<p>Hi, I’m an international student and have just started working for the SATs. I have bought the blue Collegeboard book. The first thing I did when I bought it was I read the maths section and then did one maths practice exam, and in the exam I got a 650. I plan to take the exam in November, and was wondering if it was possible to improve from a 650 to an 800 in this amount of time. Thanks!</p>
<p>With a little bit of hardwork and effort, it is certainly possible. Brush up on some algebra, geometry, number theory and counting/probability concepts by using a resource like Khan Academy (free, online), PWN the SAT Math (book) and/or Dr. Chung’s (book). If money is an issue, don’t worry about buying the additional resources - you could easily go through the Blue College Board Book sections (untimed), study the types of problems used, look up any concepts that you’re unfamiliar with, and gradually master the material. Just keep in mind that for most students, the SAT Math section tests your ability to master the math on the SAT and think critically, rather than your mathematical strengths and weaknesses and actual ability to do math.</p>
<p>Hope this helps! Good Luck! :)</p>
<p>The SAT Math is very easy but is filled with questions intended to confuse you. If you practice enough and don’t underestimate it, you will do well on it.</p>
<p>Yeah Math 800 is quite easy. I think I got 60 something on PSAT (600) but if you focus and read carefullym the questions are really easy. Except for the last 2. They may be a bit difficult</p>
<p>the main problem is misreading and answering the wrong question and small errors. That’s usually the cause of 1-2 errors for me. Otherwise, it’s quite simple (but you need to know basic math like triangles and average median mean)</p>
<p>As others have said, the SAT Math section is designed to trick people in to thinking the answer is easy enough to get right off the bat… but without careful reading, you will make those little-bitty errors</p>
<p>You must find the shortcut to solving each of the equations</p>
<p>@enginebus2015 Thanks for the reply! If I’m honest I’m only really working on the maths at the moment, haven’t even looked at the essay section and only briefly looked at the critical reading one. Are these two sections particularly hard to get 800s in? And do you think taking the exam in November would be too soon? Thanks! :)</p>
<p>@abe1234 - CR can be tricky since the answers are close, but it depends on your inclination (ex. if you’re an English kind of person it should come easily to you, but if you’re a math/science kind of person like me, it’s tough). Vocab mastery is also important, so make sure you look into some of the resources below. As for the Writing section, the multiple choice involves some basic mastery of grammar, but I was able to get an 800 without memorizing a single grammar rule. The essay is also not too difficult once you familiarize yourself with the format and the tricks of the SAT essay.</p>
<p>Here are some resources for each section of the SAT. Obviously, you don’t need to purchase all of them, but they’re just some resources I have gathered from my own personal experience and through skimming the CC forums:</p>
<p>CR:
-Vocab: Direct Hits (book), SAT Vocab Cartoons (book), Quizlet (online), Mindsnacks (found on the Apple App store), Test Your English Vocabulary (Android app - just drills you on vocab with 10 question quizzes; great for on-the-go practice rather than studying)
-Passage Practice: Untimed Blue Book tests, Erica Meltzer’s CR Guide (book)</p>
<p>Math:
-Khan Academy (online), PWN the SAT Math (book), Dr. Chung’s (book - mainly geared for high scorers to get up from 650ish to high 700s), Untimed Blue Book tests</p>
<p>Writing:
-Erica Meltzer’s Grammar Guide
-For the essay: your own list of canned examples organized by people, literature and history, with themes/attributes for each</p>
<p>Hope this helps! Good Luck! :)</p>
<p>@enginebus2015 Hey, thanks for the reply! So I went out and bought the Dr Chung book about a week ago and have been trying to work through it, but have noticed it is super hard! Is this a typical experience of the book or am I just particularly bad at maths aha? Thanks! :)</p>
<p>If you understand the concepts and are just making stupid mistakes, just keep doing practice problems. I was scoring high 600s-low 700s in the blue book because I wasn’t taking the time to check my work. However, on the actual SAT, I’d done enough practice questions that I was moving quickly and had time to go over the majority of questions and caught like 5 mistakes I’d done the first time. Got an 800 :)</p>
<p>@abe1234 - Although I personally never used Dr. Chung’s, I have heard from several sources on this forum that the problems are a bit tough. In a way, working through harder problems should improve your confidence on the slightly difficult SAT Math questions. Nevertheless, practice is the key. Try to take regular practice Math sections and see if there’s any improvement (note that standard deviation is expected).</p>