<p>I am currently a high school junior, and I took the 2014 October SAT's. I received the scores today, and I was not pleased(neither were my parents). I got a 680 CR, 750 M, and a 690 WR, with 71/80 multiple choice and an 8 Essay for a total score of 2120. I am not saying that this is a bad score, but I honestly thought that I was going to score better than that. Not to sound full of myself, but I expected myself to get somewhere in the in 2200's, and my ultimate goal is a 2300+. I have a friend who scored in the 2300's on the same test (she got two 800's!), and it just aggravated me because she was telling me that she was going to retake it because she wasn't satisfied with her one already high non-perfect score and overall ridiculously high score.</p>
<p>I know I can try harder and do better. Over the summer, I took a few prep classes at the community college, but I didn't really start studying again until about the week before the exam, where I probably did an hour a night from my various workbooks. This experience has definitely opened my eyes, and I feel really determined to score better and put more effort into it. However, I am really not sure how to go about doing it. Obviously, I can fix some of the silly errors in math and brush up to try to get an 800. However, I definitely need to focus more on the verbal portion of the test, but I don't know how to go about doing it. I've considered taking one of those super rigorous courses that guarantee a 100-200 point increase, or maybe even getting a tutor. But those are expensive, and I don't know if they'd be worth it (leaning towards the tutor). There's the obvious solution: practice. But I am not sure if working from the books by myself will help me increase my score the 200-ish points I'd like by December or January. I know it's harder to increase your score by the last few hundred points if you're already in the 2000 range, so I don't even know if I should sign up for the December test, or give myself more time to prepare for the January test. </p>
<p>I have also been really scared about my PSAT's. I took the PSAT exactly one week after the SAT, and I didn't find anything too difficult on it. However, after getting my SAT scores back, there's a great possibility that my PSAT scores may be nowhere near where I would like them to be. I was aiming for National Merit here in PA, and if I do well, my dad's company gives out scholarships, which I really need. This scholarship may be the difference in me going to the school of my dreams or me going to a nearby state school (not that they're bad) because my family can't afford it. I have been upset and just in shock all day from this realization, and I REALLY do want to improve. So, if anyone has any advice, on whether I should take the test in December or January, study strategies, or helpful material, I would really appreciate it. </p>
<p>P.S. Here are the prep books I own: the blue official College Board SAT book, 11 Practice Tests for the SAT from the Princeton Review, Barron's PSAT/NMSQT, and Barron's SAT 2400. </p>