<p>Hey guys! So, I’m a rising Senior this year and I’m pretty much done with my SAT’s (but that doesn’t count subject tests). I raised my score pretty significantly (and shockingly, I might admit) using only one simple method that I learned off of CC, so I thought I might give back to CC what it gave to me! My scores aren’t exceptional scores compared to the average CC’er, but I raised them exactly 200 points so I thought I might help those few souls looking for the boost :)</p>
<p>MY SCORES:
PSAT: 62R, 76M, 68W</p>
<p>January 2013- 670R, 710M, 690W (10 essay) = 2070</p>
<p>June 2013- 680R, 790M, 800W (11 essay) = 2270</p>
<p>Okay, so December of my junior year I took maybe 3-4 practice tests out of the Blue Book, and definitely amped up my vocabulary studying. What really helped me with vocabulary was my method of studying. I don’t like just memorizing words and definitions, so I wrote short stories (maybe 200 words or less each) and inserted at least 10 new vocabulary words into the story. After writing the story, I would rewrite the definitions and make flash cards for them. It really helped me to remember them in context of the story that I created. I made up a passage every day, and reread my past passages before I made the new one, which helped even MORE. This method was enjoyable (I like writing) and profitable. I never missed a single sentence completion question on my CR- it was mainly the reading passages that killed me for some reason. It’s weird because the AP Lang test seems to have much harder passage questions, but I ended up with a 5 on that test in May 2013, so I’m not exactly sure why I didn’t improve in CR this time around. </p>
<p>I took Princeton’s 11 SAT book and basically did random sections whenever I could. I practiced a lot of math sections, and got used to the ways that they “tricked” you. I’m somewhat of a math person so I didn’t have to learn more math, but I had to just be clever to get those few tough questions in each section. The silly mistakes are what REALLY got me- which is why I only got 710. Writing was the same, mainly silly mistakes. But also only a 10 on the essay.</p>
<p>So, I studied a lot before the January test by doing practice tests over and over again, studying vocab, and taking full length tests every Saturday morning before the test for a month. I got the 2070 and was super disappointed. I couldn’t understand why I didn’t make it past 2100 even after ALL that practice. It was pretty much the same as my PSAT score. </p>
<p>By this time (well into March) I was getting busy with AP tests, and I pretty much ceased all studying for the SAT. I studied AP for March through May, and after that I had a mere two and a half weeks to prepare for the June SAT which I had signed up for. I felt unprepared and I braced myself to get the same score as before. But I read some forums and came up with a new way to prepare. Here’s what changed:</p>
<ol>
<li>PRACTICE TESTS</li>
</ol>
<p>Every time I took a practice test before, the second I was done with the test I would eagerly check the answers, add up my score, and check the results. After checking the results I would just glance at the questions I made mistakes on and sigh with frustration for each mistake. I would then leave to go relieve the lost 4 hours of the morning. My mistake was that I wasn’t looking at ALL the questions, wrong AND right. I was only checking the ones that were wrong. You need to set a time to thoroughly go through all the questions and determine why you got that question right or wrong. I even went to the extent of writing it down in a notebook- numbering for each question and leaving a line of space to comment on the grammar rule, math fact, or text in the passage that made my answer right or wrong. This way, you are forced to learn from your mistakes and be careful not to do them again. This is somewhat time consuming, but it really helps. In the span of 2 and a half weeks I took maybe 3 practice tests. Also, I practiced random sections from princeton whenever I had a half an hour of spare time- I also corrected those and evaluated my answers.</p>
<ol>
<li>DON’T FILL IN THE BUBBLE IMMEDIATELY AFTER EACH QUESTION</li>
</ol>
<p>This is CRUCIAL. It helped me the MOST. Before, when I took the test I would pick an answer, then bubble it in. Next question, repeat. This is TIME CONSUMING and DISTRACTING. It takes your focus and concentration away. Instead, I started circling the correct answers on the page itself (for all the sections). Once I got to the end of the page, no matter how many questions there were, I would make sure and bubble in the answers from that page. It was MUCH FASTER and it didn’t break your concentration. When I used this strategy on the writing section for my June test, I finished in 20 minutes out of the given 30. I didn’t miss a single one and I got an 800. It was extremely efficient. It gave me time to look back over all my answers and check everything. Trust me, at first trying this method will feel weird, but as you practice with it (and MAKE SURE to practice with it on your practice tests. Don’t walk in to the testing room and try it out for the first time)</p>
<ol>
<li>Improve your essay writing</li>
</ol>
<p>I’m a good essay writer, so I can’t offer much help here, but I will say that you should get as many examples as you can that are relevant and TRY TO MAKE YOUR ESSAY LONGER. I think that’s what gave me my jump from 10 to 11. I wrote a 5 paragraph essay the 2nd time around, and that may have been what did it.</p>
<ol>
<li>MATH-USE #2 AND THE SAVED TIME TO CHECK YOUR WORK!!</li>
</ol>
<p>ALWAYS check your work when possible!! Don’t just sit there and look around if you finish early! I saved myself SO MANY TIMES on the June test by finishing early (somehow you get extra time using #2) and checking my work. It saved me from the stupid mistakes that I made earlier.</p>
<ol>
<li>POSITIVE ATTITUDE!</li>
</ol>
<p>Don’t go in there hating on the SAT. I was actually excited to take it the day of the test. After all, the SAT is kind of like a game isn’t it? I was in a good mood the day of the test, not at all nervous, and maybe that’s what helped too.</p>
<p>Okay, that’s all I can think of. But I used these methods for studying AND test performance, and that’s what raised my score so thoroughly and unexpectedly! I hope this helps :)</p>
thanks for the tips :D</p>