Black Bird Lockheed Posted November 22, 2013 Report Share Posted November 22, 2013 Hi all !Well I am never crossing more than 600 or 700 in SAT main, and in SAT main subjects like Maths and US History. I always study the guide thing from the books and then only practice 1 question paper. Is there wrong in this strategy? I need to improve my scores, but I don't know if it is necessary to go through the guide, or just immediately start practicing.Thanks! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1111 Posted November 22, 2013 Report Share Posted November 22, 2013 I am not taking SAT's and this is not the right forum but I heard people the do well study a lot and they also retake the tests. I guess getting good in anything related to academics should be similar. SO whatever helps you do well in IB subjects should help with SAT. That being said also try the Practice question of the day and do timed tests from the official guide (which you can buy). 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
by.andrew Posted November 22, 2013 Report Share Posted November 22, 2013 (edited) College Confidential has some really good threads regarding tips on the SAT. That being said, you should (must absolutely) get the Official Blue Book of SATs. It has 10 Practice tests, and this is pretty much how you should be studying. The SAT largely composes of questions drawn from a question bank so you'll see a similar pattern/style of questions on the actual exam as well. My suggestion is to do as many Practice tests as you can and make sure you go over the answers for questions you missed. Edited November 22, 2013 by by.andrew 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forester Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 600 to 700 in each section or 600 to 700 overall in the SAT1? If you are receiving 700 in each section already, then you just need to do more practise tests. If you are receiving 700 overall, then I don't think anyone on this forum would be of help. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Bird Lockheed Posted November 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 (edited) 600 to 700 in each section or 600 to 700 overall in the SAT1? If you are receiving 700 in each section already, then you just need to do more practise tests. If you are receiving 700 overall, then I don't think anyone on this forum would be of help.In each section. Math is my weakness and I scored around 430 and Critical writing I was expecting 700, but ended up in getting 570 ( I don' know, where I went wrong). So overall in SAT 1 I got 1470 (this is my first time, but I admit I just practiced one paper, and read all the instructions of Princeton review.) In SAT US History, I got 500, and for Math Lvl 2 got 500 once again. In this case, reading the events of US history is important, but same like SAT 1, I read all the instructions and directions for the Math Lvl 2, then only had enough time to practice one paper. So is there flaw in my studying method, is what I want to know. Thanks in advance! Edited November 23, 2013 by Black Bird Lockheed Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
swepati Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 Hello there! I'm taking my first SAT on Jan 27th. And haven't started my preparation yet. I'm planning on taking coaching classes from 1st Dec, how much help would they really be? Also, under what circumstances does one take US History? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Bird Lockheed Posted November 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 Hello there! I'm taking my first SAT on Jan 27th. And haven't started my preparation yet. I'm planning on taking coaching classes from 1st Dec, how much help would they really be? Also, under what circumstances does one take US History?Don't know about coaching classes, but one of my school mates, went into a reputed coaching class for months only to get 1300. It depends on hard work. I am taking US history, because I am taking economics ( and also not good at science). 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 SAT I: I know i only got a 1700, but i was able to do it with only 2 day practice.1) Writing: Get to know the most common sentence and paragraph errors, they can be found in any SAT book and can be of great help. It usually requires a good English Background.2) Critical Reading: I find this section the hardest. You must have a good pool of vocabulary and an eye for key words in the sentence to be able to identify words. For answering the passage question, it usually depends on your level of understanding of the text.3) Math: the easiest part of the Test. Seeing you are taking the Math 2 subject test implies that you have a strong Math background. Just keep practicing. It is the only way you will get used to those pesky little questions.*TIME YOUR SELF AND DO A COUPLE OF PRACTICE TESTSSAT II:- For the Mathematics part, i only got a 660. Yet, i did not have the practice book.. I did not know what was in the test material, and i did not know what i was supposed to expect. Most answers i left empty were subjects that were not included in the Higher level Math syllabus or i haven't took yet. It usually depends on YOU the amount of time you spend studying, your understanding of the test material, and being able time yourself on the test. Be sure to understand each and every single point. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
swepati Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 Oh thank you!What courses does US History help with? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Bird Lockheed Posted November 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2013 Oh thank you!What courses does US History help with? Most probably for humanities course and social science. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flinquinnster Posted November 24, 2013 Report Share Posted November 24, 2013 To be honest, I don't think that there is a sure formula for SAT success. Personally, I only started studying for my main SAT about a week before my exam, and still got a good score overall. I too basically went through both the official and Princeton guides in detail, and then I had time for one full practice paper before the actual exams. The guide is useful in providing detailed advice and tips on how to most efficiently tackle all SAT questions. However, if it does come down to a question of 'should I go through the guide or do practice papers', then I feel that doing practice papers and then reviewing your answers is far more valuable. And as SATs can be taken many, many times unlike IB, take advantage of that - practice more with the extra time, gain experience - whilst retaking SATs is not a foolproof method of improving scores, for most people it can help.As for subject tests, I think that my experience was a bit more mixed. I studied quite intensely (in comparison to the main SAT and my Maths Level 2) for a few weeks, but didn't end up breaking 700 in the final test. In contrast, I barely studied for Maths Level 2, but got 800. Personally, I don't think that reveals the limited utility of studying and doing practice papers for SATs, but it suggests that 'practice' should be ongoing. In Maths HL, I had been constantly practising most of the skills and content required for the subject test - so even if the direct preparation period for the test was short, I had had a lot more experience in that subject. So, practice is key, although in the end there is often much more than test familiarity and experience affecting a SAT score. 2 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.