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Here are some tips:
- Take the passage literally. If it were up to interpretation, the College Board would have problems. It's not like school where if you can prove the answer correct through interpretation, the correct answer MUST be present in the text.
- Many problems with reading that I faced were with focusing and deep reading. Make sure you are focused on the passage.
- When you are finished with a practice test, ALWAYS review it. This will help you learn and understand what you are doing wrong.
- If you can check out books from your local library. I totally recommend the SAT black book. https://www.amazon.com/SAT-Prep-Black-Book-Strategies/dp/0692916164/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?gclid=Cj0KCQjwj_XpBRCCARIsAItJiuR6HFj0ZpwCcXN14aIPlKCOD3OGAEN_5oro5AvCUWHEOZ_LbP5bYb0aAnCDEALw_wcB&hvadid=241648829517&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9012138&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17497859065999215882&hvtargid=kwd-61311316065&hydadcr=8453_10382305&keywords=sat+black+book&qid=1564323775&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1
- Don't rush. Many mistakes are silly mistakes that are made from testers looking at the time and worrying about not finishing.
- If you rule out an answer, make sure you rule it out for the right reasons.
- The most important thing is that the answer, again, is ALWAYS in the passage. If you look close enough, you will ALWAYS find it.
I hope this helps. I'm pretty okay at reading but absolute trash at math.
Let's expand your vocabulary beyond N words and "Lewpac".
Consider reading this book, I highly recommend: SAT Prep Black Book
While it is for the SAT, there are many overlapping concepts between the PSAT and SAT. Speaking from a person who went from scoring high-500 to a 710 on the SAT, I found this book very useful with the ERBW section, specifically in giving tips on how to approach different types of questions and helping you get in the proper mindset to tackle the test! It also has extensive examples of math problems and multiple ways to do each one!
Good luck, you got this!!!
For one thing, I used a book called "the complete guide to SAT reading by Erica Meltzer". Some don't even know this book but it contains a bit of tips and lots of sat questions. For writing, do college panda writing
SAT reading Erica Meltzer
Buy the SAT Black book: https://www.amazon.com/SAT-Prep-Black-Book-Strategies/dp/0692916164/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1PP8U8R320F6W&keywords=sat+black+book&qid=1660153500&sprefix=psat+prep+book%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-1
- Follow everything there as closely as you can
- Only use official SAT Practice materials (Such as the ones on the SAT mega thread)
- Trust me you'll get a lot more than 1350
In general, many people find College Panda to be a great review book to use. It really depends on what works for you.
Some (like me) really like the convenient online practices that Khan Academy offers. Kahn Academy also tracks your understanding of all your skills and automatically sets up practices & timed mini-sections for you.
College Panda, on the other hand, is written by a truly experienced SAT test taker and tutor. He includes many of the SAT "tricks" that you need to be aware of.
I can say that, while there is no perfect fit-all solution, college panda is one of the best review books out there and it might suit you like it has for so many others.
​
You can try out some exercises through Amazon's "look inside" preview feature.
I included a link for your convenience here but you can easily find exercises in the grammar book as well:
https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Math-Advanced/dp/0989496422
​
See if you like the exercises and if they give you a sense of progression and don't forget to try Khan Academy!
Sure. sat black book Online resources were just 1600.io which I used for a month and khan academy free practice for mainly grammar.
Hi! I would 100% recommend the SAT Prep Black Book, i’ll link it right here for you. It may seem expensive, but it’s definitely worth the read and helped me a lot in my 2 weeks of study. Best of luck to you!
2nd edition is current and available everywhere. It’s currently Amazon’s #1 Best Seller
https://www.amazon.com/SAT-Prep-Black-Book-Strategies/dp/0692916164/ref=sr_1_1
My daughter had no problem using it
I’m basically stealing this from the black book (which I highly recommend you read if you’re having trouble) but always remember there is only ONE definitive answer for each question. Never make yourself believe an answer choice when it clearly isn’t demonstrated or restated in the passage. That’s just one of manyyy things I’ve learned reading the black book so i think you’d have a lot of clarity checking it out
of course! tbh i really only needed to focus on math, im really good at reading/writing, so i bought the college panda sat math workbook (https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Math-Advanced/dp/0989496422) and it was amazing for me, i SUCK at math but the explainations were rlly nice and my score went up more than 300 in like 2ish months? i didnt use any other resources cuz i didnt feel the need, basically i worked on collegepanda throughout the week and took a practice test on khan academy every saturday, and then spent sunday going over what i got wrong. it really worked well for me!
r/SAT would be helpful for SAT prep; this book was fantastic for math prep; i went from a 640 to an 800 on the math section with it and erica meltzer's great for the english sections
The Grammar section is the next easiest to improve. My daughter improved a lot with Grammar from the Black Book in just a few hours of study:
Almost everything she was missing was from a misunderstanding of SAT grammar vs. normal grammar, their rules are very specific.
