<p>Hello all, I hope this post helps me and everyone else in my situation who is trying to get over the 650 - 690 'hump' in writing as well as the critical reading section. First off I would like to thank everyone who is trying to help me, (thanks in advance!). Okay, so I am a high school sophomore in NJ, and im planning on taking the SAT's dec - jan of my junior year (2008). So far my scores in the Barons book are around the 1870 area, my math is pretty strong, 700 - 750, but writing and critical reading are killing me as i score below (most of the time) 650. I already get the basic idea of memorizing words, and reading a lot, but what is a concrete way to improve in the critical reading as well as writing section? For those who have scored above 700+ how did you do it? Should I take Princeton Review Coaching? Should I practice a section each day? I also have the barrons 2400 book, and am following that, but what else could i do to boost my score? As I have around 6 months to prepare, if any of you have suggestions for a basic prep. plan I would great appreciate that also! Once again, thanks for all your comments.</p>
<p>For the writing section, I used Kaplan to memorize the basic rules of grammer and I heard Rocket Review is pretty good for advanced grammer.</p>
<p>For the CR section, It's good that your reading and memorizing vocab. My best advice to you is to takes practice tests only from collegeboard. </p>
<p>USE THE "BLUE BOOK" from Collegeboard! </p>
<p>Then, after the test, scrutinize the questions you got wrong and the ones you got right but weren't sure about. Find evidence in the passage for the right answers and reasons why the wrong answers are wrong.</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p>Wait, so should I not prepare from my Barron's 2400 book, or any others, are you saying the bluebook & rocketreview if used right will get me to 2300+? How can books like barrons 2400 harm you really? In addition, how often should I be taking practice tests in order to compare my scores, right now its spring break, and i took a test from barrons on mon (1870), and plan to take one sunday the 30th, and measure my growth, good idea or am i moving too quickly?</p>
<p>Mix and match using a variety of books...try out all the strategies offered</p>
<p>Use the review books for strategies ONLY: Dont do their practice tests. Use the blue book for practice sats.</p>
<p>I wouldn't do a section a day- you'll run out of sections very quickly if you do that. Also, I'd say maybe wait to take the SAT until later in your junior year, if you can. I took it in December, and I wish I would have waited a bit.</p>