<p>Hey everyone,
I'm pretty new to this so please link me to any forum that might have already discussed this. I took the March SAT. Got a 2070 (610 CR 770 M 690 W 10 Essay) which is around 100 points lower than my usual practice score.</p>
<p>I think that because I have school (I'm relying my upward trend to save me because my freshman GPA was a 3.5) and a couple APs to study for, I shouldn't take it again in May. I just can't see myself having time to devote the time I want to to studying. June also seems like a terrible idea because that's right around finals and I'm taking SAT IIs. That puts me at October! How can I start studying now? Of course I know it's probably a waste of time to do tons of prep, but maybe 30 minutes a day or something? I'm aiming for a great score (2200+) and I'm willing to put in a lot of work to get it. I also get really severe test anxiety before and during the test so going into the test feeling confident is key, which is why I think preparing over many months will be beneficial.</p>
<p>Any tips? Having read some of people's posts on here, I know some of you guys have experience with preparing 6+ months ahead of time.</p>
<p>Alright so this March SAT pretty much took my by surprise and screwed me over, so I’m experiencing the same issues as you. I was banking on getting a higher score so I wouldn’t need to retake, but that plan is obviously out the window, so I need to start planning that too. I’m also planning on SAT II’s and that’s super stressful. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help, but here’s what I’ve got:</p>
<p>I am DEFINITELY not retaking in May, even June. I don’t think you should either. I think we just need to take a break from prepping for the SAT and focus on something else, like schoolwork and the subject tests. I think our best bet is May/June for SAT II’s and October for the SAT, which (much to our dismay) gives us the entire summer to study for the SAT. I didn’t start prepping for the SAT until December and wish that I had started earlier and done more prep. We’ve got 7 months to prep (which sounds quite comforting to be honest), and once school is over, we have 4 full months (may I note 3 WITH NO SCHOOL!). I also get severe test anxiety (I pull out my hair omg I feel bad for whoever had to clean up my desk area) but the only way we can ever beat this crap and get confident is to slay this test and make it our ■■■■■. Easy to say, but we both know it’s not easy to do. </p>
<p>I’ve heard the best way to improve your SAT score is to simply take the test more (aka practice tests galore). Assuming this was your first time taking the test, know that no matter how many practice tests you take, none of them are the REAL test that gets scored and counts, and that can really do a lot to mess with your brain. My practice scores were fantasically higher than the score that I actually got, and it’s quite common to score lower than your projected range when you actually take it. The real test on the real day is just so different than what we’ve done before while sitting in our house or at the library. My school’s college counselor recommended I use SAT flashcards (mine is Kaplan’s “SAT in a box”) and they work pretty well, so I’d recommend it to you too! Also, they’re easy to carry around and pull out whenever you have free time. Something that I noticed through my 5 practice tests (used the blue book) was that after a couple, my scores started to go DOWN. I was so burnt out, which is why I suggest we take a break and give ourselves ample prep time. The scary part is that whatever we get in October is our final shot and we’re “stuck” with whatever we get, I know, but I feel like we’ll do so much better with 7 months until the test date than with May or June. This test is a complete joke and we both all it, and the only way to get a good score is to use their resources ($$$) and take it multiple times ($$$!!). Remember, the SAT tests how well you can take the SAT, not how smart you are. And the SAT is made to purposely trick, deceive, and confuse you. </p>
<p>Hahaha so my answer’s longer than you’re question, but I didn’t realise how passionate I’d get until I actually started typing… and I kinda kept going. Anyways, good luck with your test prep and the rest of the school year, and I’d love to talk more and offer any other advice that I can! </p>
<p>Thanks for your reply! I agree about wishing I had started prepping earlier. But hey, now that we do have 7 months, we have that extra time to prepare! </p>
<p>Haha yeah I feel you on the anxiety part (I bit my fingernails a ton during the test and had trouble focusing when I didn’t know an answer because I was freaking out about getting something wrong). The reality of the test just made me panic! I’ve never heard of flashcards for the SAT other than vocab cards so I’ll definitely check those out! Thanks!</p>
<p>I feel like I’m burnt out too. I’ve been obsessing about this stupid test for the past several months and now that it’s over and I got my score I feel like I should be prepping more but it really would be beneficial to me if I just forget about it for a couple months. </p>
<p>You’re totally right. I’m just going to focus on other things and then come back to this test in a couple months. When would be a good time to start full-on studying again? Probably not until summer, right? I’m going to be working in a lab for the majority of the summer but I’m sure I’ll be able to fit lots of time in to study for this stupid test.</p>
<p>At my school a 2070 is pretty much considered a bad score so I felt pretty inadequate afterwards, but now I’m just determined to conquer this thing. People have a distorted view that the SAT tests raw intelligence but I definitely agree that it only shows whether you are a good standardized test taker or not.</p>
<p>We can do this! Yes, it’s our last chance in October, but by then we will be so prepared that even with anxiety pulling us down we’ll come out victorious. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>I’m so glad that I could help! I just talked to my college counselor today and she suggested that I give myself a break after school ends (she said a month but I’m probably gonna take a week haha). I’ll be a junior counselor for almost the entire summer, so we’ll both have to carve out time to prep (whoohoo). She suggested that doing a little bit of prep everyday is more beneficial than several consecutive hours on the weekends, so I’m gonna try 10-30 minutes everyday. You can try that too, during the school year and during the summer! </p>
<p>I actually have the same feeling. I don’t want to do well on the SAT because I want to think I’m smart; I want to do well on the SAT to conquer it and be smarter than it, like, I’m angry and motivated by that to do well, ya know?</p>
<p>The ability to take a standard test and doing well on it or so to say be able to play the SAT game does count as one of the traits of being smart. The smart thing to do is prepare right. The good thing is you got room to improve in CR section and if you can hit 750 there and are applying to Universities that SuperScore, you are all set. Wish both of you all the success. </p>
<p>Thanks guys! After APs wrap up I’ll start doing half an hour of studying each night to try and make it less of a chore. Then during the summer when I have more free time I’ll do longer study sessions. I feel so much better knowing that it is possible to get a great score without devoting my life to the test. Good luck with your studying!</p>