<p>There are many ways to prepare for the SAT. For a motivated, above average student almost any decent method will work. For example, if a motivated student completes all the blue book tests, one by one, goes over their answers, and then periodically reattempts each problem they got wrong until they can get each of these problems right on their own, then their score will absolutely improve substantially.</p>
<p>So why don’t I recommend this method? Here are just a few reasons:</p>
<p>(1) The average student may find this tedious and burn out very quickly - preparation doesn’t work if you stop doing it.</p>
<p>(2) Taking full length practice tests over and over is a very inefficient use of one’s time. For example, suppose you never get Level 1 and 2 problems wrong (this applies to most students in the 600 range) . One third of the problems on an SAT are Level 1 and 2. This means that one third of your total preparation (well maybe a bit less since these problems can often be done more quickly) is spent solving problems that you don’t need to be practicing. Wouldn’t this time better be spent working on problems that you actually might have trouble with?</p>
<p>On the other end, suppose you are getting most level 3 geometry problems wrong. In this case it is counterproductive and a waste of time to be attempting level 4 and 5 geometry problems. You need to keep practicing level 3 geometry problems. One of the biggest mistakes lower scoring students make is to practice hard problems that are 1 or to levels above their current ability level. This can be extremely frustrating, will lower confidence, and mostly a waste of time.</p>
<p>(3) Studying in short bursts will allow for the maximum amount of retention. Studying for 3 hours in a row is not that useful for most students since they will not retain a large percentage of what they studied.</p>