<p>So, I have the grades (somewhat), a decent gpa (4.19), and a great updated rank (27/317), but the SAT’s are lacking (combined is 1680…) crit = 520, writ = 610, math = 550. Why is it that I can’t do well on the SAT’s? Even a tutor for 6 months didn’t help me! Any advice to raise score into the 2000+ range? Confused as heck! I’m also somewhat disappointed in the fact that merely b/c of my sat scores, i may stand no chance of getting into Brown. Brown is my absolute #1 school, i’d go there over any place in the world. But, I have no idea how to raise my scores at all, even after taking it twice.</p>
<p>take the act and see how you do</p>
<p>id recommend a princeton review tutor…a lot of kids in my grade used them and seemed to do very well.</p>
<p>that and stop getting so goddamn nervous.</p>
<p>I agree with Mom - take the ACT. It’s a completely different test.</p>
<p>sreis – please don’t make such rude, unhelpful statements. We all know that some very smart people are just not good test-takers, or do better on some tests than others. There is no need to insult people like that.</p>
<p>To the OP – definitely take the ACT and see how that goes. A lot of people do better on one than the other.</p>
<p>Do you think that your poor performance on the test is because of lack of <em>knowledge</em>? Ie. you look at a question and don’t recognize the vocabulary, have never seen a similar type of equation, etc? Or do you think it has more to do with the way you’re <em>taking</em> the test? Ie. you stress out, your mind goes blank, or you don’t know how to make intelligent guesses?</p>
<p>Is it bad to only submit an ACT score?</p>
<p>I think the SAT is hard b/c i don’t recognize the stuff on there…that’s how it’s hard</p>
<p>Nope, it’s not bad to only submit an SAT score. Lots of kids do it.</p>
<p>If it’s hard because you don’t recognize the stuff, then you really need to do some serious studying. What math class are you in right now? If you’re taking Algebra right now, you might do better once you’ve finished the class. If you’re already taking more advanced math (pre-calc, etc), then you should go back and look at your Algebra and Geometry text books and study them.</p>
<p>As for the verbal stuff, if you don’t recognize vocabulary, the only way to improve your score is to read a lot and enrich your vocabulary.</p>
<p>Practice may definitely help with the writing section – maybe a tutor would be useful for that.</p>
<p>Try this: Forget about reading a ton or memorizing vocab words for a few weeks. Go to the bookstore or library and pick up a reference book that outlines how to disect a word. I am using REA’s GRE Testbusters book now and I hate the book. Having said that, they have a chapter addressing “Prefixes”, “Roots” and “suffixes” and their meanings By studying this chapter, my verbal GRE is creaping up from low 500’s to mid high 600’s on the practice tests and I am more confident in my answers because I can disect words that I do not know the meaning to and make a very good guess as to meaning. I expect to come close to 700 on the GRE. You know when I was a freshman in HS, I signed up for latin, but was placed in French (admin error). I stayed with French for 4 years. Had I stuck out Latin, I am sure my test scores would be much higher.</p>
<p>thanks! i thought about doing that. i have issues w/math too…like, i’m doing fine in it in school, somewhere like a 96 or so, but the sAT math is rediculous!!!</p>
<p>The math (at lease for the GRE) is quite simple. The trick is that they take simple math and ask for complicated, esoteric applications of it. I am just finishing my math review (GRE/GMAT math by Kaplin) and I am doing problem after problem after problem. I am getting to the point where now half way into reading the question, I can actually complete it ahead of myself and telegraph the wrong answers that will show up. My point is, buy a review book and do every problem. Don’t skim them, even if they are easy, there are concepts that you may do in your head that you can’t on a tougher problem. If you fall for a “trap” after looking at the answer explination, go back to the same problem and do it completely 3 times in a row. This helps for me. Just keep in mind that the math is reeeeeeally easy. The hard part is deciphering the question and getting to what they are really asking for. They set up tricks and the only way not to fall for them for those of us who are not gifted is practice, practice, practice. Eventually, the patterns become predictable, just like pac man patterns (or am I dating myself here :))</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>No offense (and I know that what I’m about to say isn’t PC) but if you can’t get a reasonably good score on the SAT, even after such a ridiculous amount of prep, maybe Brown isn’t the place for you. The SAT isn’t some magical test made for people with the magical SAT gene. It’s a simple test with multiple choice questions. If you’re struggling to score above the 60th percentile, you might want to look at schools more in the 30-50 range, or your own state school.</p>
<p>have you considered LACs with a similar environment where the SAT is optional?</p>
<p>i just found it funny that you said: “have the grades (somewhat), a decent gpa (4.19)”</p>
<p>those are generally the same thing right? haha sorry just felt like pointing that out.</p>
<p>OH man i can’t believe you said it was a “simple” multiple choice test. Not all of us are perfect, it’s really hard for some of us, no matter how smart we are. Besides, i’m committed to my work and all of the above, so there’s no reason why i wouldn’t apply to Brown (unless i did horrid on the ACT…but that’s another story :-</p>
<p>But just what exactly do you think Brown will be like? What are you going to do when you get a D on a multiple choice bio exam? The SAT is a simple test. Just ask the hordes at Brown who scored over 1450. Seriously, no one is perfect, and the SAT doesn’t measure perfection, but it does, to some extent, measure critical thinking abilities. While there probably are people who have succeeded at tough colleges with low SAT scores, there have probably been many, many more who have struggled.</p>
<p>no no haha i get what you mean, like college tests are indeed more tough than the SAT (like AP tests are harder…sometimes). But, I’m not sure i’ll ever take a bio test b/c i’m not going into it, but i do get your point. It’s just, I think Brown will be a challenging journey (if i get in) that will most likely prepare me for the real world ^_^.</p>
<p>So will any reputable university, if you work hard and keep your eyes and ears open. What state are you from?</p>
<p>yes try to take the act. for me, when i took the act i did very bad like 22 or something and when i took the sat i got above a 2200. different peopel have different strength and weakness’.(mine being a small amount of time)</p>
<p>i just want to say that I love Brown University and that I am applying no matter how un up-to-par my sat scores are with the standards and whatnot. end of story.</p>
<p>:}</p>