<p>I got a 66 on my Junior year PSAT Critical Reading, so I studied that section to get 750+ on the SAT Critical Reading in June. On the last 5 or so practice tests I took, I consistently scored around a 760 on the Critical Reading Section. I felt confident going into the test, coming out of it, and after checking the June 2011 Critical Reading thread on this site. I was expecting at least a 740 but I ended up with a 670, so now I have to continue to study for that section and hope for mid-700s. I just took a practice test of the Critical Reading sections from a past SAT and got a 630. What happened? This is really frustrating. I rarely get sentence completion questions wrong, so it's pretty much all passage reading. The amount of questions I get right seems to have no correlation with how much I understand the passages and how well I think I understood why I answered a question with a particular answer. Am I just bitter over my less-than-expected score because I was so excited about having to only take the SAT once? Is it just best to kill myself with practice tests and look over all the questions and answers once I correct my answers?</p>
<p>Test anxiety often contributes to lower test scores. Students who succumb to this type of anxiety often score acceptably on practice tests but receive substantially lower scores during the actual administering of the exam. Don’t fret! - utilize this as motivation to increase your scores.</p>
<p>I felt completely relaxed and confident during the test though. I got 800s on the other two sections that I studied much less for. It’s just annoying to study because I absolutely hate the Critical Reading of the SAT (as well as the Reading on the ACT, which I am also retaking because of my low reading score).</p>
<p>Joshua brings up some good points. But aside from anxiety, there are many reasons that could account for this. Sudying so hard may cause you to be “burned out” without even realizing it. I remember there was a time when my scores just got low all of a sudden and I realized that I was focusing too much on the score than concentrating on the test-taking experience. Maybe take a week off or two?</p>
<p>Also, getting the low score on 1 SAT or one practice test isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe you just had bad days. Or mabe the passages just didn’t “click” with your mind. Everyone’s mind is slightly different and some words/phrases/passages/styles jive with people better or worse, even unconsciously sometimes.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t get too down on yourself. Maybe take a break and come back with renewed focus :)</p>