<p>Do you just look at the collegeboard explanation and move on? Or do you do something else to really internalize the answer to make sure you don't miss the question. If so, what is that something else.</p>
<p>If you get a problem wrong, and never attempt the problem again, then it is extremely unlikely that you will get a similar problem correct if it appears on the SAT. </p>
<p>Most students will read an explanation of the solution, or have someone explain it to them, and then never look at the problem again. This is not how you optimize your SAT score. To be sure that you will get a similar problem correct on the SAT, you must get the problem correct before the SAT—and without actually remembering the problem. </p>
<p>This means that after getting a problem incorrect, you should go over and understand why you got it wrong, wait at least a few days, then attempt the same problem again. If you get it right you can cross it off your list of problems to review. If you get it wrong, keep revisiting it every few days until you get it right. Your score does not improve by getting problems correct. Your score improves when you learn from your mistakes.</p>
<p>Thank you, that’s what I was looking for – a method to reviewing. Reviewing every few days or so should help. Further, when do you think one should check the official solutions?</p>
<p>I think your question requires me to express some of my opinions. I can only speak for SAT math, but I’m pretty sure similar study habits would work for the verbal sections:</p>
<p>(1) Full length practice tests should only be done approximately once per month. My advice above should still be followed after completing these practice tests.
(2) Most studying for SAT math should take place in 10 to 20 minute blocks of time, focusing on the topics and difficulty levels that are at and slightly above your current ability level.
(3) I strongly recommend avoiding advice and solutions given by the College Board. Only use College Board materials for their questions and practice tests.</p>
<p>I went from 550math to 790math.</p>
<p>Here is what i did:</p>
<p>1) Do tons of practice questions. Flag the question if you get it wrong, keep going.</p>
<p>2) Time each and every question. If it takes more than 0:30, underline it or something. If it takes more than 1:00, flag it.</p>
<p>3) Go back to flagged questions. If you got it wrong, try again. If your stuck, keep trying for a long time (5 minutes at least). If you got it right but slow, look up on the internet/wherever and try and find a trick or method for doing similar questions faster.</p>
<p>I recommend struggling on questions because then it sticks in your mind. When your thoroughly frustrated, THEN look at the answer/understand the correct approach. Now you will remember it because the question stands out.</p>
<p>4) Identify patterns. Figure out which type of questions you get wrong. Focus on these areas.</p>
<p>5) Write a list of your weak points and common mistakes. Focus practice in these areas. </p>
<p>6) Take full practice tests and very carefully analyse your mistakes/issues. Are you running out of time? are you going to fast and making simple mistakes? are you getting stuck on certain questions/topics? </p>
<p>7) Take a list in with you to the test of maybe 10-20 common mistakes you make and issues you run into. Read it over like 10-20 times before the test begins, so it is fresh in short-term memory. I find that this can save me several mistakes on a real test.</p>
<p>As far as reading and writing, I find these harder to improve. To improve vocabulary, there are some fun little phone apps your can use specifically for SAT reading/writing.</p>
<p>One area of practice for reading/writing though is pacing. Time your practice until you “know” how much time you can spend on a question intuitively.</p>
<p>Thank you all, but alas, math is not my specific problem. I generally score above a 770, and the only problems I have are with simple mistakes. I’ve realized how to mitigate those, but I was hoping someone with a knack for critical reading and writing would give his or her tips. I have realized that a lot of times where I miss a question in critical reading, I forget to look back at the passage so that I could have seen the evidence for an answer. Other times I’m not sure which answer choice the passage demonstrates the best. The solution, I believe, is to see where I can play devil’s advocate and have to see the answer that is fully supported by the text. For writing, I believe I need to just check the grammar errors with respect to a particular rule that I miss, memorize those rules, and do practice problems for those rules until I have a keen eye for those types of errors.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your help and hopefully my ideas may help those with the same question.</p>
<p>Dr Steve, can you explain why you don’t recommend using the CollegeBoard solutions for review?</p>
<p>Once again I can only speak for the math (which you don’t seem to need), but I would guess that my comments are equally relevant for the verbal:</p>
<p>The CollegeBoard seems to always give the mathematically correct solution that you would learn in school. Although solving problems this way is a nice skill to have in general, it does not lead to much improvement in standardized test scores. You do not have to show your work on the SAT, so your solutions do not have to be mathematically precise. You should be practicing SAT specific strategies and the College Board will never teach these. </p>
<p>Note that I do recommend also solving problems using “in school” methods, but only at home, and when you can’t see another way to solve a problem.</p>
<p>just to elaborate on what DrSteve said. On the verbal sections, I found the reasoning that CollegeBoard answers used was convoluted and long winded (ie: Answer A is not right because blah blah blah which doesn’t meet blah blah blah grammar rule and etc, etc etc). </p>
<p>Yes, its technically correct (like the math answers, which equally long winded and overly rigorous), but its not how you would think when doing the test. </p>
<p>You need speedy tricks to arrive at the right answer ASAP. In the case of reading/writing, I relied a lot on intuition. 9/10 questions relating to grammar/etc I could get right by simply reading the choices and going with the one that sounds correct. The other 10% would require a bit of thought into syntactical rules. Tuning in my “intuition” for SAT reading/writing questions required doing a lot of practice questions to know which ones I could take at face value and which were sort of “gotcha” questions. Like I said above, sorry, not really good concrete advice in this area… just lots of practice.</p>
<p>I know I almost restated term for term how the College Board wants you to practice for the SAT, but I think it actually works. Most of the time on the math section, I use “in school” methods and I still finish with plenty of time to review (about 8-10 minutes). The only reasons I didn’t get 800’s in the math was because with those last several minutes, I didn’t actually go back and review; I just sat at the table. Thus, I think actually answering the questions in an “honest” way works for math, and hopefully it works for reading and writing.</p>