I really don't understand how my essay got 11

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
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<p>Hello. I took march SAT 1, and the result was pathetic.</p>

<p>I got 560 on my critical reading, which i actually expected.</p>

<p>740 on my math, I guess I missed like one.</p>

<p>640 on my writing, but got 11 on my essay.</p>

<p>Total score is 1940. I normally got 2040 on my practice tests but yeah, my actual sat score is way below than 2040.</p>

<p>I couldn’t even finish writing my essay as I wrote before. I was way too shaky, nervous, anxious about time management. After the moderator announced the time was up, I thought myself: Oh my God…</p>

<p>I realized that SAT essay is actually not a good way to determine one’s ability of writing. I used Hitler, Stalin, and Vlad the Impaler as examples.</p>

<p>anyhow, how should I deal with Critical Reading?</p>

<p>I mean, I am an exchange student, and it has been always struggle to me to break down passages and understand every single detail within that passage; such as an author’s tone, purpose, whatever.</p>

<p>My AP English exam is coming, and i’m seriously worrying about it. I think I will get 2 or 3 which colleges will not even consider it as a passing score.</p>

<p>Haha My God help me out please.</p>

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<p>First of all, if you truly want to know why you got 11 on the essay, you can post it here. This way, you can understand what you did right and you’ll be able to do it again next time you take the test.</p>

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<p>Likewise, you can post questions on this forum and I, or other people, can help you with them and help you understand them. A lot of people start off with low scores in CR but high scores in math, not just exchange students. Math is a bit more mechanical, while CR requires more thinking, attention, and reasoning. Just so you know, the test really is an aptitude test. That means it tests REASONING and critical thinking. So that is something that YOU have to learn. However, here are some tips that may help you:</p>

<ul>
<li>if you don’t have the blue book (“The Official SAT Study Guide,” edition 1 or 2), buy it; that should be where your core studying comes from - it is the most important book because it is written by the College Board, which makes the SAT.</li>
<li>if vocabulary is a problem, you should buy “Direct Hits” volumes 1 and 2; I haven’t tried them but the general consensus on this forum is that those books are the most efficient in their word lists</li>
<li>if questions based on large passages are an issue, read this:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/750399-how-attack-sat-critical-reading-section-effectively.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/750399-how-attack-sat-critical-reading-section-effectively.html&lt;/a&gt;
To summarize that long “guide,” you should focus on the questions that are based on specific lines or paragraphs first. Then when you are done with all those questions, you should understand the passage enough to answer the general questions like tone, purpose, etc. This is different from reading the whole passage through before answering the questions, which may be intimidating.</li>
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<p>For AP English, APCliff is hella good with MC. So, you should practice with MC since it is something to worry about.</p>

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<p>crazybandit; thanks alot for a detailed guide. My SAT scores with descriptions and all the details would come out on april 6th, so I will try that. I really think it was luck though haha. By the way, I have a blue book. do you think it would be helpful if I study blue book then take AP Eng test? I have less than a month to prepare 3 exams, and this just drives me crazy.</p>

<p>jerrry4445; I heard that Cliffnotes is the best one for AP eng. Im gonna buy it tomorrow and start workin on crazy. Thanks alot for your suggestion.</p>

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<p>I’ve never taken the AP English exam, but in general AP exams and SAT exams are very different, so no, doing so wouldn’t be helpful. You should definitely study for your AP with an actual AP study book. That should be enough.</p>

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<p>You still have senior year to take the SAT (generally 3 test dates: October, November, and December). I’d focus more on the APs.</p>