Smart guys… how do I ace the SAT?
I got an 1170 SAT as a Junior in HS. I’m entering a total non-target college as a senior in HS right now.
I need to transfer to at least a semi, and well let’s just say math is NOT my strongsuit.
I’m aiming high, 1500+.
I didn’t study for the SAT at all when I took it. I got a ~670 English score and a ~500 math score. If I study I could get at minimum a 1300. But believe me, I need a 1500+ to excel the way I want to.
Am I delusional?
Yes, maybe. But it will not stop me from trying.
What’s the best advice you’d give to me to ace the SAT? Study tips are appreciated!
I would be focusing primarily on getting my math score up to the 600’s. I could (relatively) easily get a 770+ on english if I studied seeing as I got a pretty solid score with no studying at all.
Skill issue
You aren’t wrong, lol.
But it won’t stop me
This. Lack of intelligence is the main thing
I know a few people, myself included, who took the sat without virtually no preparation (very early in sophomore year so you have a ton of time to retest multiple times) and scored 1500+
Terrible take.
There is a huge gap in preparation between high schools, and people's parent's levels of education. If you went to a public high school, and your parents didn't go to college you are at a significant disadvantage to people who had both. Sure everything is free online to learn but as a kid, you were likely never taught how to study or had anyone pushing you.
IMO the SAT says nothing about intelligence, it is too easy... It says you know how to study, can understand basic concepts, and have the potential to succeed in college.
Stop discouraging him by making it seem like something he can't change "IQ" when it is actually very likely not. Learn to study, and normalize banging out an hour or 2 of Khan Academy and taking practice tests. Tutors and classes are a waste of money until you have done this for a while.
Why are you asking us. This isn't a test prep forum. Go to whatever subreddit there is for SAT prep or something and I'm sure there will be a guide there.
Also sometimes you just have to admit that you're stupid as hell. Luckily having a good career doesn't have much to do with exceling intellectually, but regardless it's something you may need to acknowledge.
practice. a lot. every day. went from getting 600s on the math section to a 780 in the end by literally just doing timed questions every single day. the maths is basic, just understand the tricks
1530 here. For math, get better. Frankly a 700+ is going to be near impossible... but if you're willing to slog your ass off you can do it. Get a full SAT math textbook, the really chunky ones, and read through every single page. Do every single question. Take notes. Understand the concepts. For English, you're in a pretty solid spot. Read more books, use your common sense, practice problems, and finally: LEARN YOUR GRAMMAR RULES. Know what to semicolons and colons are for, why they're different. Independent and dependent clauses ARE A MUST KNOW.
Finally, practice problems here. Basically limitless supply of actual DSAT problems. https://satsuitequestionbank.collegeboard.org/
Remember. You are in a really bad spot. But if you work YOUR ASS OFF, you can make it. I started with a 1360 SAT and didn't work impossibly hard.
Thank you, seriously.
I’ll be taking this advice to heart.
had a 1540. just do a fuck ton of practice tests
What tests would you recommend in particular?
For context I got a 1590. The math section of the SAT is unbelievably easy, inexcusable you should get anything less than an 800. There are only so many different types of questions and you can repeatedly drill them till you get them all right. English/writing section IMO is innately much harder if you are not a reader.
My advice in general for the SAT is this: do a full practice exam, identify all the problems you got wrong, go on 1600.io (I am not sponsored lmfao) and watch the video corresponding to that question explaining the logic of it/how to approach those types of questions. If you guessed on something, mark it too so when you’re correcting you can identify it and practice it as well. Drill and understand those questions you got wrong over and over and over again till you don’t mess up those types of questions again. After you do all this, do another practice test. Repeat until you can consistently replicate a 1550+ but keep in mind there are only so many official practice/old exams so spend more time drilling errors than taking practice exams or you’ll run out.
Good luck!
Thank you.
Got 800 on Math section. Do two practice exams a day (just the Math section) for four weeks leading up to the test and you should be fine. Make sure to time yourself.
It’s all about how quickly can you figure out what concepts are being asked.
What was your practice exam of choice?
Thank you in advance.
There aren’t that many practice exams in circulation bruh
Wrong.
You can find a ton, at least I did when I was studying for it a few years ago. idk where you would find them now tho
Got a 1540- once you do enough practice tests you can start to recognize similar question types and tricks. Tbh you just have to grind it out.
Take every single practice exam you can find and after you finish each section read the justifications for the correct answer. Anything below 800 on Math is a skill issue, the math is incredibly easy as long as you know what to do. Make flashcards with all the formulas you need to know and keep reviewing them. English is a bit harder. I suggest reviewing all the SAT vocab words you can find online, practice analyzing text the way the exam wants you to (do this by reading answer explanations), and as for grammar do the same as math where you make flashcards with all the grammar rules. The SAT is 100% a test you can prepare for, you got this.
practice practice practice. and practice some more
Studying and practicing, there are a ton of different resources out there to help you prepare. I originally got around a 1300 or so on my first test, then kept studying and taking more tests and improved over 200+ points.
1. Take the ACT b/c in ACT math is only a quarter of the whole exam (there are 4 sections and you can easily superscore between them - semitargets look for 32.5 superscored at the bare minimum)
2. Even if you can't crack it, transfer colleges don't usually care abt SAT as much as with freshmen, and even for freshmen the SAT is becoming obsolete nowadays lmfao, so the 4.0 should BE YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY
wrong sub, go to r/sat on reddit
Khan Academy has an entire section dedicated to the SAT. Use this resource and get all the skills to the max level. This bumped by score by ~200 pts. A lot of the advice here to keep taking practice tests is garbo because if you don't understand the concepts, you're not going to be able to apply them correctly. That's why something like Khan is much better suited if you need more than practice.
It’s called have parents who force you to be perfect or else you don’t get to eat food
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