<p>The PR SAT Prep Course did not help AT ALL for me. I took my first diag there last summer to see my placement for small group tutoring and I got a 1960. They then said I needed to join a better class (for an extra $1000). So I did, whatever. My next few diags stayed the same and my score only rose like 40 points. Self-studying with the book is the same as that class. Complete waste of money.</p>
<p>ah that sucks so much! Man, I’m so stressed right now! What do I do?! I desperately need to get 2250+, like I’m not one of those people that will cry over a 2250, I just need that to be competitive as an international for BS-MD combined programs. </p>
<p>I only have about a month until the May SAT. Do I need a miracle or is this possible? low 1900s —> 2250+?</p>
<p>It’s possible, but I don’t think self-study for a month will help. It will get you 2000+ no doubt, but from 2200+, it’s more a game of luck, in my opinion anyways.</p>
<p>I guess that’s true too, based on what shows up on the test (interesting passages, vocab words you know, etc.).</p>
<p>Is 1900-2200 then possible? A 300 pt. increase? I;m an ridiculously stressed right now.</p>
<p>300 point increase can be possible. Don’t be stressed, it makes things worse. Which sections are you having trouble with? It’s easier to get points with some sections than others.</p>
<p>viggyram- I sent you a message</p>
<p>the diagnostic PR was probably extremely hard so that you feel like you need the course. they then make it easier so you feel like you make progress. </p>
<p>Your real level, as you said previously, is 2000-2100.</p>
<p>CR and Writing. Writing is weird. I got a 580 in the PR diagnostic, while in one BB test I got 780. Go figure, makes no sense. IDK if you read the above posts, but in the BB tests I gave myself extra time in CR and W sections (ranging from 2 min. to 4 min.).</p>
<p>My scores in the first 3 legit. BB tests range from 2030 (first one) to 2130 (last one). I was so proud and ecstatic that I would be able to reach 2250+. Now I am in utter shock. I guess it was expected since I had no extra time in the PR diagnostic, but it was a shock nonetheless.</p>
<p>In CR, problem is time or sure. It is the major problem. Also, in the CR sections, I always get around 3-4 wrong per section. When time is not an issue, the passages I do well in (if it isn’t a boring passage…I will get max. 2 wrong). SC is a hit or miss. My vocab is weak, but I know all the tips and strategies, so I am good at eliminating choices and such, but if I don’t know the vocab I am screwed.</p>
<p>In Writing, it is the Sentence Error q;s, everything else is fine. Also, once again, time is a big factor. I get only a couple sectence correction ones wrong for the entire W section, but sentence errors kill me (4-6 mistakes all the time).</p>
<p>In Math, I get low 700s. It is always dumb mistakes and sometimes I just don’t know how to solve a question (like, I won’t know at the time, but when i review it i’ll be like 'ahh, ic. why didn’t i think of that?")</p>
<p>And I am so stressed superexcited. I mean, my family came to this part of the world just to make it easier for me and my bro to become anything we want to be…and I know a BS-MD program isn’t the be-all-and-end-all, but I mean, it would be less of a burden on myself, family, and I won’t have stress (or as much) for the next 4 years of my life. Also, I know I want to be a Doc since I was a little kid. My parents neevr forced me or anything, its just kinda innate and something i always grew up wanting to do.</p>
<p>for timing there are 2 ways to improve:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>get better at the questions so you need less time</p></li>
<li><p>practice with time limit so you can do it naturally</p></li>
</ol>
<p>for me, in W, I set the time limit according to the section. At first, I barely made it (went 10 sec over). As I erached my 6th+ practice test, I was more comfortable with the questions, and it seemed more familiar. I was able to get most of these questions right, without second-guessing myself due to a new level of confidence from being so familiar with them. At this point, I was able to finish in time.</p>
<p>PR is just stupid.
Regarding CR, the only thing you can do is more practice questions. And give yourself less time, in order to overcome your time constraints. Yes, it will be difficult at first, but it’ll pay off.
Writing: Only thing to do is study the rules and do more practice. Sentence Error questions should be easier since you are given choices.
