<p>Personally, I find studying long lists of vocab useless and time consuming. No matter how many words you know, there’s still a chance that the SAT might throw a word at you that was not in any of the vocab lists you studied. However, I do think that every person who wants a high SAT score should have a strong vocabulary, NOT a perfect one. So instead of trying to memorize thousands of words, only memorize the SAT words that actually appeared on the SAT. Or, as you take practice tests, write down all the words you don’t know, and create a list of your own. Spend time on vocab so that you have a stronger vocabulary, but don’t overdo it by spending a majority of your time.</p>
<p>I’m going to be a Junior too, and although I haven’t hit a 2300 (haven’t hit a 2200 yet lol) I did find separate subject books useful. So buy a book specific to Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. Perhaps even buy a book specific to the SAT essay. I used PWN the SAT for math and that miraculously raised my math score from a 650 to 700-750. I would not recommend using commercial brand books like Princeton Review or Kaplan. I learned the hard way: my critical reading score was suffering because I was attempting to use Critical Reading strategies on Princeton Review/Kaplan tests. It’s only worth using the College Board books. </p>
<p>I was actually afraid to use the College Board blue book. It’s such precious material: think about it, you have actual test questions created by the test creators themselves. Imagine your math teacher gave you different versions of your math test before you took the test? So, I kind of put the blue book away and planned on taking the tests once I have mastered all my strategies–you know… to save the best for last. So for the mean time I used Princeton Review and Kaplan, which ultimately hurt my score. I was so used to answering questions specific to Kaplan, or specific to Princeton Review, that when I finally took a Blue Book test, my grades were substantially lower. I scored 2150-2200 in Princeton Review and Kaplan, while I scored 2050s in the Blue Book. It’s not that the Blue Book is harder; it’s because I wasn’t used to the tricks and surprises that the SAT creators themselves made. So its best to study only from the Blue Book to familiarize yourself with actual SAT questions. Would you study for your math test using another class’s study guide, or a study guide from your own teacher who made the test? </p>
<p>So I mentioned that the Blue Book is precious and I didn’t want to use it because once I finished the Blue Book, I wouldn’t have any “real” tests to practice on. I was completely wrong: there are thousands of actual SAT questions available. Some website provide you with access to SAT questions of the day from many years ago. So let’s say you have access to SAT questions of the day since 2007. 7 years= 2,555 questions. Each SAT test has 170 questions (67 CR, 49 Writing, and 54 Math). So 2,555/170 =15 tests. Additionally, there are also websites that give you access to actual old SAT and PSAT tests, as well as previous online practice tests that were available on the College Board website. So ultimately, you have an unlimited supply of real SAT questions to study from. You can use PR, but for the best results, use only College Board questions.</p>
<p>And about Direct Hits. I actually started reading it and its great! It’s great because it isn’t a book that lists hundreds of SAT vocab. You need to read it like an actual book, just like how you would read The Great Gatsby or Harry Potter. Don’t skip around. Read from cover to cover. Direct Hits introduces vocab in a way that sticks (well for me at least). The book references to popular things (like singers, movies, books, events, etc…) that make it easier to understand complicated words in everyday usage. It’s actually very good and it isn’t boring.</p>