<p>So far my schedule over the summer revolves around studying for the SAT. I am also doing some research (hopefully about 100 hours by the end of summer) and some volunteering for a hospital (50-75 hours) so I wont only be studying for the SAT but the rest of my time will be spent only for AP summer work, SAT Subject tests and the SAT. I am waking up at around 6 and studying from 7-11 (or 12 depending on the day) and will average about 4 hours of studying a day for about 6 days a week. I have until October 3rd to study and plan on using all my time wisely and set up my schedule and I am following it rigidly. I should get a good 240+ hours of studying done and so far I am following the schedule without much difficulty. I scored a 1990 with a 640 in Math, a 690 in CR and a 660 in Writing. I took it at a school administered test in April and I didn't score as high as I had hoped. Is it possible to improve my score with all the studying that I am doing right now (and will continue through the 3 months of summer and a lighter studying plan over the first month of schoool) to a 2200+? I really need a 2200+ so I am keeping up with this schedule so far but I really want to know if it is actually possible or if I am just kidding myself. </p>
<p>If it matters, I am using the BB, the Princeton SAT book and the Grubers SAT book and plan on using all three is conjunction (so far I am doing 2 hours on each section with one book a day each day).</p>
<p>Usually how long you study doesn’t mean a thing. The important thing is how WELL you study. Go through CC and see how other people have been studying and what other people have posted to study in order to most efficiently enhance your score. For me it took me 5 months to raise from a low 1900 to mid 2200. I went to a SAT prep academy and studied for 7 hours in the summer everyday except Sunday. But during that time my score really didn’t change much… maybe 50-150 points at best. I didn’t study at all when school started and let loose the SAT for a while before taking 3-4 practice tests during Winter Break in preparation for the January SAT. All of these practice tests I scored upper 2100s. When I took the January SAT I scored a 1960 but that was because I had a horrible week when I had a out-of-town forensics competition and was behind in all my classes with a bunch of hw due almost at the same time. So I was not mentally prepared for the January SAT. Now I’m getting back in to the SAT mode and in my practice tests I’ve been getting mid to upper 2200s. I think it’s because everything I learned last summer didn’t click in when I tried to force it to sink but rather did it subconsciously… I don’t know. But anyway yeah. If you know how to study well for the SAT then prepare yourself sufficiently with quality not quantity. That is the best way to improve your score hundreds of points higher.</p>
<p>I think it is quality. This might sound weird but I switched from studying on my bed to a desk and, although that might seem like nothing, it made a huge difference for me. The switch let me emulate school learning so I learn as much as I would in 4 hours of high school classes and for that reason I think it is working. I’ve only been doing it for 1 week and my first practice test is next week so I am not sure what improvement looks like so I will know by then but I am still wondering if I should spend so much time when I can get my AP work done by then. By the way, does anyone know how many SAT words I should meamorize a day?</p>
<p>It all depends on what you’re studying! Please don’t spend your entire summer focused on work and study.</p>
<p>The SAT evaluates what you’ve learned over the course of a lifetime. Don’t overdo it when reviewing; there’s a diminishing emotional return (if that makes any sense).</p>
<p>For SAT Math Prep you should study up to 20 minutes per day for up to 4 months. In addition you should take about 1 practice SAT approximately once per month. </p>
<p>For more details on how to make these short study sessions effective see my article on “The Correct Way to Prepare for SAT Math” which I have posted several times on this forum.</p>