SAT tips pls

[Vividemix3]

To those of you who have taken your SAT already, I would really like to know some of your tips on how to do well and how you studied for it. I'm taking my SAT this upcoming January and I really need to do well on it. I already took it once but I didn't get it high enough to get into the nursing program because they only look at reading and math. I do have two practice booklets which I use to practice but I'm not even sure that it's helping tbh. I really, really, need to do well on this but I'm not sure what I can do. Please help me T__T.

[hyoyeon's lines in check]

Uh I think I just went to Sparknotes' website and used their SAT section. They have practice questions for free and they go over the basic concepts you need to know before the test.

[ot12]

i took it back in november and i wouldn't say i did super well, but i met my goal. i needed it for a program i'm applying for, so i took it early. i'd say definitely study those vocab lists! the CR section killed me. for math, I'd just do a lot of practice. try doing a section a day. there are plenty of practice tests online. for writing, think of examples beforehand and make sure you fill up at least 2 pages. also, study the grammar rules. There's only a couple types of errors they can give you. might i ask how many points you'd like to improve or what score you'd like to get?

[TheFlowerPath]

This will sound like advice everyone gives you, but just do plenty of practice tests. The SAT isn't testing intelligence or knowledge - it's a test to see how well you know the rules of the test. By doing plenty of practice problems you'll get the gist of how the questions are worded, what sort of questions they'll ask and the like. 

 

http://www.thecriticalreader.com/general-grammar-tips/sat-grammar/item/264-complete-sat-grammar-rules.html

I thought this website was pretty useful.

 

Also, trying going on college confidential - alot of people have pretty good tips there. 

Good luck 

[Vividemix3]

Uh I think I just went to Sparknotes' website and used their SAT section. They have practice questions for free and they go over the basic concepts you need to know before the test.

Thanks! I'll try and look through it later on today.

 

i took it back in november and i wouldn't say i did super well, but i met my goal. i needed it for a program i'm applying for, so i took it early. i'd say definitely study those vocab lists! the CR section killed me. for math, I'd just do a lot of practice. try doing a section a day. there are plenty of practice tests online. for writing, think of examples beforehand and make sure you fill up at least 2 pages. also, study the grammar rules. There's only a couple types of errors they can give you. might i ask how many points you'd like to improve or what score you'd like to get?

Well I'm actually not really too worried about the writing or grammar section since the nursing program doesn't really care for those points. The only thing I'm worried about is the reading and math part. The last time I took it I got 1210 which isn't too great but that's all combined. Since the program only looks at my reading and math combined, I only got 800 something. This time around I need to get 1040 from just the reading and math combined. I'm so scared and nervous tbh.

 

This will sound like advice everyone gives you, but just do plenty of practice tests. The SAT isn't testing intelligence or knowledge - it's a test to see how well you know the rules of the test. By doing plenty of practice problems you'll get the gist of how the questions are worded, what sort of questions they'll ask and the like. 

 

http://www.thecriticalreader.com/general-grammar-tips/sat-grammar/item/264-complete-sat-grammar-rules.html

I thought this website was pretty useful.

 

Also, trying going on college confidential - alot of people have pretty good tips there. 

Good luck 

Alright thanks! I'll check it out.

[sane]

Make sure you get plenty of rest and keep your stress levels down. You wouldn't study drunk, right? Don't study tired or stressed either.

 

For facts and information, use space repetition software to study them. It'll increase the efficiency of your study time.

[le youth]

i'm taking it in january too   

my tips (even though I've only taken practice tests + psat):
- keep on doing practice tests in a mock environment of the actual sat; so wake up at 7:00am, take the sat and the standard time, and do this in the prior weeks to the actual sat
- go over all mistakes and questions you skipped/guessed on to ensure you won't make the same ones again
- memorize as many vocab words as you can; also memorize latin roots bc if you don't know the meaning of the full word, roots will help you (i got so many points off on CR bc of the vocab)

- for math, you just need to know the quickest, easiest route to solving the problem. after understanding a bunch of shortcuts, I always finish math with a lot time to spare

literally take as many practice tests as you can, bc you can really learn from those and figure out how to improve your score.

this guide kind of helps as well:
http://www.luminpdf.com/files/9774234/Silverturtles%20Guide%20to%20SAT%20and%20Admissions%20Success-1.pdf 

[Seultoria]

Practice, practice and practice more. Get a well-renowned study guide for the SAT and do as much practice as possible.  

