I’m an incoming freshman and aiming for a very high SAT score (2200-2400)…I took a diagnostic test but I only got 1600…Should I enroll for an online SAT prep course or do a face-to-face class? Suggestions on which SAT classes?
Any other tips?
I was also thinking about taking a full length practice sat at the end of freshman year…Is that a good idea?
If you are an incoming freshman to high school, you should not be worrying about the tests now. I only started doing stuff at the end of sophomore year and that was very early.
@dooblydoo I’m going to have to agree with whuff24 and say that testing should not be your main focus right now. Freshman year is the time to explore your interests, get some extracurriculars that you enjoy, and focus on getting good grades.
I’m not saying that you should completely disregard testing, though. If you’re really motivated, I applaud and encourage you.
In terms of the best resources out there, read below.
**Note, this is just my opinion of the best resources/methods. Others may say differently. Take into account how you learn best, and find out what works for you. I’m not an SAT expert by any means. **
In terms of the best way to prep, I recommend that you don’t take an SAT class. They are long, painstaking, and they just give you some generic tips that can be easily gleaned through any prep book. Also, don’t take a prep course from a big company; they will rehash the tips from their books and steal your hard earned dough/bread/cheddar.
The best way, in my opinion, is to get a tutor from small/private companies, and meet in one-on-one sessions. A tutor will personalize to your needs and will help you fix up your critical mistakes, as well as give you the generic tips. In terms of books/materials, you should definitely get:Critical Reading/Writing by Erica Meltzer. They are REALLY thorough guides for each type of question/topic, and they don’t fail to disappoint. I improved my reading score by 50 points through a combination of these materials.
Also, for vocab, buy direct hits core/toughest vocab if you want. What I did is when I took practice tests out of the blue book [from the official collegeboard] I just looked back and looked up every single word I didn’t know, even I got an answer choice right. It’s up to you.
Finally, you should check out guides from the SAT prep discussion from this site. If all of that overwhelms, you, I recommend that you should just buy the aforementioned products/get a tutor if you’re a completely new to SAT prep.
I went from a 1990 to a 2100 superscore over two attempts (640 CR, 770 M, 690 WR). If I new which materials were the best, I would have done a lot better and wasted a lot less time with generic prep books and stuff.
I hope this helps 
Good luck!
A face to face class would definitely be better. I know that a lot of high school also offer SAT touring on the side so look into that.