mother concerned about sats

Parents Forum
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<p>my mother and i have been discussing options for sat improvement. on the march sat i received a 610m, 690v, 690w (with an 11/12 on the essay). this score was obtained with no preparation (we wanted to see where i was at). i plan on retaking it in october. my mother was wondering what sat preparation other parents executed with their children to boost their scores and if they had any advice for our situation.</p>

<p>i know this should probably fall under the sat prep section, but my mother and i would like the opinions of parents who have struggled through the preparation process.</p>

<p>thank you!</p>

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<p>Question 1 - Do you want to boost your SAT score?
Because if this is more about what you Mom wants, then not much is going to help!
Question 2 - What year are you - junior?
Assuming you are a junior, try if you still can to get a breakdown of your answers. A 690 writing/690 verbal with 11/12 on the essay suggests to me either needs grammar review or struggles a little with the critical reading. Many high schools today (my kid's included) just don't teach grammar in high school, so you may need an intense review. The critical reading requires practice - both testing skills practice (how to go back and forth from questions to passage) and practice reading dense material. Make an effort to read an editorial or two from your daily paper, a parent should read the same editorial and discuss it with you. Alternatively get a copy of NYT or WSJ and read a few articles each week, discuss them with someone to be sure you are understanding what you read, use the dictionary. Reading a non-fiction book of interest to you and a parent and discussing it is another way to practice. Then get some Real SATs books and practice the tests.</p>

<p>I have more enthusiasm for a formal review course for math - this could be a class, a tutor, online, or through books - depending on your pocketbook and degree of motivation. This does not have to be expensive if you are motivated.</p>

<p>Search the old forum for Xiggi's posts - he has a marketable SAT study method.</p>

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<p>First, it depends on what scores you need for the colleges you are considering. A 2000 is a fine score for 2000+ schools. But, if you're considering highly selective schools, you'll want to raise that math and verbal to 700+. The flagship UC's will also seek a 700+ on the writing for a non-hooked kid.</p>

<p>Very good scores, taken cold. The math is the easiest to practice for...gotta go back and remember those old formulas from Geom and Alg I. Given your high essay, you probably cost yourself points on grammar, and/or Reading Comp. The best way to improve is to read more.</p>

<p>There is no reason to take a costly prep course, bcos you can self-study. But that means you HAVE to self-motivate -- many kids easily find more fun stuff to do over the summer. :) </p>

<p>But, if you can work diligently, purchase the new SAT book by Collegeboard (also available from Amazon), and practice, practice, practice. You might also purchase Princeton Review or Kaplan's books, because they provide tips that CB does not.</p>

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<p>My son just did the on line prep(4 or 5 practice tests) at the college board web site, his friend paid for the expensive class. My son got 740V700M 720 writing.(2160) His friend got 2000 sorry I don't know the breakdown other than he got an 11 on the writing) and plans to take it again. Some of the kids, one in Southern Cali, who got a 2400 just did the SAT workbook practice tests a few times. I think it is really more the practice of taking the tests. We did pay for our oldest to take an expensive class a few years ago, he got a 1270.</p>

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<p>Your scores are really good as they stand. As for prep, all my son did--and it was quite effective--was to buy a $20 SAT practice book and do about four of the tests over a two-month period. I believe he also did the math review because he was into Calculus by the time he took the test, and the SAT was testing material too far in the past. (Besides, it does set you up for traps.)</p>

<p>To avoid trick questions, try the ACT.</p>

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<p>If you have the discipline to do practice SATs, that can work well. My daughter's first try junior year was M680 and V700. With taking some of the Real SATs (on her own) over the summer between 11th and 12th grade she got M740 and V790 in fall of senior year when she took them a second time. I do think a lot of it is being familiar with the typical questions and knowing how to pace yourself. She took a formal prep class for SAT II writing and got 800.</p>