[굿바�]

Take ACT instead. 

[Unit]

Taking it in March (First time) and I haven't even began to study..... >< Too Lazy. Fuck.

[Sybil]

woah, I took mine yesterday.

Practicing does help to an extent, as a lot of the practice questions I did were similar topics to the questions on the actual SAT - Hell, I thought the practice book I used (Barron's) had generally harder questions than the test did. This will esp. help with Math, as the topics that give you struggle will keep on appearing on the practice tests and will appear on the actual test. I forgot about one topic that I noticed in my practice tests (I told myself I'd go over it but...things happened), and lo and behold, it came to smack me in the face. cries

 

With Reading, I read the entire passage then went to the questions instead of reading as I do the questions (one of my prep teachers suggested this, I used to do the latter and iirc I did worse with that). Also, if you can knock out at least 2-3 answers on a question in Reading, I'd personally pick an answer. But you do you.

 

Just get lots of rest, pace yourself, and don't forget the snack haha. I was on the break of dying at the last break and my granola bar spared me from testing death.

[Silktiger]

I'm not sure when the new version of the SAT kicks in, but for the old version, it was kind of easy. For me, the hardest section was the critical reading, so make sure to do a bunch of practice on that. The math, from what I remember, was mostly Geometry and Algebra I, so no sweat there. Also study your vocabulary, learn the roots and stuff, those tend to help with guessing.

The best way to study imo is to do a bunch of practice test, you can download some online I think or go buy a book

[ot12]

i got my math score from 640 (7th grade) to 760 (this year) by just doing practice tests. make sure to time yourself each time you do a section. when you take CR tests, make sure you read the explanations for the questions you get wrong if they give them to you. that helps a lot.

 

let me just tell you how great it feels to be done with SATs (for a while at least) 

[Knee]

my school had an online program that helped me study for it

but really all you need to do is look up the types of questions and study them

 

the test itself isnt that difficult. it's the format and set up of the test that's hard.

 

retaking it should help. Pretty much everyone does much better their second time than their first

[Vividemix3]

Take ACT instead. 

I did and....it didn't turn out so good lol.

 

I'm not sure when the new version of the SAT kicks in, but for the old version, it was kind of easy. For me, the hardest section was the critical reading, so make sure to do a bunch of practice on that. The math, from what I remember, was mostly Geometry and Algebra I, so no sweat there. Also study your vocabulary, learn the roots and stuff, those tend to help with guessing.

The best way to study imo is to do a bunch of practice test, you can download some online I think or go buy a book

Where do I find the vocabulary list? I didn't get it in my practice booklets.

[굿바�]

I did and....it didn't turn out so good lol.

 

Where do I find the vocabulary list? I didn't get it in my practice booklets.

 

Aww :(

I did a lot better on ACT than SAT - I've heard that a lot though, that if you do well on one you don't do as well on the other. 

 

For vocab lists try the official SAT website (I can't think of the name it's been so long omg lol). My ex got a list of GRE words on their website. 

[Vividemix3]

Aww :(

I did a lot better on ACT than SAT - I've heard that a lot though, that if you do well on one you don't do as well on the other. 

 

For vocab lists try the official SAT website (I can't think of the name it's been so long omg lol). My ex got a list of GRE words on their website. 

Well for the ACT the science part screwed me up lol. I think I'm more suited in taking the SAT xD. Thank you for your advice though, I'll definitely check it out!

i'm taking it in january too   

 

my tips (even though I've only taken practice tests + psat):

- keep on doing practice tests in a mock environment of the actual sat; so wake up at 7:00am, take the sat and the standard time, and do this in the prior weeks to the actual sat

- go over all mistakes and questions you skipped/guessed on to ensure you won't make the same ones again

- memorize as many vocab words as you can; also memorize latin roots bc if you don't know the meaning of the full word, roots will help you (i got so many points off on CR bc of the vocab)

- for math, you just need to know the quickest, easiest route to solving the problem. after understanding a bunch of shortcuts, I always finish math with a lot time to spare

 

literally take as many practice tests as you can, bc you can really learn from those and figure out how to improve your score.

 

this guide kind of helps as well:

http://www.luminpdf.com/files/9774234/Silverturtles%20Guide%20to%20SAT%20and%20Admissions%20Success-1.pdf 

Ah I wish you luck ><! I tried going to your link but it gave me an error. Is it because the site is just down? Or.

[le youth]

Well for the ACT the science part screwed me up lol. I think I'm more suited in taking the SAT xD. Thank you for your advice though, I'll definitely check it out!

