Pink Poogle Toy Forum

Yep, especially with the bassoon. Thanks to me being one of the few people my age that plays and owns the 'rarest common' instrument and that I'll be majoring in music, colleges will really want me. But, I still want to have good grades, since I'll be going into the education field.

They're changing the tests again? I came to you guys because my mom said that she probably wouldn't give me accurate information due to test changes, but if what you're telling me won't be of use very soon...

I'll work on those math questions then. Thanks for your help so far, and any more suggestions will be appreciated!

I won't of much help, seeing as I took the (now) older version of the SAT. I'm not too sure on what it's going to be like for the newer versions... all I know is that you may have to write an essay and the scoring will be different.
If the PR keeps it at its current level, the math sections are really easy if you are comfortable with algebra and geometry. The only tricky parts are reading and understanding the questions, but a $20 SAT prep book should help you prepare for that.
The vocab/reading comprehension is a bit more difficult for most people, because the questions can be very vague. Again, the same SAT prep book should suggest methods of analyzing questions. I didn't bother studying much for the SATs, and I did better than some people who took prep courses and memorized hundreds of SAT words.
Attitude matters, in my opinion. If you're nervous when taking the test, you usually end up doing worse. Approach the SAT with a relaxed attitude -- after all, you can take it more than once. Breathe, and bring a bottle of water in addition to all the materials you'll need (pencils, ID, SSN, etc.).

I've taken the SAT four times and the PSAT twice, so I'm fairly comfortable with them. A couple of tips:

-Don't stress out, especially when you're taking the test. It'll make things worse.

-Sleep for nine hours the night before the test. Ten would be even better.

-Eat breakfast. Test days are practically the only days during the year that I eat breakfast.

-If you don't get a scholarship from the PSAT, don't worry. You have to score really high - top 2% or so in your state - to win one. It's tough.

-I recommend a book called 10 Real SATs. I think it's published by the College Board, but it might be the Princeton Review. It's made up of past years' tests, which means the old version of the SAT, but it works pretty well anyway. You can use those tests to practice the entire test-taking routine, which will allow you to become more comfortable with the SAT environment. Set aside 3 hours some afternoon and go through one entire test. Of course, if you've taken the SAT before, you're probably comfortable with such tests. But if not, definitely try it.

-For the writing sections of the PSAT and SAT, try a writing SAT II prep book. I used one and got 800 on the writing SAT II, and the concepts on the new SAT writing section and the PSAT writing section are really similar. It's all about how to write sentences clearly and coherently.

-...Except for the essay portion. They'll give you tips on that in the Writing SAT II prep books. Make sure you write in a natural voice; don't try to sound too sophisticated. The essay questions are really open-ended, so you'll have some flexibility in your subject. For example, when I took the test, I had to agree or disagree with the statement, "People are not always what they seem," and provide example(s) from history, literature, the arts, or my personal life. They usually have that clause about possible example sources. I would not recommend writing about personal experiences, unless you're really good at writing and you have experience writing personal essays (which I did, from my AP Literary Nonfiction class, but I still didn't want to risk it). Usually personal-experience writing makes you come off as somewhat un-intellectual.


I know this is long, but I kind of wrote everything I could think of. Some of my tips probably won't be relevant for you, for one reason or another. These are just my ideas.

Good luck!

I find that following my usual routine works best for me. I normally get about 6 hours of sleep, so if I slept more, I would be slightly tired during the test. You just have to know yourself, and know how you work best.
I do agree with the eating breakfast though, but since my stomach is sensitive in the morning, I would just grab a slice of soft bread and a bag of peanuts. Anything that I can chew on before the test that'll keep me running for the next three hours. Sometimes proctors will let you snack during the break, which I do. And I think I mentioned the bottle of water before; that's important as well. You don't want to get really thirsty or hungry during the test and not be able to concentrate.

Oh! Never forget your chapstick. You don't want to be licking cracking, drying lips during the exams either.

Ive been in school almost a month now.