Lost Motivation

chuckwagont · 07-12-2008, 01:07 PM

I have been studying for the Sat for about a month and my scores havent really improved at all. It is really frustrating. How do you stay motivated when your practice test scores have stopped going up?

scared6378 · 07-12-2008, 01:16 PM

i think you should try and change the way you study ... incorporate some different methods and see if they work better for you

keep in mind that plenty of people score much higher on the real sat than they did on practice tests ... sometimes people just need pressure to perform well

nbafan135 · 07-12-2008, 01:38 PM

My motivation is my desire to leave this place. Im starting to hate EVERYONE around me, and I'm doing my hardest in everything so I can get accepted to a good school AWAY from here and start over.

entrancestone · 07-12-2008, 02:18 PM

Are you taking the official tests from the blue book? The ranges are pretty big and unreliable.

I think one of the most important things people blow off is going over the tests. You need to identify your weaknesses or you will not improve. IMO, write down the correct answer and then try to figure out how the test maker would have gotten that answer. I am not good at math, but with the CR, go through and define EVERY word you didn't know on the CR section. Learn the 14 grammar rules in Rocket Review and figure out which rule the questions on the writing section break. These two things have helped me the most.

IMO if you take it on as a challenge it will help (especially if you're male). I've taken it on a challenge and I almost ENJOY studying now. It also helps if you found a college you REALLY want to go to. Seeing the average SAT scores might help keep you motivated.

Good luck!

Ryan123 · 07-12-2008, 03:24 PM

I agree with both nbafan and entrancestone. You need to find a motivation to keep on going. That can be either to get the heck out of your town, to get accepted to a first-choice college, or to get higher SAT scores than you got before.

Unoriginal · 07-12-2008, 04:05 PM

You know, sometimes I feel like no matter how much studying I do, my score is not going to change, I'm not going to get accepted into my dream school, etc, etc, but the window of opportunity is still open for me--I can accomplish whatever I push myself to strive for. Don't give up!

Ryan123 · 07-12-2008, 07:12 PM

Only you can dictate your future, i think that's a pretty big motivation

asian sensation · 07-12-2008, 08:29 PM

how about bragging rights when you end up doing better than your friends

lolol (that's totally not a reflection of my character- i SWEAR!! XD)

Ren the SAT'er · 07-12-2008, 09:15 PM

my motivation was very strong back around october, after i took my SAT, i went crazy studying 50ish words a day, did so for like 2 months, finished PR's word smarts I,II,and GRE. then i stilll work hard, practiced alot of tests with PR's ,barrons,and kaplans. last month,i felt like i wasn't working hard enough,now im back at track =] i study like 4 hrs a day; on reading passages im in practice mode,i dont time myself, i try to reason out things as much as i can. probably 30 mins each passage i dont know,then i go over the passages carefully. i spend like 1 hr just on reviewing the correct answers =p
i dont know where im at now, i haven't diagnostic in a while. i'll after i finish the online courses, with real QAs =]

on math ,i time myself, because im good already

cr is my weakest,and im doing my best to pwn it.

entrancestone · 07-12-2008, 09:32 PM

You studied 4 hours a day for 2 months? What score did you get/trying to get?

It's easy to study 2+ hours during the summer but I don't know what I'm going to do come September.

Ryan123 · 07-12-2008, 10:02 PM

agreed. It's hard because i'm trying to study for the SATs while trying to read these books for summer reading, plus having to work more than a few times per week. I need to find a way to do all this without having my head in the book all day.

chuckwagont · 07-13-2008, 11:41 AM

how can someone study more than an hour a day? 4 hours is absolutly crazy

dandaman10470 · 07-13-2008, 01:27 PM

4 hours is definitely over the top...the key to studying is quality over quantity...instead try 1 or 2 hours of focused studying...you can also set one or two times a week to take practice tests

legend.dracula · 07-13-2008, 04:25 PM

lol I study for 6 hours/day at the library. My butt is so painful. I agree motivation is a big thing. Just change the way you study.
Normally I start with W-CR-M. Because I need to improve CR the most so I do the questions on prep book, read newspaper, short story to remember vocab ..... change the consequence you study to find a little bit interesting. Each week do a practice test to see how you do it.
or take a prep course, I'm sure there're lots of people like you.

chuckwagont · 07-13-2008, 06:14 PM

yea im trying to use the fact that i outscored my friends on the sat as motivation