<p>I have only taken the SAT once during the summer and prepared very little for it. I believe I prepared for 3 weeks or maybe even less before I took the test! I am a very meh test taker in general. In the past I have been rather lazy, but I still would do some mild studying. Time is definitely ticking and I know that I need to to do something to increase my scores because I am in my senior yr of high school. I am DESPERATE to make this huge improvement. A lot of people say you shouldn't sacrifice your social life by studying hours on end, but I will do all I can to succeed. To me, studying for hours is no issue because I really don't have much off a social life anyway for my own personal reasons, but I do intend to try and do something such as joining clubs, other organizations, and do some extracurricular activities well before the end of this school yr. I am in my senior yr and I am really cramming this all in, but I really do believe my own personal issues have limited my ultimate potential. A lot of people say making a 500 increase is extremely rare and that no one should really bet on it, but I firmly believe I am capable. I just haven't tried hard enough or made a good enough plan. My test strategy the first around was extremely terrible. Before I finished my junior yr I went to some of the free SAT prep sessions my school offered, but I never took their practice test. During that summer break I researched SAT tips and tricks for each section and the basic rules of the test. I took bits and pieces of the math section from the Official Practice Test, but I didn't time it. I would spend 45 mins on Math, 45 mins on Critical Reading, and very little to no time on writing. I would "zero in" on certain kinds of problems from each section for Critical Reading like the passage reading and sentence completion questions. I would also cram 50 SAT words a day in a little over an hour which resulted in patchy memorization of the words. After preparing for the test for less than 3 weeks I received a 1460. My Reading score was 500, my Math score was 510, and my Writing score was 450. I am actually terrible at math. I'm surprised my score was even that high. That more than likely had to due with the amount of questions I skipped and didn't answer because of my weak math skills. I believe my writing skills are rather weak when I am given a short period of time as well. The structure of my essays can feel slightly unorganized and my vocabulary very weak. My essays are also rather short in length because of using a few sentences in each paragraph and just feeling that nervousness of running out of time. It's extremely sloppy. My junior yr I received a 19 on the ACT. Doing my research I saw that those scores were practically identical when looking at the ACT/SAT comparison scale. Well, unlike a lot of others, my issue isn't actually getting into the school it's receiving a full ride to the school. I attend an early college and that college of course will accept all of the credits for the courses I have already taken so it will allow me to go into that college as a junior. What makes it even more convenient is that I already live on campus so I can save expenses as it pertains to dorms, but it is of course our job to provide the money somehow for those last two yrs. I am also applying for scholarships, but considering there is so much extra competition for that I thought it best to continue applying for scholarships and aim for that score that will get me a full ride to the school. In order to receive a full ride I must have a 1900 and a 3.5 GPA. For many these standards are rather low, I know, but considering the required SAT score to get entrance into the school, a 900, the score for a full ride scholarship isn't much of a surprise. Being an early college student my main focus is for all of my credits to perfectly transfer and go to a more "prestigious" college for graduate school. I intend to become a veterinarian and considering where I live, I already know where I want to go for veterinary school because they are known for having one of the best veterinary programs where I live. I have a plan of where I want to go, but I need a plan to get there and receiving a full ride to this school is a very pivotal part in this plan. If there are absolutely any strategies or plans you can contribute that can help me go from a 1460 to a 1900 or better I am willing to do it. I am trying to start with purchasing the BEST and I mean THE BEST books out there for taking the SAT. I need to be able to think like the people that made the test and practically master this thing. I graduate in June and things ARE starting to look a little bleak, but it's about time I awaken my full potential and exceed above and beyond. I have always seen myself as an average student and an average test taker, but I truly believe if I set my mind to it, have a great plan, and execute it, reaching my goal won't be a problem. I need exactly 440 points to reach this goal. </p>
<p>College Board, the people who made the test, have a great prep book out. It costs round $20. A good tip would to be take at least 1 full practice test each week. </p>
<p>Your post is practically unreadable due to lack of paragraph breaks… but start with the Blue Book sold by College Board. The Gruber books are also good for math preparation once you have gotten through studying the Blue Book material and taking the practice tests.</p>
<p>Thank you for the feedback! I apologize for making the post so hard to read. I’ll repost it and add the proper paragraph breaks.</p>
