How am I supposed to study for the SAT???

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

I am a junior in high school, and I am about to take my first SAT next week. I’ve been studying nonstop for the past few weeks. I have been seeing an SAT math tutor (got my score from 570 to a high of 700!), doing the official practice test, and watching all of the videos on Khan Academy and also doing the practice problems. My only issue is after doing all of this, I don’t feel like I’m learning anything new anymore. No matter how much I try on the math practice tests, my score usually stays at either a 670 or 680. And on the English portion, I cannot get above a 650. I know these scores aren’t bad, but if I want to get into my dream school (Tulane), I need much better scores. Pretty much, these are my questions for everyone:

  1. Is there any resource better than the official college board book and Khan Academy? I find the official book kind of unclear and not very helpful (other than the practice tests and answer explanations), and all of the questions on Khan Academy are too easy, and the videos only go over the most basic problems. I’m looking for other practice books or free programs.

  2. Should I not stress as much as I am for the SAT and start preparing for the ACT? I’ve had so many mental breakdowns over the past few weeks studying for the SAT, should I just accept the fact that my score won’t be what I want it to be for this test and start preparing for the ACT next month instead?

  3. If I get an ACT reading tutor, will that also help me on the SAT reading?

  4. Are there any tips or tricks for getting a better score? I know there probably isn’t much but if anyone has something I’d love to know!

Sorry for making this so long, I just wanted to get all my thoughts and questions out so I can hopefully get some answers and start getting better scores. Thanks everyone!

2

There is a guy with a website called ■■■■■■■ that I just discovered - he has explanations of all the practice test questions. If you have been using the official book then you have the results of your tests. Go to ■■■■■■■ for the questions you missed and that you continue to be confused by, and see if his explanations make any more sense than Khan or your tutor.

Sometimes hearing something explained in a different way helps it click better. If he doesn’t help, well, you won’t be out any money and you’ll only have spent a little time.

If you’re having mental breakdowns then you need to manage your stress in a better way. Keep preparing, but you might also spend a bit of time investigating relaxation techniques. Visualization, meditation, getting up and stretching, all those need to be part of a healthy studying regime.

This is not your last opportunity to take the test. You’re ahead of many kids in your grade. Relax, treat this first test as a benchmark. You are good enough. The score you are getting is good enough for a lot of very fine schools. Save some energy for school and for the extracurricular activities that you love.