<p>I have a high GPA, a high IQ, and generally I'm bright, but I do so horribly on the SAT it's not even worth mentioning...how do you guys manage 2400's and almost perfect scores?</p>
<p>Is the secret practice 'till your brain melts or is it something you're born with?</p>
<p>You do realize that out of the over 2 million people that take the SAT every year, only about 200 get a perfect score, right?</p>
<p>Maybe I’m a little close minded, this site is a concentration of the best. Still thought, in general, is practicing the way to do <em>better</em>?</p>
<p>in most cases it’s due to a lot of practice. some people are naturally wired to do well on tests, though. they could be extraordinarily detail oriented, love solving problems, and have great concentration.</p>
<p>A) Take the bluebook and do the exams there over and over - it would help if you
had the testmasters solution book that you can buy on their site.</p>
<p>B) For CR get both the Direct Hits books and memorize the 300 or so words in each.</p>
<p>C) Have a few historical examples handy and two fiction books that you can loosely quote
from your english class at school.</p>
<p>If you do not get 2400 you will be pretty darn close. Despite what anyone may
tell you about natural aptitude, getting a perfect score is definitely unnatural.
You prepare to do it and you do it.</p>
<p>Oh, and try not to take the SAT in March at your school, instead the October and
May sitting is better.</p>
<p>TBH a good portion of it comes down to luck.</p>
<p>To the OP - I think that it goes both ways… there are a few kids I know, including myself, who are, as stated above, naturally wired to take standardized tests… we all have 36’s, a slew of 5’s on AP’s, etc, however we also do some prep work… I honestly don’t think that anybody could walk into the SAT and have no clue what it was or the format and get anywhere near a 2400. I basically did this for the PSAT and got a 204. I didn’t even take a full practice test for the SAT or do a review section, but I studied up on the test itself, and got a 2300.</p>
<p>That being said, if you have general problem solving abilities, as you seem to, practice is the way to get it done. I would suggest a general review book for math concepts, grammar rules, a little vocab, and some test-taking tips. Then take the real practice tests. At the beginning, I would just work through a section at a time, possibly open book, and review ALL of the answer explanations so that you understand why the answer is what it is. Even review the ones you got right. ETS likes to ask questions in certain ways, and there are often two answers that seem right, so you have to learn to understand why one option is correct. Then expand to longer tests until you’re doing them all in one setting. If you take advantage of all the resources available, i.e. review books, practice tests, test-taking tips, you can get a 2400. There is an amount of luck, but I’ve never felt like this was as big of a deal as it’s made up to be. Sure there’s luck in the random ridiculous vocab words that get put on, but you can usually miss 2 and get an 800, and most of the vocab words on the SAT aren’t actually that tough - they’re secondary meanings.</p>
<p>So, overall, I say you first familiarize yourself with the test. Find out about all the sections, look at the question types, etc. Look for strategies in books and online. There are plenty of people who actually got 2400s who have advice, and it’s actually often contradictory. Find what suits you best.</p>
<p>Then do a general concepts review, and then begin the practice tests. At this point it comes down to how bad you want it, how much time you can dedicate, etc. You may be able to take 20 practice tests, learn thousands of vocab words, etc., or you may not. This is what will take you from the 2250+ for sure, with some luck involved in how high you actually score, to where you know you can hit higher scores without much luck… But remember, standardized tests are just a part of the application. Don’t become obsessed with a 2400, as I kinda just described, and lose sight of ECs and grades. Good luck!!</p>
<p>I just did the 8 BB tests and the 2 online tests.</p>
<p>Score: 2400</p>
<p>I’m also one of those people who happens to test well, although I typically do not do too well on APs and fine but not stellar on SAT IIs.</p>
<p>Over the summer, I took an SAT princeton review course for two weeks, but it was the biggest waste of time and money; I could have taught the math better than the teacher. But I do think it was helpful because I was forced to sit down and take four practice tests over the course of the two weeks. Then again, I got the same overall score on my first test as I did on the last.</p>
<p>I really do think it comes down to luck; I guess this test was an especially good one for me…</p>
<p>I also read a lot, go to a school that is especially strong in english, and have written what feels like hundreds of analytical essays, so I guess the CR is easier for me, and so expanding my vocabulary was not necessary prior to the test. </p>
<p>I guess the only tip is to WATCH OUT FOR CARELESS ERRORS; I am naturally impatient, and I never double check my work, but for some reason I did this time, and on one math section alone I found two stupid errors. The lesson: double check, and get a good night’s sleep.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>It probably won’t help you, but my oldest got an 800 on CR because he reads (or rereads) over 100 books a year. Mostly sci-fi and fantasy, but also computer science tomes, physics books, and lots of web comics. Younger son reads almost as much (40 Star Trek books last summer) and got a 790.</p>
<p>In math (though my son never actually got an 800) my kid has been doing math, playing with math or computers well beyond school work since elementary school. He participated in MathCounts in middle school and did lots of math puzzles. </p>
<p>He’s also just good at standardized tests.</p>
<p>I got a 2400 today!!!</p>
<p>Anyway, here’s my advice: don’t waste money on classes. Just buy a decent prep book (Princeton Review Cracking the SAT is amazing), read through it, do as many practice tests as possible, and stay cool while taking the test. </p>
<p>Oh, and make sure you know the <em>proper</em> grammar rules.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I did not get a 2400.
First of all, 2400 and 2350 make no difference. Its the difference between a couple of careless mistakes, and colleges realize this. But if you are wondering, its a combination of hard work, talent, and luck. SAT is more of a test for mastering test taking skills than anything else (especially the essay). Also, for example, 1/2 of the vocab words that I memorized for when I first took the SAT test, I need to relearn when I retake it in June (and ill never use them again for the rest of my life)</p>
<p>However, to be honest, 2400 isnt that great. With all due repect to the people that posted above me that got 2400s, it is a far greater accomplishment when one gets into something like RSI. My previous statement is just from having experience with compettions, and also a girl that I know that got a 2400 and also got into RSI was like “why does everyone care so much that I got a 2400…its not even that great, but no one cares that I got into RSI when its like 1000 times better.” Basically, my point is that its a great, great accomplishment to get a 2400, but dont make it out to be something that guarantees one into Harvard or something…if you dont get a 2400, or dont even come close, there are plenty of other opportunities to do something good in.</p>
<p>Working through the BB exams will become very valuable if
you understand what prompted you to choose a wrong answer; hence the
Testmasters solution book $15(?) is very important. </p>
<p>If you have not already been doing what Mathmom said (i.e. reading a ton of
books) it is too late to improve CR by reading. You can improve writing but CR
is heavily influenced by vocabulary.</p>
<p>Luck is important. Sometimes you can do POE for multiple problems, and guessing correct on those makes the difference.</p>