<p>I took the SAT for the first time in January with subscores of R:690, M:640, W:720 (8 essay). I think for writing I am fine on the multiple choice but need to work on the essay. I really want to improve my math and reading scores to 750+. I am retaking it in June. Any tips on how to improve (like study tips and mentality)?? Thank you!</p>
<p>I am in the same situation! That makes two of us. Improvement is a function of time and effort.</p>
<p>In ninth grade last year, my scores hovered around 1850, and at the January test (the one you took, lol) I got a 2030 (CR 640 M 750 W 640). I suppose your situation is better than mine, for you took the SAT for the first official time whereas I took the SAT twice.</p>
<p>As said earlier, improvement is partially dependent upon time. Obviously, the earlier the grade, the more time for SAT preparation. Better yet, the last few points are the hardest to get. Do you know any 2200+ scorers at your school? These people may be excellent resources (except the ones with big egos).</p>
<p>Sorry I couldn’t help much. Please reply when you receive this.</p>
<p>Here’s some general advice: </p>
<p>Definitely buy Collegeboard’s “Blue Book” which is their official SAT guide. It really is just a giant, blue book that you can find at most libraries or bookstores.
For math, I’ve heard that you can practice with Gruber’s. I did, but only after I had tons of experience taking practice tests. Some of the math problems in Gruber’s are really hard and would never actually be found on the SAT. After taking a ton of practice tests, I kind of had a feel for which questions in Gruber’s were that level of difficulty and I usually just skipped those. But in short, Gruber’s is pretty good for math. I used Barron’s math workbook for math- there were some mistakes and I’m not sure how much it actually helped. But then again, I’m naturally pretty good at math, so Barron’s was good for practice.
Get the Barron’s writing workbook- to excel in the writing section, you really just have to memorize a bunch of writing rules and those are all featured in the Barron’s writing workbook. And since it’s a workbook, it gives you practice.</p>
<p>Some people might recommend Direct Hits for vocabulary. That’s cool and all; you can also buy flashcards and most SAT critical reading books have lists of vocab. You can find lists of vocab pretty much everywhere. I believe Sparknotes has one?</p>
<p>I recommend that you stay far, far away from any Kaplan books. </p>
<p>The best way to study for the SAT is to take lots of practice tests. There are ten- I think- in the Blue Book. Once you finish that, you can go online to Collegeboard’s SAT course. The lessons themselves aren’t particularly helpful, but it features ten additional practice tests.</p>
<p>I think if you look around on college confidential, you should be able to find plenty of free tests. And you can always use PSATs to study for the SAT, as well. </p>
<p>Use this for essay advice: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/645763-how-write-12-essay-just-10-days.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/645763-how-write-12-essay-just-10-days.html</a></p>
<p>Finally, cut out all the questions you get wrong on the practice tests and tape/glue them into a notebook or composition book. Review those questions and make sure you really understand how to do them and why you got them wrong.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>PS- I took the SAT three times and my score improved from 2150 to 2260 to 2290. I have a superscore of 2320. You can do it! And feel free to PM me for more information/help if necessary!</p>
<p>Hello!</p>
<p>I took the SATs last October and got a 2090, re-took them last January and got a 2240. Re-taking, but I improved 70 points in CR (650 to 720) and in Writing (730 to 800).</p>
<p>It seems that you are strong enough in Writing - use this to your advantage and aim for a perfect score to boost your overall. Definitely do NOT stop practicing for the multiple choice, answering as many practice tests for this as possible (they’re much easier to get through than CR practice tests anyway) but I personally feel it isn’t necessary to memorize idioms or go through grammatical concepts again, because you probably do know enough to get an 800. </p>
<p>As for the essay (I got an 11), I memorized 5-7 “common” examples (e.g. Steve Jobs, MLK, Brave New World, Hitler), wrote a lot of TIMED practice essays, and ALWAYS followed this structure:
- Introduction (YES/NO to question, reason #1, reason #2)
- Example #1 (Matching reason #1, go back to essay question and confirm YES/NO)
- Example #2 (Matching reason #2, go back to essay question and confirm YES/NO)
- Conclusion (sum up reasons, YES/NO to question, 1 striking quote to end the essay beautifully)</p>
<p>I improved 70 points in Critical Reading by using the following materials:
- Barron’s CR workbook
- Barron’s SAT 2400
- Test Engine SAT vocabulary flashcards</p>
<p>I know a lot of people say CR is about critical analysis and doesn’t require as much practice as Math does, but in my opinion CR is also all about practice. I went through a lot of practice tests. The SAT Reasoning test is essentially all about practice. </p>
<p>I hope I helped!</p>
<p>It’s more about the quality of your practice than the quantity. There is no sense in repeating the things you are doing wrong over and over. That will only reinforce your mistakes. I am a tutor and i see it all the time. Students come in having done every practice test in every book out there and then ask me why they are not improving. My job is to spot the patterns in their errors and fix them. I put a stop to taking practice tests until that problem is fixed. Self study can only get you so far. There are many great SAT tutors all over the US, but make sure you get word-of-mouth references from your friends. School teachers are usually not the best SAT coaches - don’t insist on that credential when making your choice.</p>
<p>Hi! I’m pretty much in the exact same situation as you! I got a 2070 (670 CR, 710 M, 690 W). It’s my first time as a junior, so I’m taking it again in March. </p>
<p>My results were pretty much as expected. I got a 206 on the PSAT, so apparently I haven’t improved much since then (even though I’ve been studying?). </p>
<p>@jbalakhdar what you’re saying makes perfect sense- it sounds like it applies to me. I’m not exactly sure what to do to improve (I self study). Every time I take a practice test, I review and go over my answers, but they’re all just a grammar thing that I missed, or a math problem I couldn’t figure out. And then I look at it afterwards, figure it out, and that’s it. How do you learn from previous mistakes and apply that to new tests to get a better score? </p>
<p>So, I’ll continue studying until I can improve my score to hopefully a 2150+ I’m going to work on my writing and have strong practice in the math. Also I’ll probably practice a section of CR a couple times a week to strengthen those skills</p>
<p>@York00 Thank you for your response! Unfortunately our school is really pro-ACT and I really don’t know of anyone who takes the SAT seriously. I agree spending time may be the best way to improve scores. Good luck to you too!!</p>
<p>@ caughtintraffic Thank you for your response! I am currently using John Chung’s SAT Math to review. I have heard mixed reviews but there are tons of practice tests in it. I will definitely check out the link for the essays.</p>
<p>@anyotherworld Thanks for sharing! I love your essay format, seems very balanced and well structured. I guess I just need to practice more and come up with more examples before the actual test. What did you do to improve math?</p>
<p>@jbalakhdar Thanks for sharing! I definitely agree that quality is just as important as quantity. I think I need a bit more of both!</p>
<p>@Readingrocks Thanks for your response! I got a 202 on psat, so I didn’t improve much either. I feel like I just need to understand what I get wrong when I practice, instead of just moving on.</p>