<p>I got a 174 on the PSATs, and a 1920 on the SATs. I would really like to raise my score to at least a 2200. I have the Collegeboard SAT Study, Direct Hits, 1000 Most Common SAT Words, and several practice tests. I am a sophomore at the moment, and I take senior classes at my high school. I finish my homwork around 9 every night, so I have another 2 hours before I go to bed. What should I do to improve my score. I hear practice a lot, but anything I should do in particular with what resources I have? Any help would be appreciated. If someone could make me a schedule of what to when or how often, that would be fabulous! Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Practice is key.</p>
<p>Figure out where your weak points are and make sure you study them. I had tons of practice books from siblings and relatives, and those really helped. The only section I had issues with was Reading, so I also bought a book that focused on the Critical Reading section.</p>
<p>Try to get done with the SAT by the end of Junior year so that you can just worry about applications Senior year. That means May would probably be your best options if you aren’t also busy then with AP testing. Do a lot of practice over the summer, and you should be fine!</p>
<p>I would also get started on taking SAT IIs as soon as possible, especially you’re in senior classes and want to make sure you don’t forget the material. I heard Math II is best after taking PreCal, Physics is best after 1 year of physics rather than after AP Physics C, because there’s a lot of information that you don’t need from Physics C.</p>
<p>At my school, we don’t have to take Physics as a prerequisite for AP Physics. I also found out that they are offering only AP Physics C next year. Thank you for the advice. The area I have the most trouble with is Critical Reading. Math I get at least a 700 each time I take a practice test, and writing I get a 650. I want to focus the most on critical reading. Do you think reading a lot would help? Also I’m studying 35 words a week, 2 practice sections every night, and reading 50 pages of a novel every night. Do you think this is a good start, or do I need more? Thanks again for your input!</p>
<p>Buy Gruber’s Ultimate Guide to the SAT. It has all of the words that you HAVE to know.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t necessarily wait till May of junior year to take it. Many people take it before that and it is recommended you take it by January so that if you want to improve, you can take it again in May. However, if you are not at all ready by January, do not waste your time taking it.</p>
<p>Take it at most three times and since you already took it once, you have two more chances. You can superscore your score, meaning, you can take the highest score from any section from any test and combine them to make one super score.</p>
<p>If you take it in December you only have to wait one month to take it again in January. If you take it in January, you have to wait over a month to take it again in March. Bear this in mind when making up your decision. Studies show that on average, students do best the end of Junior year and beginning of Senior year. however, many, many, MANY students take it before the end of Junior because they don’t want the SATs to be in the way when studying for finals and APs.</p>
<p>Best way to prepare is:
- Take practice tests (which you have already done) and find out what you are weak at
- After every math practice test you take, go over every single question and make sure you know how to do it because concepts always repeat in math.
- Study vocabulary on a regular basis. Make flashcards or use the Quizlet app on your iPhone and learn words here and there when you’re in the bathroom or walking around school. It is also beneficial to do some bulk memorization where you memorize like fifty or one hundred words at a time. Do this like five times and you will have added 250-500 words to your vocabulary</p>
<p>4) After each practice test in the Critical reading section, look up and memorize all the words you didn’t know</p>
<p>5) There is no need to take a full length practice test everyday. Instead, take at least one math, reading, or writing section a day. That is only 25 minutes spent a day on the SATs so it is not so bad. Try not to skip any days though, consistency is the key. If you do it every day, then you learn to take the test on days where you feel good, bad, tired, hungry etc. It’s better to take one section every day as opposed to three or four sections at a time.</p>
<p>6) Every week or every other week, take a full length test. For many people, it is difficult to keep a level of concentration for 3 hrs and 45 minutes so it is imperative that you are used to taking a full length test.</p>
<p>7) You have plenty of time but as the date of your test gets closer ( 1-3 weeks away) it might be a helpful idea to increase your studying.</p>
<p>8) You can find many free practice tests online with answer keys. Print those out so that you don’t have to buy a bunch of books.</p>
<p>9) If you get the SAT 1 out of the way by january or march, you can focus on taking the sat 2s in may and june. You’ll likely take an SAT 2 on a subject you just finished learning from school so the material will be fresh in your brain and to your advantage</p>
<p>HAPPY STUDYING!
Also, don’t kill yourself over the SATs. Nearly any college will accept a score of 2200 and over (including some Ivy’s). If you are aiming for colleges such as Boston College, University of Michigan and others with similar acceptance rates and rankings, 2100 and above will suffice. </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Thank you so much XOcaroline for the advice. Any more feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
I actually took the SATs twice. Once in eighth grade for a gifted and talented program, and once as a sophomore. In eighth grade I got a 1639, and in tenth grade I got a 1920. So I only have one chance left to take it?</p>
<p>do colleges look at both act/sat?</p>
<p>Depends what college. Almost all colleges look at both/either you SAT and/or ACT. If not, they usually only look at one of them. It really depends on what college(s) you are referring to.</p>
<p>How hard is it to get 2400?</p>
<p>Sona, the only take it three times rule is first of all just a rule of thumb, and second of all I’m sure the time you took it in eighth grade won’t count. Was the one you took as a sophomore an official SAT?</p>
<p>As far as improving your performance, personally I’m going to disagree with some of the advice you’ve received here and say I think until late summer/early fall of your junior year you shouldn’t do too much work directly related to the SAT. Focus instead on your schoolwork and on being generally well-read and well-rounded. Dial in on the SAT somewhere between August and October and you’ll have plenty of time to prep for the March / May / June tests your junior year.</p>
<p>Thanks BklynSteve. I’ll try to find a balance in between, and I hope the one from eighth grade doesn’t count. I did take an official test as a sophomore.</p>
<p>kids- Very hard. But students with 2350+ usually are capable of pulling off a perfect score, and may have just made a careless mistake. Most colleges view 2300+s equally and instead look at ECs and GPA for students with those scores.</p>