What should i do to prepare for SAT®

[Aptitude]

well i am 16 years old and have not yet taken a sat test but am planning to do so in the near future. I dont know exactly what or how i should prepare for the test though.
Im good at the math sections so dont need much help there but am not as good as i could or should be on the english parts, so how can i improve on these sections? is learning new words to widen my vocabulary the most effective method (apart from those self-help books and online guides that is)?

and also i heard that you can take the SAT as many times as you want to improve your score, and in the end the highest score you achieved for a section in all the tests youve done are then collated to give a final score? i.e. if you get a 750 700 600 and then a 700 500 500 , the final score that you would send off to colleges would then be 750 700 600 ?

please advise........

[Torsten]

Hi Aptitude,

Many thanks for joining our forum. If you want to prepare for the SAT, please read How to learn English? and let me know what you think.

Regards,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Aptitude]

well i dont think knowledge of the english language as such is a big problem for me, since i have been using it as my first language for as long as i can remember..........what i want to know, for a person who is quite good at english, is whether, in your opinion, I should concentrate on widening my vocabulary or more on the technical grammar side of the language........
thanks

[Cooliegirly]

when you have ETS sent your choice of colleges your latest SAT score, all your previous SAT scores will be sent to them as well. Most colleges only consider your highest score achieved on individual sections though.

[Proalyssa199]

Both vocab and grammar are very important. However, because most colleges pay attention to the critical reading score than writing score, I think you should focus on vocab

[DeannaNield]

I agree with you guys that vocabulary is important, but I don't think it's that important. Besides, the new format of the SAT doesn't have blatant vocabulary questions such as antonyms and analogies; only critical reading and sentence completion. Still, if you don't have a good vocabulary, then yes, you won't do well. But memorizing vocabulary words won't help you, either. So, where does that leave you? Well, I've been preparing for the SATs for over 6 months now, and frankly I'm burned out, so I've resorted to websites and books that are non-traditional. I've completed all of the practice tests on the standard websites such as Kaplan, the College Board, and Princeton Review, and so now I'm confident that my reading comprehension skills are up-to-par. In the time before the first fall exam, I'm using the following two websites daily:

vocabularycoach.com to learn new words, and
studymyenglish.com for last-minute practice questions

I hope my comments help.

[Aaronqns]

I disagree. I think vocabulary is super important. I mean, come on, if you knew all of the words in the English dictionary AND if you knew how to use those words, then all sentence completion and reading comprehension questions would be easy. There are two components to English -- one is the creative component, and the other is the grammatical component. Being creative allows you to write beautifully, but having knowledge about the grammatical rules of the English language allows you to write correctly. And, all standardized tests that gauge your ability to understand and use the English language are testing your correct usage of English, and are NOT concerned about your creativity. Thus, knowing vocabulary is all that you need

[Torsten]

Hi Aaronqns,

How can you learn English vocabulary without grammar and English grammar without vocabulary? Wouldn't it make more sense to simply learn English? Language is a rather complex system that stops working if you take its elements apart. Instead of debating which of the elements might be more important you should just start learning the language by learning phrases that contain both -- grammar as well as vocabulary.
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Mav]

Every individual will have there own opinion but what I will recommend you is that you should concentrate on your vocab . I dont know how good you are into it , but the way i practice was i made small cards ( like visiting card) and into it i entered 3-5 word with there synonym and antonym and daily i carry 5 new card and try to use those word as frequently as possible .
If you find this working then let me know , i have other way in which i improved mine. But remember this is the only portion which takes time to master.

[Profrgruperta]

If you haven’t already done so – check out testprepugames.com They have a board game for the SATs. We’ve used it in English class to give students a different approach to studying and they love it.

[quote="aptitude"]well i am 16 years old and have not yet taken a sat test but am planning to do so in the near future. I dont know exactly what or how i should prepare for the test though.
Im good at the math sections so dont need much help there but am not as good as i could or should be on the english parts, so how can i improve on these sections? is learning new words to widen my vocabulary the most effective method (apart from those self-help books and online guides that is)?

and also i heard that you can take the SAT as many times as you want to improve your score, and in the end the highest score you achieved for a section in all the tests youve done are then collated to give a final score? i.e. if you get a 750 700 600 and then a 700 500 500 , the final score that you would send off to colleges would then be 750 700 600 ?

please advise........ :D