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SAT 1 + 2's + ACT Help
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Dex13
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Join Date: Dec 2002
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Sep 18, 2004, 10:24 PM
 
Come senior year I go to meet my counselor. My 1100 and GPA surprisingly won't get me anywhere, even though all of my classes are "college prep" but wtvr. I understand that an 1100 is pretty horrible and we won't dive into my sat 2's. But basically my counselor wants me to have at least a 1400 + 530 or better on the SAT 2's, for each subject (which isn't too bad, sat 2's that is). But I have to gain at least 300 points on the SAT, so my counselor was like if you have problems on the SAT's then you might want to take the ACT with a score of at least a 31.

I have read the books, studied (in my opinion a lot, seriously), but haven't taken any cram sessions. I sucked at math but did well in verbal.

So my question to all of you 1400 + scoring geniuses and 31 + geniuses how did you prepare yourself to study?

Thx in Advance.
     
BlackGriffen
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Sep 18, 2004, 10:36 PM
 
All I did was the SAT test question of the day (since 10th grade) and took the PSAT twice.

It's a bit late to do that.

You might consider study books with practice tests. Make sure to faithfully try to recreate the test conditions, or they won't do you any good.

Using one of those books is all I used for the GRE.

For the subject tests, consider studying the problems available in the SAT II info booklet. Also of use is whatever AP test is equivalent (eg SAT II physics ~ AP Physics AB) because they're pretty close.

BlackGriffen
I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. -Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer (1564-1642)
     
spiky_dog
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Sep 18, 2004, 11:38 PM
 
as a kaplan teacher (halfway through training now, woot) i recommend kaplan. the kaplan mcat course was really helpful and i imagine the sat courses would be as well.

i didn't take any sat prep course and scored a 1530 (edit/addition: sat IIs were physics 750, writing? 720, math IIC 800). how? i honestly can't tell you why i do well on tests besides never running out of time. that's why a structured (albeit expensive) method such as kaplan is good, as they can tell you why they're designed to work.

test prep courses not an option? work on expanding your vocabulary, maybe do some analogies each day just to get used to that format, and brush up on that math! if you know the fundamentals and come into the test rested and healthy you can definitely improve -- there is plenty of room above a 1100.
( Last edited by spiky_dog; Sep 19, 2004 at 12:39 PM. )
     
CharlesS
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Sep 19, 2004, 03:04 AM
 
Take craploads of practice tests. Do as many of them as you can get your hands on. Do them under a strict time limit. That's what I did, and it worked for me - 1500 SAT, 35 ACT, which isn't as good as spiky_dog here, but decent nonetheless.

These tests are more a measure of how well you take tests than anything. So the best way to prepare for them is by practicing the skill of taking tests. IMO.

Ticking sound coming from a .pkg package? Don't let the .bom go off! Inspect it first with Pacifist. Macworld - five mice!
     
DeathToWindows
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Sep 19, 2004, 08:09 AM
 
Death's Scores:

SAT I : 1420
SAT II - writing : 720
SAT II - US history - 720
SAT II - Math1C - 640

Death's advice : Get the College Board's "10 real SATs" and go through the entire bloody thing. It's $20 and if you can't afford a course, it's the next best thing. That being said, I did attend the princeton review's classes... books were useful, classes were not. Get the books, use some self-discipline to get through them (they're really stultifing) and then survive the application process. I did it last year, I'm at Uni now and I'm happy.

Yes, I did have friends who scored higher on the tests... but we're all happy with college so don't worry too much.

Don't try to outweird me, I get stranger things than you free with my breakfast cereal.
     
wataru
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Sep 19, 2004, 11:46 AM
 
I just used the practice books available at any bookstore. 1520 SAT, 33 ACT.
     
gethigh
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Sep 19, 2004, 03:20 PM
 
Never studied anything in High School and I didn't care about what kind of college I went to (one of the laziest pupils you shall ever meet).

SAT 1 = 1320 (670 verbal, 650 math)

SAT 2 = 720 World History, 670 Math IC, 490 Writing

Oh man did I suck in writing. All those multiple choices looked ok to me, "WHAT'S THE GRAMMAR PROBLEM!!!???"


Taking the GREs now. Went to one of those CAT (computer adapted tests) to check it out. 670 math, 590 verbal, 4.5 (maximum: 6) writing. Paper and Pencil might be inconvenient sometimes, but the CAT is like a freaking game show. I need to manage my time better.
     
Dex13  (op)
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Sep 20, 2004, 12:55 PM
 
Thx guys, i got's the princeton review book and im starting today w/ 1 hour sessions of reading a testing a night. I have six practice tests I can take and I have my friends ap books and notes for his history class he took last year, I hope I can get above an 1100 so there is at least some hope of going to college.

And I still have to talk to my counselor about taking the ACT .....

thx again
     
   
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