although unlikely). I just want to go over each section to see if I’m doing each section in an OK way:</p>
<li><p>Math
Math is my forte, so I’m expecting at least 750 with careless errors. My goal is to work quickly through the material and then check each answer very carefully. Do you think this will be fine? More emphasis on checking than actually solving? I just died on PSAT math because of careless errors so I think reviewing my answers is very important.</p></li>
<li><p>Critical Reading
This is the section I struggle on most. On the practice PSAT I got a 72, on the real PSAT I got a 65. I find it hard to pay attention, so I force myself to write annotations and underline. But would doing this waste my time? On practice SATs so far I haven’t run out of time. Then I don’t know if this is the best strategy, but I think I should spend more time looking at the text rather than the multiple choice answers for passage questions-- Is it true the answers are all literal and “in the text”? Often I narrow the question down to 2 multiple choice answers, and each time I always select the incorrect response because of making an inference.</p></li>
<li><p>Writing
What I’m nervous about with writing is the essay. How do they score it? I’m so confused and I don’t really know what to do. I usually write a brief introductory paragraph that integrates the quotation and ends with a thesis. Then I write 2-3 examples in depth to discuss different viewpoints, and finally conclude while taking up as much space as possible. What can I do to improve the essay? Or, how do you organize the essay?</p></li>
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<p>Math - Speed is definitely important on the math, but I disagree with your strategy. Checking your work at the end will most likely result in your overlooking any mistakes you've already made. I recommend reading the question, solving it (don't do any math in your head), checking your solution (most of the time, just plug your answer into the question), rereading the question to make sure you found _____ and not ______, and finally circling your answer. I also suggest that you only bubble your answer sheet after you've done a page. That way, you waste less time going from booklet to answer sheet, and if you accidentally bubble on #32 instead of #31, you can go back to your booklet and re-bubble.</p>
<p>CR - Get through the passage quickly. Get the main idea of the passage, then skim over the details. Spend more time on the QUESTIONS. You're going to end up referring to the passage anyway when you do the questions, so the initial reading is not meant to be absolute. Make sure you read the question carefully. Every answer is in the text, you just need to find it. Don't refer to any outside info you might have on the topic.</p>
<p>W - You've basically got it. Solid intro that has an explicit thesis, 3 supporting paragraphs (if possible from literature or history), and a conclusion. Write as much as you can. Get a copy of the Rocket Review Revolution SAT book. It's an immense help with the essay. As for the MC, just do practice problems.</p>
<p>for your essay, spend the first 2 minutes planning/organizing it, then spend the next 18 minutes to write the intro and body,four minutes for a really good conclusion and a minute to look over. Of course, this is just a template, but I think its a good guideline as to how how the essay should be approached.</p>
<p>I got a 12 on my essay, both times I took the SAT, and I always used three examples - literature/history, current events, and a personal anecdote. I think this approach makes the reader look at your essay and get three different examples that shows your ability to synthesize and analyze.</p>
<p>Also, I would reccomend, for your Body pghs, the POINT-PROOF-ANALYSIS (ppa) method. State what the point is (of course, it should relate to your thesis), use your proof: literature, history, anectode, current-events, and then analyze it. How does this example PROVE your point and inturn your THESIS? The A in PPA is arguably the most important. Make sure you don't overlook that.</p>
<p>I disagree...don't spend time planning/organizing your essay. Just WRITE. Figure out your examples as you write your thesis/other examples. this is the SAT not other English papers!</p>
<p>^I disagree with your disagreement. Knowing the example you are going to use before you start writing gives you a sense of direction. At least for me, it does. Different people like different things. Let him figure out what works for himself.</p>
<p>Math-
I found that there are a decent amount of problems that can be checked by solving another way. This is how I verified a lot of my answers. I also go ahead and mark ones I am 100% sure about and circle those I want to take a look at so I am not double checking things I already know.</p>
<p>For the Essay-
The Point-Proof-Analysis model worked for me as well. I have to agree that planning helps as well, especially since I tend to write too much and not get to the point. I actually saved myself time by taking 2 minutes to plan and focus my thoughts. </p>
<p>I also got some help from a free guide I found at writetocollege.com. The guide had really good explanations of developing a thesis and picking examples to back up your points. </p>