#SATagain ✍🏼
There are several 750–790 EBRW scorers. You can basically get their courses or ask for advice. But during my self-study, I was planning to share what I did if I could get 700+ on EBRW. I got 710, so here's what I did:
Mental Preparation. Yes, this is the first thing you should learn. I can't emphasize this enough. Be ready to see hard questions and learn the L.E.R.M. technique (I'll share the full research paper about this). Mental preparation for what? It's about moving on when you can't solve a question, and come back later. But if the question seems very difficult that you can't solve even you are given 5 minutes or time is very limited, then choose any option you like. I would advise to choose the same option for these kind of questions. For example, when very few seconds left and if i can't even read the 1st sentence or question itself, then I would always pick B.
I would also recommend to identify what you struggle with a lot. For me, it took a while to to learn. I used to think I did bad at inferences and quantitative evidence questions. But after reviewing multiple score reports, sometimes scoring high, sometimes low, l searched for the common pattern in my mistakes. I may have been too late to realize this, but few days before my exam, I found out that my weakness was to understand science passages compared to old stories&poems. I used to think my weakness was on the type of question, like inferences or quantitative evidence questions. But no, the problem is I cannot use my intuition in science passages. I cannot play positive/negative in these questions like novels. For some of you, it might be the reverse. So, find your weakness and focus more on it.
The SAT Question Bank is the best resource for practice. A day before my exam, I went through ~30 tests focusing on transitions since it was one of the lowest bar (it is in Expression of ideas) in my score report in practices. Guess what? When results out, this domain was full.
As you see similar questions over and over, you'll start recognizing patterns behind them. Your SAT score essentially shows how many questions you've practiced. Less practice = lower scores. But make sure you're doing it right. Practice isn't just seeing question and answering and going on. You should definitely read the explanation (there is always explanation in sqb and bluebook), then try to understand why 3 options are wrong and why the correct answer is correct.
YouTube is your next best resource for self-study. Even if I procrastinated a looot during preparation, I always watched at least one SAT-related video a day. I'll share all the channels I used later on.
Grammar. You should be pro in this. Standard English Conventions (all punctuation rules, nouns, verbs, etc) and Expression of Ideas (transitions, student notes) should be your highest priority if you're stuck at ~600. These are questions 15–27 on the test. Start your test always from grammar. Set a specific time to finish these questions. For me, it was when the clock was 25:00 on Bluebook, I had to complete all grammar and notes questions by then and come back to 1.
Vocabulary. This is still a weak point for me because I hate memorizing words. But here's what helped me a little:
- Satashkent Telegram Channel.
Check posts specifically for vocabulary that test-takers shared words they saw on exam days. I reviewed these words and looked up their meanings and translations myself. It takes time but is more effective than blindly memorizing ready PDFs. They always send posts in every exam.
- Articles. Reading articles was very helpful. I saw 3-4 words in my exams that I had learned from articles. You don't have to look up every unknown word (but I recommend it), just go with your intuition. Do you think that word seems exam type word? Then, go for dictionary, read some other example sentences to get comfortable with it. To be honest, I didn't grind as much as others, I admit.
