Silverturtle's Guide to SAT and Admissions Success

[jasonInNy]

<p>@Silverturtle</p>

<p>“If Harvard wanted perfect numbers, they could fill its class up several times over.”</p>

<p>This is factually incorrect. Harvard accepted around 50% of perfect 2400 scorers who applied.
Furthermore, there are only 250 perfect scoring SAT kids in America in 1 year. Harvard cant even fill a quarter of its class with 36’s and 2400’s. (we are talking about true 36’s : 36R 36M 36E 36S)</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>^ Please read the context of that quotation:</p>

<p>

Some people (including many on College Confidential) support this reality by claiming that there are just too many people who are perfect on paper these days (“If Harvard wanted only people with perfect numbers, they could still fill their class several times over”). This, too, is false; Harvard could accept all the perfect scorers and have plenty of spots left over. Less than .01 percent of those in each graduating high-school class have perfect scores on the SAT, and even fewer have perfect GPAs and Subject Tests as well. Nonetheless, the implication of those posters’ claim is valid: great scores (even perfect scores) do not ensure acceptance to any top college.

</p>

[jasonInNy]

<p>My Bad, i stopped reading when i encounter false info. Sorry lol</p>

[fignewton]

<p>Hg-turtle, nicely done. Your guide is a product of careful, hard work and should be relevant and useful to CC’ers for some time to come.</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>^ You’ve got your elements mixed up. :)</p>

[fignewton]

<p>Lol, I was never particularly good at chemistry. But, in my defense, I think the name quicksilverturtle is apt if a bit oxymoronic.</p>

[qgroup]

<p>I am wondering when S2 (rising junior) should first attempt the SAT. The conventional wisdom (and recommendation from GC) is to wait until March. But if someone has a shot (long, probably) at a perfect score and is willing to sit a few times to try, I am thinking it would be better to start this fall. I can’t think of any reason that he would be more prepared by spring, so why wait? On the other hand if he takes an earlier one he can see where he falls and have plenty of time to do more prep work. Did most of you very high scorers start early than spring of junior year?</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>^ I recommend taking it whenever he is ready; there is no magic date. Because several top schools don’t want their applicants to use Score Choice, using a test date as a benchmarking session (“see where he falls”) is not a good idea. That’s what practice tests are for.</p>

<p>In my case, I took the SAT in my freshman year. In hindset, it probably wasn’t the smartest decision (I hadn’t prepared). Everything worked out, though: I got a good score and then retook it January of my junior year and got an even better score.</p>

[Jimmy797]

<p>

In hindset

Is that an actual word? (I’m not being sarcastic, I’m serious - isn’t it ‘hindsight’?)</p>

[Jimmy797]

<p>Also, a question - do you think it’s possible to go from a ~650 to an ~800 in CR during the summer (between now and November)? I already worked on like 5 BB tests and only went from a 630 to a 660. But, on the actual test I took, I was for some reason pressed for time while I was never pressed for time on the practice tests I took and I usually got ~680+. My goal is anywhere 720+, and 750+ would be amazing.</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>Hindset is a town in Norway. I made those reflections on a vacation there.</p>

<p>Nah, it was a typo. :)</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>

do you think it’s possible to go from a ~650 to an ~800 in CR during the summer

</p>

<p>Possible, though unlikely.</p>

[x_Ambivalent_x]

<p>

do you think it’s possible to go from a ~650 to an ~800 in CR during the summer

</p>

<p>It is very possible. That’s actually what I plan on doing.</p>

[Jimmy797]

<p>

Possible, though unlikely.

How about up to a 730?
I’m pretty sure my current range is a 680 rather than a 650/660 - I underperformed on the actual test considering my BB scores which were never that low. I know it’s improbable, but I’m hoping for a 2400 in one sitting in November, and if not, somewhere 2350+, at least superscored (already have 800’s on M and W)</p>

<p>It’s weird though, every time I review my incorrect answers I always feel like “wow, how’d I miss that”. I think I just need to read the passages more acutely. I don’t have too large a problem with vocab, I should be able to get 17/19 usually. Possibly 19 if I’m lucky and practice some vocab this summer. And don’t do it as quickly as I did in June.
+In the June SAT I missed 2 easy questions and did the SCs in 5 minutes flat altogether (ouch.) That literally has never happened to me before.</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>

How about up to a 730?

</p>

<p>Quite realistic.</p>

[Jimmy797]

<p>^I’ll aim for an 800 and be satisfied with a 700+ then :)</p>

<p>Okay, I have 2 questions as to your way of thinking on the CR (these might seem a bit unconventional, but they’ll help me):
1- Do you bar out incorrect answers or just directly see the correct answer while reading the answer choices? (PBR)
2- In reading the text do you usually retain most/all of the information you read while answering?
3- How do you approach this type of question: “The author of passage 1 used which techniques that the author of passage 2 did not use?” (Or something along those lines, and possible answer choices are usually something like: exemplification, metaphor, etc.)</p>

[belly]

<p>I got a 4 on my AP World History but a mere 610 on SAT II WHAP. What score will colleges be more favorable to?</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>

1- Do you bar out incorrect answers or just directly see the correct answer while reading the answer choices? (PBR)

</p>

<p>I usually cross things out.</p>

<p>

2- In reading the text do you usually retain most/all of the information you read while answering?

</p>

<p>Well, the specific questions will often have line references, so I will know what I am looking for when I read the passage.</p>

<p>

3- How do you approach this type of question: “The author of passage 1 used which techniques that the author of passage 2 did not use?” (Or something along those lines, and possible answer choices are usually something like: exemplification, metaphor, etc.)

</p>

<p>I haven’t seen a question like that before, so I can’t say. </p>

<p>

I got a 4 on my AP World History but a mere 610 on SAT II WHAP. What score will colleges be more favorable to?

</p>

<p>This is a difficult question to answer because, as I have described, Subject Test scores and AP scores are not used in the same way.</p>

[belly]

<p>so do you think I should retake the SAT II?</p>

[crazybandit]

<p>

3- How do you approach this type of question: “The author of passage 1 used which techniques that the author of passage 2 did not use?” (Or something along those lines, and possible answer choices are usually something like: exemplification, metaphor, etc.)

Use process of elimination.</p>