<p>I am a rising junior, and I have one summer left before I start taking the SATs. My parents can't really afford a prep program to put me in over the summer and I was wondering if they even have a significant impact on your score. I am aiming for a 2200+ and I was wondering if that was possible through self studying, and if so what strategies would you guys recommend?</p>
<p>yes, any thing is possible. You still got a lot of time to prep- which is a good thing. What is ur current score on the SATs?</p>
<p>without any prior studying at all I’m looking at a low 1600 :(</p>
<p>but I was wondering if there were any tips or techniques you guys had that could significantly raise my score</p>
<p>What is the split up score of your 1600 SAT?</p>
<p>If you are low in CR, I’d recommend reading a lot this summer (that’s what I’m doing). But don’t read a “classic” just because it’s a classic, find something you are genuinely interested in (unless it is Nicholas Sparks) and read it. As for math, practice, practice, practice, it’s likely that you won’t get much experience with math otherwise in the summer so SAT books are very helpful in this area. And finally, with reading, your writing scores will likely increase. If you have an interest in writing, by all means spend time writing in the summer.</p>
<p>There are some on here that will spend all summer boring themselves to death with practice tests–don’t. The SAT is coachable to an extent, but unless you are extremely motivated to sit for hours and hours you don’t need to buy tons of practice tests. Do work on them some (especially math), but don’t take one every week of the summer.</p>
<p>That’s what I’m (sort of) going to do… I got a 1990 on the May SATs, which was a big improvement from my 1520 PSAT at the beginning of my Sophomore year. But my ultimate goal is 2200 (which I almost do by bringing up my 610 math :(). And I am not taking an SAT class mostly because there is not one offered in my area.</p>
<p>*Oh, and I got the impression that you were a rising Senior when I was typing this… so you have more time to improve. Focus on schoolwork and your SAT scores should go up.</p>
<p>You can definitely pull your score up on your own. But you must get the Official Guide (the blue book) or check it out from your library.</p>
<p>The Writing grammar questions typically test about 20 common errors. Learn these errors and learn how to spot them. For example, if you see “I” or “me” underlined in an Identifying Sentence Error question, there is a good chance that this is the error. The SAT almost always tests which one should be used in a sentence. Once you learn the errors, take practice sections and see which questions you are missing or guessing on. Study these; what caused you to miss each question? Once you see your mistake, you’ll be sure not to make it again.</p>
<p>To improve in Math, also study the questions that you are missing or guessing on. What is causing you to miss these questions? The wording of the question? Or a calculation error? Work through the question until you understand how to come up with the correct answer. The SAT likes patterns and you may see a question like this again. And if you don’t, it will still help you start to unlock the way the test writers think. If there is content you do not understand, review it using a good internet site. Sparknotes has great pages for content (but not necessarily the best for SAT tips and tricks). </p>
<p>To improve in reading, you need to practice vocab and reading long, boring passages. Studying “repeat offenders” on the vocab list can help a lot. You can either buy a list/book/flash cards from a reputable company who has analyzed numerous tests and created a list of the most common vocab words or find the words on your own. It takes about 3 or 4 hours to go through the blue book and pull out all vocabulary words from both the Sentence Completion and Reading Comprehension sections of all tests and practice questions. Look in both the question and the five answer choices. This should generate a good list for you. If you type them into Excel as you pull them out, you can sort them by the number of times they appear. Obviously, study only the words you do not know and be sure to learn the words that appear often. I can guarantee that some form of aesthetic, undermine, and ambiguous will be on that list! </p>
<p>I’d also start practicing reading now. This is the hardest area in which to improve, but the most impressive high score you can submit. You need to become comfortable with dry, boring passages, and learn how to maintain focus while reading them. You can find passages like this on the websites of journals like The Economist, Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, Popular Science, and many others. </p>
<p>And adjust your attitude as you read. Instead of hating the task at hand, pretend you love it and that the article is the most interesting thing you have ever read. This seems like a silly suggestion but it really will change how much you retain as you read.</p>
<p>Finally, analyze the reading questions that you miss and guess on. What made you miss them? The wording of the question? The wording of the answers? Or not understanding the passage? One word will often make an answer choice wrong; learning to spot these tricks will prevent you from missing similar questions in the future.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Dude I went from an 800 total on the reading/math in 7th grade to what will probably be a 2200+ on the June one. I self studied for like a week before the test. Now I’m gonna study more during the summer. There’s a lot of guides on this forums and incredibly intelligent and helpful people. Buy a few books, go through them, take practice tests, memorize vocab, ect.</p>