*Official* SAT-1 May-2012 Prep-Discussion Thread

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>i know its pretty early but i am quite sure many of the SAT1 May-2012 takers are seeking a thread which pretty much displays their/others strategy, study-plans, questions and discussions?! It might help many eitherway! :) shoot away guys! :)</p>

<p>well, atleast here's MY study-plan.
i am using the barrons 2400 atm, and learning 10-20 words daily from the DH. I am taking one section each everyday- TIMED (from the BB) and will be taking the whole-test, timed, this weekend. I'll be following this schedule. As to improve my CR, i am reading novels recommended by the CC people (right now, am reading "One Flew Over The Cukoo's nest). Any suggestions/study-plans are more than welcome.</p>

<p>P.S am scoring low on my practise-tests (around 2000ish), however, i used to score around 2200+ RAW, when i was preparing and took the november-2011 SAT1, who's score were terrible! :| It had demoralized me then, but now am trying to put in more efforts (although, am not that enthusiastic about practising it anymore). Suggestions regarding this matter are more than welcome! </p>

<p>Anyway guys, lets prepare together! Am sure it'll yield some productive, good results! :)
P.P.S ignore the grammar-errors, if any!</p>

2

<p>I’m a sophomore and thinking about taking the May test aswell! I have Princeton’s Cracking the SAT 2011, and I will be getting the BB soon. I have been taking 2-3 sections daily and taking a full test every other weekend. Most importantly I just try to do good in school cause that is one of the most important tools in improving your score. I have problems with CR section. I get like 520-550 on practices. Math is no problem for me as it is one of my superior subject! Writing I do mediocre ~520. Math is always about 650-700~. I need to get up my reading score to at least 600! I try to read tips and don’t really do vocab. My 10th grade PSAT scores were 48CR, 67M, 52W. They were horrible but I am planning to see SAT score in May</p>

3

<p>I took the January test and hoping for the best. My suggested study plan is:</p>

<p>-Blue Book (Practice, Practice, Practice. Take multiple exams) Tip: I thought a good strategy was to study the hardest exam in the BB which requires you to take every single test. Study that one test and analyze to the best of your ability. Remember its not about understanding multiple tests, its about understanding one test. “Standardized”</p>

<p>-Grammatix has the greatest CR prep section I have ever seen. They are out of business now but if you find a copy then you’re in good hands for the CR sections</p>

<p>-Rocket Review has really good writing and a somewhat nice CR section. This book is crucial for those who want to improve their score from the a low range to atleast 600-650s.</p>

<p>-Grubers Complete SAT Math. Self explanatory, good for Math ranges from 400-700</p>

<p>-Dr Chung’s SAT Math. Literally the bible for the Math section. A MUST HAVE.</p>

<p>-Direct Hits 400 or Princeton Review Hit Parade (Only Princeton resource that has educational value)</p>

<p>Honestly with these materials and a lot of dedication. You’ll exceed expectations. I hope my suggestions aid you guys and your struggles! :D</p>

4

<p>Hey Rew and Patel and anyone else studying for May,</p>

<p>Having the books and working through the books are completely different. Whatever plan you decide on, make sure it is:</p>

<p>1) realistic (don’t plan to study 4 hours per day 7 days per week for the next 3 months… that’s not realistic)</p>

<p>2) beneficial (focus on finding your knowledge gaps and filling those, instead of looking for quick fixes)</p>

<p>–</p>

<p>One of the best strategies I’ve found with my students is a backsolving approach. It takes more time, but the self analysis is phenomenal.</p>

<p>For those of you working out of the BB, Chungs, Barron’s, Kaplan, or TPR, do the follow:</p>

<p>(1) Take a timed section and work through every question as quickly as possible. Don’t skip, yet.</p>

<p>(2) If you have to guess, guess, if you are not sure, then guess anyway. But after each guess, put a “g” or something so you are sure.</p>

