As soon as I do 3 sections my head becomes dull as if I have been studying for hours. I also start losing focus, slow down and my vision gets blurred. I have been scoring 1290-1310 (M+Cr) and really wanna get 1400+ for the next SAT test. BTW i have been reading Times op ed for last 2 months and have done 30 practice tests since September. I easily notice my mistakes when i go through tests again. Please help me! Thanks in adavance,
That is a tough one. It sounds like you have done enough full length tests to have practiced getting used to the fatigue that invariably sets in. Are you doing the practice tests all in one sitting so that it is realistic practice? If not, that may help.
Part of my theory on this is that all things are relative. I used to take 16-17 hour airplane flights pretty regularly. Once you have done that, a 7 hour flight from the US to Europe feels very very short (whereas the first time I flew to Europe the flight seemed unbearably long). So make sure that you are doing full tests with the essay so that you get used to the length.
Beyond that, the other thing I would recommend is that sometimes it helps in the middle of the test to just close your eyes and take a 30 second or 1 minute “meditation break.” Just close your eyes, focus on your breath, and recenter yourself. If your mind wanders, bring it back to your breath. Even if you are in the middle of a section I think that can sometimes help. The time lost will be well worth it if it allows you to recharge the batteries for a minute and come to back to the test renewed.
I have been doing 2 sections (Math+Cr) per day since september and have scored like 1160-1200 in the real exams probably because I have never done full tests before the exams. I have recently started taking full tests and scored 1270-1290. I honestly believe that i can improve my SAT score beyond 1450 by intensely taking full SAT tests (have recently ordered cracking the SAT). SInce i have few real SAT tests left, I also registered for the ACT exam. Thought the ACT would be easier, but ACT tests wear me out much faster than SAT tests. Gonna take full tests to increase my test-taking capacity. Thanks for the advice!
Yeah you MUST get used to the length of the full exam and must practice accordingly. However that won’t necessarily address other issues that you may be having…it is just part of the preparation process. If, for example, you are struggling with triangle questions consistently then it makes sense to work on that on the side and not just take full exam after full exam.
I’ve heard taking Adderall can remedy this. A friend of mine who had similar issues to you started taking Adderall to study and the day of the test and improved from 2200 to 2400 with a perfect raw score.
The symptoms you are describing are likely from hypoglycemia. The extra brain demand and stress hormones swimming around probably combine to require more available energy than you are accustomed to. That can be remedied by eating a good breakfast and taking juice or a small snack during breaks. Glucose tablets or hard candy are one of the fastest means to raising your blood sugar.
Please don’t take prescription drugs without the advice of a physician. That can go horribly wrong for students in these kinds of situations.
Yeah I think that if there is something physical going on you should see a doctor and get a full exam. And on the adderall issue I have had many students take it and it has varying effects. For some people it is really helpful but for others it makes them anxious or slows them down a lot so that they have trouble finishing the sections. So get the advice of a professional if you think that there may be a physical cause or if you think that medicine may help you.