How can I improve my SAT score?Answered
Hi! My score is not the best and I can't improve it. Any tip?
Thank you!
On the college board website search khan academy and it will give you pratuce for certain problems you missed on the exam!
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4 answers
I improved my first practice test to my superscore by 160 points. You definitely can improve by a lot; I believe in you! For math I used Khan Academy for practice questions and this book (linked below) for lessons, practice questions, and learning tricks. For reading I used the strategies in this video (linked below).
I would take a Khan Academy practice test right now and follow the third link (sorry) to open the score breakdown and see what your lowest subscores and cross-section scores to see what's tripping you up and try to improve those.
Keep using the practice tests, but review them actively- jot down notes after each one: how did each section go? How were you feeling, what kind of areas did you feel like you struggled the most? Then review the test by making a spreadsheet of every question you got wrong. Put the question number, skill and cross-test categories, and and label why you didn't get it right- just didn't know the content, silly mistake, ran out of time, didn't understand the question. Write down notes of what you learned from the problem, what you need to learn or review. Then you can analyze the major patterns of what you're getting wrong and how to improve.
If you're looking at math, I highly recommend this one by The College Panda. What's nice about the book is that each chapter is a topic like percents, quadratics, etc so you can hone in on what you need to work on. It would be helpful to read as many sections as you can though because I learned so many tricks and methods I never knew that make problems easier (and that Khan Academy will never teach you).
This is just what has been working for me and my suggestions, I hope everything helps!!
Link for the book: amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Math-Advanced-dp-1733192727/dp/1733192727/ref=dpobtitlebk
Link for the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y5UOVGR1qc
Also check out the other videos on her channel for the SAT, super helpful!
Evaluating your scores: https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat/new-sat-tips-planning/new-sat-about-sat/a/scoring-on-the-redesigned-sat
To add to these answers already given - you need to learn WHAT you're getting wrong and WHY you're getting things wrong so you can focus on those areas. Taking a bunch of practice tests can help you figure out the pacing of the test and get you accustomed to the format, how questions are worded, etc. but it isn't helpful in targeted practice. Look for trends in the types of questions you're getting wrong, both the subject of the question and the reason you're getting it wrong. If you're getting things wrong because you run out of time and feel rushed you'll need to approach your practice differently than if you're getting things wrong because of a knowledge gap or if you are just making silly mistakes.
As others mentioned, Khan Academy is a great resource. I'd also recommend checking out cracksat.net (although I don't love taking timed practices online they do have lots of material to practice with). Finally, and this should go without saying, ACTUALLY PRACTICE. If you're seriously committed to improving your score you need to be dedicated about improving it. That doesn't mean you need to practice 2 hours a day, every day, for months but it does mean you should have a set schedule for practice/studying and it should be multiple hours a week ideally.
Good luck and I wish you the best!
Use Khan Academy to study. It's free and works well. Good luck!!!
I would suggest that you focus on your mistakes. Make a separate journal just for SAT mistakes. Write down what the question was or if it's too long a reference to it. Then, note down your wrong answer and why you chose that answer. Next, note down the right answer and why it is the right answer (in your own words, if possible). Compare what made you think the wrong answer was correct with the correct answer and why it's correct. Do this painstaking process for every single question. That way, you will review everything you got wrong. Do this same process for any questions you guessed and/or were unsure about. It will only help you out.
For resources, I have a ton:
Websites:
Khan Academy
CollegeBoard
Books:
Official SAT Guide (Amazon)
SAT Black Book (Amazon)
Official Practice Tests:
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests
Released, Question and Answer Service tests: (download them offline just in case it's taken down again)
https://www.reddit.com/r/Sat/comments/llxpn0/official_reddit_sat_qas_megathread_pdfs_of_all/
I really hope this helps you!
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what I did was a lot of practice tests over and over and improved from a 1160 to a 1380