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<p>One of the most respected posters on this subject (xiggi) has several posts on improving SAT scores. I'd suggest that you search for his posts (yes, there will be a LOT of them!) for details. Good luck. Also, I agree that your scores are very, very solid, particularly for no prep.</p>

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<p>My S got 1100 for SAT first time. He is a kind of person who will not sit down and study for a test. I paid $1000 for a Kaplan class after which he got 1210.</p>

<p>MY D, on the other hand, prepares very well for exams. Did not take any class. She ended up with 1590.</p>

<p>So, IMHO, whether you should take a class or not depends on your personality.</p>

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<p>My son was "prepped" using a local tutoring firm. He was assigned two tutors.....one for Math and one for Verbal. They came to our home every week (they alternated weeks) for 12 weeks / 1.5 hrs per session. His total score increase was 240 points. </p>

<p>My personal philosphy is that SAT prep works best for bright kids who alreay know the material on the test, and just need to learn how to take the test. I don't believe his first score was representative of his ability. But, I believe he needed to learn how to take the SAT. His PSAT score was very high.....so the first SAT score was a big shock because we thought he would continue to test on that level. Somehow, the SAT threw him for a loop.</p>

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<p>My D took the old test October of her junior year cold as you did, and scored a 1400. She then left it alone until the next Ocotber, but this time, got the book from the library and took the practice test, and scored 1550. She just needed to see the way they thought - know your test maker and you should do fine.</p>

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<p>ok...I know since I teach one of those costly prep courses I shouldn't be saying this, but I will. I'm graduating this year and used <a href="http://www.number2.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.number2.com&lt;/a> for my SAT prep. It's completely free. I ended up going from a 1330 to a 1500 on the old SAT.</p>

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<p>nasaiz. . .good addition to the CC toolkit!</p>

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<p>Oh Reid, now I HAVE to post a critical opinion. :)</p>

<p>The problem with any online course that is NOT owned by TCB is that its owners and developers cannot use the official questions. Accordingly, they have to develop their own questions ... and to say it mildly with very variable results. To be more direct, the questions AND answers are usually misleading and often wrong. </p>

<p>Let's look how the recommended site does on its FIRST question. </p>

<p>Question 1
Sentence Completion: Choose the word or words that fit best into the blanks.</p>

<pre><code> Irregularities in the orbits of some planets have allowed astronomers to ---- the existence of other, as of yet undiscovered, planets.
</code></pre>

<p>a. adumbrate<br>
b. collate<br>
c. infer<br>
d. derive<br>
e. forestall </p>

<p>Before explaining WHY this question is a very bad question, here is my answer ... infer. </p>

<p>Excellent
Well done. The astronomers are using one set of data to deduce or infer other information. Answers A (adumbrate) and D (derive) are very close, but neither is as good a fit as infer. </p>

<p>I picked infer because it sounded a "bit" more intelligent that "derive" and I assumed that the test writer wanted to show some intelligence. Now, this question would NEVER appear on an official test and if it DID, the answer could NEVER be derive or infer. Why because the words are exacts synonyms. Anyone with a modicum of experience with the SAT knows that if synonyms appear on a MC, both answers HAVE to be wrong. </p>

<p>So, do the sensible thing and stick with TCB material for ALL your tests, and let the wannabe testwriters learn their skill at the expense of others. </p>

<p>X</p>

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<p>Xiggi at his best.</p>

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<p>Although I agree with xiggi that "infer" was the best choice, I'm not so sure that "derive" is an exact synonym. My AHD uses this this usage note to explain the very fine distinction: "Inference...is the activity performed by a reader or interpreter in deriving conclusions that are not explicit..." i.e., you can derive or deduce conclusions in many ways, but it may or may not be by inference. FWIW, I would stick with the "real" SAT test books, too.</p>

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<p>My daughter's PSAT math score was significantly lower than her reading and writing scores. She worked with a private tutor just on math. He is NOT an SAT tutor, just a math tutor. They used Xiggi's method of using the "Real" SAT tests, taking them, going over the answers (both right and wrong). She boosted her score by 80 points on the March SAT.</p>

