Where to begin...1350 SAT

gc414
Sun, 04 Jul 2010 13:21:25 +0000

“Your[e] not ■■■■■■■■, don’t let these standardized tests get into your head too much.”

A succinct yet ridiculously true statement. As everyone said, you have quite a bit of time to work and get your scores up, and it’s quite clear that you have the drive and motivation to do so (which will take you much farther in life than this test… honestly)!

You have a starting point (1350), you have a concrete goal (2000+) and you have the time and the tools (or will have the tools :)) to meet that goal. The trick with the SAT is to understand how the test works; to get into the collegeboard’s mind. Use online resources, the SAT section of this site which has a lot of helpful users, do the SAT question of the day, and take practice tests until your hand falls off!

When I first started prepping I took as long as I needed on each section (but still timed myself to see how long the sections were taking me) and then as time went on I lowered the time until i was at the section’s actual time. Additionally, once I had a section in the bag (namely writing… which is of course the section of most little consequence, haha) I just focused on Math and Critical Writing. I would literally cut up tests and just do section after section in M and CR. I bought every book with a practice test that I could find, got a free practice test from the college counseling office, signed up online on CB to get those tests… and yeah.

My PSAT (in JUNIOR year) was: CR640, M610, W570 (1250/1820 composite) (…Yikes). By the beginning of my senior year my scores were: CR720 M720 W780 (1440/2220). That’s a 190/400 point increase. Keep in mind, that in addition to practicing, you’re growing, advancing and developing – we’re teenagers… we’re meant to be inconsistent! So don’t be afraid to take a break every now and let your mind do its thing.