<p>While there are some out there who can just take the test and get above a 2300, most students would have to work for it. My question to you all is … How did you prepare for the SAT? Please list your study aids, the length of time you studied prior to testing date, and your practice test scores.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>bump
10char</p>
<p>I am an international student and I didn’t know ANYTHING about the SAT in June 2009. I didn’t its acronym, the total marks, the sections… anything. I took the test in June 2010 and got 2280/2400.</p>
<p>I bought Kaplan’s Premier Program. But I had a fracture and couldn’t start studying till November 2009. I registered on the online program, and did as the syllabus planner told me to. I would read the Kaplan book, underline and bracket the important things. Mark the good strategies. Take the follow-up questions after each chapter religiously. I studied very leisurely as I wanted to concentrate on the school work too, but by opening the book 1 time a week and studying 1 chapter, I finished the course in Early February. I then took a 2 month break from all things SAT for studying for school. </p>
<p>Then, I bought Collegeboard’s Blue Book and took a few practice tests from it. I would see where I made mistakes and read those areas from Kaplan again. I also took the monthly quizzes in Kaplan’s Online program to chart my progress. I got 67% in the 1st test, which climbed to 98% in the last one.</p>
<p>I bought Kaplan’s 2000 word dictionary for the SAT and read that to beef up my vocabulary. Helped a lot.</p>
<p>Other than that, I can’t really say much except - Don’t believe the accuracy of any 3rd party test book. They will never be as similar to the real test as the ones in the Official Study Guide.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should entirely discredit third-party test books. While they are definitely not as accurate as the BB, they still give you a not-too-wide range of what your score will be. The skills and problem-solving techniques implemented are basically the same and getting 2300+ on Princeton Review tests is good any way you look at it. Practice tests from third-party books are usually made harder than the actual test to prep your speed on the level 4 or 5 questions, so they’re great practice even if they can’t accurately predict your SAT score. It’s true that you shouldn’t depend on those books to reflect your real performance, but still use them and take their practice tests to hone your skills.</p>
<p>Anyways, I digress. I’m taking next October’s SAT and I made the wrong move of “burning” my BB tests too quickly. I got 2180 on the first test and finished the book with a 2310. However, the 2310 only came up once so I was very shaky about how I’d actually perform. I bought as many practice books I could get my hands on and took approximately 23 practice tests in total. I now score in the 2290-2350 range, so my best advice would just be to practice, practice and keep practicing until you know the SAT like the back of your hand.</p>
<p>I bought the Kaplan 12 Practice Tests book and did a few practice sections in each subject for about a week and a half prior to the test (I didn’t have much time to study, considering I had my exit-level state exams the week before and AP tests the week after). I scored a 2320 on the May 2010 SAT.</p>
<p>I had a love-hate affair with Barron’s… as in the straight 650’s on the Math section had me convinced that I’d end up having to do the ACTs, but it made the real test almost relaxing. Almost. </p>
<p>Also, I only focused on practicing for one section at a time, so I’d only do, for instance, all the math sections of a practice test on a particular day. Which made doing the practice tests a lot less daunting (1 hr vs. almost 4 hrs…)</p>