Hello guys, I’m very nervous… I’m having a lot of trouble studying for sat, I wanted to know if that improves over time and with me studying hard every day until the test. But at the moment I’m really bad at math and reading, I did a practice test and took 850 … (350 in reading + writing and 450 in math).
Your test will definitely improve with daily studying. Try to find a tutor or use Khan academy, there are threads here that have good recommendations re practice books to use. Don’t panic. Good luck.
Thanks!
If there is any way you can find someone to tutor you in the subjects you have trouble with, please do it. Some kids learn best on their own, from a book, and others really need to the human touch. It doesn’t have to be an expensive brand-name program. There many be grad students or teachers in the neighborhood who can do this for a small fee.
Here’s what I always suggest to my students:
The Barrons SAT prep book has a great feature. At the end of each practice test, they have a grid. They list the topics, and the numbers of the questions on that test on each topic. (So, for example, Quadratic equations might be # 4, 16 and 25, while Ratio and Proportion might be #5 and 11.)
Take a few exams. As you grade each one, highlight the numbers you got wrong on that grid, and save them.
After 3 or 4 exams, you’ll have a pretty precise idea of which topic are costing you points, and what you need to brush up on.
Also, take a look at the book https://www.workman.com/features/up-your-score/… you can get it on amazon or at Barnes and Noble. It has no problems, just pure strategies. I will warn you: they try very, very hard to use “kid-speak” to sound cool. So they lay it on pretty thick. But if you can get beyond that, the strategies are solid.
Wow, @bjkmom, great advice. I’d never heard of that book before.
My son found that the most helpful thing was to take many, many practice tests. He would actually retake tests, too. He raised his score a lot that way. He took a prep class at his high school, but he said the practice tests helped the most.
I just clicked on the link, and it wouldn’t work. The name of the book is
Up your Score, the Insider’s Guide to the SAT
(They also have an ACT version.)
I’ve been teaching SAT prep for years and years. And about 10 years ago, one of my friends suggested that book. It had all the tips I’ve always used, as well as some more-- since I do math, I have no idea on how to approach the verbal. But the book does such a good job on the math approach that I have to assume they’re equally solid on verbal.
You will, of course, want the most recent version.
And OP, just as a PS: I know you want to bring your score up. But know that there are some really nice colleges across the country that will accept you as you are. Start now to find some as safeties, just in case your scores don’t increase as much as you hope.