Need help preparing!

<p>Hey guys, I'm currently a 9th grader and want to start studying for the SAT. I have quite a few books to study, but don't know how much they will help me. These are the prep books I have:</p>

<p>-Old Barron's book for old SAT, it has a good vocabulary list in the back.
-2006 Kaplan book, probably not going to use after what I have read about Kaplan
-Princeton Review "Math Workout for the New SAT"
-Princeton Review "Reading and Writing review for the New SAT," also has a vocabulary list with it
-College Board book for the new SAT with 8 practice tests</p>

<p>My vocabulary and writing skills are pretty weak, and I'm not a heavy reader outside of class. I know you guys may discourage me from learning long lists of vocabulary, but I feel really lost when I read some of the practice questions in the Reading section. Are there any other good vocabulary lists online? </p>

<p>I plan on working Math and Reading first, then focus all on writing, and then practice everything in the end.</p>

<p>Any advice?</p>

<p>lol.. 9th grade.....</p>

<p>anyway i would save the 8 sats practice tests from collegeboard until your about 3 months from your test date, as tehy will benefit you most then..</p>

<p>i guess start by reviewing vocab, reading a lot of books..magazines.. the math your going to learn a lot of it much better in school..</p>

<p>yeah i know, 9th grade may seem a bit early...</p>

<p>My parents started pushing me in 8th grade, but i lacked motivation. Now i'm being to see it creeping up, and I thought it would be a lot easier for me to just take it slow instead of all at once. I cant even dream of cramming over 1000 words in a night :D</p>

<p>bump. would like more input</p>

<p>Congrats on studying in 9th grade. I would be willing to bet that you will score 2300+ by the time you actually test.</p>

<p>With so much time, I would actually advise to start reading all sorts of literature that you can. Improving reading comprehension is very important for the SAT. Also, take the time to memorize the Barron's 3500. I know it's a lot but it will be well worth it. Then, read every test prep book so you are confident about the test itself and its tricks/trends. Learn all the math concepts and grammar rules that are tested on the SAT. Take practice tests occasionally but save QAS's until about 1-2 months before you actually test. Also, subsribe to the Official SAT Online course because they have SAT tests and nice reviews. Good Luck!</p>

<p>I've got a good collection of books and poetry to read, but i seem to be lacking in nonfiction. Would magazines be good enough to cover this area? If so, what are some good magazines that stand out from the rest? I read somewhere that some magazines like Time and Newsweek don't help a lot, but I always thought that they were some of the better ones.</p>

<p>My parents say that I'll do bad on the SAT because I've been unmotivated for so long. I know some people that started preparation in the 7th grade, but I've been shrugging it off so far. 2300+ is probably impossible for someone like me, but I'd like to get the highest score I can.</p>

<p>I greatly appreciate the help.</p>

<p>Woah, woah, woah!!!! First off, students that prep in 7th grade are wasting their time because at that age their brains are not nearly as developed as someone in high school. I took an SAT in 7th grade and I got <1000 but in 11th grade I took one without any practice and got a 1470. Everyone's brains mature and practicing in 7th grade is like trying to teach a baby calculus. Sheesh!</p>

<p>To address your self-fulling prophecy, 2300+ seems to be a very, very distant and impossible score but let me remind you that you have 4 years to prepare. Most kids spend 1 month or less to prepare for an SAT let alone more than 1 year. I can guarantee that almost anyone that preps for 4 years for 1 test will score very high.</p>

<p>Yeah, I would focus on fundamentals really. Read a lot of books, as much as you can, write a lot. That will surely help your CR and Writing. For math, pay attention in math class, know the basics cold. I'm not sure whether I would go very hard in learning much strategies, unless you keep up with it for four years... since if you start now, and don't do it for a while, you'll pretty much forget them if you aren't using and practicing them continuously. </p>

<p>It might be a good idea to set yourself a goal for doing well on PSATs to get into any summer programs or scholarships, seems like a more focused goal which is not as far as thinking WHOAH colleges...</p>

<p>PSAT came and went earlier this year (our school required freshmen to take it) without much thought. College is still far off for me. Xiggi's method of trying to find the patterns in the SAT and beating the test makers was enough motivation for me to take on the challenge.</p>

<p>Thank you all once again for your insight.</p>