<p>Well I've been debating on whether or not to take the SAT in January or in May. Idealy I would've taken it in March, but the closest testing site is over an hour away in March and well, in January or May it's 10 minutes. Much more practical. </p>
<p>I'm a Junior and really not thrilled with my PSAT score (181) 57/64/60 but then again I sort of want a cushion in case I do poorly I can take it again in May, and if I still feel bad I'll take it again in the fall. </p>
<p>I have the Blue Book and the PR book and plan on starting some serious practice test taking and maybe starting the vocab lists. </p>
<p>So first, do you think I should go ahead and take it in January?
And secondly, any tips or advice for prepping/taking the SAT. Other than the general get a good nights sleep, eat breakfast, don't cram etc, etc, etc. </p>
<p>Do the prep and the practice tests on the blue book. If you think you can reach your desired score in one month, go for January. Personally, I think one month prep is pushing it, though, especially if you have demanding classes and activities.</p>
<p>Tip : write ALL OVER your test booklet. keeps you from getting lost and helps identify what to look for.</p>
<p>Yeah, I got a ton of tips for you.
-Take it as many times as you want to, but you should take it as many times. Take it in January to get a feel for it. What if you miss out on a very easy Math section? You could get a 700+ on the January Math section and be over with it. Each SAT has a chance of having those easy questions. </p>
<p>-Get more books. Try the Barron's How to Prepare for the SAT 2007-2008. PR and CB are great books but you need more if you ask me. Blue Book is good for practice tests, PR gives great strategies for overcoming hard problems, but Barron's teaches you everything you need to know. </p>
<p>-Use the sparknotes SAT guide(google it), it's something good to read over. They have a 1000 and a 250 word list that are well worth your time. </p>
<p>-Don't worry about a bad PSAT score. I don't think that I did too good on it, but they are two different tests and I didn't really study that hard for it at all. I've studied math a lot and average 700+ on practice tests. You have all of Christmas to study along with January. </p>
<p>-No good leaving the SAT till the last moment to where you HAVE to do good on it. This is something that many seniors have to go through to do good on. If I'm correct, December of next year is a huge deadline for Seniors next year applying. Don't take it in May and then be left with only a few more SATs to boost your score. Take it as many times as you can trying to catch that really easy section with a nice curve.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips guys (really helpful both of you, especially considering the curves and Barrons).. I think I will take it in Jan. If nothing else for the feel of it. (And heres hoping for an easy math section!) </p>
<p>A month isn't very long but I have the rest of Xmas Break (not very long, but I'll get bored. Especially if it snows) and my schedule isn't as demanding as most CCers so.. </p>
<p>Here's another piece of advice that even someone who doesn't know about the type of questions on the SAT can give you. Don't plan on a 2nd try. Don't think that I'll do good on this math section and then do good on the CR on the next SAT. Try your best to get it over with on the January test. Don't aim for a 600 or 700, aim for the 800 and try to get every question right. A reasonable goal is perfectly fine, but aim for the highest and settle for nothing less because if you try to get a 700, then you will most likely get a 700 or below. IF you aim for an 800, you will have a good chance of getting a 700 because the 2400 club studied that little extra bit that helped them get it over with quickly and effectively.</p>