<p>my highest math score was a 650 a used the Kaplan guide and i went from a 530 to a 630 I did a couple of practice test in the official SAT study guide and that's how I got to 650 but I want to get to 700 by the time I actually take the test...any tips on how I can get those extra 50 points?</p>
<p>I’m totally in your position right now. I need a 750… I have a 680. Only God can help me :)</p>
<p>I’m trying to up my math score too. Try some practice using erikthered’s math strategy quizzes and resources. google for his website. </p>
<p>I also read on CC that you should make sure you get all the easy-med. ones correct. It’s worth taking the time to get those right before trying to get #20 (the hardest one) right. Plug in numbers from the answers too. And use your calculator for everything. Just in case :)</p>
<p>Yeah…on most tests a 700 is about 5 wrong, so you want to make sure you don’t have any wrong on the easy questions. Take the time to get 1-15 right FOR SURE before you even start working on the tough ones. If you’re perfect on everything else, you can actually leave 2 questions blank per section and usually still break 700.</p>
<p>Err, sorry for the double-post…I just realized I typo’d. 5 wrong or 6 blank is usually good for more like a 730. You can do a little worse, obviously, and still crack 700.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for everything . “Take the time to get 1-15 right FOR SURE before you even start working on the tough ones” Very helpful I do find myself getting a few easy/medium questions wrong…So I’ll take another practice test using your advice…thanks again :)</p>
<p>
Subtract 150-200 points from your score. It’s not only inaccurate but also irrelevant because Kaplan’s math sections are much easier than those of a real exam. My personal formula is</p>
<p>BB(or OC) score<em>+ PR (score)</em>*
--------------------------- = range estimation (only RANGE, mind you! )
2</p>
<p><em>timed practice tests
*</em>timed practice tests</p>
<p>While it’s true that the Blue Book is way better than the Kaplan guide, I think 150-200 points is a bit…exaggerated. Take some BB tests to see what they’re about though; you don’t want to be caught off guard by the difficulty of the real thing.</p>
<p>No the Kaplan book worked…I went through the book and the took a test in the blue book and got a 650 (and no way would I have to take of 150-200 points because that will start me farther back than I was before I went through the kaplan book). The book may suck but between my teacher and the book and whatever math class I took in between I went from a 48 on my sophmore PSAT to a 63 on my Junior PSAT-which was about when I was almost done with my half a year SAT prep math course. Also I don’t understand what PR means.</p>
<p>can’t… break… 700…!!!
FRUSTRATION!</p>
<p>
What was your Raw score per section? My average is [18-18-14] from [20-18-16].
What curve did you use? I use the latest one:* </p>
<p>54-800
53-770
52-740
51-720
50-700</p>
<p>I find math sections very hard to improve. Oh, no. Let me make it clear–it’s not hard until it’s below 650. I mean it’s fairly easy to get 600’s. Everything that starts above 650 is pain! I am now in high600’s and low-700’s.
Even though I finished dozens of practice tests and even though I know math on AP Calculus level, I still can’t get 740-770. </p>
<p>*all practice sections must be timed. It’s useless to take unlimited time.</p>
<p>I use the scale in the newest blue book I don’t know it by heart and the book is in my locker so I couldn’t say right now; my raw score is something like (16-14-14) from (20-18-16) I know I should get more in the 20 section seeming that I only usually tend to get only two hard ones wrong but I always manage to mess up on an easy one here or there. I also don’t bother timing because I mostly never use all my time I know how to pace myself so time is never really a problem…When are you guys planning on taking your SATs?</p>
<p>The key to breaking through to a higher score (aside from virtually eliminating your “silly” mistakes) is recognizing patterns, both in the kinds of mistakes you tend to make, and in the kinds of questions the SAT tends to throw at you. </p>
<p>Take tests actively, not passively. Notice EVERYTHING. :)</p>
<p>Here are a few tips for breaking through that sticking point:</p>
<p>Short term:</p>
<p>(1) Make sure you know as many basic SAT specific strategies as possible. As a simple example, if you find yourself performing a lot of algebra, then you’re probably not doing things the most efficient way. Learning just a few extra strategies will help you save time on earlier questions so that you have extra time for those few that are giving you trouble.</p>
<p>(2) Don’t just solve problems. Try to really understand them. After you do a problem can you explain to another student how to do it? Can you explain why that method works. Understanding the problems a little deeper will help increase your level of mathematical maturity which will eventually lead to a higher score.</p>
<p>(3) Spend some extra time practicing those hard problems that show up towards the end of each section. Try to solve these problems multiple ways, and once again, try to understand why your methods work.</p>
<p>Long term:</p>
<p>Pick up a more advanced math book, and work through it very slowly on your own. The topic doesn’t matter - what matters is that you’re attempting to solve difficult math problems on your own. Knowing more math will not help you, but the process of learning new math on your own will increase your level of mathematical maturity. This can potentially raise your score.</p>
