<p>I am currently spending every Saturday taking one practice test and correcting my answers (usually takes 5-6 hours) and spending 30min-1 hour every weekday to brush up on topics/strategies. I do this cycle for about 4-5 weeks before the test.</p>
<p>I know this changes for everyone which is why I am asking...</p>
<p>I did that for 3 months before my first attempt, and for 3 weeks before my 2nd.</p>
<p>I didn't.</p>
<p>I took the SAT 3 times: January 2006, January 2007, and January 2008 (if I recall correctly), as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. </p>
<p>I didn't take any classes or buy any books. I didn't take any practice tests, save for the PSAT in fall 2006 and again in fall 2007.</p>
<p>My scores, in order, were 2190, 2310, and 2400.</p>
<p>The key, in my mind, to succeeding on the SAT isn't taking a class or reading a book. The best test prep is simply taking the test itself. Obviously, practice tests are also useful. You have to develop your own strategies for the questions...since we're not all identical, the same strategies won't work for everyone. For that reason, reading a book on strategy is unlikely to help as much as taking the test and finding the strategies that work for you. </p>
<p>Also, taking a practice test is VERY different from taking the real deal because you're (at least in my experience) considerably more stressed during the actual test, and stress often impairs performance. Strategies that work in controlled practice environments might not work when you're taking the test for real. </p>
<p>Save the money you're spending on books and classes and spend it taking the test for real. It's the best preparation you can get.</p>
<p>why is it you took them a 3rd time when you got the 2310?</p>
<p>i am going to spend the entire summer for SAT/ACT meaning 2.5 months. Hopefully an hour or 2 a day</p>
<p>I study about an hour and a half a day, every day but Sunday. I'm planning on taking it in June.</p>
<p>I've been starting to do a section a day during the school week using Xiggi's method. I think i might be starting to take a practice test every weekend until the MAY sat...</p>
<p>furyshade--I was a sophomore when I got the 2310 and it's customary for all juniors at my school to take the SAT. I didn't see any reason not to retake, especially with the chance of a higher score.</p>
<p>Took the SAT once, 2360'd it, and was too lazy to take it again. =]</p>
<p>My studying was um, done kinda lazily. I basically took a course, where my kickass SAT tutor taught me methodology (aka, how to approach toe test), and maybe memorized 20 words (heh...out of the 100 that she gave me a list for).</p>
<p>So yeah. I personally believe that memorizing loads of vocab is futile, but perhaps that's just me.</p>