<p>She tried a princeton review-like SAT prep class but only went to three sessions. She felt that time was better spent just working on her own with the real sat book at home. Seemed to work for her. She will be retaking this Saturday knowing she already has scores within range for the schools on her list.</p>

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<p>Driver, I understand the fine line difference between the two terms. However, one thing to keep in mind is that this test is given to 10-12th graders. Also, there has to be ONE answer that is subtantially better, if not conclusively correct. The purpose of preparation manuals should be to illustrate conclusive examples, not to throw students into a spin of self-doubt and overly technical discussions. </p>

<p>For what it is worth, the writer of this test could have replace the word "infer" by "imply" and have a very good question. This obviously would have indicated that the only answer was ... derive. :)</p>

<p>Let's take a look at a source that is very common: dictionary.com. It may not be perfect, but pretty "normal" for a 16 to 18 years old to use when checking words.</p>

<p>INFER
Main Entry: Function: verb
Inflected Forms: inferred; inferring
transitive verb : *to derive as a conclusion from facts or premises * <could infer="" acceptance="" of="" the="" offer="" from="" offeree's="" response=""> intransitive verb : to draw inferences
Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.</could></p>

<p>v 1: **reason by deduction; establish by deduction [syn: deduce, deduct, derive] **2: draw from specific cases for more general cases [syn: generalize, generalise, extrapolate] 3: conclude by reasoning; in logic [syn: deduce] 4: guess correctly; solve by guessing; "He guessed the right number of beans in the jar and won the prize" [syn: guess] 5: believe to be the case; "I understand you have no previous experience?" [syn: understand]
Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University</p>

<p>DERIVE
v 1: *reason by deduction; establish by deduction [syn: deduce, infer, deduct] * 2: obtain; "derive pleasure from one's garden" [syn: gain] 3: come from; "The present name derives from an older form" 4: develop or evolve, especially from a latent or potential state [syn: educe] 5: come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example; "She was descended from an old Italian noble family"; "he comes from humble origins" [syn: come, descend]
Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University</p>

<ol>
<li> To obtain or receive from a source. </li>
<li> To arrive at by reasoning; deduce or infer: derive a conclusion from facts. </li>
<li> To trace the origin or development of (a word).
Source: Dictionary.com </li>
</ol>

<p>Now, this is for the replacement of "infer" by "imply". </p>

<p>Usage Note: Infer is sometimes confused with imply, but the distinction is a useful one. When we say that a speaker or sentence implies something, we mean that it is conveyed or suggested without being stated outright: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a business tax increase, she implied (not inferred) that some taxes might be raised. Inference, on the other hand, is the activity performed by a reader or interpreter in drawing conclusions that are not explicit in what is said: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a tax increase, we inferred that she had been consulting with some new financial advisers, since her old advisers were in favor of tax reductions.</p>

<p>:)</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Inference, on the other hand, is the activity performed by a reader or interpreter in drawing conclusions that are not explicit in what is said

[/quote]
Interesting that the usage note from dictionary.com (above) is different from the American Heritage Dictionary usage note (below), which reads:
[quote]
Inference, on the other hand, is the activity performed by a reader or interpreter in deriving conclusions that are not explicit in what is said

[/quote]
If "infer" and "derive" are truly exact synonyms, then the latter quote contains an inappropriate (for a dictionary) redundancy. I'm calling my lawyer :)</p>

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<p>I just noticed that the dictionary.com definition comes from the AHD, 4th edition. My hard copy AHD is 3rd edition. They've changed it! {Twilight Zone music.} Definitely calling my lawyer now.</p>

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<p>sorry xiggi, i was just saying what worked for me....where i teach we do use TCB materials, but we're still in our first session and i have more experience with the above site than the materials i teach from. one other thing i did between my 2nd (1490) and third tests (1450, but if you pull my math from the 2nd time i ended up with a cumulative 1500) was subscribe to TCB's sat question a day e-mail list.</p>