And for math, you just gotta do more practice.</p>
<p>In the end, it’s really just practice, practice, practice.</p>
<p>I will write a QAS tomorrow and post what my score is with strict time limits and with realistic SAT setting. </p>
<p>Tomorrow should be a true indicator of where I am at.</p>
<p>Ok, I wrote today…a practice test. got the following:</p>
<p>CR - 670 (I fell apart on the section with 18 q’s (1 omit, 4 errors!) If that didn’t happen I was on track to low 700s.
M - 750 (2 errors…and guess what?! First error was on number 1, first question of the entire practice SAT I wrote…how embarrassing!)
W- raw 40 points…scaled to a 65. With a 9 essay I’d have 660, 10 essay is 680.
(once again, fell apart on the last section 10, and 4 ID Sentence Error wrongs!)</p>
<p>So, my score is 2060-2080-2100 depending on the essay (a 8, 9 or 10)</p>
<p>I finally focused and was satisfied to an extent. I was fatigued near the end for sure, my back was sore and I was hungry as hell. I fell apart on all the later sections (section 8 and 10…and did poorly on Sentence ID q’s).</p>
<p>So, any advice for keeping the concentration throughout? I feel like the 2 silly math errors would’ve been avoided if I focused more. I definitely cost myself some points because of lack of focus (parents yelling to do chores/eat lunch/friend called for one minute during the last section, where all me errors in that section came AFTER he called).</p>
<p>OH, and also, I didn’t run out of time (Y). I was still pressured to finish, but I finished every section on time, and only gave myself an extra 15 seconds on one section…that’s it!</p>
<p>You should try to take this test wit no distractions. Do it right after breakfast in the morning. Turn off your phone, hide yourself in your room and tell your parents to not distract you. On the real SAT, you won’t have any significant distractions such as the ones you mentioned. But still, if you were distracted and did that, then you could definitely do better on the real test. </p>
<p>In terms of concentration, it’s a hard obstacle to overcome, and for me, it took months. But it’s just practice. Just keep doing practice tests, reading boring passages, etc.</p>
<p>Would doing an entire practice test (timed) be better than doing a section (timed)? My problem is finishing each section on time…I always have atleast like 5 questions left over. Would it be better for me to time myself on each section then if I can do it within the time, then start timing for entire test?</p>
<p>You should first do timed sections. Then do shortened timed sections, meaning instead of 25 minutes, do 23 minutes or even 20 minutes. Then when you can master the time portion, move on to the entire test. Time is an obstacle for many. If you can overcome it and finish sections minutes before the time is up, it gives you more time to check and ultimately a higher a score.</p>
<p>superexcited, the distraction only came in one section, the last writing one when I was nearing the end of the test. So, I maybe made 1-2 errors due to that break in concentration and such. </p>
<p>I know people have asked this in this forum before, but would you guys recommend an energy drink near the end of the SAT? When you’re on section 6-7 for example…that was when I started feeling fatigued and lost a little focus/concentration. I needed some revitalization, because after section 6, I was like “omg, when is this gonna end, it’s sooo boring”. Heightened awareness may have raised my score to low 2100s and to around 2130ish.</p>
<p>And so, I will write another practice test some time at the end of this week. If I get near 2100 or low 2100s, I guess we can conclude that the PR diagnostic was BS.</p>
<p>Viggyram,</p>
<p>Are you on break right now? I am (I go to school in Ontario too)</p>
<p>I took the course, started off with a 1550 (i honestly think I was lazy that day), and on my January SAT’s, i received a 2100. I thought the class was extremely helpful, however I also worked harder than all my other classmates. I was also lucky enough to have a small class of 5 students, including myself. Thus I would recommend the small group tutoring, since 5 seems to be a number yoiu would encounter there…</p>
<p>^actually I have 5 in my class too. And the students dont seem dumb/lazy at all. they seem motivated as well. so that works out great for me. the instructor is a freshman in uni., so he is easy to converse with and he is very approachable/helpful.</p>
<p>@Dwarf, yep on march break holidays. so much work to do though…SAT, mousetrap car physics project, english midterm paper, chem review sheet, volunteering, baseball…ugh. too much stuff, hence why i am so stressed.</p>