Hey everyone! I took the SAT in November and scored a 1520 (750 reading/writing, 770 math), but I’m hoping to boost this by 50 points to a 1570. I got the same amount of questions wrong in each section, so I don’t really know where to start! I think reading is what is most difficult for me, but I would really appreciate any tips on how to boost my score up by those last few points. Thanks:)
Your score is excellent, so please don’t stress. You don’t need to retake, but if you do, this is my suggestion:
Read actively, ensuring that you are playing close attention to what the author’s intent is. Pay attention to who said what. Pay attention to strong words, ex. jealous, catastrophic, elated, etc… Words with strong meaning in the text will regularly have a corresponding question. By the same token, pay attention to answer choices containing strong words. A misleading answer choice might sound convincing if perhaps the text discussed someone being annoyed, and the answer choice given is that someone was angered. Wrong answers will often contain words that go beyond the scope of what was written.
Ensure you understand what the question is asking for. There may be more than one correct answer, but the test wants the BEST answer. Sometimes it’s best to eliminate wrong answers, rather than find the right one. This is a good technique to use when you really aren’t sure of an answer. If it can’t be one of the other three, it must be the remaining one, even if YOU aren’t sure it’s right.
I always think it’s good to do a few sections untimed. Read very thoroughly, spend time really understanding what you are being asked to do. Then bring back timing. Good luck.