<p>I’ve been taking practice tests at least a few times a week for the past month and a half. I’ve gone through the blue book and 9 of McGraw Hill’s practice tests. I read the answer explanations carefully and they always seem so obvious, but the fact is that every time I finish a practice test, it’s always an 800 on math, 750 on writing and 650-700 on reading. Here’s my question: for all you 2300+ scorers, did you all have epiphanies or something along those lines to help boost your score from 2200 to 2300?</p>
<p>Like you, my formula for success began with practice. Practice especially with Level 4 and 5 questions built the foundation for greater competence. That in turn boosted my scores and my confidence. As I practiced math I began to understand the pattern of tricks and I did have several ahha moments when I thought “You won’t fool me again!” As I practiced CR the key was boosting my Level 4 and 5 vocabulary. As my vocabulary increased so did my scores. BTW did you find the McGraw Hill tests useful? You might consider ordering PSATs from the College Board Online Store. They only cost $3.00 each and really helped me.</p>
<p>^ What about for passage-based questions?</p>
<p>dark knight: Thanks for replying! I found McGraw Hill’s tests to be almost as useful as the blue book. It’s only slightly more difficult than the blue book and it saves you the trouble of going online to view the explanations. What I didn’t like about it is the scoring curve for writing. McGraw Hill’s writing only requires 46 on MC and a 10-point essay to get 800, which is very different from normal tests.</p>
<p>For me, I don’t typically miss sentence completion and vocabulary seldom poses a problem for me. Although I will need to boost my vocabulary regularly until my October SAT, I’m quite sure it’s not the problem. Like truffliepuff has asked, do you have any advice for passage-based questions?</p>
<p>hmmmm there’s a topic in psychology called insight, which basically describes the sudden realization of how to solve an ill-structured problem. </p>
<p>I think you mean the probability of gaining insight (sudden–according to most psychologists anyway), not the possibility. I mean it’s certainly possible, but probability can vary in degree and no one can accurately predict the chances of you developing insight right when the situation calls for it.</p>
<p>I’ve read quite a few critical reading guides written by members here that have said “unlike math and writing and even the sentence completion section, critical reading passages cannot be studied for.” I haven’t seen a SAT prep guide that said “ok this is how you figure out the author’s intent,” so you’ll have to rely on your analytical skills. </p>
<p>I gain insight to texts all the time, like “ohhh this is what Roy Bhaskar meant,” but I can’t summon it immediately when needed. I doubt anyone could, so you shouldn’t bank on developing several epiphanies in a 4 hour window on the real thing. </p>
<p>Just practice; I remember the person who wrote the 500-800 CR thing took 25 practice tests. I can’t remember whether the 500-800 description CC added to stickied posts at the top or it was descriptive of the author’s own experiences, but I’m sure the 25 practice tests made “epiphanies” a regular thing after each successive test and also on the real thing.</p>
<p>It’s not so much an epiphany as continued improvement :)</p>
<p>I went from 2100 to 2330, and there were two plateaus along the way, but I improved with practice.</p>
<p>^ loll</p>
<p>10char</p>
<p>Alright, I get it. I hit one plateau when trying to break through the 2300 barrier. For 7-8 practice tests my scores hovered around 2250 and I finally broke 2300. The problem now is I can’t keep my scores steadily above 2300 :(</p>
<p>I really want a 2300+ on my Oct SATs, and I’m doing everything I can to raise my scores even by 10 points.</p>
<p>Anyways, thanks for all your great responses and I’ll keep them in mind during this last month!</p>