What is the best tactic to improve SAT scores?

Applying to College
1

<p>For my first try, without studying, I got...
680 CR, 600 M, 630 W 10 E</p>

<p>I'm planning on retaking the SATs in March, and maybe again in May (depending on how much I improve on the upcoming test). </p>

<p>I have about five books right now, and I'm wondering whether going through all of them and taking all the tests will improve my score by a significant number or whether I should sign up for a classroom course (also, which classroom course is the best). </p>

<p>My dream school/top choice is BU, and because my GPA hasn't been stellar, it is really important that I score very well on the SATs.</p>

2

<p>In my view, the best way to improve is practice, practice, practice, get used to the type of questions, focus on your weak areas, and just keep taking the practice tests</p>

<p>I did that for my GRE and it made a huge difference.</p>

3

<p>Take lots of practice tests and play chess in between</p>

4

<p>IAS199 - here is my opinion. If you have enough fortitude to sit down and take practice tests, analyze the questions you got wrong, and then focus your efforts on improving on those types of questions, you will do well with the books. If you cant focus to study by yourself, at least taking a class will make you focus on the SATs for the hour or so a week you are in the SAT prep classroom. I don’t think there is any magic that is taught in the class that you cant find in the “How to study” sections of the 5 books you have already. Just my opinion, I cant afford $500 for a class, and if you can’t study for a test, how will you be able to do it in college for mid terms and finals?</p>

5

<p>If you google “xiggi sat method” you will get links to threads here and elsewhere that discuss xiggi’s do it yourself method. Lots of families here have used it, and since it is essentially the same as I used to do back when I taught SAT prep, I can vouch for it as well.</p>

6

<p>Take the ACT. Seriously. While retaking the SAT’s is a really good idea, a lot of the time the prep doesn’t actually improve your score that much. However, I have friends who totally bombed the SAT (they couldn’t get 1800 after taking it 3 times with multiple prep classes), read one ACT prep book and did amazing. If your SAT score doesn’t drastically improve on this next test, you might want to look into ACT prep. (But seriously, 1910 without studying? Kudos! It’s quite possible that your score will improve with prep, and that whole paragraph was useless. ^^)</p>

<p>However, if you’ve already tried ACT and didn’t do too well, I’d buy books for each specific section, especially math. Also, I don’t know if they still publish them, but when I was in middle school I found some books that I really enjoyed that were novels with SAT vocab words. ^^ Lame, I know, but the stories were really good and I suspect they might have helped me later on. (740 CR, 800 W)</p>

7

<p>Try to get these things in your head.

  1. Mark the pivotal words specially in the sentence completion in the cr section.
  2. Cross out immediately the wrong answer choice and never look that option again.
  3. Know the question types, like what’s the author’s opinion, inferences form the passage, etc.
    [Life</a> Saving SAT tips | Sat Prep](<a href=“http://sat-i-prep.blogspot.com/2011/02/life-saving-sat-tips.html]Life”>Life Saving SAT tips | Sat Prep)</p>
8

<p>You need to spend some serious time hitting the books. Take a practice test or two and then figure out exactly why you got each question wrong. The SAT can be cracked if you can deduce the purpose of each question–what, exactly, are they asking you? What concepts are being tested? If you find the question behind the question they ask, your scores will go up.</p>