<p>Personally, I found about the SAT freshman year. During the summer before sophmore year, I began studying for the test. My diagnostic was around an 1800, due to the forgetting of many concepts in math and I was oblivious in CR and Writing. </p>
<p>I brushed up on math concepts, and have now begun scoring anywhere between 650-720(blue book) depending on my carelessness on those days, as a sophmore. I've improved my CR to about 650 (blue book). I learned concepts in writing from books and score 700-720(blue book) on practice tests.</p>
<p>It's not almost summer again, and with a score of 2040, on most tests, I wonder what I can do to boost my scores. Is there a limit to how high your score can go for a given person, no matter the prep? Is it possible for me to score 200 points higher by the end of junior year?</p>
<p>I seem to have real trouble with vocab, and some CR questions. If you guys have any input on anything I discussed, I would great appreciate it. I'm really disappointed with my score, because I know I'm much smarter than some people in my school who can score higher.</p>
<p>yeah man, it is - i got a 203 psat, but a 2230 SAT. I prepped for the psat but screwed writing up royally. Over the year, i naturally improved 200 points.</p>
<p>It depends on the person. Some people don't really have a bottom until 23xx, while some bottom earlier. All you can do is keep taking practice tests and seeing where it gets you.</p>
<p>there's really no limit unless you tell yourself there's a limit. i had a 179 psat sophomore year and after taking princeton review over the summer, had in the high 2000s in my practice tests. i thought this would be my limit, and i thought that for a while. but then i decided that i need to aim higher, so i did and prepped my ass off and got a 2260 in may. i'm shooting for 2300+. don't limit yourself.</p>
<p>definitely look at vocab words (lists or flashcards, i used sparknotes flash cards), it saved my ass on the may test. the ability to naturally answer CR questions (especially the ones where you're down to two answer choices and you're deliberating between them) comes after practice and more practice. it's good that you're getting such an early start, i wish i had done the same. best of luck.</p>
<p>Thanks to those who have posted. How exactly should I got about prepping, to ensure that each practice test is rewarding, and which practice tests should I take?</p>
<p>8th Grade: 410 CR, 560 M
10th Grade: 58 CR, 68 M, 51 W (PSAT)
11th Grade: 57 CR, 73 M, 64 W (PSAT)
650 CR, 710 M, 800 W</p>
<p>That's not luck either. It's practice after practice after practice. All of the practice tests I've taken so far for the June SATs have given me:</p>
<p>If you're a sophomore, realize that there is something to be said for that extra year of school. I went from a 214 (soph.) to a 239 (junior) on the PSAT with no prep, so bounds can be very naturally made.</p>
<p>Vocab lists really do help. If you like sci-fi, read Orson Scott Card with a dictionary. I swear he and CB have a racket going! :)</p>
<p>I appreciate all the input. How did you guys prepare, in regards to actually taking tests? I need all the help I can get. Is a 2040 to a 2300 reasonable, if I dedicate my life?</p>
<p>Going from a 800 old SAT 8th grade to a 2250 jr year is not an improvement, this is just a natural change as you got older and learned more in school. You could naturally do the same without prepping. Prepping needs to be in tests taken within a small range of eachother, such as the march, may, june. If you improved 150pts from march to june, then that would be considered an increase from prepping. I think everybody has their plateua. I honestly think I have hit mine even though i only got a 1980, it was a 140pt increase.</p>
<p>25 points on the PSAT, like I said, that was with no prep to speak of b/c I opted to have a life outside of standardized testing. Trust me: you do NOT want to live for these tests.</p>
<p>Just to tell you, I didn't think I was going to improve since I had already taken all of the "recommended courses" for the SAT and was in precalc as a sophomore, but hey...</p>
<p>Don't sell your soul to CB. Remember, colleges care about the other stuff too.</p>
<p>I took the old one in dec and between dec and may improved by 110 points (math and verbal only)
I didn't do anymore prep after dec test, did my hwk from school and slowed down for math basicly did the trick.</p>
<p>i never really studied for the SAT.. heres what i got</p>
<p>10th grade PSAT: 450 RC, 650 M, 600 W
11th grade PSAT: 470 RC, 700 M, 640 W
11th grade, march SAT: 510 RC, 710 M, 520 W with 5 on essay
11th grade, may SAT: 640 RC, 720 M, 650 W with 11 on essay</p>
<p>and no studying really between the two SATs, unless you count taking a practice test the night before..</p>
<p>You really have no limit. You're starting early, so a 2400 is your limit. :)</p>
<p>For vocab, I would recommend starting with the list in RocketReview. If you want a bigger list, let me know, and I'll e-mail you something.</p>
<p>With Reading Comprehension, remember that an initial close reading of the passage (the long ones) is NOT necessary. Focus on understanding the question, and scrutinize EVERY word in EACH answer choice to find the differences between them, matching the answer choices with the passage frequently to see which is the closest. Needless to say, lots of practice can help you hone your skills on these questions. Some outside reading would not hurt, either. I would recommend reading periodicals such as the New York Times, Scientific American, New Yorker, etc., at least 15 minutes every day. For a real challenge, you can pick up a dense philosophy book. :)</p>
<p>Good luck, and let me know if I can be of further help.</p>