Hello CCers. I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer so far. I am very confused on how to study effectively for the SAT in order to take the SAT in August. When I took the SAT for the first time on March 1st, I got a 1140 (570 on Reading, 570 on Math and a 6 on the essay portion) getting a 940 and a 1070 on previous PSATs. I wanted to start studying after March 1st, but then I had to study for my AP exams and was busy with homework and my extracurriculars. I desperately want to have a minimum score of a 1300, a 1350 if possible but I am quite puzzled as to how to study; I have an old SAT book (for the past SAT which scored on a 2400 scale) but it’s certainly outdated and will not give me the opportunity to study as effectively. I’d be much better off purchasing a book for the new SAT. $30 is the budget on buying supplies needed to study and a summer prep class is not a viable option due to financial reasons. Do any of you have good advice on what to do?
Do a ton of practice tests without timing them, and after completing each one reviews your answers, even the ones you got correct. Then start timing your practice runs to see if you can do it within the time window offered. This was a viable study method for me, although I was pretty lax about studying, which lead me into guessing on quite a few questions at the end of each section. Note that the times you get on practice tests at home shouldn’t be expected on test day, due to anxiety, sheer pressure, and the hassle of bubbling in answers correctly (for me anyways lol), you’ll probably won’t be as quick.
There’s a number of resources online for free! These have worked for me:
Khan Academy SAT: well-liked and is partnered with the College Board- https://www.khanacademy.org/sat
PrepScholar’s How to Get an 800 (Reading) spells things out very clearly.
http://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-800-on-sat-reading-10-strategies-by-a-perfect-scorer
PrepScholar’s How to Get an 800 (Math) is as clear as its counterpart and my personal favorite SAT math resource.
http://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-800-on-sat-math-by-a-perfect-scorer
I would recommend reading the PrepScholar articles first, then heading to Khan Academy for practice.
Of course, you can always get a book if you prefer working from a book.
Best of luck!
@Alllviiinnn @newkidnewtrix Thank you both, but do you guys think online resources alone are sufficient enough for preparing for this? And where can I find “a ton” of practice tests? I know khan academy has 8 full length practice tests, but will this be enough?
I’m not sure, I just printed the 8 practice tests, I didn’t even get to do all of them. I’ve heard Barron’s practice questions are great for practicing, as they’re actually harder than the questions on the actual SAT.
@Alllviiinnn If you don’t mind, can you share how much of a score increase there was after completing these practice tests? I apologize if I’m vexing you, I just want to be as productive as possible especially since summer ends quickly. If I did have enough money instead of Barron’s I would have purchased Erica Meltzer’s SAT Reading book and College Panda’s SAT Math book, however they’re too expensive. Barron’s simply lacks concision and clear explanations on what’s important or not; it’s not time friendly.
It honestly depends. The first test I did, I had less than 20 incorrect answers on the reading and writing section combined. The math section was a lot harder for me (especially the calculator section), so I’ll say I got 25+ incorrect answers total on those math sections (I partly blame this on me not learning some of the content yet). The second practice run, I actually did worse. Though I had less incorrect answers, I ran out of time on the math. The third practice test was right before the actual SAT, so I can’t come to remember how I did. Take it into consideration that the reading is harder to improve than the other sections, so don’t get discouraged.
Remember that the material itself isn’t really that hard, but the test is (at least for me anyways, I never really had trouble understanding the ERW sections when reviewing). Think of the SAT as a game, to beat it, you have to know it.
P.S. Don’t take my advice seriously, I’m like 13 lulz
@Alllviiinnn Well, regardless, you’re giving good advice. I think the only effective way to improve my score is take many practice tests, like you suggested. Then look over what I missed immediately after taking each of those practice tests. Taking note of my weaknesses, I can do practice over those specific areas with khan academy. Subsequently, I can take another test with my refined skills and repeat this procedure with the rest of the sections. In all honesty, there’s no point in buying a book if I can’t complete this method; books just show you what strategies to employ while taking the SAT, but aren’t the only resource when it comes to this procedure. I believe I can do this with khan academy and an ample amount of practice.
With enough practice, I really think you can achieve a score of 1350+. Especially if you are taking it this August. Good luck on your studies!
@Alllviiinnn Thanks! And thanks to all the posters on this thread the advice was very helpful.
In case any of you are curious, I got a 1270 on my SAT! I raised my math score by 100 points and my reading score by 30 points (600 reading, 670 math) and I’m very satisfied with it! I suppose I’m more pleased that my hard work paid off. For anyone who is studying for the SAT, go to Khan Academy and complete practice problems and practice tests. Once you have completed the problems, look over the ones you have missed thoroughly to ensure you understand why you missed it. This strategy helped me tremendously because it reduced the chances of making the same mistake later on. Thanks to everyone on this thread, I really appreciate it.