<p>I'm going to be a junior and I'm kinda freaking out about the SAT's. I consider myself a moron. Last year when I took the PSAT's I got like a 124 (I didn't study). However, for my accumulative school GPA have a 3.7 UW overall - which isn't that bad. In school I do pretty well - I usually get mostly A's and like 1 or 2 B's on my report card; however, on big tests I totally bomb them and my brain just forgets everything and I don't have good memory. My worst subject math, I'm currently in Algebra 2 w/ Trig. I keep taking online SAT practice test and I fail them. For math, I do not know how to solve them - I don't even know how to do basic algebra word problems. As for the English portion, 75% of the vocab I do not know. I'm really freaking out that I might not go to college. My parents expect me to get at least a 2000. I come from a low income family so my family can't afford SAT prep classes or a tutor. How can I study for the SAT? What should I do? Should I also take the ACT? Is it easier? I honestly don't know what to do.</p>
<p>Hi! I am just like you. I’m going to be a junior this year and I am planning to take the SAT in January. My score was a 1450 but I manage to raise it up to a 1720 just by doing practice tests. My dream school is UCLA which requires a 2000+ score so I need to study really hard. For critical reading, I make word lists and study them. Word lists have really helped a lot in building vocabulary. Then I take a practice test on CR with PR cracking the SAT. I review the answers I got wrong. If I still don’t understand it, I go to the answer explanations and read the explanations. For CR I realize that it’s not much about finding the right answer but finding the wrong ones first then cross them off. This method made it easier for me to locate the right answer. And remember, if an answer choice is not supported by the passage, then it’s wrong. As for math, I use PR to review the basics and concepts. Just by doing this has been beneficial to my score. I am not really good at math myself as I am barely starting Algebra 2 this year. But I manage to get a 630 just by plugging in numbers and substituting answer choices. (you’ll know what I mean if you get PR.) The best way to study for math is to go over the problems frequently shown on the SAT. This is ultimately the best way. I am pretty sure you won’t have much problem with this session once you try my tip. As for writing, which I am not so good in, especially on the essay because of the time and pressure, I try my best to follow the rubric. With practice, I can definitely achieve a good score. Try to review verb tenses, pronoun reference agreement, modifiers, parallelism, etc. That’s basically it. Good luck! If you have any questions feel free to ask me!</p>
<p>You raised it by that much just by doing practice books? I’m just afraid workbooks aren’t going to be enough. How often did you study? Like 2 hours a day or?</p>
<p>Sometimes I get lazy and only spend an hour on it. Sometimes I spend about 12 hours. Doing practice tests really help. There’s no secret formula that will raise 200 points overnight. I spent about 5 months raising my score by doing practice tests.</p>
<p>Did you do this all by yourself or did you get help like tutors etc?</p>
<p>I did go to an sat prep program for five weeks. They give you vocab lists, extra practice tests, all the things you could’ve done yourself. It really wasn’t worth the money. The best way is to study independantly</p>
<p>spend less time worrying and more time studying. I’m going to spend 2 hours everyday when school starts to study for the SAT in October. You could get a 1700 “a decent score” w/ a two 550’s and one 600. That wont be too hard if you keep taking practice tests and targeting what you are doing wrong.</p>
<p>Well, you’re in luck! The SAT does not measure intelligence, so your intelligence does not matter! Rather, it measures aptitude, which you can improve by studying! Get a practice SAT book - you can probably find some at your local library - and go through the tests and strategies.</p>
<p>Many CCers state that the CollegeBoard SAT book or otherwise known as the Blue Book is extremely helpful.</p>
<p>I remember the beginning of my Sophomore year, my score was like 1750 or something. I didn’t take it again until Christmas break of Junior year, which I got a 2190 on the practice test, as well as the real SAT. So in my experience, something just clicked.</p>
<p>What practice books did you buy?</p>