How to create an effective study plan over the summer

Test Preparation
1

<p>So I'm a pretty good student, I have a 3.88 UW GPA, top 3% of my class, good EC's for where I want to apply and all of that, but my test scores are my problem. I got a 1540 on my first SAT in January(570 CR,460 Math,510 W), and I took it again in May so I'm waiting to see how they come back, but I don't feel like I improved very much from my first one. I underachieved according to my PSAT, and should have gotten a 1600, but for whatever reason it didn't happen. </p>

<p>I got a 23 on the ACT around the same time I took the SAT, but feel like it could be higher since the science section caught me off guard. My target SAT for what I need is a 1700 SAT and a 25/26 ACT, because at that point I think my HS grades can carry me the rest of the way. So What I'm asking, is over the summer if my latest SAT scores don't improve the way I want them to, does anyone have any suggestions for how to effectively study over the summer(IE how long, how frequent), and what helps you motivate to study for this stupid thing. </p>

<p>Also, I'm planning on taking the SAT again early senior year (first available date), possibly take the ACT again, but after the say September SAT, do I have another chance to take the test before most applications are due? I just want to have all my ducks in a row before summer starts.</p>

<p>I guess it might be important to say where I intend on applying too:
Penn State University Park, NC State, Oklahoma-Norman, Mississippi State, Florida State, U Miami (reach), Wake Forest w/o submitting scores, East Carolina (safety), UNC-Asheville (safety). And one of these probably for another pseudo match: Kansas, Indiana, Missouri, Delaware. I'll be applying as undecided for the most part, not to gain an "edge" but because I'm genuinely not sure right now - I have like 3 or 4 major interests.</p>

<p>Thank you so much for any input you might have!</p>

2

<p>CR and Writing rely on many of the same core skills, so study of those skills will improve your scores in both areas. That’s the good news. The bad news is that those scores are developed over a lifetime of experience and, while intensive short-term, study can certainly help, don’t expect miracles.
At middle score ranges, math scores are largely dependent upon your knowledge of factual material and math scores are the most coachable. Review of forgotten material, and learning introductory material in unfamiliar areas can help. Don’t go for gimmicks. Most only work if you already have a basic understanding of the concepts being tested.</p>

3

<p>Chill with all the test taking! You’re going to make yourself nuts. Pick either the SAT or the ACT, prep over the summer and take in the fall. They are very different tests and prepping for one isn’t going to help you much with prepping for the other. Focus your time on only one. Unless your May SAT score is a significant improvement, your current ACT score is better. And it’s a lot better if you took the ACT the first time un-prepped (which your post makes it sound like you went in cold). </p>

<p>And FYI, there is no September SAT. There is a September ACT, though, which is a great bet if you’re planning on prepping over the summer. The first fall SAT is in October. But whichever test you take, there is an opportunity to take it once more before application deadlines (November SAT, October ACT).</p>

4

<p>Yes, the ACT was given to us by the state during a school day, so it was pretty much cold turkey. I feel like now I know more about the ACT (Not reading all of the science part and just answering the questions!) I can improve it. </p>

<p>And yeah I’m stressing…but my scores are low, and it’s frustrating because I’m a good student but these tests kill me. </p>

<p>Thank you though for your input, and informing me about the fall dates for SAT’s</p>

5

<p>What study guides, etc. do you have so far?</p>

6

<p>Ive been using a mcgraw-hills…when i got it i didnt know too much about the different kinds, so i figured a big textbook company would be a good one, but apparently barrons or Princeton review is best. I don’t have any act specific stuff, because i wasn’t planning on retaking it. But since my score converts better from act to sat i guess i should</p>

<p>Sent from my DROID BIONIC using CC</p>

7

<p>Definitely get the Real ACT Prep Guide from the ACT people. There’s also a few other free ACT’s around you can download. Finally, the official ACT online course is useful for more practice questions, even if it’s not so great for learning everything else! I don’t know much about McGraw-Hill, but the only thing you should be using it for is content review and maybe some ideas for strategy. Don’t use it at all for practice questions.</p>

