[jjessiessong]

i need some MAJOR advice from you all who had already taken the SATs.....
i'm bound to be a junior next year and i want to get my SATs over with since next year i have a KILLER class load... but wut should i do to improve my SAT score??

so far i have decided NOT to take any of the Princeton Review etc. SAT courses, and bought ALOT of SAT prep books instead....

my score is around 2000 everytime i take a pratice test (this is after i improved), but i am aiming for 2300.... i guess i need help with the critical reading section the most.

so, any TECHNIQUES or advice you have to do better in that section?!

KEEP 'EM COMING!!!

letz accumulate all the tactics so we can all BOMB the SAT!!!!

AJA AJA FIGHTING!!!!

[sandy k]

well you did say you were practicing those tests but..

my technique was buying the book with only the tests and doing them over and over. eventually i learned "the ways" of each question.

for critical reading, my sat teacher suggested that i skim the questions first (for the passages) and as i read through the passage, put a mark next to what you think might be asked. also, after each paragraph, write a very short sentence (not even..maybe like 3 words) on what that paragraph was about.

that takes up a lot of time in critical reading but after a few tests and practice you'll get used to it (or at least i did..)

hope that helped! good luck

[joonage]

I think Princeton does a pretty good job teaching about the Critical Reading section.

Just skim through the passage. You at the questions. Go for the easy ones where they give you the line number. Then do the thinking question. Also try putting the questions in your own words.

You probably know all this since you said you already bought some Prep books.

2000 ... that's still good. haha xD

[clairdeluned]

Well, I got around the score that you're aiming for, but I don't know if I can impart any particular words of wisdom. I'll try, I suppose...

What I did (and it worked for me) was memorizing tons and tons of vocab. Like, thousands of words. I obviously didn't memorize the exact definitions, but I based it more on basic definitions. For example, "I remember 'dearth' as having not a lot, so maybe it means 'scarcity' or not having enough". The verbal section is a pain in the butt. I never could get out of the low- to mid-700's in the verbal section, no matter how many freaking words I memorized, while my writing and math scores were good lol sorry, ranting.

Anyway, yeah, memorize lots of words and possibly study latin roots. For example, knowing bene- is "good" and mal- is "bad" can help a lot, especially if you're stuck between a few answer choices and you don't know the exact definitions. As for the math and writing sections...math, just try practice problems. After a while, a lot of them are kind of similar to each other. The math section really isn't bad if you have a strong mathematical background in algebra, geometry, and algebra II. Writing... I don't know about advice, but just read up on grammar books, I suppose. Make sure you know which preposition goes with which type of phrase. And never put "a" after "kind of". That always tripped me up

[j i w o n.]

Well I never really took the ACTUAL test, but I got to a SAT class and I take practice tests every week. it's torture T_T but for me, if I sleep, I improve.. because if I don't get enough sleep, I fall asleep during the test and I usuallyfail the CR section lol. and sometimes writing.

I heard that your CR and WRiting can improve a lot if you read some good books over the summer and take the SAT test this fall. I mean of course, reading book's good for everything, but yeah. my sat writing teacher told me to read some books he recommended.
because if you read you can recognize some weird sentences and if you see it on the test, you'll know if it's correct or not and stuff.
and you can memorize vocab.
I really recommend that you go to SAT class like Elite. <-- really good. haha tough, strict, but good. =D

they pretty much teach like all the tricks, shortcuts, vocab, rules, etc. lol

I hope I'm making sense. it's so late T_T lol I don't know if I'm speaking english properly right now. lol

[chdairkld]

I need advice too! Especially for the math part. Sad, I bought a bunch of books too, as well as for ACT. I need to start..it's alreadly only one month until school.

[eliteninja]

i take SAT classes.

it helps me more than just practicing
with a book because tutors explain
stuff to you. it helps me more, lmao

[momoko doll*]

tons of practice. i'm retaking the SATs too...never got any tutoring i'm doing tons of problems/studying out of the SAT prep book.

i wouldnt recommend taking any SAT classes if you can easily understand the text in the book on your own. though a PERSONAL TUTOR could be helpful in pointing out your weaknesses instead of having to sit in a class with many other people.

its really important you get enough sleep before sats too...because i didnt/crammed in studying vocab flashcards till 1 AM and i didnt do so well i started slowing down about halfway during the test. eating and sleeping well before the test can make a real difference...trust me >_<

[Vienne]

Prepare early, and keep it up. It's very much worth it. Do as many practice tests as possible, try to build up your vocab a little. I know it's pretty much impossible to memorize all those words but get some of them, it'll help. I'm retaking in Nov (I'm a senior) so I can have my new scores considered for ED and I've been doing vocab.

