<p>My daughter is currently signed up to take the SAT in June and is using two books to study for the test: the College Board Blue Book (2nd edition with 10 tests) and the Testmasters Solution Book. She is currently doing one section per night (untimed) and reviewing her answers upon finishing the section. As of now, she has completed the first two tests in the Blue Book. When should she begin timing herself? And should she continue to work one section a night or should she begin taking an entire test each weekend? Thanks for the advice!</p>
<p>Personally, If I were her, I would time myself everytime. I’ve made a mistake with non-timing while preparing for TOEFL. I began timing only week before test. And during the test it was not enough time for reading. Seriously, begin timing immediately!</p>
<p>The xiggi method suggests that you take at least one untimed test to see which questions you have trouble with.</p>
<p>Don’t take any more than 2 of the BB tests without time constraints. After thorough review of those two tests, your D should be able to assess her weaknesses and work to improve them. A crucial part in preparing for the SAT is to practice under a similar environment to the actual test, and I suggest your D start doing so soon.</p>
<p>It depends on what her problem is. She should know intuitively whether timing is an issue for her. If she doesn’t, she should be taking it timed because she wouldn’t want to be surprised when it comes time to take the real thing. If she knows for sure that timing isn’t an issue, there’s really no point in taking it timed every time. It’s easier to work on the problems themselves when time isn’t limited, meaning if she gets a lot of questions wrong simply because she doesn’t get them, she should be working on those problems independently and not in a real test-taking environment. If she gets problems wrong simply because she doesn’t have enough time (which is the most common case for students), she should be taking the tests timed.</p>
<p>This is all common sense really. She should know what her strengths and weaknesses are.</p>
<p>In general, most people find it easier to just take it timed every time, especially when the test date is approaching. That way, one could work on everything at the same time.</p>