When to retake

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
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<p>Took the SAT on March 10. Got a 2100 -- 660 CR 640 M 800 W. Decided to retake because that math score is pretty bad and I could use some improvement on CR. But I'm not sure when I should retake. On May 5 I'll be taking subject tests, and from now until a bit after then I'll be pretty preoccupied with studying for AP tests and subject tests. So my options leave me with the June 2 SAT or taking it in the fall. I'm not sure which one I should do. Of course, if I took it in the fall, I'd have the whole summer to study -- but I'd also have the whole summer to worry. If I took it in June I wouldn't get much studying in until mid-March. But then again, I took this previous SAT with only a month of studying beforehand, and not very rigorous studying either. And I feel like I could do a lot better at math since I'm usually really good at math (not trying to brag but I'm consistently the top of my class with little effort) and I was getting pretty high scores on the practice tests I took. I think the main problem with that was just running out of time; with enough time I could probably figure it all out. So I don't think it should be that tough to get up to 750+ with a month of prep time. And I'll be studying for AP Lang, which for the multiple choice is basically just a super hard version of CR, right? My goal is to at least break 700 for that.</p>

<p>And for the fall SAT I'm mostly worried about the scores being sent to colleges in time. If there is a September SAT then I'd have no problem, but I don't think there is, right? And if I take it in October I'm not sure if the scores will be sent out in time for the early action schools I'm applying to, without rushing the scores (which I want to avoid).</p>

<p>I'm just rambling now though. What does CC recommend I do? Take the SAT in June and cram for it (hopefully shouldn't be that hard, but I don't want to screw up and end up with the same score again or something) or wait until the fall and get the whole summer to study but also to worry?</p>

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<p>I, personally, would take the test in June, but that’s just me. If you’re studying for AP Language and Comp, your first area of concern studying should obviously be math. The thing is that SAT math isn’t skills-based; you learned all the math on the SAT by the time you were a freshman in high school, most likely. The SAT math is based on attention to detail and quick thinking, which can be learned fairly easily. You just have to condition yourself to the problems common on the test, and you’re golden.</p>

<p>I’m not actually sure how much the AP Language test shares with CR. I would imagine AP Literature is more closely aligned with it, and AP Lit helped me somewhat with my CR scores (after 2 months I had a 780, and after 5 I had an 800). The trick is understanding passages and deriving meaning from them. That sounds obvious, but it’s harder than it seems, for sure. </p>

<p>Oh, and one last appendix to my disorganized, rambling post: If you take the June test, stay in your morning routine if you’ve been let out of school. I let myself sleep in on the days leading up to the test when I took it last year, and absolutely bombed the SAT Math Subject Test. Also, don’t get nervous!</p>

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<p>Well, from the practice we’ve done in my AP Lang class, it seems like the multiple choice is essentially a super hard version of of the CR on the SAT, with harder to understand passages but more questions about diction/structure rather than meaning, although still a fair amount of idea and meaning. </p>

<p>I recognize that the math SAT is more of a logic test than a math test, and I thought I had it down, but apparently not. On my practice tests I did everything giving myself a 20 minute time limit and usually finished and figured it out – except for the rare hard problem I had trouble with. I was consistently getting high 700s or 800 on the practice tests, but I guess I choked when I actually took it. I had trouble finishing on time and made a lot of dumb mistakes. </p>

<p>I was also the same way for CR – for the last few practice tests I took I was using a technique where I was consistently getting no more than -3. I guess it wasn’t as effective of a technique as I thought.</p>

<p>My scores on the actual SAT are more on par with the first practice test I took though. I probably just did a bad job of studying though, since I did sections on my own will really spread out and I was relaxed when practicing. I wasn’t really doing a very good job of studying, and wasn’t looking over my answers and truly understanding them enough. </p>

<p>I guess it would probably make more sense to take the June test, and then I wouldn’t have to worry about it all summer. I’m just scared I will screw up and won’t improve much. But since I get out of school on May 17 I will have 15 days of summer to prepare for the test, which is plenty of time even though I’ll be busy with my other summer projects. And I’m only really worried about the subject tests and AP Chem test, AP Lang and AP Econ will probably be pretty easy so I won’t have to study as much for them. </p>

<p>How should I go about studying from here though? I’ve finished the blue book and will definitely go over all the problems, but what else should I practice? I kind of want to stick to the official Collegeboard material since that’s truest to the test, but I don’t know which material to use. I mean, for CR I mostly need to increase my comprehension and speed so I can answer questions like it’s second nature. All I can think of is reading pretty complex stuff that’s not necessarily SAT based (it worked for writing, I got a perfect score solely because of Strunk and White) and possibly doing some higher level testing passages (like the GMAT, AP, etc) but I’m not sure where to get more official SAT material. Older released tests perhaps? The CR and Math are for the most part the same on the old SAT, correct? And for the math I just need to work on speeding up and getting the questions quicker. Not sure where to go for that and more Collegeboard material, though. </p>

<p>Ah, but here I am rambling again. I need to stop doing that, I’m just writing giant walls of text now.</p>

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<p>Rambling’s alright, chief. We’d much rather have too much information than too little (this is the BANE of CC). If you understand the math on the SAT, only three things can derail you.</p>

<p>The first is a lack of focus. You have to be zoned in on the test, working as precisely and as quickly as possible, so that you can go back and check efficiently. In my opinion, this is best accomplished by working through test sections in a silent, timed environment. For me, the biggest issue was maintaining focus until the end of the test; fatigue settled in, and I missed questions on the last full-length math section of my last test.</p>

<p>The second Achilles Heel for any SAT section (Reasoning or Subject) is starting at the wrong pace. If one gets behind the amount of time allotted per question (usually a little over a minute), he or she usually gets nervous and loses focus. You have to take advantage of easy questions that begin sections and get through them as fast as is possible while maintaining accuracy. This is especially applicable in math sections on the Reasoning test. To maintain your pace, avoid getting derailed by questions you’re either stumped by or lose your focus on; blink, shake your head, and gather yourself on the next one. You can come back later if you work swiftly.</p>

<p>The last problem you can have is checking poorly, or not checking at all. If you have a single minute at the end of a test, dedicate it to rechecking problems; until you get to the seventh and eighth sections, you shouldn’t have a moment of thought at all, and even then, you should just be resting your mind briefly. </p>

<p>As far as “techniques” are concerned for Critical Reading, here’s the deal: The best technique is reading and understanding. I don’t know if I have much else for you there. Sorry!</p>

<p>For future practice, you can use your old tests to a certain extent. I doubt you remember very many of the questions. Just mark your answers on regular notebook paper. I know that isn’t the full “SAT experience”, but that didn’t matter much to me.</p>