<p>I'd just like to detail my SAT experience for the benefit of others, as I found things like this very helpful when I was slaving away and practicing problems all the time. </p>
<p>In my sophomore spring, my school gave us practice sat's and act's to help us gauge which to take. I don't remember exactly how I did on either, I think I got around a 2000 on the sat, and a 28 on the PLAN. I decided to just go with the SAT, as I thought it was more well known, and thus better for colleges.
In the middle of the summer after sophomore year, my parents decided that I should begin SAT prep with the assistance of a tutor. We met once a week, and during each session she would test me on the assigned vocabulary, and go over the homework problems. After this, we would work on new problems together. Only now do I see the faults in a system like this. Having a tutor creates the illusion that if one just does what one is assigned, it is enough. Here's the thing though: it usually isn't. </p>
<p>I took my first full length practice test a few weeks after beginning tutoring, and I received a 2060. Not too bad, but there was a long ways to go. I do admit that the tutoring was very helpful in helping me learn the strategies and patterns of the test. The beginning of August, my tutor moved out of my area, so I was forced to get a new tutor. It was basically more of the same: I learned vocabulary, and did practice problems in each section for every week. Fast forward to the beginning of January. I was scoring in the mid 2200's on my practice tests, of which I did many, with critical reading clearly my strong suit. I decided to take the January SAT, as I felt sufficiently prepared. Leaving the test I felt that I had done very well on the critical reading, but I wasn't sure about the other sections. The scores came back. 2200(800cr, 680m, 720w). I felt somewhat satisfied. I knew that I could do better on the math, but it was a good baseline score. I resolved to focus on math with my tutor, and to perform better on the March sat. I took the test. This time, I felt very good about math, and was unsure about the other two. When I received my scores I was shocked. 2180(780cr, 700m, 720w). I had improved but twenty points. I remember being extremely upset, and unsure of what to do next. I almost cried that morning. I knew I wanted to do better, but nobody else believed I could. I had to convince my parents and my college counselor so that they would allow me to take it again in October. I planned a summer of SAT studying, this time without a tutor. All of my friends questioned me for wanting to take it again, but I didn't care. I KNEW that I could do better, and I wasn't going to settle for less. </p>
<p>When summer came, I ordered a few books(pwn the sat math, dr. chung's, and erica meltzer's ultimate grammar guide) to jump-start my self studying. I was extremely motivated, doing some sort of sat work every day whenever I could; I was striving for perfection. Every time I felt uninspired, I reflected back on the day when I was so disappointed in myself after receiving my march scores. I fueled myself better than any tutor ever could. I was doing more work, as instead of somebody else telling me to do it, I just did it. Fast forward to September. I was caught up in my school work, and unable to do enough sat prep. I was getting worried, would I lose everything I had worked for? As the test date came around, I made sure I slept well the three nights leading up to the test. I woke up feeling extremely confident. I listened to energetic music all morning, until finally I sat in the testing center. This time, the answers flowed from me; I felt as if a light switch had just been turned on. I got home, but fearful of being wrong, said nothing about how good I felt about my performance. When I received my scores early yesterday morning, and they read: 780cr, 800m, 780w, 2360(2380 superscore). I nearly had a heart attack. My motivation and determination had finally paid off.</p>
<p>Now if you've read all that, you're probably wondering what the point of this is. It may sound cliche, because it is, but never give up. Wherever your score level is, if you know that you can do better, just dig deep down into yourself and find whatever you need to get it done. For me, it was the disappointment I felt and my anger at myself. This is my story, and I know it won't be the same for everybody. It doesn't even matter what score I eventually ended up with, it's the way I feel about it that is significant. Everybody has their own ambitions, and there are many ways of reaching them. This is just mine.</p>