Mishiru

As long as you are still motivated, no. Motivated, meaning having any goals in life above watching TV. Also.. it is impossible to "learn" 400 words in one day.

phand8

i'd say more than 30 minutes a day is excessive.. is ur life really worth a good test score...

KEVIN2400

phand8:

yes, because that test score is basically what determines your life in the future (not really, but still a significant part of your future)

so yes, I think it's worth it to sacrifice a little of my life now knowing I could have a better life in the future .

kareem_gouda

There's always a chance you could improve (except of course you got 2400). Many of my students attended my classes for over a year and improved gradually. One, last year, started with 400s and reached 700 in writing, 580 in Reading, and 800 in math. You just can't get enough SAT

az1698

Studying too much? Maybe. But for most people, I don't think you've gotten there unless you've finished the 3500 vocab word list and are moving on to the next one...

arachnophobia12

estoy de acuerdo...

Nick017

You're studying the SAT too much if you:

1. Skip ECs to study for it.
2. You're GPA declines even a little because you're studying schoolwork less to make room for SAT.
3. You're scores are already in the ballpark that the college you like is accepting. At this point, ECs, grades, teacher recs, essays will make or break you, not SATs.
4. You change your sleep pattern to make room for an extra hour each day.
5. You transform yourself into an uninteresting person, with a 4.0 and a 2300, but nothing to distinguish yourself.

As long as you don't fall into these traps, SAT study can be very beneficial. You have a limited amount of time in high school, so you need to prioritize, and as long as SAT doesn't take up time that higher priorities should be recieving, then studying can be worth it.

Guacamolly

I agree with what Nick says.

I you study too much, especially in the days leading up to the test, you're going to totally psych yourself out and develop one hell of a self-doubt complex. If you're taking hard classes and reading as much as possible, you really should be fine.

Although you should definitely study, my advice is to only study the REALLY killer stuff. Books like SAT 2400 (Kaplan) and Barron's SAT 2400 usually cover the most difficult types of problems, and I would only focus my attention on those. Furthermore, if you want to cram vocabulary, most SAT prep books will have a somewhat definitive list of the most commonly seen words.

Be strategic and DO NOT OBSESS. You'll see a much greater return:

sjbsyysym

It seems that my score started to go down before hitting 2000, what happened? I'm worried...

ttan

I'd say I agree.

I devoted a year to that thing, and 3 months before the test I would churn out about 2 hours a day for studying. Only problem? I was working hard, not smart.

I guess it depends mostly on a) what you're aiming for b) your diagnostic score without studying - some people are just naturally more talented at standardized testing
I was simply going through the motions, not really focusing on my weak spots as much as I should have. My avg PSAT practice scores was at 217, but I hit 230 on a magical day of genius. However, I think I burnt myself out, getting 2100 on the SAT. This was after 22 Practice Tests and review of each one.

I don't know about you, but I'm a person who doesn't like taking breaks, no matter how much I need them.

zfox001

I think that it is impossible to study per say....because this kinda of test is very subjective. People either have the skills to analyze a passage or they don't. The biggest difficulty is familiarizing youself with the test.
By doing tons of practice tests that is what you're doing. Not really studying. Once you can get yourself into the same mindset as the testers, it should make taking the SAT easier.

flgurl2611

I think that it's not really "studying" that helps (as defined as the same studying for a history or bio test), as much as it is the increased familiarity with the test. There are definitely patterns in the types of problems and types of concepts presented, especially in the math section.

JexteLox

Think about it this way: you're not studying JUST for the SAT, but you're studying techniques, skills and concepts that will help you much later in life, and especially for college! After all, the SAT is supposed to assess what you know and how well you will use certain skills in college. Notice the CollegeBoard doesn't write their strategies/concepts for no apparent reason, they're doing it so students who take the SAT will remember and use these same concepts in their classes at higher education; for example, making inferences, connecting logical ideas, and using key words to find an author's point. It's not just for the SAT, it's for the things you'll be doing in college. The SAT tests how well you have mastered these skills! They will help you later in life.
Think about your high school classes + GPA to teach you general knowledge of a subject; think of the SAT studying to teach you skills to get the most out of this knowledge. and the vocabulary studying is NOT just for the SAT, but to help you later in life when writing important essays. it may just come to you, that one word, that makes your sentence so much more vivid and lovely. <3

popcornboy

I would just study for the SAT about 10 minutes a day for about four times a week.