<p>How many of you studied for any of the sat's you took and how many just went in and took it with what you know??</p>
<p>i didn't study for the ones (3?) i've already taken. first time was the end of sophmore year, then in march of junior year, then may of junior year. big jump in math and writing between june 07 and march 08 based solely on what i had learned that year. critical reading actually went down, but just by a little(680--650) i'm studying for the one i'm taking in october, since i will have only been taking classes for about 2 months.</p>
<p>There are three categories of people.</p>
<p>Category A does NOT study. These people make up 80% of the population and score very low.</p>
<p>Category B DOES study. These people are mostly whom you'll find on CC, and their scores vary, but are invariably higher than Category A's.</p>
<p>Category C also does NOT study. These people are naturally very studious, read every day, enjoy learning, and subsequently score very high. Chances are, you're not Category C.</p>
<p>No offense, but this is a really, really stupid question. The SAT is ONLY one of the top three or four parts of your app.</p>
<p>are you refering to me or ali_mayhem? just asking.</p>
<p>i'm studying this time to up my math score. i've got an already ok score, 1890 total i think, but it could be higher i think once i review. i want a kind of levelness between sections.</p>
<p>"Category A does NOT study. These people make up 80% of the population and score very low."</p>
<p>Unfortunately, no one around me falls into this category, thus making me feel like a dumb ass.</p>
<p>I'm category C.</p>
<p>I went in on what I already knew, pretty much just wanting to see how I'd do with no preparation, figuring that I could take it again if I did terribly. I got a 2300. I'm not retaking it.</p>
<p>Dont study; make the curve better for us.</p>
<p>^the curve is pre set and one person won't change anything. study or just become familiar with the test.</p>
<p>After one test, you will have a feel for what you don't know and what you did know but messed up. Trying to learn what you don't know (geometry) might be darn near impossible without tutoring or a course or two. Those things that you did know but messed up can sometimes be improved by just taking tests (practice or real); however, if that doesn't work, you may need a course or some tutoring in how to take the test. I don't understand why everyone doesn't take a practice test before they lay out any course of study, but some don't.</p>
<p>oh i will definitely change the curve. in fact, i'm making my own. just kidding.</p>
<p>but i'd classify myself as type BCA. i'm pretty smart to begin with, and do all my work and usually do well without trying extremely hard (except english). then i begin studying way too early, thinking i can get by just flipping through a book. then i get bored, stop studying, and blank out on the hard questions, and manage to score alright. but not up to my potential. </p>
<p>now that i know, i'm BC all the way. studying this summer, working hard in school for 2 months before the test.</p>
<p>^^^im the same way lol.</p>
<p>I wasn't asking what I should do.I was saying,and maybe I wasn't clear, the people that took the sat,did you study or go off of what you knew?</p>
<p>I didn't study for my first SAT, got a 2130.</p>
<p>I already signed up to retake in November, and I'm going to get 2300+ even if I have to study half the summer..</p>
<p>to answer: i went off what i knew the first few times. i clearly saw a pattern of high scores when i had finished a subject recently, and lower if i hadn't taken it in a while. my school has block scheduling, so the semester i had english, i did really well in writing, but my math score fell. so now, i have chosen to review.</p>
<p>and thus i suggest to anyone who may take a standardized test: actually know the material, but refresh before any major test. otherwise you're (like me) just wasting your parent's cash.</p>
<p>Ahh, doesn't block scheduling suck? I haven't had math or English since first semester, and my scores definitely showed it.</p>
<p>definitely... no english for a year makes it difficult to even think about writing an essay. i just had math, so hopefully that score will go up. i would really prefer not to take the october SAT if i didn't desperately have to, because a month of any subject, especially after 3 months of brain rotting, isnt adequate prep if i want to gain 150 points. </p>
<p>luckily seniors have full year english, so i will have a chance! AND i doubled up in math for any further standardized testing, or potential placement tests in college. the things you do to add a couple point to your score. blehhh</p>
<p>I'm taking the October ACT / November SAT, but I won't have math until second semester, so that's not much help. I do have English, so that should be better. We can't double up at math at our school - my school kind of sucks in many ways. They only offer 2 AP's and we usually only send like one kid to a top school. Blah. :P</p>
<p>i'm taking both the october 1st SAT and the 25th ACT. if you can, ask your guidance couselor or even a math teacher directly, if there's some way to get a bit of math tutoring for the months leading up to the test. they usually will either for free during the year, or maybe for a low rate per hour in the summer/ after school. beats paying 40/hour for a private tutor.</p>
<p>don't worry, my school stinks too. they encourage doubling up and we have a bunch of APs/honors classes, but the block scheduling (80 minute periods are super boring) and putting up with the quality of these classes isn't worth it. anyone can get into honors, no real pre-reqs, so the class is slowed by all the lazy kids who sleep and get d's on everything, the ones who sign up for the grade boost. my school sends a handful to top schools, some this year got into MIT, Brown, UPenn, elite LAC's, but it's hard to be in the top of the class. i'm 23/280 and to even dream of getting into the top 5%, 10 of these people would have to move away/not exist. its that competitive.</p>
<p>Yeah, my school isn't competitive at all. Anyone can take Honors anything, provided they have their parents sign a waiver. I'm a rising junior, but a lot of my friends are seniors, and we're pretty much all ranked/tied for first in our respective classes, it doesn't take much. Hopefully my class will be able to break the mold and send 4-5 kids to good schools. This year, we sent a kid to Brown and a girl to Johns Hopkins. Everyone else went to either Kent State or Ohio State, basically.</p>
<p>I think for math I'm just going to ask my old geometry/algebra 2 teacher if I can borrow some textbooks to look over before the test to study.</p>
<p>competition here is pretty crazy. not so much because everyone's fighting for #1, but because there's about 15-20 really smart kids, who you could never beat because they are just THAT good, 15-20 below who's ranks change a lot b/c they're pretty close in gpa, and the rest who don't care. i'm generalizing a little but it's close. </p>
<p>it's good to use books for review, in addition to actual SAT prep books. as long as you did well in the classes originally the concepts will likely be remembered. if not, just ask some questions. hope you do well. will it be the first time you've taken the test?</p>