<p>I have only taken the SAT once during the summer and prepared very little for it. I believe I prepared for 3 weeks or maybe even less before I took the test! I am a very meh test taker in general. In the past I have been rather lazy, but I still would do some mild studying. Time is definitely ticking and I know that I need to to do something to increase my scores because I am in my senior yr of high school.</p>
<p>I am DESPERATE to make this huge improvement. A lot of people say you shouldn’t sacrifice your social life by studying hours on end, but I will do all I can to succeed. To me, studying for hours is no issue because I really don’t have much off a social life anyway for my own personal reasons, but I do intend to try and do something such as joining clubs, other organizations, and do some extracurricular activities well before the end of this school yr. </p>
<p>I am in my senior yr and I am really cramming this all in, but I really do believe my own personal issues have limited my ultimate potential. A lot of people say making a 500 increase is extremely rare and that no one should really bet on it, but I firmly believe I am capable. I just haven’t tried hard enough or made a good enough plan. My test strategy the first around was extremely terrible. </p>
<p>Before I finished my junior yr I went to some of the free SAT prep sessions my school offered, but I never took their practice test. During that summer break I researched SAT tips and tricks for each section and the basic rules of the test. I took bits and pieces of the math section from the Official Practice Test, but I didn’t time it. I would spend 45 mins on Math, 45 mins on Critical Reading, and very little to no time on writing. I would “zero in” on certain kinds of problems from each section for Critical Reading like the passage reading and sentence completion questions. I would also cram 50 SAT words a day in a little over an hour which resulted in patchy memorization of the words. </p>
<p>After preparing for the test for less than 3 weeks I received a 1460. My Reading score was 500, my Math score was 510, and my Writing score was 450. I am actually terrible at math. I’m surprised my score was even that high. That more than likely had to due with the amount of questions I skipped and didn’t answer because of my weak math skills. I believe my writing skills are rather weak when I am given a short period of time as well. The structure of my essays can feel slightly unorganized and my vocabulary very weak. My essays are also rather short in length because of using a few sentences in each paragraph and just feeling that nervousness of running out of time. It’s extremely sloppy. My junior yr I received a 19 on the ACT. </p>
<p>Doing my research I saw that those scores were practically identical when looking at the ACT/SAT comparison scale. Well, unlike a lot of others, my issue isn’t actually getting into the school it’s receiving a full ride to the school. I attend an early college and that college of course will accept all of the credits for the courses I have already taken so it will allow me to go into that college as a junior. What makes it even more convenient is that I already live on campus so I can save expenses as it pertains to dorms, but it is of course our job to provide the money somehow for those last two yrs. I am also applying for scholarships, but considering there is so much extra competition for that I thought it best to continue applying for scholarships and aim for that score that will get me a full ride to the school. In order to receive a full ride I must have a 1900 and a 3.5 GPA. </p>
<p>For many these standards are rather low, I know, but considering the required SAT score to get entrance into the school, a 900, the score for a full ride scholarship isn’t much of a surprise. Being an early college student my main focus is for all of my credits to perfectly transfer and go to a more “prestigious” college for graduate school. I intend to become a veterinarian and considering where I live, I already know where I want to go for veterinary school because they are known for having one of the best veterinary programs where I live. I have a plan of where I want to go, but I need a plan to get there and receiving a full ride to this school is a very pivotal part in this plan.</p>
<p>If there are absolutely any strategies or plans you can contribute that can help me go from a 1460 to a 1900 or better I am willing to do it. I am trying to start with purchasing the BEST and I mean THE BEST books out there for taking the SAT. I need to be able to think like the people that made the test and practically master this thing. I graduate in June and things ARE starting to look a little bleak, but it’s about time I awaken my full potential and exceed above and beyond. I have always seen myself as an average student and an average test taker, but I truly believe if I set my mind to it, have a great plan, and execute it, reaching my goal won’t be a problem. I need exactly 440 points to reach this goal.</p>
<p>I hope that’s easier to read :)</p>
<p>If at all possible, I recommend seeing a private tutor, as they can assess your personal weaknesses. Really helped me, even after only 1 session.</p>
<p>@ee1025 I would hope I could utilize a resource such as a private tutor. It would all depend on what the prices are. I will definitely have to look into that and see, but I see now that the first thing I should definitely do is purchase the Blue Book. </p>