<p>Hi, I've just got my SAT scores and I am hugely disappointed - and that itself is an understatement. I only had an 80 point increase (a far cry from my goal of a 150 point increase) in scores from my previous January SATs. My scores are CR:670, M:650, W:550/Essay:9. On the last SAT test, I scored a 1790 (CR:620, M:620, W:550/Essay:7). </p>
<p>My initial aim was to score at least a 2000, but since that is now far out of my reach, I want to score at least a 1900. I don't understand, I diligently studied 3 sections everyday on weekdays + 2 full practice tests every weekend (so in total, 3 full practice tests a week) around three months prior to the May SATs. </p>
<p>I used (mostly) the Kaplan and (some of) the Princeton practice books for reference. I know that some people swear by these books, while others completely despise them. I'll have to go with the latter. There wasn't much improvements in my score and the writing score is just dismal - no improvements whatsoever - despite the fact that I consistently scored in the high 600s and low 700s in the Kaplan book. In the Kaplan book, I also scored a low 600s and high 500s for CR, yet I scored a high 600s on the real SATs (screw you Kaplan). </p>
<p>What are some good practice books (asides from the College Board's 'blue book')? Is Barron's writing a good practice book to improve my writing? Any other suggestions? I don't know what else to do, I'm currently at wit's ends trying to keep up with the IB system (I take the IB Diploma), and no matter how hard I practice it seems that my SATs scores would never improve. I feel like giving up already in life, since it seems that I've lost the game already and I stand no chance of being accepted to my dream universities (UT Austin and Texas A&M). </p>
<p>Also, I apologize for my imperfect English - it's not exactly my first language, though I was able to master it our of sheer constant practice and studying (or so I thought I did, but I guess I didn't since I got a 550 on writings for the SATs).</p>