Hi! I just recently received my scores back from the March SAT and I am not that satisfied with the outcome. It was my first time taking the test and I received a total score of an 1830. Here was my score breakdown:
Critical Reading: 590
Math: 630
Writing: 610 (Essay Score: 10)
I plan on retaking the test again in October with hopes of improving my score to at least a 2000. Are there any prep books or study methods that you recommend that will help me see a significant increase in my score? I plan on resuming my SAT Prep in June (once I am done with AP Exams and SAT Subject Tests). Would that be ample time to increase my score if I study everyday? I’m really trying to find out as much information as possible that will help me improve my score because an 1830 will not do for most of the colleges I have hopes of attending. Thank you all so much!
First and foremost, USE THE BLUE BOOK - it’s the best book out there.
Critical Reading - Brush up on vocab with Direct Hits and/or Quizlet/flashcards. These vocab questions are easily preventable mistakes as long as you master the vocab. For passage-based questions, try to first go through a couple tests without timing yourself. Take all the time you need, but try to get all the questions right. As you improve your accuracy, go back to timed tests and gradually work on timing.
Writing - Most sentences can be corrected by the way they sound. If something doesn’t sound right, it probably isn’t. Don’t second guess “no errors.” As for the essay, you’re already at the 10, but for future essays, use literature, history, current events, etc. but oftentimes, just using people gets you to that 10. It helps to brainstorm a list of examples organized by literature, history, people and current events, with attributes/themes associated with each example before the test. Make sure to learn this list, so that you are less likely to have writer’s block on test day (after all, you only have 25 minutes). Also, study the format of typical College Board essays and derive your own formula based on that. That way, you could write a crappy essay on one of those bad writing days, but still get a 10 (trust me, I’ve been there).
Math - You’re only missing a few here, so brush up a little on algebra, geometry, number theory and counting & probability. Just as with critical reading, do some untimed practice. When you come across a question/concept that you don’t know, look it up.
Here are some study resources that I have gathered from my own personal experience and through skimming these forums:
CR:
-Vocab: Direct Hits (book), SAT Vocab Cartoons (book), Quizlet (online), Mindsnacks (found on the Apple App store), Test Your English Vocabulary (Android app - just drills you on vocab with 10 question quizzes; great for on-the-go practice rather than studying)
-Passage Practice: Untimed Blue Book tests, Erica Meltzer’s CR Guide (book)
Math:
-Khan Academy (online), PWN the SAT Math (book), Dr. Chung’s (book - mainly geared for high scorers to get up from 650ish to high 700s), Untimed Blue Book tests
Writing:
-Erica Meltzer’s Grammar Guide
-For the essay: your own list of canned examples organized by people, literature and history, with themes/attributes for each
Know that you don’t need all of these resources (since that would probably cost a fortune) but if I were to recommend a couple, I would say: THE BLUE BOOK (absolute necessity), Mindsnacks (found on the Apple App store - the first lesson with 20 words is free, the other 24 lessons can be bought for ~$5) and Erica Meltzer’s The Critical Reader (I haven’t personally used this but I have heard rave reviews - if you don’t want to buy her book quite yet you could check out her website, which also has Grammar resources: http://www.thecriticalreader.com/). Take advantage of free resources like Khan Academy and number2.com, as well.
Above all, if you just familiarize yourself with the test a little more, you could easily bring that score up into your desired range.
Hope this helps! Good Luck! 