Third Attempt at SAT Exam

• 20211002

• Results

  • 
  • Great! I’m glad I surpassed 1500.
  • I hope I can reach 800 in Math…

• Immediate Thoughts

  • I used my full brain power for Reading, but I rushed through the last few questions, so I don’t have high expectations for that section.
    • I think I made a few mistakes in other parts as well.
  • I spent too much time on Writing in the beginning, so I couldn’t solve the later questions comfortably. I’m a little worried about that.
  • I don’t understand Math. Although I had time to review, I couldn’t find any specific mistakes.
  • I predict my score to be around 1480±50, but it’s just a guess.
    • Honestly, I have no idea about the Reading/Writing section.
  • I would be happy if at least either the Reading/Writing or Math section improves.

• Goals

  • 1500 or higher, preferably around 1550.
  • After reading various experiences, I started feeling that 1480 is not good enough.
    • I definitely want to aim for 1550.
    • R&W: 750, Math: 800
  • Relationship between SAT Correct Answers and Scores, oh no.
    • Reading: 0.6 mistakes per question.
    • Writing: a total of 2 mistakes.
    • Math: no mistakes.

• To Do

  • Reading
    • Identify areas for improvement and work on them.
    • Areas for improvement:
      • Vocabulary
        • Some argue that it’s a waste of time, like in SAT Black Book.
        • I want to assess how much improvement I can achieve by focusing on vocabulary for a month.
        • Based on past 6 and others, vocabulary seems to be a significant factor to some extent.
          • So, if I aim for a perfect score, I should work on it.
      • Time management
        • I think this is an issue, especially in Reading.
        • Practicing to increase time per question seems important.
    • I need to reduce my current 2 mistakes per question to 0.6.
      • Oh no.
      • Actually, it might be better to have a mindset of aiming for no mistakes.
        • It’s difficult to consciously aim for 0.6 mistakes, haha.
    • Things I can do:
      • Khan Academy
      • Barrons
        • It might be too difficult.
      • Redoing previously solved questions
      • Other sources
  • Writing
    • It performs better in the actual test than in practice.
    • I want to understand the reason behind it.
    • Maybe it’s because of the practice?
      • Solving past questions in large quantities and working on grammar/college board rules to eliminate misunderstandings and mistakes.
    • Also, vocabulary.
  • Math, the key is to stay focused and not underestimate it.
    • If I underestimate it, I will make mistakes (lesson learned).

• Study Plan

  • Solve many practice papers.
    • Start with #1 and #3.
      • With explanations from the Black Book.
    • Then, practice with past papers.
    • Towards the end, solve #4 and check if I can think like the Black Book.
  • At the same time, continue studying TOEFL3800 with Anki.

• Schedule

  • Maybe I should do one paper per day starting from 9/22.
  • [/blu3mo-private/SAT Papers](https://scrapbox.io/blu3mo-private/SAT Papers)

• It seems like the actual test results are better than practice?

  • I knew it, I never scored 1480 in practice.
    • Even in the untimed 1, I only got 1470.
  • Seriously, why?
  • Based on the results, Reading is similar to practice (310-320).
    • Writing is unusually good, why?
  • Possible reasons:
    • None.
    • I seriously don’t know.

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• Memo for the third attempt

• It seems like the tips for the SAT are summarized in the Black Book, so it’s good to read it again.

  • For example, Parallelism and Redundancy in Writing.
  • A good criterion seems to be whether I can do what the Black Book’s explanation says “trained test takers will~~“.
  • Also, reviewing the reasons for mistakes in 1 and others.

• Reading the explanations in the Black Book is a very effective way of studying, so I’ll save 3 for that purpose.

  • (I won’t solve it for the second attempt.)

SAT §