My Summer SAT Prep Plan: In Dire Need of Assistance!!

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
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<p>Well, I took the SAT for the first time in June. I was a bit nervous and I did terrible when it came to the timing (I'm so horrible when it comes to doing something in 25 minutes or shorter; I think time is against me! >_>), but here are my scores:</p>

<p>Critical Reading: 460</p>

<p>Math: 510</p>

<p>Writing: 580</p>

<p>Essay: 8 out of 12.</p>

<p>Total Score: 1550</p>

<p>Do you think 1550 is good for a first try? Considering that I got a 137 on my PSAT (which would've been a 1370 on the real thing).</p>

<p>My CR definitely didn't budge at all from my PSAT score (46) - this was my next weakest thing (Math was first) that I should've concentrated more on but didn't (my studies were more focused on Math), so this score was kinda expected. I got an extra Critical Reading section too! I just ABHOR those long, boring, and ridiculously detailed passages. >_<</p>

<p>I'm a bit pleased with Math, since I improved about 100 pts from where I was before. My PSAT score in Math was a 41, and my first SAT Practice test gained me a score range of 350 - 430 in Math. So I'm glad I finally got out of that 400-ish range. But the thing that's nagging me a lot is that I KNOW I could've gotten a higher score if I just answered more questions! I'm really bad with time, so I definitely need help with that. Does anyone have any tips as to how to deal with this problem? When I was preparing for my first SAT, I timed myself a couple of times on several practice tests/problems, but as the days went by, I became so tired of timing myself with everything and just gave up the clock altogether. So I guess you can say that most of my preperation lacked the simulated conditions that you ultimately find on test day. </p>

<p>Because of this, my Math score ended up to be a 510 - when it could've gone higher. >.< (the Math was surprisingly easy). </p>

<p>I know that you shouldn't spend time on any one question, skip it if it takes too long, and move on. But somehow my brain is too stubborn to do that. :D I usually have trouble with this as well; I stay stuck on a problem for more than two minutes and THEN move on if I'm unable to solve it. Does anyone have any tips for this kind of problem too? Like how to make my brain UN-stubborn and just MOVE when I realize that a problem is going to take too much time to solve or when I'm unable to figure it out?</p>

<p>My strongest point is the Writing section, so that's why it's the highest out of the three. I only increased about 80 points from my PSAT score (50)! I was close to getting a 600, but I guess the "Identifying Sentence Errors" portion tripped me up (this is the only part of the Writing section that is a bit tricky for me - Improving Paragraphs and Improving Sentences are easy). I never realized that there were so much "No Error" answers O_O, so maybe that's why I didn't score that high. Maybe if I practiced a lot more, I could get a score of 700 next time.</p>

<p>I got an 8 on the Essay (which I was hoping I'd get, at least for now :D). I was going to write four paragraphs, but I ended up writing two paragraphs and a half (the third paragraph was unfinished). Again, it was the time that tripped me up (I didn't time myself much with the Essay). I'm now going for a 5 or a 6 next time (10 out of 12 or a 12 out of 12). </p>

<p>So this is what basically resulted out of my first SAT exam. I recently signed up for another SAT I exam, and I'll be taking it in October, which gives me about three months (96/97 days) to prepare. Now..</p>

<p>**Does anyone have any good tips, advice, methods, ANYTHING that could help me improve my Critical Reading score? I've already got about 436 words memorized (I just need to review them a bit) and I'm going to start to study more roots, prefixes, and suffixes (and more words!) as well. It's just the passages that bog me down a lot. >_< I hate how the questions have tricky answers - those that COULD be true but are NOT true when it comes to the passages. I've tried everything - skimming the passages, skipping them completely and going straight to the questions, doing line reference questions first, taking one paragraph at a time and then answering the questions, EVERYTHING! The passages are so boring, long, and detailed, which make me lose my focus and concentration on the whole thing completely (eh, short passages are not really included, but I guess they do count in this whole thing as well).</p>

<p>I'll take a lot of practice tests/questions and analyze my results too. </p>

<p>So for those who do super awesome in this section - do you have any advice on how to improve? D:**</p>

<p>I don't really think reading is the problem (Reading is one of my favorite hobbies). I read a lot but not frequently - and I mostly don't stick around with the boring, detailed fiction books/newspapers, so maybe that's where I lack in my CR analyzation skills? That's why I want to have a "Summer SAT reading list" and read several books/analyze them. But the problem is that I don't know which kinds of books to read. I've already read "The Great Gatsby" the last time I prepped for the SAT (which is a really good book/great for SAT essay examples btw - check it out!), but that's pretty much it. So does anyone have any great SAT books to read?</p>