Ah I wish you luck ><! I tried going to your link but it gave me an error. Is it because the site is just down? Or.

oh it was a pdf from my google drive, that's probably why.

 

the same thing is on this site, just go over the sections that are relevant to what you need:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/955109-silverturtles-guide-to-sat-and-admissions-success.html

 

 

[굿바�]

Well for the ACT the science part screwed me up lol. I think I'm more suited in taking the SAT xD. Thank you for your advice though, I'll definitely check it out!

 

You're welcome! Good luck on your test 

[bananabrows]

I took it for the first time in November and got a 2330.

 

I'd say SAT prep academies are really the best solution in terms of getting you prepared, but self-study works too, as long as you're willing to commit to it. Go through the blue Collegeboard book and if you have time, the Barrons one too. Do the practice tests and review not only what you got wrong, but what you got right.

 

Writing should be the easiest once you get the grammar rules down. The essay is a little annoying but keep it simple and always choose one side or the other (agree or disagree). A good SAT essay is different from an actually good essay. Also, no need to write 5 paragraphs, but apparently it's good to write a full two pages.

 

Math is (supposedly) easy too but I've always struggled with it, so idk. First it's all about learning the concepts, then doing practice problems so you don't make mistakes. Remember not to spend too much time on one problem because the point value is the same for all the questions, regardless of difficulty. 

 

Reading is the hardest to master in a short time. Every passage is unique, so it's really about whether you're naturally good at that kind of stuff. Do a LOT of practice if this doesn't come naturally for you. From my experience, it's best to take the questions literally. ALWAYS identify the evidence to support your answer and try not to read the actual passage, unless a question calls for it or it's a passage with character development. Maybe it's not the safest thing to do, but it saves time and doesn't distract you from extraneous information. Also, vocab is extremely important. Since you want to take it in January, you might want to go over a lot, maybe 50-100 per day. Try to see the context they are used in because that helps too. 

[camelliabloom]

 

• Study the math before incase you've forgotten it like I did

 

Plan your essays out, I wrote an essay with no planning and I didn't have enough room to write a conclusion

 

Obviously leave anything blank that you're unsure about

 

Read the questions before you read a passage

 

Keep track of where you are bubbling bc I would bubble in wrong sections at time and I'd get confused where I was

 

[VANTE]

Yeah, I would echo the advice saying to practice. Take so many practice tests that you feel overprepared for the test. I practiced every week for two hours, but you should figure out what works best for you. Every time you take one, don't just look at your score: look at what specifically you got wrong, why you chose the answer you did, and why that answer was wrong. It is also helpful to mark off answers you think are wrong as you take the test, to see if the correct answer was one you had crossed off or one you were wavering towards.

 

For the essay, pick a side and be decisive about it. Have two or three main reasons to back up your claim and use those as your body paragraphs. Also, add a possible counterargument, and then explain why it is wrong. For example, if the topic is school uniforms and you are for them, add this sentence to maybe your last body paragraph: "Although people may say that uniforms inhibit personal expression, uniforms are simply restricting clothes to appropriate standards. The school would not restrict hair or jewelry." That was a really rough example, but the test readers like it when you acknowledge opposing sides.

 

For the writing multiple choice, take a lot of practice tests. You may get a lot of the questions that are easy to find the correct choice (some sentences "sound" better than others), but there are a lot of rules that you may forget, like when to use "who" or "whom." To find the ones you keep forgetting, figure out which types of questions you consistently get wrong, and burn them into your brain.

 

I can't really help you with math, because I did abysmally on the math sat (which is why I'm only sending the act scores to colleges), but I guess just make sure you have a firm grasp on algebra and geometry.

 

The reading is very difficult, because there are a lot of vocab words that you may not know. Get a pack of SAT vocab flashcards and study them. You still may not see a lot of them on the test, but it will help you expand your vocabulary. Also, look at the context the words are in. Usually there is either a positive or negative mood to the sentence. The words to fit in will usually be either positive or negative. Try to fit the moods in both cases (this won't work every time because some words have a neutral connotation). And for the reading passages, try to read as fast as you can without losing accuracy. I don't remember how many passages are in each section, but try and time it so you have equal time for each passage. Read them carefully, because there is usually a trick answer. And in the months before the test, try to read other things too (like books, essays, etc) to improve your reading comprehension.

 

This is all I can think of, but if you have any more questions, please PM me!