<p>I have recently taken the SAT, and managed a 490 on CR, 650 on Math, and 540 on writing, with a 9 essay score.</p>
<p>I have taken the ACT twice, and got pretty pathetic scores. First time a 21, second time a 24. But seeing as how I set up a proportion between what my SAT score would be projected on an ACT scale, it would be higher than both of my ACT scores.</p>
<p>Why I sucked on the ACT:
1.)The time is just seems to be more pushy.
2.)My reading skills suck to begin with, and giving less time makes them even worse.</p>
<p>So I came into conclusion that I will focus more on my SAT score, seeing as how with enough practice, I can possibly pull out a good score.</p>
<p>Now the question is, how do I improve those skills? I have read Noitaraperp's guide, and took it into consideration. How do I improve my comprehension skills? I know reading will obviously raise it, but are there exercises that can help me improve?</p>
<p>Vocabulary is also an issue that contributed to my failure. Can anybody inform me of a website with the most common complex vocabulary words?</p>
<p>And finally, everybody says to keep practicing. But the question is, where are the tests located? CollegeBoard only provides one unless they want me to pay and what not, so if there is a website with practices tests on them and somebody knows the website, I would highly appreciate it if you would share.</p>
<p>I’d recommend that you go to the library, and get some Princeton Review books. They cover a great deal of this material in depth. Also, how old are you and how many times have you taken it, because if you take it too many times, colleges won’t like it. And remember, it’s all about commitment. Remember WHY you are doing this practice. It’s so you can get a better score. I had a low 1700’s score on the SAT, and then I was so mad and determined to do better, that I sat down, read numerous books, memorized a lot of rules, and took a *****load of tests, and brought my score up to a 2220. You can do it too I’m sure.</p>
<p>sat prep courses really help the most. to raise your score, you need to understand that it’s a test that you have to learn HOW to take, more than be smart enough to take. </p>
<p>if not, practice does help alot too. the most helpful are those huge books that you see people carry around. they dont’ really teach you much, but they’re have like 10 old sat tests complete with an answer guide that you can use to test. imagine how much better you’d do if you took a simulated, timed sat test in your room 10x before you took the real one. perfect practice makes perfect.</p>
<p>You’re right, improving skills and practice are two different things. The only thing I recommend for practice is the bluebook, and nothing else. If you can practice with real tests, there really is no better practice than that.</p>
<p>For improving skills, there’s also a lot of great resources on the web that will teach you the stuff you need to know. And as far as vocab goes, there are several different list compilations out there. If you want specific links/names for resources, PM me anytime and I’ll send over the stuff I used.</p>
<p>All you need to dominate the vocab is an iPhone app called The Daily Word! It has over 1000 words, tons of practice questions and a notecard creation system. It’s a very fun and easy way to learn the vocab!</p>
<p>This from a homeschooler/degreed teacher/tutor/consultant: </p>
<p>1) Prep courses are said to help a lot if you’re not a strong test taker.
2) For actual skill in the SAT categories, you have to take time to build that in. Read challenging works for years. Do tons of increasingly difficult math. Write and take the feedback you get seriously. I don’t think you can fake it, but a really good tutor might help you make some strides in the math and writing parts. Most of the kids I have tutored made dramatic improvements with about 12 hours of tutoring, and progress continued at a slower rate after that. CR really relies on longterm preparation, but some prep tutors boast big improvements. I don’t know their secrets. CR really is where some smart kids who did tons of extracurriculars but didn’t read alot fall down. They assume because their grades are high they will test well and then can’t match their M and W scores in the CR area. So, if you get a tutor for CR, make sure they specialize in that area. </p>
<p>I agree that you should focus on improving scores for a while before retaking if you can.</p>