<p>I'd like to improve in Math and Writing too. Any great tips/advice for those sections as well? (Please don't give the usual "practice a lot of questions/time yourself/don't spend too much time on any question etc. @_@ I seem to know all those already).</p>

<p>Any Essay tips for me as well? Here is the essay I wrote for my June SAT Essay; maybe this will help offer some advice.</p>

<p>Prompt:</p>

<p>"People are happy only when they have their minds fixed on some goal other than their own happiness. Happiness comes when people focus instead on the happiness of others, on the improvement of humanity, on some course of action that is followed not as a means to anything else but as an end in itself. Aiming at something other than their own happiness, they find happiness along the way. The only way to be happy is to pursue some goal external to your own happiness. Adapted from John Stuart Mill, Autobiography "</p>

<p>"Are people more likely to be happy if they focus on goals other than their own happiness? Plan and write..."</p>

<p>My Essay:</p>

<p>Page 1: <a href="http://img14.imgspot.com/u/07/181/15/essayImageAction.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://img14.imgspot.com/u/07/181/15/essayImageAction.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Page 2: <a href="http://img14.imgspot.com/u/07/181/15/essayImageAction2.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://img14.imgspot.com/u/07/181/15/essayImageAction2.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It'd be great if I could get some advice. ^^;</p>

<p>Well, that's it. I'm sorry for such a long post; I would've written more, but I guess reading this is irritable enough. </p>

<p>I'd appreciate the help ASAP! Thank you so much! D:</p>

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<p>Anyone?! D:</p>

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<p>Regarding CR, study words until you're able to easily score a 650, then move to strategies and practice which should boost your score to at least 700. Please note that I used "study", not "memorize". It is critical that you understand word usage in different contexts to minimize surprises on test day. So get a list and a good dictionary and study words. After 1000 words you should do fine. I advice Sparknotes' 1000 most common SAT words. </p>

<p>Math should be plain and I can't imagine how some kids end up with 600-. Get a good SAT book and gingerly check the math topics, they're mostly secondary school stuff. Get Kaplan or Blue Book but definitely get a study guide. If you're not the bookworm type try online prep but it's not that solid. Start with <a href="http://satmathpro.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://satmathpro.com&lt;/a> <a href="http://smartdoodle.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://smartdoodle.com&lt;/a> <a href="http://number2.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://number2.com&lt;/a> .</p>

<p>Writing is not that hard but occasionally idioms and fancy word usage trick you up. Not to worry, with enough practice and revision you can confidently shoot for a 650+. And the essay just needs some good examples. Carefully read your study guide's essay recommandations.</p>

<p>All in all, there's no substitute for practice, and book-and-pencil prep. So don't spend any money on online crap, just buy as many prep books as you can. Choose from Blue Book, Maximum SAT, PR, Kaplan and try to get PR's 11 and Kaplan's 12 practice tests books.</p>

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<p>=) Your advice sounds pretty good. I think I'll try it out. Anyone else have any insights about my issue?</p>

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<p>Bump up my post. :B</p>

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<p>Buuump.....</p>

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<p>I really posted in this thread to say that you have DAMN good handwriting....but anyway, nobody can tell you how to study but you. Hit the books--you have plenty of time, and remember, you're not always alone. I got 1560 my first time, and I'm hitting the books as well this summer.</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

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<p>Wow..thank you so much! ^_^;</p>

<p>Well, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one losing my precious summer this year. Thank you for the encouragement, and good luck to you too!</p>

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<p>It's been more than a year since I took my SATs, but I've been tutoring for them and still remember my prepping time. And the only real advice I have to give is- practice.</p>

<p>This probably sounds lame- but you should seriously consider it. There was a local SAT test-prepping center near me, and I took literally dozens of practice tests. I think I took over 40 of them, mostly of the old type. Looking back, I think it was a little excessive- but it helped a lot, and shot up my score total by over 200. And please understand- I started with a 2100 and went up to a 2310. My little brother did the same thing and recently got a 2230. That much practice helps at all levels.</p>

<p>I've tutored 25-people classes and one-on-one tutored plenty. Every time, the only ones that significantly improve are the ones that go through all their practice tests. I show them tricks for problems and ways to solve them, but that only gets them so far- the ones that consistently improve are the ones that go through every practice test in the College Board's 10 Real SATs and every single practice test in the other prep books they buy, getting anywhere from 14 to 20 practice tests' worth of problems, after which I go through and help them understand every single mistake. Their scores also shoot up considerably.</p>

<p>Good luck on your coming test. If, afterwards, you find that you still aren't happy with your scores, try sitting down for 2 to 3 hours and grind through tests and their corrections until the next test. Horrifying, I know- but I've done it, and you can too. No matter what, those hard hours are going to bump up your score.</p>

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<p>Read more books...I'll post more later, its 5 in the morning.</p>