I took the January 24th 2015 SAT also, and I received a score of 2140 and most of my friends scored over 2200, so I think I can give some advice. I used the College Board's "The Official SAT Guide" and did all but one or two of the 10 practice tests in the study guide. These practice exams have been previously administered, so they're the best practice you can get. Additionally, I timed myself and treated each practice test like it was the real testing date, and so I took the test in a distraction-free, quiet environment. After you take the test, and see which questions you got wrong, I would see where I went wrong.
Some things that can give you an advantage are:
- memorizing the format and directions on each section
- becoming familiar with the calculator you plan to use for the SAT (make sure it's acceptable)
- sleeping well and eating healthily during the week before the SAT (don't take a practice test just several days before the SAT)
- stay motivated; look up SAT tips online (College Board is you best friend)
For the Critical Reading sentence completions, I studied a list of frequently used SAT words, and this helped me a lot. But what helps even more is knowing which words in these questions INDICATE a direction or transition. For example, words like BUT, HOWEVER, and UNLIKE show that the next word will have the opposite or close-to-opposite meaning of the first word.
Tip: If you have free time, learning some prefixes and suffixes, and Latin and Greek roots can help you. Then, when you approach a choice where you don't know the word(s), you can dissect the word(s) by their roots. This has helped me many times!
For the Critical Reading passages, I went to the questions first, and quickly marked the lines that each question referenced. Then, I would read the passage at a moderate to quick pace, slowing down at the marked sections. This is where the practice tests come in; practicing this strategy will help you become familiar with it on the real exam day. Use the process of elimination and play devil's advocate to cross out any obvious wrong answers.
For the Writing multiple choice, I studied several basic grammar rules and practiced a lot.
For the essay, you only have about 20-25 minutes, so it is important to get to the point. What you should include in your essay is:
i. 1st paragraph (Intro): a good thesis statement (a clear response to the prompt); also list the different examples you will use to justify/support your thesis.
ii. body paragraphs: usually 2-4 paragraphs; make sure to include examples (personal anecdotes, historical references, etc.). By researching some important figures and events in history, I was able to write a good essay.
iii. last paragraph: your conclusion can be 2-3 sentences long. Don't copy your thesis; REPHRASE it in a different way. Also, your final sentence can be a personal message or theme that captures the essence of your position on the prompt.
The take-home message for studying for the SAT is to practice, practice, practice! I really can't stress this enough. I would recommend taking a whole practice test in one day, and spacing these practice tests apart so that you have time to review your wrong answers. And when you practice, MAKE SURE YOU USE THE Official SAT Study Guide. I've used the Princeton Review and Barron's SAT books, and the Official Study Guide is far superior to these books, mainly for the obvious reason that College Board made it.
Good luck!