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Ahmed's SAT Journey to 1570!



Math – 800

English - 770


The Reading Section

For me, this was the hardest section on the test, mainly because I've never been an avid reader. But then Sir Talal helped me realize that more than anything, this section requires the use of common sense. Even seemingly difficult questions can be correctly solved by logically eliminating answer choices. And no, you do not need to memorize the '1500 most used words on the SAT'. The new SAT requires you to choose the most accurate meaning of a word in context, rather than asking for its literal definition.


As a general strategy, spend 3-4 minutes going through each passage. Don't underline stuff if you don't want to, just concentrate on the content. Then move on to the questions. Different strategies work for different people, but I personally used this one. In my first attempt, I had a 670 on the English section with a 10 mark deduction in the reading section. That was because I did not read the passages before attempting questions. On my next attempt, I used Sir Talal's advice to get a 770. I changed my strategy a bit and spent 4-5 minutes reading and underlining the passage. This technique helped immensely when I had to refer back to the passage while solving questions.



Another problem I faced during practice tests was the inability to manage time, and I spent a lot of time trying to answer difficult questions at the expense of the easier ones. You should spend 13 minutes per passage, rather than 15-20 minutes on a difficult passage and less than 10 minutes on an easier one. This might affect your score on the easier passage as well.


Writing Section

You need to know all the grammar rules for the SAT writing section, and Sir Talal thoroughly discusses all of them in his session, providing students with a ton of practice questions. This section is easier compared to the reading section, and you rarely run short on time. With sufficient practice, you can master this part of the test. There's a free writing course on reasonprep.com which you can use in addition to Sir Talal's classes to sharpen your skills. Improvement in the writing section comes quicker than in the reading section, so if you want a good score on the English section, try to perfect the writing part. Complete all the Collegeboard practice tests (time yourself) so that by the time it's test day, you have seen a wide variety of questions.


Math Section

Practice makes perfect. It seems as if this statement was made for the SAT math section. And you'll have a lot to practice if you join Brightlink Prep SAT. I personally solved all the “Must Do Questions” Sir Talal provided, and was able to get an 800 on math. He goes through each math concept that's tested on the SAT, and I highly recommend taking notes as he teaches. That way, you'll be able to revise all math concepts by flipping a few pages. Other than that, Sir Talal gives Kaplan, Princeton, Ivy Global and Collegeboard practice tests, which makes a total of 20+ full length exams. Once you're done with these, you're good to go. Go get your 800.

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