<p>This is the most comprehensive, helpful, and to-the-point guide that I've ever thumbed through. You're a great asset to the CC community; this will help other, future SAT-takers enormously.</p>
<p>thank you harambee =D</p>
<p>Cool. I'll check it out.</p>
<p>Thanks alot silverturtle! I will tell you my SAT results after reading your guide and applying them to practice tests. And can you be honest for my question? Is it possible to go from 1510 to a 1800+ within 4months on studying? I scored a 1510 because I was rushing through every question. When I took the QAS at home untimed I only missed 2 writing questions! Surprising!!</p>
<p>Quick question: Are AP's available to internationals? How can I take them?
I'd literally never heard of them before until I started visiting CC, and my school gives no AP courses and has never mentioned those 2 letters to us. We don't even have separate math courses like calculus and such, it's just "math." And we learn everything from trig to calc to geometry in it.</p>
<p>Also, I've said this before, but amazing guide and props to silverturtle for taking the time to write it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Is it possible to go from 1510 to a 1800+ within 4months on studying? I scored a 1510 because I was rushing through every question. When I took the QAS at home untimed I only missed 2 writing questions! Surprising!!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's definitely possible. Many CCers are exceptions to the general statistics about minor score increases. There are quite a few posters who have improved by several hundred points.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Are AP's available to internationals? How can I take them?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yes, they are available for internationals. Talk to your guidance counselor.</p>
<p>Silverturtle, have you taken SAT Subject Tests yet?</p>
<p>^ Yes, I have taken Math Level 2, Chemistry, and Literature. I will be taking Physics and US History in October.</p>
<p>^Would you say Literature is by far the hardest? I'm deciding whether to take it or not.</p>
<p>^ I did very poorly on it. I attribute this to four things: I did not try when taking it, I had not prepared in any way, old literature is not my strength, and the test is indeed quite difficult. If you are a frequent and engaged reader of older works, however, you could probably pull off a good score with little preparation. (Moreover, as you likely noticed in the guide, the curve is quite brutal.)</p>
<p>If you are looking for tests that are safe-750+'s if you know the material, I recommend Math Level 2, Chemistry, Physics, or the history tests (plus Biology if you really know the content).</p>
<p>The Lit test was very very difficult for ME. It was almost like every question on there was a level 5 SAT CR question.</p>
<p>silverturtle, should i take the SAT in both October and November? I should just prepare for both SAT right now. Colleges will accept november scores for a UC correct?</p>
<p>You should sign up for both October and November and retake in November if you are unsatistifed with your October score. (Unless you need to take Subject Tests instead.) All colleges that I am aware of accept November scores for RD. Many accept December scores, and some private schools even take January scores.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If you are a frequent and engaged reader of older works, however, you could probably pull off a good score with little preparation.
[/quote]
I have recently started avidly reading classics. I hope this in enough preparation in that regard. I have heard that poems, weak points of mine, show up frequently on Literature, though.
[quote]
If you are looking for tests that are safe-750+'s if you know the material, I recommend Math Level 2, Chemistry, Physics, or the history tests
[/quote]
I plan on taking all of those, but I want to take at least one test where 800 actually means much more than others (99 percentile for Literature).</p>
<p>
[quote]
You should sign up for both October and November and retake in November if you are unsatistifed with your October score.
[/quote]
Can you cancel your registration for November if you do end up doing well in October?</p>
<p>Well, you can "cancel" it by not actually going to the testing center.</p>
<p>Wow, thank you silverturtle for actually taking the time to do something like this. Now I have two questions for you: </p>
<p>When you mentioned "- I get that there is no minimum score requirement. But what's a good score?</p>
<p>It's difficult to answer this quantitatively. But I would say that unhooked (I will elaborate on this term later) applicants with under 2100 or so on the SAT have an extremely low chance of being accepted unless the rest of their applications are very strong (outstandingly so). As your score falls much below that number, your chance very quickly, though asymptotically, approaches zero. Most unhooked acceptees' scores are probably around 2300 or higher. For SAT Subject tests, 750 or higher is a good score (with perhaps the exception of Math Level 2); this varies a bit from test to test, though (see here for percentiles). Below 700 is subpar for top schools. </p>
<p>(For less competitive schools, looking at the schools' SAT ranges for accepted students can be a good indication of how your scores stack up. For top schools, these ranges should be ignored.)"</p>
<p>did that apply only to top schools, such as Harvard, Brown, and Yale, or for all schools?</p>
<p>You also mentioned that one should apply to as many schools, I only plan on applying to four schools. Am I making a foolish decision?</p>
<p>So November is for Regular Decision and October is for Early Decision right? It's best to take the October SAT then right?</p>
<p>
[quote]
So November is for Regular Decision and October is for Early Decision right? It's best to take the October SAT then right?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>November results could work for some early programs, but not most. </p>
<p>
[quote]
did that apply only to top schools, such as Harvard, Brown, and Yale, or for all schools?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>My comments there refer only to the most selective schools.</p>
<p>
[quote]
You also mentioned that one should apply to as many schools, I only plan on applying to four schools. Am I making a foolish decision?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I would have to know more about your situation.</p>
<p>Your chances increase to be accepted into a UC during Early Decisions right?</p>