<p>(3) Before you check your answers, go through each question and explain on paper why each wrong answer is wrong (that is, if you chose B, make sure you know why A, C, D, and E are wrong.) ==> You know the ETS/CB does not put one right answer and 4 random answers. Each answer choice is a right answer to the question misunderstood. If you can understand that process, you will start to see those patterns.</p>

<p>(4) Check all your answers, paying special attention to your guesses and your wrong answers</p>

<h2>(5) Rinse, wash, repeat</h2>

<p>Practicing is fine, reviewing wrong answers is fine. But you want to:</p>

<p>1- understand your knowledge gaps (pronoun ambiguity, ratios)</p>

<p>2- understand sat patterns (hidden variables, converting alg to arithmetic)</p>

<p>3- increase your speed</p>

<hr>

<p>A great way to move forward is to go into the Barrons homework sections and work through 10-20 specific questions (ratios, percents, algebra, whatever) and give yourself less and less time. That forces you to identify patterns and eliminates wrong answers.</p>

<p>Good luck all.</p>

<p>Craig Gonzales</p>

<p>ps. If you want a specific plan based on your unique situation, write here or, in case I dont see it, PM me. Cheers!</p>

5

<p>hey @craigonzales? what do u suggest I should do, if i have already completed the BB? although i havent reviewed the worng answers, which i will do soon, what do u suggest should i do now? i do have some official administered test, so should i start with them? if i do start with them, should i do them timed or should i still do untimed? or should i take a whole test instead of doing one-two sections from it ? </p>

<p>Also, according to you, what is an ideal time that one should devote w/o any questions for SAT prep? like i have my final-examinations coming up soon, and i have to do good in them too, so should i wait for my exams to conclude ( in march) and THEN start seriously with the prep? or should i still take a random section from any of the three, TIMED?!</p>

6

<p>Hey rew,</p>

<p>Hah, many questions. I’ll rock it one at a time:</p>

<p>“What should I do if I have already completed the BB”</p>

<p>Most of the texts (barrons/tpr/kaplan/mcgraw-hill) are close enough to the real thing that any thing will work. The idea is that you won’t see the exact questions, but you will see the same question types and question patterns. The point of prep is to not memorize dictionaries so you cover all your bases, but instead to learn all the types of questions and ways those questions may be asked and learn how to deal with them through a combination of knowledge, strategy, and pacing.</p>

<p>“Do now?” </p>

<p>Pick any book (I particularly like the Barron’s guide, because there are HW sections AND practice test) and work through it. </p>

<p>The barrons (i’ll assume that’s what you use, but I think TPR.Kap.Mcgraw have the same) has two parts</p>

<p>(1) Practice tests
(2) Section explanations. </p>

<p>I would spend my weekdays working through the section explanations and doing untimed sections (in barrons, you would read about percents, then do 15-20 percent GI and PS problems). Do that untimed so you can focus on your knowledge and strategy.</p>

<p>Then, each weekend, do a full-length practice test. After the entire test, continue with my wrong-answer review BEFORE you grade your test.</p>

<p>Remember, the wrong answer review does not mean figure out why you got a question wrong, rather, it means figure out why B is wrong if you picked C BEFORE you know the right answer.</p>

<p>“Final Exams”</p>

<p>This is an interesting question. I guess it depends on a few things, such as:</p>

<ul>
<li>Your current GPA</li>
<li>Your current SAT level</li>
<li>Your chances of doing well with prep / without prep</li>
</ul>

<p>As you should know, the SAT is not the end-all-be-all of uni admissions. You really do need rockstar grades, great recs, and killer extra activities. But, if your SAT will totally struggle, focus on those. </p>

<p>Ultimately, though, you should not have to sacrifice. The SAT is often enough that you can do both (cake and eat, so to speak), so why don’t you focus on your grades, then focus on your SAT. You can reg for the June test, if you must, so you have an extra month.</p>

<p>Makes sense?</p>

<p>Craig Gonzales</p>