[aznchocol8luver]

wow these tips help me a lot..

2000 is like realli good.. for me... on an average i get from bout 1800-1950.. haha

[mango.baby]

for math, all you can do is read the problems carefully and practice as many as you can, because all the math problems on the SAT are of the same type.

in critical reading, you need to know as much vocab as possible. there really isn't any other way to improve your skills on the vocab portions because you either know the words or you don't. BUT! for the reading passages, as stupid as this sounds, make sure that your answer choice is stated in the passage. they almost never ask you to infer something from the passage but most people analyze it anyway because it's what you're taught to do in school, so that's where they go wrong. if your answer is clearly stated in the passage, it's most likely the correct choice. you don't have to assume, and you don't have to over-think it.

and for writing, answer the prompt CLEARLY in your thesis. as simple as you can make it so you can show your point of view, clearly state your position. and for the examples, make sure they're not quesitonable or refutable. the SAT readers look for content, so your essay doesn't have to be structurally and grammatically perfect to get a perfect score. if you have good vocabulary, a clear position, and well-developed examples you should do well.

[plusone]

practice tests dont reflect your actual ability pointwise i think. i averaged 1900-2050 with it then i got 2200-2220s on the actual sats. THAT BEING SAID practice tests are a great way to hone your 'sat knowledge'. just doing that consistently and reivewing them to see where you went wrong is enough to achieve a high score i think

id say if you can maximize your scores in math and the essay ur in decent shape, esp since around two incorrect answers in teh math section will lower your grade by 10-20 points each. essay too, you dont want to force yourself to score nearperfect on the multiple choice.

[ms.park]

i go to SAT hakwon, we take tests every week. i was improving for the first 3 weeks..today i took it, but my score went down 190 points!! i was so pissed..i thought i did goood. i was so confident..damn. hmm i guess just practice and read books. writing improved A LOT for me..practice!

[kissy♡fishy]

2000?!??!?!?!? WATF THAT`s HELLA GOOD!

[x_estherrrrrr_x]

2000??!?!?!
how about u giving me tips on how u even made it to 2000 >_<
mann my score sucks.

[Voltage]

You guys need to compilate a list of problems and sections you are having difficulty with on the SAT I. Critical reading in my opinion is by far the easiest section to improve on. When I have time, I'll write up a list of steps to attack every critical reading section passage. Writing is somewhat more challenging, but there are ways to circumvent the system simply by pre-writing the essay to eliminate that aspect of the section. Kind of sly, but you'll see that it doesn't matter how well you address the question, but the graders are responsible for judging coherency and content. 2000 to 2300 can be done if you have a few weeks...

[jjessiessong]

^HELP !!! we are desperate !!!! i have mooooore than a few weeks....
if you don't mind me asking this, wut score did you get on the SAT?
any tips/advice would be a lifesaver, thanks

[DanTat]

You guys need to compilate a list of problems and sections you are having difficulty with on the SAT I. Critical reading in my opinion is by far the easiest section to improve on. When I have time, I'll write up a list of steps to attack every critical reading section passage. Writing is somewhat more challenging, but there are ways to circumvent the system simply by pre-writing the essay to eliminate that aspect of the section. Kind of sly, but you'll see that it doesn't matter how well you address the question, but the graders are responsible for judging coherency and content. 2000 to 2300 can be done if you have a few weeks...

weird, i find critical reading the hardest to improve :/

i just cant seem to ever get anything right

[cbong22]

i agree; in critical reading & math i improved the most, and it was easy to! but writing..argh that's what KILLS me.

it IS very true that for critical reading, just make sure the answers are stated in the passage. yup.

[plusone]

weird, i find critical reading the hardest to improve :/

i just cant seem to ever get anything right

once you figure out approach it, everything just sort of clicks and then you can just go and own it the next time around