How to Raise Your SAT Verbal Score
- Step 1
- VOCABULARY. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING, will raise your score as much as simply KNOWING MORE WORDS. Here's a game I play with my students that has seen them learn a 50 word list in less than 30 minutes. It requires a partner. Give each word a one word definition, hopefully one that starts with the same letter. For instance: lucid = light. This (light) is called a "cue." You don't need to memorize a whole definition; if you memorize the cue word, it will CUE UP the rest when you need it. Have your partner say "lucid." You respond "light." Repeat and speed up. Add words one at a time until you're going through the entire list, back and forth, one word for one word. I have seen miracles happen with this game. It utilizes the strengths of the human brain and actually plays upon the shorter attention span of today's students.
- Step 2
CRITICAL READING AND VOCAB FILL IN. I put these in the same section because the same test strategy applies. For the vocabulary fill ins, your student should fill in the blanks with his or her own word before looking at the answers. Then, when he or she looks at the answers, they will be much easier to fill in because they'll just be finding synonyms. Here's what no one tells ya: Do you see how the critical reading questions are mostly incomplete sentences? The same "fill in the blank" technique works here, too. FINISH THE SENTENCE, then look for the synonym, or similar phrasing, in the answer choices. The one closest to your fill-in, if you understood the passage correctly, will be the correct answer.
- Step 3
WRITING SECTION. The errors you should look for in the Writing Section: Subject/Verb agreement, Parallel Structure, Misplaced Modifiers, Adjective/Adverb error, Verb Tense Displacement, Pronoun/Antecedent Errors, and Logic Errors. Train yourself to go through each one in order; I have placed them in the order of most to least used in the SAT test. Make sure that in the Sentence Correction section that in fixing one error, you don't pick an answer choice which has a different error in it. They love to do that, those jerks.
Published by Chrisdavy
AC's licentious, guilty pleasure. What can I say? I write about sex and money. You know, the important stuff. Giggle. (But I do it so well!) Fashion, too. LOL View profile
- Preparing for the ACT Writing Section and Improving Your ScoreIt is extremely important that you prepare for the different sections of the ACT to ensure that you score well. Writing is one of the sections that is currently on the test.
- Start Writing and Keep Going: Tips for the BeginnerIf you want to establish a regular writing practice, here's some straightforward advice from an experienced writer and teacher. Leave those negative messages behind! You can create a writing plan that works for you.
- Finding Writing Work on CraigslistFive tips for navigating Craigslist to find paying writing work.
- How to Write a Perfect GRE Analytical Writing EssayThis is my area of expertise. In this article I will explain, step by step, how I achieved a perfect score on the GRE Analytical Writing section, and how you can accomplish the same on the GRE when writing this sectio...
- My Experiences with 3 Freelance Writing Sites: Daytipper, EHow and TextbrokerIn this article, I review 3 freelance writing sites that promise to make you money.
- SAT Prep Courses: Are They Worth It?
- Tips on Scoring a Great SAT Score
- How to Master the GRE Analytic Writing Section
- How to Conquer the Writing Section in the New SAT
- Reading the SAT Critical Reading Comprehension Critically?
- ACT / SAT Strategies for the Reading Section
- Workplace Survival Guide to Fair Weather Friends