How do I study for the SAT with all the other work for AP, IB classes? Do you think I should drop some of them to have time to study for the SAT? Im aiming for at least a 1300(for the new SAT/out of 1600).
@Asaltb it’s quite possible to do both in parallel if you allocate a small amount of time (E.g. a few hours) each week over an extended time period.
When are you taking the SAT? (your other thread says you are a freshman).
Yes Im a worried freshman!
I’m allocating my whole summer to study for SAT. 12 hours a day? is it okay?
No. 12 hours a day over the summer devoted to SAT prep is a) inefficient, and b) unhealthy.
Now I’m confused!
How much time should I allocate preping each day?
@Asaltb Let me try to clear this up. Otherwise you could find yourself wasting your entire summer prepping which isn’t good. Here are some suggestions:
FIrst you should decide when you are taking the SAT (which you have yet to answer). You are a freshman, so you probably won’t need to take it for at least 2 more years. But that depends on other circumstances as well, and you might decide to take it earlier for various reasons.
Some time (e.g. 1-3 months) before the SAT, take a diagnostic test to see where you are at. This allows you to determine which areas or sections you are doing well on, and which ones need the most work.
Next, allocate yourself some time to work on any trouble areas you have. In terms of difficulty, the SAT and ACT should be fairly easy compared to AP/IB material. Maybe set aside 1 hour every day. Or maybe 3 hours on weekend days. I don’t know. Depends on your schedule and how much time you think you need. Take fully-timed tests every now and then to gauge your progress.
If you don’t plan on taking the SAT for another year or two, don’t worry about the test!. Instead, focus on doing well in your classes. Grades matter as much, or more, when applying to colleges.
Thanks a lot for taking time! So helpful;)
HOLY QUACKERDOODLES are you out of your mind? 12 hours of SAT a day? I almost vomited at this. No. Just no. Do not waste so much of your time on these bs “tests” and do extracurriculars you’re interested in. It will make you happier and help you in the long run.
My dream schools are Stanford, Berkley and USC! Yea I agree It’s freaking hard! but If don’t study I can’t get in! What about my dreammms!?? :-S
oh god, chill!!!
You’re only a freshman!
Those who get into your dream schools usually do more worthwhile things over the summer instead of studying 12 hours a day.
Colleges are more interested in what you do outside of academics and certainly do not want testing-drones like you who study for the SAT all day every day over the summer. If I was an adcom, I would be much interested in a student who spent his/her summer developing a new app, YouTube or such and had a SAT score of 2200 rather than a student who has a 2400 SAT but did nothing else over the summer.
Tests only tell a little about yourself. Instead, find something more meaningful to do over the summer. I’m not saying don’t prepare for the SAT but just don’t obsess over it. In fact, if you are a strong student, you should be able to do pretty well without much prep.
Most who do well on the SAT (2300+) get it without “studying 12 hours a day every day over the summer”
Why? Because SAT tests your skills in reading,writing, and math, which in my opinion, is indirectly prepared for by doing well in school.
It is a skill that is developed over long term… not by studying 12 hours a day over the summer lmao.
Just focus on doing well in school and worry about SAT/ACT for sophomore summer.
@asaltb Relax. When I was in 9th grade, I barely even knew what the SAT was. I didn’t really start preparing until late junior year, and I only prepared on reading and writing since I was already very familiar with HS-level math. My score wasn’t super impressive (~2100 with 800 on math), but I still got accepted to UC Berkeley and MIT. One of my classmates got 2300 without studying because he was already very good at reading and math and didn’t need to prepare. He is at Princeton.
I suggest you follow @YoLolololol 's advice.
First of all, enjoy being a kid ! If you’re going to spend this much time on prepping for ONE test, you’re going to burn out before you even get to college. Use your summers to have fun and do some volunteer work that’s important to you.
My son took the ACT without any extra studying, got a 34. He had to take it again because some schools required the writing portion, got a 35 that time, again without any special kind of prep, extra time, or stress involved.
Please don’t do this to yourself.
Also, it’s fine to have dream schools, but even if you had perfect scores, the stars need to align perfectly for you to get admitted. So, I suggest you relax right now, do your best in school and maybe next year start looking for some “safety” schools. Oh and also talk to your parents about finances for college.
My son first applied (and was accepted with generous scholarships) to a couple of schools he’d be happy to attend. Then he applied to his dream schools and now we’re just waiting for those to get back to him. He’s enjoying his senior year of high school and not even thinking about where he’ll get admitted.
Wow that is awesome!!! I know that I’m just a kid and I have to focus on myself firsr, but I’m concerned because I’m not a non-native student! So I think my situation is kinda different, right?
I’m mostly concerned about vocab and reading!! A question: Do all the native English speakers(like your son) have a good knowledge of vocab? I feel like I have to work A LOT to catch up with others in my age!! And that is the reason I’m panicking :-S
Well, panicking never solved a problem LOL. In my opinion studying for one specific test would be a mistake. To increase your vocabulary and grammar, read, read, read. Read books you enjoy and specifically read books that are on the required high school reading lists in the US (I’m sure you can Google for some ideas).
Look kid, it’s good you have dreams. But you should realize that good schools will not accept you based on your SAT score, which is as much a measure of fatness than anything else.
Study what you really love. For example, if you like to physics, make the AAPT physics team. If you like coding, make the IOL. etc. etc.
This gets real Junior year when you really do have to take ACT, SAT, IB, AP & SAT subject tests. So when you have completed the appropriate coursework, do try to get some of this done early.