<p>
By all means! I concur with this method! I used AP Calculus topics because of the same reason you wrote above; however, my new method was roughly criticized for no reason.</p>
<p><a href=“16-14-14”>quote</a>
[/quote]
It’s 41 raw and thus, its a 610. No way a 650. I heard people with 7 wrongs(4 were gird-ins+1 skip) got a 660.</p>
<p>Students that are doing well in AP Calculus will generally perform better in SAT Math. This has nothing to do with the amount of math they know. The reason is that AP Calculus requires more advanced reasoning and problem solving skills. Anyone taking AP Calculus that is performing fairly well will have a higher level of mathematical maturity than students in lower level math courses. </p>
<p>I should stress the following: studying advanced mathematics does not increase your SAT Math score - it increases your potential to score higher. Most students have the potential to score between 70 and 130 points higher in Math on their SAT from their PSAT (this is a rough estimate based on starting scores between 400 and 550 - higher starting scores are tougher to improve). If this is enough for you, then just learn some SAT specific strategies, practice problems at a level that is slightly above what you can currently do, and keep redoing them until you can get them right on your own.</p>
<p>If you want your score to go up more substantially, or if you want to hit that 800, then you absolutely must increase your mathematical potential. This means getting a deeper understanding of mathematics in general. Here is an excerpt directly from my SAT Math book with the 3 primary ways to raise mathematical maturity:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Do SAT math problems. If you can currently only solve Level 1 geometry problems, and a month from now you can solve Level 2 geometry problems, then guess what—you’ve increased your level of mathematical maturity. So keep doing SAT problems a level above your current ability until the day of the test. If you only have about 3 months before your test, then this is the method you should employ most, if not exclusively.</p></li>
<li><p>Learn some mathematics by yourself. This may seem contrary to what has already been stated—but it’s not. Knowing more mathematics will probably not raise your score very much, especially if the math is handfed to you. But the process of learning mathematics will increase your mathematical maturity. What kind of math should you learn? It doesn’t matter! Pick something you find the most enjoyable, and try to learn it on your own. If you get stuck, then ask for help—but developing the skill to learn math yourself will definitely increase your mathematical maturity. This strategy is more long term and you should consider it if you have 6 months or more before your SAT exam.</p></li>
<li><p>Attempt difficult math problems. There are lots of challenging math problems out there that only require the math that you already know. There are math magazines, websites, and books full of problems. Pick a few and struggle with them. Just trying difficult problems and developing strategies will increase your mathematical maturity, even if you never solve a single one on your own.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>end of excerpt</p>
<p>I just want to stress one last thing. Raising your mathematical maturity does not necessarily equate to getting a higher score on the SAT. For this to happen, you absolutely must practice SAT problems. The main point is that if you decide to work on your level of mathematical maturity, make sure that this is in addition to direct preparation for the SAT. It should not be a substitute for it.</p>
<p>This advise is all based on my 10 years of experience as an SAT Math tutor. I hope this is helpful for those of you trying to hit that 800. Best of luck everyone!</p>
<p>@ Mirage2000…Your math is wrong 16+14+14=44 I’m pretty sure that is a 650, but I can be wrong.</p>
<p>@SOAR2012
I don’t think so. 54-10-10/4=41 Raw
In new curve 41 is a 610.</p>
<p>Have a good day!</p>
<p>While I agree that a heightened mathematical maturity is, in general, a good thing that will serve you well in life long after the SAT is a distant memory, I have to caution against using advanced math to prepare for the SAT. One of the issues I run into most frequently with my high-scoring students is the issue of overcomplication. Because they’re in advanced classes in school, they try to apply what they’re learning to the questions that they’re stuck on.</p>
<p>Here are a few important truths about the SAT:
-You will never need logs.
-You will never need trig.
-You will never need limits.</p>
<p>And here are some things that appear again and again:
-Remainders (like, remember long division?)
-linear equations (y=mx+b)
-percent change (like, can you express a weight gain in percent change?)</p>
<p>If I see one more kid try to whip out the law of cosines to solve a triangle question, I’m going to scream. If you find yourself leaning that way, SLAP yourself, and look for a simpler solution. I promise it’s there.</p>
<p>Again, I don’t want to knock mathematical maturity. Lord knows it helps me in life in lots of other ways. But it takes a long time to develop (probably longer than you have before your last SAT in your senior year), and it’s not necessarily important for the SAT. The kids who do best, in my experience, are the kids who learn to recognize the patterns on the test so well that they can predict what the question will be before they’re done reading it. That comes from long and careful exposure to the SAT, not AP Calc.</p>