How can I improve my scores in a limited amount of time?

<p>I'm going to be taking the SAT I in December, and my score now is 1930.</p>

<p>I've been studying with Barrons but it's ridiculous compared to the previous two tests I've taken. I'm quite scared that I won't make a 200+ point improvement. The only sections I need to improve on are CR and W, so which book(s) would be the best to use for those? I heard Rocket Review is great from lurking around this board, but the opinions are extremely differentiated. Therefore, I'm not quite sure. In addition to that, will it be possible to get at least a 200 point improvement? If so, how many hours should I study each day? Oh! And what vocab list (key words) I should use? I don't think 3500 in 3 weeks sound reasonable.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>I am in the same boat.
I am going to memorize the 3500 list.
I am going to buy all the books just on I can find in the book store Just on CR and do every question. I scored 560 in CR and need 650+.
Nothing is impossible!!! GOOD LUCK TO YOU.</p>

<p>I don’t think just memorising words is the best way to handle it. READ. Read as much as you can. Read newspapers, read a book that’s slightly too difficult for you. Stop and look up words you don’t know. Understanding them in context will be easier to remember than just trying to absorb a list of 3500 words.</p>

<p>Also, there’s a lot to be said for practice questions. When you get questions wrong, go over them to understand WHY you got them wrong.</p>

<p>And one more thing… don’t OVERDO it. If you try and study word lists for hours each day you’re only going to tire yourself out. Alternate your studying, make a list of the words you don’t know and then go through them making sentences or funny stories to help the words stick in your mind. Do a practice test maybe every 4 or 5 days, don’t try and do a million tests because you won’t have enough time to go through them and see where you’re making mistakes.</p>

<p>Get plenty of sleep, don’t stay up all night cramming.</p>

<p>And don’t stress too much :)</p>

<p>Don’t stress about it. The first time I took it I got a 1950. I took it two months later and prepped a little bit (I did about 10 questions a day) and got a 2100. The biggest difference between the two was I didn’t stress. My CR score went from 600 to 720. Good luck.</p>

<p>Yeah, stressing about it can really affect your performance on the real test.</p>

<p>My score, with a nervous breakdown, was 1850 in June
In October, with confidence, my score was a 2120. </p>

<p>:] Just work hard and don’t worry too much about it, it’s not the end of the world.</p>

<p>EDIT</p>

<p>To give you an idea, the improvement was like this:</p>

<p>Math 650 - 750
Writing 660 - 730
Critical Reading 540 - 640</p>