I’m presented with a whole slew of options…everything from free online questions to a $699 dollar 3-7 week course from Princeton Review.
I’m taking it on October 4th and math is definitely my weak point. I’m not bad at it, but for some reason when put in front of a multiple choice question I always choose the wrong damn one.
Any recommendations?
I also had the same problem with the math section - verbal I had no trouble with, but for some reason I kept making stupid mistakes, reading things wrong, overlooking obvious solutions, and so on.
What worked for me was buying a book with lots of practice tests and taking all the math components. I’d set aside 45 minutes, sit down, and take the test as if it were the real thing.
It really does help you concentrate and focus better. I got a 770 Verbal / 760 Math the first time I took the SATs (last May).
Thats a really good score lol.
I think part of my problem was that the pretests I took were on the computer. You know how you spend all day long on the damn computer and your eyes are used to jumping around the screen and just briefly scanning over text. That might have been my issue.
On the side I am enrolled in this PLATO course that has helped a lot in refreshing the things I learned in high school, but some times I just find I have the hardest looking at a sentence on the monitor and continuing to look at it and not keep reading on.
I dont have ADD i swear =)
Thanks though I will buck up on the practice tests.
I tried taking practice tests on a computer and got something in the 1000 range.
Doing them on paper definitely helps.
Not all test prep books are created equal. For practice tests, make sure you get one published by ETS with actual tests from previous years, not one published by another company with “made-up” tests (which sometimes include types of problems not found on the actual SAT). For tips on how the tests are put together and a few useful tricks on how to beat them, the books published by Princeton Review and Kaplan can be invaluable, but bear in mind that the practice tests in these books won’t be the real thing.
I bought the previous years SAT prep book for a few bucks at a used book store. Using that and just reading the tips improved my score about 100 total points. That worked for me. But the answer to the OP depends on your situation. If you’re trying to get into Harvard and you suck at tests like the SAT, then maybe the $700 course will help. Take the SAT once early, and then look at the scores of the previous accepted class. Then decide what to do based on that comparison. But remember, the second time you take it your scores will probably rise no matter what.
Are you inferring that most people take it twice? I hadn’t considered it but I can see how it is a good idea.
Is this one of those situtations where you only report the higher score?
Thanks.
Read the information they mailed you after you signed up for the boards. Become totally familiar with the way the tests will be formatted or presented. Why? Do not waste time reading the instructions for each test.
Also, notice how the scoring is calculated. (Yes they do tell you that). It’s been a long time since I had taken the SAT’s but let’s say the math section consists of 30 questions. Getting 18 correct answers might score a 510. Getting 19 right could be a 530. A difference of 1 more correct answer gets you 20 points? In some cases, yes.
Also notice that you do not have to get all the answers correct in order to score an 800. So, basically, rather than trying to plod through questions 1 through 30, if one question wastes too much time then skip it. Remember, 1 more correct answer could mean 20 points. (Again, check the method of computing the SAT score).
At least my method costs nothing and requires no additional studying. Good luck.
When I got my SAT scores back (740 verbal/730 math), they told me that my scores would probably go down if I took it again. So I didn’t. That was fine with me. 
I’ll second the taking-real-old-tests idea. That’s helped me immensely with other standardized tests.
alterego, IYO type of questions belong in IMHO.
Please read forum descriptions carefully before you make your next post. Thank you.
I’ll move this to IMHO for you.
-xash
General Questions Moderator
This page will help clear your math fundamentals and make the math section really easy to tackle:
I have something to add to what others said. If you have a weak area, ignore it and focus instead on the test as a whole. If you concentrate on just one area, you’ll burn out.
Also, you don’t HAVE to take the test several times, but consider it an option. It helps if you know that whatever score you get isn’t the be-all and end-all of your SATs.
I got a 1240 a few months ago without studying… in october i plan on buying a book and reading it before the test. Basically, i knew how to do every math problem, except i didnt have the time to finish. Got a 620 on verbal and i hardly knew any of the words well. All i did was quickly eliminate 2, and take a guess (thats for the analogies). I recommend reading the passage before answering the questions, as opposed to reading the questions then looking in the passages. At least it makes me familiar with what its about and i have an idea of where the find what. To get ready for that part of the test, i just started reading a bit more. During the summer i read a few books and im reading one right now. I had to read a book that i wasnt interested in, but i forced myself to read it because even i know that the passages are boring on the sat.
For the math section, make sure you know the relationships between the sides of different triangles. Also, id recommend doing doing maybe 40 word problems before taking the test. If you cant find a way to solve the question algebraiclly, think logically for a second. Many times that will help you. Remember that you dont need to answer anything you dont know, so if you dont have the time, dont do 22-25 for the math section since those are the hardest. I have many friends that took those expensive classes and got lower scores than me, so i wouldnt say that they are that much of a help.
Im assuming you are a junior since you this is your first time taking the sat. If i could do my junior year over, i would have taken a few more college classes. Go over to your local JC, and sign up for a college algebra, trig, or pre-cal class. Trust me, it will help A LOT!
hope this helps,
culov
I would not be so quick to infer that conclusion. If you wander over to alterego’s website, you’ll see in his picture gallery that he has his 21st birthday tomorrow. That’s a bit old for him to be a junior in high school, and while not unprecedented, being a junior in high school at that age is more than a bit unlikely for someone with alterego’s experience as a US Navy seaman and journalist stationed in Italy. My guess is that alterego joined the Navy right after high school, postponing the SAT until he felt it necessary for his future education/career plans.
You can sometimes turn this disadvantage into an advantage. Because it is most unlikely that a test-taker will guess the answers to every test question and get all of them wrong, your uncanny ability to choose the wrong answer to a multiple choice question could be interpreted as a sign of genius. For example, some students at the North Carolina School of Science and Math try to get a score of zero on state mathematics competitions, because in order to get a score of zero, a test-taker must understand how to solve every problem, and then deliberately write an incorrect answer for which no judge would award partial credit. Merely leaving a question blank is not good enough, as unanswered questions still earn points. The knowledge and creativity needed to answer every question in such a way that no points are earned speaks volumes about the mathematical ability of the zero-scoring test-taker. Some people try this technique on the SAT as well, and shrewd admissions officers who see the huge discrepancy between high school course work/GPA and SAT scores will not draw the conclusion that the high school’s standards are too relaxed, but will instead conclude that the applicant is talented, witty, and clever enough to fit into university life quite well.
bullshit. All it means is that the person is not taking it seriously and probably donesn’t have a burning desire to do whats neccesary for college. Its a whole lot easier to get 0 that to get 1600. Theres only 1 right answer and 3 wrong ones, furthermore, theres usually 1 almost right answer, 1 possibly right answer and 1 blatently wrong answer. In fact, I would say its trivial to get a 0 and anybody who is impressed by that is probably not going to be sitting on a college admissions board.
I have anecdotal evidence that an applicant to UC Berkeley who got the lowest possible SAT score, yet could boast of a stellar GPA, success in challenging AP courses, and prize-winning participation in science fairs and competitions, was accepted by the university’s admissions board. The SAT is not as heavily weighted in college admissions as the College Board would like you to believe. With experience as a US Navy seaman and journalist stationed in Italy, alterego’s prospects for college admission are not going to be severely impacted by a low SAT math score.