Tell me about studying for the SAT/ACT

[Black_Eagle]

So I've had a pretty frustrating week. Among these frustrations was the pre SAT/ACT tests both taken consecutively. I did terribly. I have learned just how bad I am at racing against the clock. As I was taking the test, there were points that I couldn't help but worry about the dwindling time left for each section. So much to the point that I had to re-read questions several times and even then was almost incapable of pondering the answer. I left quite a few unanswered questions. Any words of wisdom, DV?

[Maria92]

Order yourself a good SAT study book, and throw it out the window. Best advice I can offer is to just chill out and not sweat it. What score are you shooting for? Yeah, I walked in with no idea what to expect, walked out with a 1940 on my first shot. Taking it again in hopes of a 2000+. Now that I kinda know what to expect, I think this is doable. It's all about confidence. Either you know it, or you don't. Remember that most of the questions aren't designed to be trick questions. Don't over-think anything, if you get hung up on something, then skip it and come back if there is time, and if you have no clue on something, don't just guess. Remember, it's perfectly okay to leave a question blank and to not quite finish a test section. In reality, most colleges are good with an 1800. Anything beyond that is typically gravy, unless you're trying to get into one of the big-shot, Ivy-league schools. My advice: don't sweat it. Stress is bad.

[Black_Eagle]

I actually took the a separate PSAT several weeks before this PSAT/ACT test. The first time I think I did pretty well, but the second time not so much. I honestly have no clue what I'll make, as on both days I coincidentally got 4-5 hours of sleep and wasn't working at full capacity. What score am I shooting for? The absolute highest score possible. I made one perfect score and two near perfect scores on my state's set of four standardized tests, so I know I can do it if I focus. But again, those tests aren't timed. Thing is, I encountered one (maybe two, but I think it was one) math question which I had absolutely no clue how to solve. I also encountered several questions involving words which were not in my vocabulary. *sigh* I suppose I'll just have to wait for my scores and study accordingly.

[Maria92]

I actually took the a separate PSAT several weeks before this PSAT/ACT test. The first time I think I did pretty well, but the second time not so much. I honestly have no clue what I'll make, as on both days I coincidentally got 4-5 hours of sleep and wasn't working at full capacity. What score am I shooting for? The absolute highest score possible. I made one perfect score and two near perfect scores on my state's set of four standardized tests, so I know I can do it if I focus. But again, those tests aren't timed. Thing is, I encountered one (maybe two, but I think it was one) math question which I had absolutely no clue how to solve. I also encountered several questions involving words which were not in my vocabulary. *sigh* I suppose I'll just have to wait for my scores and study accordingly. Yeah, I just took the test myself. I'm feeling pretty confident, all in all. Only hit one or two math problems that I didn't know how to work, and a handful of freaky-ass vocabulary words, but nothing too extreme. Never took the PSAT's...they're a big waste of time, IMHO. The first time around, I got a 1940, and that was without any studying whatsoever. An 1800 will get you into your standard honors college, and anything above a 2000 will just about get you into Ivy League schools. I'm in it for the scholarship money, myself. The fact that you think you only missed a handful of questions is excellent, though. That usually translates into a great score.