<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>This is a serious thread. I really would appreciate if someone would give me some helpful suggestions. </p>
<p>Basically, I have inconsistent test scores. They hover around 2150. The thing is, every couple of practice tests or so I either do really well, or reay badly.
A week ago, I took a practice test and got around a 2250 (test 9 from th blue book). Just yesterday, I got a 2040 on test 10.
It’s mainly been threading section; I seem to find certain passages easier to read than others, and I can clearly find the answers better than others. </p>
<p>It’s also partly due to th fact that I practice in my room, and I can hear everything that goes on in the house( my parents talking, my brother yelling, showers being taken, people brushing their teeth). I often get REALLY distracted and can’t focus. Does anyone else have this problem?</p>
<p>As for my inconsistency, What does this mean? How can I get consistent? How can I get a consistent reading score?</p>
<p>There are many factors that may affect your performance. However, if you have not reached a plateau or consistent score, it usually means you are not thoroughly prepared. So from time to time you come across some questions you missed. How many practice test have you done? Do you always do timed full test?</p>
<p>So far I’ve done all 10 practice tests in the blue book. Yes, I always make sure I do a timed test. What do you mean not thoroughly prepared? How can I get prepared for the reading section (passage based reading)?</p>
<p>That means you need to do more practice tests and go through the answers and explanation. My D did over 20 practice tests before she reached a plateau.</p>
<p>20 practice tests is a lot of practice tests…</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m in the same situation as you! I got a 2000 in May and am retaking in October. The first time I took a practice test to prep for my retest I got a 1910 (ouch). I think it was mainly because I was not focusing…at all. My reading score, which was my strongest score on the May test (750) went down to a…670. Now that’s a big drop. Then I took a second practice test and got a 760, which was much better. ;)</p>
<p>You have to be in the right mood to take a practice test. You have to be able to concentrate, especially on the section you have most difficulty with. I actually suggest taking the entire test one timed section at a time. Do one 25 minute section, check your answers, take a break. It’s summer. It’s hard to focus. Then, after a while, on a day you’re in a test taking mood, take one from start to finish.</p>
<p>My D actually did ~30 ACT and ~30 SAT practice tests at the end. ;)</p>
<p>Wow…I know I need to get there eventually. I’m at 8 right now. I don’t know what I was expecting in May. I guess I thought I’d just waltz in there and get a 2200 even though I’d only ever done the math sections out of the blue book. It’s difficult for me to sit down and prep for some reason. I feel like standardized tests like the SAT are something you shouldn’t be able to study for, but you can.</p>
<p>OP had asked for critical reading advice. Underline the passage and read it slowly. Take notes. Understand the passage fully before you move on to the questions. That’ll help you answer quicker. And when the question asks for a specific part of the passage (lines 7-18 or the like), circle that part in the passage so you know what to look at. Use process of elimination for the sentence completion questions.</p>
<p>Writing was my worst score. I got a 620. (750 on critical reading and 620 on writing. Hm.) Here’s my advice for that section:</p>
<p>1) Have examples pre-prepared that can fit any essay topic. I was nervous/blanking out for a good 5 minutes trying to think of something. You don’t want that to happen. Use the books you’ve read in English class, the events you learned about in history, etc.</p>
<p>2) Review the grammar rules you learned in fourth grade. I’m serious. There’s some obscure stuff on there.</p>
<p>My son is also having the same problem. He scored 36 on Reading one day, the next day is 27!!! So deflated.<br>
Billcsho: thanks for the encouragement. So far he has done 10 practice exams. We’ll just keep going :)</p>