What to do to prep for SAT in 5 months?

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

I recently purchased the Blue Book this summer, only taken one test in which I scored a 1180 on. My goal is at least a 1400 or so as I’m intending to study at the UMN CSE. I also utilize Khan Academy a lot in my spare time and complete some math and reading questions. I however feel I do best in analytical and argumentative writing in terms of essays so I’m all set for that.

I tend to fare well in math. Ironically, as much as I do love to read a lot, especially leaning towards nonfiction and biographies and such, I score much lower in the reading portion. Does anyone have any idea as to how and why the answers are the way they are? I know the best way to go is to really think about if the answer is apparent in the text and eliminate, which I’ve done. But still I score slightly lower than in math. So I do need help in approaching the reading questions with a whole new mindset.

In general from all of this, how should I study for the test given the materials and resources I have, and how often should I study?

2

For a couple months, do untimed practice, aiming for perfect scores. For tips, try The Critical Reader website. Click on free study guides.

Then spend month 3 on timing, taking one section at a time.

Spend months 4 and 5 on timing, taking the entire test (probably over the weekend) so that getting fatigued is more of a factor, and reviewing mistakes during the week.

3

You may or may not get your target score, but you can definitely raise your score and reach your plateau in 5 months. You will need to do a lot of practice tests. Check if your local library has them. My Ds solely used the practice books from library over the summer before junior year preparing for both tests. They did one section a day initially and went through the answers for those they missed. On each weekend, they did one full test and study the answers. The full tests were timed once a month initially to track the improvement, and then weekly in the last month. As they were preparing for both tests over the summer, your schedule would be different.