<p>Memorizing, in my opinion, isn't the best method to raise a verbal score. I think that being able to sound if the word has a negative or positive connotation is one of the best ways. Use POE in doing this in order to help you elimidate wrong answer choices.</p>
<p>anyone can help me with "fill in the blank" part.</p>
<p>I have a 80% accuracy when it comes to guessing on the fill-in-the-blanks in the CR section. The strategy that worked for me best is 1) As glucose pointed out, just use the + or - connotation. This works surprisingly well. 2) Know your roots. What I mean by this is that you have to REALLY study the roots lists found almost anywhere. This really helps b/c test-makers usually include 5-6 questions where the word is super hard but contains the roots. 3)When it comes to memorizing words, don't just memorize. What I mean by this is that you should buy books where there are a lot of SAT level vocab. And when you encounter one, note it down in a notebook or something. This also REALLY helps because you are not just memorizing out of the blue. </p>
<p>That's all the strategies I used and I usually guess right (I never memorized words BTW). </p>
<p>Anyone have any other suggestion regarding CR/W?</p>
<p>For writing, I usually use "LORD OF THE FLIES" or "THE GIVER" as my examples. I also use some personal experiences that I make up and historical events like WWII or WWI or FIRT NATIONS etc...</p>
<p>Any other good examples?</p>
<p>Also, for the writing section, I always seem to get 1 or 2 wrong on the MC. I don't know why. Any suggestions on that?</p>
<p>I haven't read 1984 honestly, should I read that this month? I have until April 1, is it really worth it . . I try to use people in the news now since that's what I remember, or personal experiences, and I've never got less than 10 on the CB practice essays, when scored online. Also, regarding movies, it's completely acceptable, it's almost like a personal experience. In fact, in one of the sample "5" essays I read in the CB blue book, the guy used Joey and Phoebe from a Friends episode, actually it was cool cuz it was one that I saw, so I completely understood it . . . why would movies be any different? </p>
<p>And I also agree about the tips given for the math section, I started doing that a while ago, and finish really quickly now and have time to check and get very few errors on the math. I hope it just works on the real thing. </p>
<p>Writing . . . the only advice is to have a good essay (the tips on here are great), and to do so many writing sections that you memorize the grammatical rules effortlessly almost.</p>
<p>On my last SATs, I used a historical and personal example and got an 11... it really has no effect as long as you diversify.</p>
<p>I wouldn't recommend reading a whole new book just for the SAT. As long as you use good examples that support your assertion. I wrote my essay in stream of consciousness, and scored a 12.</p>
<p>For the Essay:</p>
<p>Okay so i get the thing about use hist/lit examples and stuff. But for the actual writing, when using a book as an example, are u just giving like 3 sentences of summary and then a closing statement that relates it to the thesis? </p>
<p>same for history, do u just retell the events and then connect it to the thesis? </p>
<p>should the essay be straightfoward, almost like an "informative paper" or should descriptive language be used?</p>
<p>lastly, what is the best way to start off an intro (i usually go with a general statement like "Dreams give people hope..blah blah blah) </p>
<p>For the CR:</p>
<p>For the questions that require interpreting the passage, how do you get around that without reading the whole passage?</p>
<p>How do you determine a - or + connotation?</p>
<p>For the Math</p>
<p>To what complexity does the Math section extend to since in a princeton review test I took, there were some questions like parabolas opening up on its sides and functions that required knowledge of graphing absolute value equaions? Maybe princeton doesn't follow CB?</p>
<p>All advice is appreciated. Thank you.</p>
<p>yea what lazybutsmart said</p>
<p>Okay. I got a 11 on my essay. What you do to get a high mark on the essay is basically just BS about ANYTHING. I mean like absolutely ANYTHING. The examples that you give doens't even have to be true.</p>
<p>For novels, DON"T SUMMARIZE! That is just going to waste time. What I do is just pick a specific incident that happened in the novel. For example: "In the Lord of the Flies, the influence by which anarchism had on the boys is absolutely horrifying (Simple summary)." And then just give example sin the novel that realte back to the prompt. </p>
<p>Smae for history. You don't re-tell the event. You simply use the ones that support your thesis. For example, if your prompt was: is it justified to make mistakes? or something like that, then you just write about a historical event where a big mistake was made and it had a lasting effect on the lives of the people or something.</p>
<p>Use of descriptive language is good maybe for an informal essay or a novel. However, it should NOT be used on the SAT. It just wastes time. The whole point of the esaay on the SAT is to get your point across. If you feel that using descriptive language will help you get your point across better, then use it. If it doesn't then don't.</p>
<p>As for critical reading, if you don't read the whole passage, it is impossible for you to answer questions that ask for the general meaning of the passage. Therefore, you MUST read it. Do these questioins first. Then do the vocab/detail questions. </p>
<p>As for + and - connotation. You just kind of know. Go with your instinct. If a word sound like it has a bad meaning, it probably does. </p>
<p>As for math, I think you should have learned about parabolas already? Don't you learn it in grade 10? I mean, it's not that hard. If you knoe there's going to be questions like that, then review the concept. </p>
<p>y=a(x-p)+q <--- ring any bells? Review your conics.</p>
<p>Thats great comem24! Thanks so much for your advice. If its not too much trouble, do you mind posting your essay up, comem24? Thanks.</p>
<p>The vocab section on this site has a lot of drills, convenient too. They use words that appear on the SAT (they actually work, too).</p>
<p>Just try a bunch, and it automatically saves the ones you got right for review the next day.</p>
<p>For verbal, choose defendable answers. This is the most important piece of advice I know regarding the SAT.</p>
<p>what do you mean by defendable?</p>
<p>it doesn't work, well not for me at least, i've tried that. I think he means where you can find evidence for picking a correct answer, or picking non-extreme answers, or ruling out answers because although they may be logical, they're not mentioned anywhere in the passage. </p>
<p>Is that what you mean?</p>
<p>yeah, for the essay, make sure you are brief and very to the point. I got a 12 on my essay for being extremely to the point. Make sure that with whatever examples you use, do the whole "jane schaffer" thing, with one detail and two commentary. However annoying, it works.</p>
<p>And I'm guessing you all know that with the essay, the teachers who read them look at it for no more then 3 minutes. They look for key words and confidence in the passsage, so sound like you know what you're talking about.</p>
<p>And, ten to one says that even if the detail you used is wrong, they dont have the time to double check if it really is. Like, my essay, I used Standard Oil, Rockafeller and a governmental act that didn't even happen for another 5 years. Dont do it alot, but it looks good if you say stuff like that.</p>
<p>But does anyone have any advice for CR? I can't seem to break 720 on it.</p>
<p>what is the jane schaffer method? would you mind posting up your 12 essay please?</p>
<p>The jane schaffer format is, in a paragraph there;</p>
<p>1: Topic Sentence
2:'Concrete Detail' Sentence
3 &4: 'Commentary Sentences
5: 'CD' sentence
6&7: 'CM' sentences
8: Conclusion</p>
<p>And I think the essay is copy writted material by SAT, but I could send it in a pm if you want.</p>
<p>yes please.</p>
<p>does anyone else have a problem with critical reading in which you go through the whole passage and when you get to the end, you have no idea what you just read? Any advice how to fix that?</p>
<p>in fact, im stuck in the low 600 for CR, any advice for boosting CR will be helpful!</p>
<p>Read actively.</p>
<p>If you have no idea what you just read, try asking short questions to yourself about the passage as you read, underlining main ideas, etc. Don't just read the words, understand what they're saying.</p>