<p>Hey silverturtle
I’m currently having problems with my PSAT/SAT prep. I have consistently scored 80/800 on the Math section, but I can’t seem to get above a 700 for Writing nor a 650 for Reading. My scores have plateaued, and my scores have changed little and have fluctuated for the past year. How can I get out of the dike and start seeing a progressive increase in my score?</p>
<p>^ On the Reading section, do you miss many Sentence Completion questions? (If so, consider reviewing some vocabulary lists.) Do you run out of time on the passage questions? (If so, reevaluate your method. Have you tried my default recommendation of marking line references and then addressing those questions when they arise as you read through?) Do you have trouble answering passage questions even when taking the section un-timed? (In that case, you need to practice more carefully. Ensure you dedicate your most acute attention to the passages, imputing in your mind a sense of great importance to what you’re reading. Read the official explanations online for each question you have any doubt about, so that you can understand the test writers’ paradigm for what constitutes correctness. Be a Devil’s advocate: What about this answer could be wrong, given what is stated in the text?)</p>
<p>As for Writing, do you believe you have a strong grasp on grammar principles? Do you know why you miss the questions you do? Have you considered writing out your own variations on the questions you miss so that the same error types do not recur? This is a section that you should be able to nearly perfect over time, given a good base of grammar and the active application of that knowledge.</p>
<p>Good luck on the improvement you’re looking for and congratulations on your Math performance so far.</p>
<p>Hi Silverturtle, I just wanted to thank you for how beneficial your guide has been. Although I came across it only a day before my 3rd SAT, reading through your grammar section drastically improved my performance in writing. My superscore from my first two SATs was a 2200, but my writing score was only a 670 because I could not seem to find a comprehensive grammar guide like yours. Thanks to your guide, I felt extremely confident on the writing portion this time, and I am sure it will raise my superscore to at least my goal of a 2250. Thanks again and keep up the good work!</p>
<p>^ I’m glad the thoroughness of the grammar guide helped you. Good luck reaching your score goal.</p>
<p>I think it’s great to prep, but in the end dont overdo it, 2100 or above = okay already. It’s just a small part of the process</p>
<p>wow thanks this is amazing!</p>
<p>Hey, Silverturtle, I am getting 660 - 690 on the Barrons Math 2 exams. Will I still have a shot at an 800 on the real one? Also, for a well-known school in engineering circles but not so in general (e.g. Georgia Tech), will I need a perfect 800 or will a 750 suffice?</p>
<p>Hey dirty socks, according to last year’s admission statistics, 15 percent of those that took math2 got an 800, so if you’re looking to go engineering, a good amount of the people applying will have 800s in math2 (almost 22,000 people!), so its probably good if you get an 800.</p>
<p>Just remember though, to get an 800 in math2 you do not need to get all the questions. You only need a 43 or 44 raw score, so you could get up to 5 wrong and still receive an 800.</p>
<p>Hi! siverturtle I am new to cc and what to thank you for the guide, is excellent. Also for your help answering all this questions is very helpful Thanks again.</p>
<p>I just took a released exam for Math 2. I got an 800 while I was getting 650-700 on the barrons. the real one is a lot easier.</p>
<p>Thank you! This is very helpful…</p>
<p>Can anyone offer an opinion on whether going through the 5,000 and 1,000 word lists is actually worth it. I want a strong vocabulary for the SAT, but I also don’t want to have to memorize 100 words a day which is what I’ll need to do to complete the lists. The main reason is that I want to spend more time on a project I am much more interested which is developing a game.</p>
<p>^ Try memorizing root words instead.</p>
<p>silverturtle, i have a question about GPA.
my grades are mostly A’s,few B’s, 3C’s, and 1 D. the C’s and D are from my Spanish class.it is very hard for me to learn Spanish, mostly of the students in that class got D’s. well my C’s and D effect my chance of getting accepted to top colleges like Cornell, Stanford, ivy? i’m a going to be a junior next year. i take very hard classes(AP, honor).
i’m planning to get recruited by these top colleges.
so do i have a chance of getting in by recruiting?
what are my chance of getting in without recruiting?
i’m planning to get 2300+ on my SAT.</p>
<p>Great guide, silverturtle.
just out of curiosity, is the guide still the way it is today even though it is 3 years old? or do you update it?</p>
<p>silverturtle: I got a 4 on AP Computer science A. Are 4s considered a bad score on the APs for HYPS-M admissions? Especially since I am projecting myself as a math and science person? I have won awards for both Math and Biology so far. I also got an A in the AP compuer Science course in school, this year. I am taking chemistry next year. But this 4 on comp. sci has come as a shock for me. How much will it affect my chances and what can I do to compensate for this?</p>
<p>I know a lot of you out there are going to call me an over achiever and I am whining but when I am an ORM and acceptance rates are in the 5% to 8% range, its quite worrisome for me.</p>
<p>Any constructive advise/criticism will be appreciated.</p>
<p>I think APs are self-reported, so you don’t have to report your 4. To answer your question though, despite the fact that you are an ORM, I think that if the rest of your application is strong enough, colleges will overlook your 4. A lone 4 is not a great detriment to your application, as admission officers are supposed to look at your application holistically, but when compared to ORMs, anything shortcoming could stand out. f you are concerned about the AP class appearing on your transcript, but no AP score to reflect that, you could consider retaking, but that may potentially jeopardize your grades other classes due to the time required.</p>
<p>@FlyingWombat: Thanks! I did think about the possibility of repeating the exam but I will be taking 4 APs in school next year and I am planning to self study AP Statistics. This course load plus my SATS/other ECS/USABO( I was a semifinalist this year), USNCO/AMC might not give me enough time to redo AP computer science exam. </p>
<p>Since most colleges don’t seem to give credit for AP Computer Science so can I safely assume that they don’t care about the AP score for Computer Science?
Also, when you say AP scores are self reported, does that mean college board never send the scores to them or after you get admitted an official transcript of all AP scores has to be sent to the college?</p>
<p>The gist of my question is can you pass the quantitative filters with a 4 in AP computer Science? I understand that once you cross that threshold they start looking at everything else on your application and scores won’t matter anymore.</p>