SAT: For those who have scored well.

[supraman]

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How you youngns doin? My brother is due to take his SATs very soon. The thing is, it's changed somewhat since I have taken them. For those that have scored really well, how'd you guys do it? Did you take the Kaplan prep class? Reading a lot of articles help? Just looking to see how some people prepared for it, or did more feel it was more natural to them and didn't require much studying. Thanks all.

 

[supraman]

wow 215 views and no replies?

 

[xnfs93hy]

How you youngns doin? My brother is due to take his SATs very soon. The thing is, it's changed somewhat since I have taken them. For those that have scored really well, how'd you guys do it? Did you take the Kaplan prep class? Reading a lot of articles help? Just looking to see how some people prepared for it, or did more feel it was more natural to them and didn't require much studying. Thanks all.

Haven't taken it yet. I score very high on practice tests.

Buy a timer and time yourself. Do it every weekend. Classes are a waste of money. That is what I am doing and I am gradually improving.

 

[CScull]

I'm down south, colleges here mainly care about the ACT so I have yet to take the SAT.

 

[xnfs93hy]

I'm down south, colleges here mainly care about the ACT so I have yet to take the SAT.

True. Midwest (KY, OH) are mixed but usually geared more toward SAT.

 

[creativedentist]

I've taken it and I think I got a fairly decent score of 2040.
I took a few practice tests, they do help a lot. The math is pretty repetitive; it is mostly simple algebra (solving for x, functions, graphs, etc). The writing really just takes practice. You have to be able to spot errors in a sentence. For reading, you really have to look at the piece objectively (no bias) and answer the questions based ONLY on the reading, not by any outside knowledge. Good luck!

 

[glowworm]

I scored pretty well on the critical reading. I used to read a lot and just go through SAT vocabulary books and memorize word definitions. Lots of practice tests help a lot too.

 

[Docere]

I'd recommend you not send your brother to Kaplan. Their reviews are simply awful, and their books are too simple.

I highly recommend Testmasters. They give out this GREAT comprehensive book about everything you need to know about the SATs, including a "formula" for writing the essay that got me a perfect score on that section. You also get a HUGE SAT practice book with 10 full tests. And they actually grade them and give you feedback.

Also, they give you a few months' access to their amazing selection of past tests. I think they have about 80 of those. And yes, the SAT does reuse a lot of their questions.

Testmasters (and practice) helped me achieve my 2280 score on my first attempt.

 

[Narmerguy]

I'd recommend you not send your brother to Kaplan. Their reviews are simply awful, and their books are too simple.

I highly recommend Testmasters. They give out this GREAT comprehensive book about everything you need to know about the SATs, including a "formula" for writing the essay that got me a perfect score on that section. You also get a HUGE SAT practice book with 10 full tests. And they actually grade them and give you feedback.

Also, they give you a few months' access to their amazing selection of past tests. I think they have about 80 of those. And yes, the SAT does reuse a lot of their questions.

Testmasters (and practice) helped me achieve my 2280 score on my first attempt.

Not entirely. Kaplan has a prep book called SAT 2400 which is geared specifically towards students who know all the simple stuff but need the extra points to go that extra distance. It's a lot more focused than the general books which I agree are a waste. The prep classes are a waste as well. But that book is pretty helpful.

 

[Docere]

Not entirely. Kaplan has a prep book called SAT 2400 which is geared specifically towards students who know all the simple stuff but need the extra points to go that extra distance. It's a lot more focused than the general books which I agree are a waste. The prep classes are a waste as well. But that book is pretty helpful.

Oh? I haven't seen that prep book. Do you know how that compares with the Barron's SAT 2400? I trust Barron's a lot more than Kaplan since they helped me with my APs.

BTW, this is the book I got when I took Testmasters.

 

[Narmerguy]

Oh? I haven't seen that prep book. Do you know how that compares with the Barron's SAT 2400? I trust Barron's a lot more than Kaplan since they helped me with my APs.

BTW, this is the book I got when I took Testmasters.

This is purely anecdoctal but I thought it was pretty good. I got a 2270 with it. I tried barron but not their SAT 2400 so I guess it's not an accurate comparison. However, I did think the regular Barron guide was very thurough.

Yeah I think Kaplan is actually getting a little bloated with some of their success and not really delivering on some things such as APs. I used their AP books and it was kinda meh. The testmasters thing sounds pretty strong though, I wish I had known of it.

 

[EyEnStein 07]

I took the SATs last year. I also took Kaplan prep course 2 years ago, and i do not recommend it.

I believe there is no book superior to the one directly from College Board, The BLUE book of SATs (its about 20$, can be found at Barnes and Nobles, or Borders, any book store really, im sure libraries carry them also).

The key thing is timing and practice.
For writing grammar is important, make sure he knows the rules and can identify when sentences are incorrectly written.

For math, the best thing to do is just practice problems, its pretty repetitive in all math sections, and theres just few problems that can be challenging but once you get the flow they become easy.

For reading, this is probably the most discussed part of the SAT. There is not many ways to increase ones reading score. Reading everyday, quickly, having an extensive vocabulary all do help. Different methods work for different people. I cant read a passage and answer questions to save my life, so i would mostly read by paragraph summarize in writing then refer to questions, maybe read questions first sometimes.

 

[CScull]

True. Midwest (KY, OH) are mixed but usually geared more toward SAT.

I don't mind; the SAT scares me a little bit... I don't envy my friends back in Va. All the good colleges around there are SAT happy.

 

[xnfs93hy]

I don't mind; the SAT scares me a little bit... I don't envy my friends back in Va. All the good colleges around there are SAT happy.

Bleh, Virginia.

 

[apgar]

I took the SAT about two or so years ago. I would recommend the KAPLAN course (or any course for that matter) if your brother isn't able to motivate himself to study on his own. The material on the SAT isn't terribly difficult so it is very possible to study on your own with the books (the KAPLAN course is very expensive).

Also, I would highly recommend the official College Board SAT book with practice tests. One of the most helpful things to do to prepare for the SAT is practice with real tests. After you finish with those, TPR makes a decent book with around 10 full-length practice tests. I studied on my own, practiced a bunch, and made a 2300+ score.

Hope it helps!

 

[Transcend]

I took the Princeton Review course that was offered at my high school, which I found to be very helpful in that I learned different tips and tricks, allowing me to cut down on some time during the exam. I also did practice tests from the Princeton Review and Kaplan books.