<p>The key to the ACT is speed, so while you’re practicing, do your sections timed whenever possible. Go back and review your answers (ALL of them, not just the ones you got right…guessing correctly doesn’t mean you understand how to do the question).</p>

8

<p>Ok, you need to decide how much time you can devote to studying over the summer. Will you have a summer job or other EC’s? What is realistic for you? How badly to you want/need to do this?</p>

9

<p>I do work, I have a job at a grocery store, I worked ~20 hours a week during school, so I might get to around 25 or 30 during the summer. I also play mens soccer (a fall sport) so we have workouts in the mornings from like 8-10. </p>

<p>I do need to get the score up to like a 1700 at least so my grades can get me in from there comfortably. </p>

<p>Consistent shorter study sessions are better than fewer longer ones i’m assuming over the summer, but what should I do to “study”, I mean, just take practice tests over and over? Or alternate between practice tests and reading some of the material in the books that explains the math?</p>

10

<p>

I’m conceiving a plan to recommend (I teach so have lots of experience with making a plan), but I need to get a bit of a handle on where you stand and how much time you can dedicate over how many weeks. I once had to take an 8-hour qualifying exam and studied 5 hours a day for 7 weeks straight (passed in one attempt). I’m assuming you don’t want to do that much, but let’s get some ballpark numbers. </p>

<p>I assume you will be off for about 10 weeks (July through August) plus 4 weeks in Sept before the October exam. 2 hours/day studying, 6 days a week through August, less in Sept once school starts again. Does that sound like too much?</p>

11

<p>That sounds reasonable…Is it more effective to do 2 hours straight or 1 hour like in the morning and one late at night? I rarely can just sit down and study for 2 hours straight without getting myself distracted with something.</p>

12

<p>I think whatever works for you is good, as far as splitting it up. You will also be doing a several different things within the study session so that you aren’t falling asleep trying to do the same thing for 2 hours straight. </p>

<p>My first thinking is that you will want to strive to improve in all three sections. Is that your feeling as well?</p>

13

<p>Mainly math. I had a poor Algebra I teacher in 8th grade, which unfortunately is the basis for nearly everything on the SAT. Its obvious to see how the SAT writing is getting left out by a lot of schools…I got a 95 in AP English III and write great essays (teacher graded AP English tests for like 7 years), but i can only muster a 510 writing? I always get stuck with prompts that don’t allow me to show my full potential. I am hoping my May scores will show at least a 60 point improvement on the math to at least over a 520, beings thats what my PSAT told me this year. When I took it in January, I hadn’t had a math class in school for a year due to scheduling. </p>

<p>Obviously, I would like to get better in everything though, so yeah, haha. All I’m really shooting for is the ~25th percentile for the upper class state schools like Penn State so my grades can do the talking. </p>

<p>And I’m pretty honest with myself, I’m not necessarily a genius, I know that, but I’m a hard worker, which is mostly reflected in my grades. I think I can max out around 600 for all 3 sections, but any more would be luck in my opinion.</p>

14

<p>Ok, I personally think your grades hint that you can improve to well within where you want to be. If you agree, maybe we can wait until the May scores come out, you can post the results, and I could start giving you my ideas on a plan. We could continue posting publicly in order to maybe help others, or I could pm.</p>

<p>In the meantime, does your SAT guide have a large list of like 3000 vocabulary words? If not, the Barron’s book does and maybe you could pick one up.</p>

15

<p>Practice tests are practically useless if you don’t go through and analyze the ones you were unsure about or got wrong so you fully understand the question. This might seem obvious, but it’s true, and it’s easy to skip.</p>

<p>For SAT math, there are many “patterns” in topics that are covered and how they are tested. Once you take a few sections of math, you’ll probably be able to see those patterns. Don’t look through the explanations and say, “Oh, I knew that,” and move on. Go through each problem carefully, become efficient with mental math, geometry, and algebra, and understand all the concepts.</p>

<p>For SAT Writing, you just need to go over grammar. I improved my MC from 50-something to a 78 out of 80 total. For the essay, length (most likely) matters more than anything.</p>