<p>For the first time, I decided to crack down and start preparing for the SAT's. I took the online practice test offered by the college board today and ended up with the following marks:</p>
<p>CR: 680
Writing: ~630
Math: 590</p>
<p>Or a 1900. I'm not too happy with it -- I could tolerate a 2000, but would like to get close to, if not reach, a 2100. I haven't done much more practicing than reading over some questions and answering them mentally in the Blue Book. </p>
<p>I'd like to know whether or not my goal is reasonable, and, if it is, I'd like to hear advice on how to get there. Do I have enough time? Would I have to make myself a zombie to accomplish this? I also wonder when I should register to take the SAT and how many times I should take it. </p>
<p>I've started reading the pinned threads but it seems as though people with more trouble in math than CR are uncommon around here. I'd like to see how much I can improve my CR/Writing scores, of course, but math is my main priority at the moment. So any suggestions for improving math speed and becoming comfortable with doing complex problems would be highly appreciated.</p>
<p>I’m more of a math person (reading/writing were not my forte) so I can help you with that.</p>
<p>Harder math questions on the SAT tend to have at least two solutions: one that is very “bashy” or “brute-force” (e.g. listing out all possibilities on a counting problem), and a quick, elegant solution. Find the elegant solution and that will save you lots of time. Here are some example SAT-like problems:</p>
<p>Q1: How many four-digit positive integers have their digits in strictly increasing order? (e.g. 2369)</p>
<p>Q2: If x % y = xy + x + y, then what is the value of (k-1) % (m-1)?</p>
<p>Hopefully you’re familiar with the algebra/geometry topics on the test, so most of it is simply efficiency. It may help to learn/review some combinatorics and basic number theory, since those aren’t often covered well in the standard curriculum, and they can give you a nice advantage.</p>
<p>I did a lot of contest math in HS (including AMC, AIME, USAMO) so I’m not sure on SAT-level resources. AoPS “Introduction to Counting and Probability” and “Introduction to Number Theory” are very good and comprehensive, but I’m not sure if I can recommend them since you’d have to buy two books instead of one (but again, they’re good).</p>
<p>Does anyone have any other recommendations for studying for math, or any answers to the other questions I posed in the OP? Would really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Your goal is definitely reachable. This is coming from someone who got a 1900 on their first practice test in the summer before junior year and got a 2300+ in January (2nd take, first was 2100+) of junior year.</p>
<p>IMO AoPS books for SAT Math is overkill. I’ve heard that PWN the SAT Math and Dr. Chung’s (geared for high scorers) are excellent in improving your score on the math section. Other than that, try Khan Academy as well as working through Blue Book math sections slowly. Try to get every problem correct, and if you don’t know how to do a specific problem, look up the concept and related videos. Then, try to find 10 other problems like that one and make sure you can do all of them quickly and accurately.</p>
<p>Read the starred posts in the forum. Your goal is definitely attainable. Practice is the ONLY way to go. If you practice a section every day, you might end up enjoying it as you see your scores improve. </p>
<p>Ahoy again. I’ve been considering a study plan and I wanted to run my current idea by y’all, since I’m sure it has room for improvement. My first-time critical reading score (680) is already such where I figure I can get it over 700 on a good day, so I’m mostly going to be focusing on math and the writing section, while seeing if and how I can improve my writing score a bit more.</p>
<p>This is what I was thinking (fit to my time and pacing):</p>
<p>2 Sections per Week in Blue Book Starting September
1 Timed Practice Test Every Sunday from Blue Book
(Once I Break 2000, Start Reducing Time for Math e.g. 20 minutes for a 25)
Thorough Review of Problems Wrong / Ask for Strategies on CC for Common Problems I Struggle With</p>
<p>Take First SAT in October, Just to Get Comfortable (Is this a bad idea?)
SAT Class (Figure it can’t hurt, and it’s affordable)
Khan Academy SAT Once I Finish Blue Book
Go Back to Blue Book or Buy a Math Textbook (Recommendations? Is this even necessary?)
Second/First SAT in January
Third/Second SAT in March
Fourth/Third (if needed) SAT in May</p>
<p>Make sure you are semi ready by first test. but it is in October so ther is about 2 months. In fact, I think that this period of time is ample for lots of preparation, then if you don’t do as well as you think you can, retake. But make sure you prep at least a little for October, perhaps with around 700.600.600 at least. I too, will take the sat in October, and even though I’m not at my target score yet, I have belief that I will reach it by then</p>
<p>@Yalchar A couple of comments about your study routine:
-Try to embed some untimed practice (particularly for CR and Math) into your study routine. It’s quite helpful in mastering the accuracy element of the test.
-It seems that you will exhaust the Blue Book before your preparation is over. Instead of waiting until you finish the Blue Book to use resources like Khan Academy and/or a math book (ex. PWN the SAT Math/Dr. Chung’s), why don’t you complement it? This will allow you to see increases in your Blue Book test scores due to content knowledge improvements, rather than just test familiarity.
-Finally, unless you struggle with the stamina element/test unfamiliarity, I would caution against all those full-lengths. Full-length tests only speed up your rate of exhaustion of Blue Book tests and while you could always redo tests, there’s always the element of freshness that will never successfully be replicated.</p>
<p>As for taking the test in October without adequate prep, I have personal experience with that not going so well. I primarily took it during October of junior year since all my friends were doing it, and I regret exhausting an attempt for that. January - March - May (or even June since AP’s and school will be over/ending then) sounds better. </p>
<p>@andyis: I’m going to. A part of my thinking is that just having a “worst case scenario” score already in the my pocket would save me from some anxiety. Having gotten a 1900 on my first practice test, I think – regardless of what I get – it’ll be “pretty good”, especially compared to my peers. So when I’d be studying for January and March/May, I’d be able to focus more on improving, rather than worrying.</p>
<p>@enginebus2015: What ratio of untimed/timed would you recommend? </p>
<p>What book do you recommend for someone who got a 590 on the math portion of the practice test, first try?</p>
<p>Finally, could I still boost my score by as much as I want to by instead breaking the full tests into sections?</p>
<p>@Yalchar - If you are comfortable with the pace and style of the SAT, the ratio of untimed to timed should be at least 1:1, if not 2:1 (twice as many untimed as timed), with full-length tests to a minimum (since your goal should be to save those valuable Blue Book tests). With untimed, since your main focus will be on getting the questions right over getting an accurate score, Kaplan/PR books borrowed from your local library could also work (though you should minimize your use of unofficial books). </p>
<p>For the 590 on Math, I would recommend that you try out something like PWN the SAT Math, but make sure that you try it out (ex. at the library) before you buy it. For something free, try Khan Academy as they have several videos and practice problems. </p>
<p>As for your final question, yes, without a doubt you can boost your score by breaking the full test into sections. I hope that you don’t do more than one section (~20-35 questions depending on the subject) per study session, since you could easily burn out. Just reserve the last three tests in the book or something for full-length practices prior to the test.</p>
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