I had her read through the section that was giving most of the errors (the Black Book calls it "comma sandwiches," then go back and re-take those questions. Then, we analyzed her few other mistakes based on the SAT Black Book explanations, it was just a handful of other questions. The Black Book has very good explanations for the first 4 tests.
thank you so much! i’ll try and address each part of ur comment!
SAT Prep Black Book: The Most Effective SAT Strategies Ever Published https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692916164/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tPDlDb5V776J9
The College Panda's SAT Math: Advanced Guide and Workbook for the New SAT https://www.amazon.com/dp/0989496422/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LPDlDbGJKRH63
^the books are the best price off amazon to my knowledge.
the main thing that really helped me improved was getting into the mindset that no single trick or tip was gonna help me get a big score improvement, rather hard, consistent work over an extended period of time would.
i did use khan academy but not all that much. i found it to be significantly harder than the real thing and i didn’t really benefit from using it. uworld was much more helpful.
The Kaplan ones are a lot harder than the college board ones so they make u think a lottt harder. I used the SAT Prep Black Book: The Most Effective SAT Strategies Ever Published https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692916164/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UaGoFbYVE2KSY
Practice won't help you at this point, you're not scoring well due to a lack of understanding rather than a lack of knowledge. I suggest reading the first ~80 pages of the black book (https://www.amazon.com/SAT-Prep-Black-Book-Strategies/dp/0692916164/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=black+book&qid=1572112910&sr=8-1) (or try finding a PDF online).
I got a 1280 on my last practice test like you and kept getting a 600 on all my readings then I got Mike Barret Black Book ” and it improved my reading score significantly in only 2 and a half weeks and I’m planning on using this till December and March if I need the March SAT and I’m fully expecting to go from 610 to 740-750 in reading. Use this man I promise you it helps in all aspects of the SAT.
<strong>The Critical Reader, 3rd Edition: The Complete Guide to SAT Reading</strong> by Erica L. Meltzer and if needed,
<strong>4th Edition, The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar</strong> by Erica L. Meltzer
I've seen this book being mentioned all over the subreddit. Just wondering, are you talking about this book?
https://www.amazon.com/SAT-Prep-Black-Book-Strategies/dp/0692916164
How good is it? I am actually considering buying it now.
I bought someone a desktop calendar for Christmas that had a new word for every day to learn that might interest you!
4th Edition, The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997517867/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ytBeBb82JQYF9
The Critical Reader, 3rd Edition: The Complete Guide to SAT Reading https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997517875/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_1sBeBbGFQFSNC
Study that book extensively for a month. Then use the SAT Blue Book and do all the 8 practice exams for the math section.
Using the strategy can get you an 800 if you study well.
They have an online class as well if you'd like to take that, or you can purchase the ebooks that the class is centered around. Here's one of them: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018L8U57K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_EEIyzbK7RA7RJ
While Khan Academy's math section for the SAT should be good to go, I highly recommend, in addition, College Panda's SAT Math Workbook. It is hands down one of, if not, the best SAT math resource I've seen. The book received a 4.9 out of 5 stars with 41 reviews, to add on.
College Panda's writing or Meltzer's Grammar (same as writing) is a great resource for SAT writing.
Oh dang, you better get rolling. Don't worry though, anything is possible. You can do it!
For reading and/or writing, get Erica Meltzer's books to the respective topics (English or Writing). They are also available online at Amazon.
For math, for sure get College Panda's SAT Math Workbook.
i suggest getting the college panda book for sat math. I got a 650 in math and I was able to boost it to a 720. It doesn't seem that much but my superscore drastically improved. this is the link: https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Math-Advanced/dp/0989496422/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477612009&sr=8-1&keywords=college+panda+sat+math
and i suggest getting the college panda sat math practice tests as well for more practice.
Khan academy can help you improve your english score but I found the workbook linked above to really help with math.
As a fellow senior, I wish you luck. Study your ass off man.
It's quite hard to scan 400 pages of a book for me, haha. Here's a link to the book I'm talking about: http://www.amazon.com/PSAT-Practice-Tests-Prep-book/dp/1942321945/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454368129&sr=1-1&keywords=new+psat+ivy+global
However, that's for the PSAT. Try using this for the SAT: http://www.amazon.com/Globals-2016-Guide-Prep-Book/dp/0989651665/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454368129&sr=1-2&keywords=new+psat+ivy+global
I'm not sure if they're the same, but I know the SAT one probably has essays as the PSAT one doesn't.