<p>I am trying to tutor my sister with her Critical Reading (I am prioritizing this) and Writing. Her diagnostic SAT test (March 2005 QAS) is 1660, with 470 Reading, 480 Writing and 710 Math; her PSAT, 158 with slightly lower scores on every section. However, I don't think she needs help in Math at all, considering that she only learned Algebra I partially and that she is only an 8th grade.</p>
<p>She is a fairly hard-working student (although not hardcore, study-10-hour-a-day type of person). She is willing to devote every weekends and is shooting for a 2000+ by the end of her freshmen year. Right now, she is memorizing a flash card box of 2000 words, and she's done about 400.</p>
<p>I have all the resources that I need, including 70~ish PSATs and SAT exams, RocketReview, PR, Barron's, Grammatix, Gruber's and McGrawHill. I know that which books are great for specific sections, but I still don't know how to train her. One problem arises because there are so many resources to burn, and another problem arises because I don't
know in what order should she study (for example: after vocab is done, study PR first, Barron's next, then Direct Hits, then QAS + RocketReview + Grammatix at the same time). </p>
<p>And by the way, any reference to past threads would also be helpful, because I would like to see how other successful CCers have conquered the SAT and received excellent scores.</p>
<p>lol,
well I found a LOT of errors so I may have to rewrite the whole guide
and so far my Critical Reading works if you have an already established basis for Reading. I “bestowed upon” her the guide and it seems like she does not know a lot of words yet. So vocab is going first for sure, but I don’t know what to do next.</p>
<p>^exactly- why does she need to take the SATs freshman year? unless she’s applying to some program that requires a 2000+, there’s not reason to prep until at least the summer before junior year.</p>
<p>Well 100 words per week + reading novels (about 25 pgs/day for pleasure) suggested by the College Board is not much… isn’t it?
Am I pushing her too hard?
Also my parents and I have agreed that she should be acquainted with the SAT as soon as possible and start her work from 8th grade so she can participate in other ECs such as community service and she can spread her SAT workload over a long time. Do you agree that this is a good idea?</p>
<p>oh and above two posters//yes she is applying for a talent search program by Johns Hopkins (CTY). Also she is aiming for a super high eventual score of 2300+.</p>
<p>It would be better for her to take the SAT in 8th grade for practice, as that will not be on her record (unless the score is purposefully stored). Then she’ll have an idea of what to really expect/work on… then save taking the SAT until at least the end of her sophomore year. Her score will go up just from her high school courseload.</p>
<p>Your sister doesn’t have to practice so hard… I got a 175 on my PSAT sophomore year (with no prep) and scored a 2360 on the real SAT. If your sister is scoring 1600s in 8th grade, she will do fine when she goes to high school.</p>
<p>Math: seems like she is in good shape. Just do some practice sections every now and then so she doesn’t forget the basics.</p>
<p>CR: Buy direct hits vol1&2. That will be enough for vocab. Also, just do some practice sections in isolation to familiarize herself with the text. </p>
<p>Writing: Read silverturtle’s guide. Just memorize all the rules. It should be easy to get around a 780-800.</p>
<p>^Yes I agree that she needs little or no help in Math because she will learn the rest of the SAT Math in her high school Math courses. I am throwing 3 Math sections (that’s a complete SAT I Math test) /week so I think the workload is okay?
As for DH, I already own those books but I always feel that you need a basis for vocabulary because there are always words that deliver sucker punches to DH. I mean, DH isn’t the ultimate, perfect SAT word list and there are words every now and then (about 2-4 out of 19 Sentence Completion Q’s) that pop up in the real SAT…</p>
<p>For writing, would Silverturtle’s guide suffice without practice? As a 790-scorer I know by heart that Writing (and Math) is about practice…</p>
<p>I got a 2400 by being well-read my entire life and good at math. I studied very minimally, perhaps 5 hours of pure study in total. I suggest that she take a standard prep course if she is 1800-2200 level by the end of sophomore year. If she’s beyond that, self-preparation should suffice to get a decent score. She doesn’t need to start studying right now. I am of the belief that if you aren’t already good at the SAT, start studying during the summer after sophomore year [many of my friends raised their scores with a prep course], but if you were already intellectual from an early age (e.g. interested in reading, bookish, good at school) then you shouldn’t need to study much or at all. I don’t think anyone (or at least, most people) start actively preparing for the SAT before halfway through sophomore year, and I see no reason to do so. It’s not a super hard test, but it can be tricky; it certainly doesn’t require years of study.</p>