My SAT scores have not really improved for more than half of a year even though I practice at least 3 hours a week. My scores are always around 2000, and I wanted to get around 2200 on my March SAT. My Critical Reading scores are around 620, math scores are around 710, and writing scores are around 670, and I do not know what I will get on my essay. I finished the whole SAT Blue Book and multiple Kaplan SAT books. I had also tried to memorize SAT Vocabulary but I always quit a few days later because of my busy schedule. So, what should I do to improve 200 points in 2 months? Plz help…
Right off the bat, study that vocab. The sentence completion questions are low hanging fruits. They are some of the easiest questions on the SAT, no work involved. I see them as 190 free points. But you have got to know what those words mean. Now for the CR you need to develop your skills. 620 is close to the 500 range. Most people at this level do not have the skills they need, so you will need to work on your CR skill. You have finished the BB and the Kaplan, so get PR.
Writing is your next lowest score. The writing section of the test tests 15 rules. Memorize these rules and the test will be a whole lot easier.
Math is your highest. To rise the 90 points do Dr.Chung, Barron’s, and PR. For extra questions do the Steve Warner books. I think all you need now is practice, because you can’t score above a 700 with spotty knowledge of the math concepts. I’m guessing your only missing level 4 and 5 questions, so spend most of your time practicing those.
Once you have finished the review books, do the tests. There is also a book called 11 Practice Tests for the SAT. Do those. They are tougher than the real test, so you will score lower than you should. However, they prep you very well. I found the real test easy after doing those tests. After you have completed all the review tests, get the actual test from the Collegeboard website. They provide 1 free practice test. It is currently the 2014-15 edition. This will be your final CB test, so use it wisely, after you have practiced and studied with all the other tests.
Other than that, you’re saying you want a 2200. Even a triple 730 can’t get you this. You need to be extremely skilled in all of these sections to get that, so you will need to spend more time on the SAT than 3 hours a week. It’s hard work with your schedule, but the 2200 needs dedication, otherwise it would be a common score.
Good luck!
Reading has always been my weakness so I don’t know how to help you on that except I heard many recommendations for Direct Hits Vol 1 and 2. These have common vocabulary words that has been on the previous SATs.
For writing, I recommend the writing book by Erica Meltzer - I heard someone raised 650 to 750 w/ it. It goes one by one with the rules and has exercises for each rules. There are many valuable tips in there.
For math, it depends on what your struggle is. In the past, I just made really silly mistakes so it wasn’t an issue with level 4 and 5. Therefore, I worked through with a moderate pace - enough to not make careless mistakes - but gave myself enough time to check over my answers. This also gave plenty of time for some rare problems that I could not solve. Math is all about practice. If it’s the difficulty you’re having trouble with, Dr Chung’s problems are a bit more advanced so you can try that out. In time, you can easily bring that to 800 because you’re just missing ~3 problems at this point.
Good luck!