yipyip0901

i just came to united states,and im currently a sophomore. i know that im going to take SAT when i become a junior,however, the verbal and writing parts are EXTREMELY HARD!!! i dont know how i can study, for those of u who got a high score on the sat,can u please give me some ideas for studying the verbal and writing sections? my english is so bad,therefore i have to prepare for the sat one year before i need to take it.......

crackednugget

First of all, read read read. Books, newspapers, whatever.Try to look up words that you don't know.
Also, get one of those huge SAT books, read the advice and do practice tests.
You should also start writing correctly (even if it does take a little longer). On Forums, mail & email, and all types of writing.
Good luck!!

EmMal

Definitely, definitely learn some of those more hard-to-come-by words that the SAT likes to test on. Also, for the section on "grammar", I personally found one of the SAT books helpful.

happymomof1

Depending on the college/university you choose, your TESOL score may be much more important than your SAT/ACT verbal score. The colleges/universities have had applicants like you before so don't panic about this. Contact their international student offices.

For a list of test-optional colleges/universities visit The National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest - you may never need to take anything but the TOEFL.

I teach adult ESL. I like to recommend that my students read books in English that they have already read in their first language. You will know the plot and settings. The only things that will be new to you are specific vocabulary words (and you will know the meaning from the context), and peculiarities of English grammar and construction. Reading and writing truly are the keys.

All the best.

clam_chowder

if you came from non-english-speaking country and will apply as an international student,,you probably hv to take TOEFL (at least) and SAT to enter univs. TOEFL is (my personal opinion) much easier than SAT. is all about grammar and your understanding of english.. try to get 550 CBT,,youre safe for any decent univs. (not talking about ivies and other too-unreachable-for-me univs.)..for SAT I,,my only suggestion is better get as high as you can in math. for typical asian student (are you?) SAT I math is fine (cant say its easy though)...without too much work,you probably can reach more than 600.
the other sections,,well,,good luck,, practice as much as you can from as many books you can find in the bookstore.

the_hitch_hiker

Hi,

First of all, you should obviously explain to the university that you've only moved to the US recently somewhere in your application. (Perhaps in the extra information portion?) But that will not excuse you from the SAT/TOEFL requirements because even if you are an international student, there are plenty of people out there who speak/write flawless English. But always keep this in mind: universities aren't looking for people who're perfect, because those who are perfect don't need to go to college. While the language may be a drawback for you, give them no other reason to complain. Do well on your math, extracurriculars etc. Since you live inside the US, you have great opportunities that aren't open to students elsewhere, make the best of it.

Next, read! Read EVERYTHING! From crappy novels to serious magazines to sports illustrated. It doesn't matter if you don't understand everything right away - it'll take time. But keep at it...Watch movies with sub-titles. Listen to songs, watch tv, use the radio. To start you off, in case you haven't already, I suggest granta.com/extracts. Granta is a literary magazine but most of the stories are written very simply...no fancy words, only fancy stories. it might not be available right now, but the site should be up and running soon. Some of the stories are free, so you can read those.

To improve your vocabulary, try cross word puzzles. Become a member at a library and look for books like Words to the Wise and other vocabulary-building books. Use them everyday...but don't start all of them at the same time. Start with one that you're comfortable with and work on that book. You have time, trust me. The Internet also has some great websites that can help.
http://flocabulary.com/wordlist has a lot of words, but remember, that none of these so called lists are complete - they don't contain all the words. But you don't need to know all the words either. Once you start practicing the CR section, feel comfortable with the questions and start making good scores, you know it's time to take a break and work on the words you already know.

For writing, your essay has to be short but it must contain many examples from history, literature etc. So make sure you read up on some literary, political, historical figures. But you can use any relevant example really in the essay, so don't memorize the whole history book! :P Finally, practice writing everyday..get a blog! (or the old fashioned diary)

All the best...I'm glad that you're starting out early. It's really mature of you and I hope you will make it. Sorry if I sounded too preachy though... I get carried away sometimes.

All the very best!

Grande Antilles

I did not get a good grade so I can't really advise you on how to kick the SAT. However, I want to tell you to do as good as you can on your Toefl. Try to get at least 660

Grande Antilles

Oh there are some colleges that say they give special consideration to intl students because they don't speak English well . Don't believe them. You will in the same pool as native speakers.