How can I increase my chances at an 800 SAT Math?
I can tell you it’s awfully hard to do and I share your frustration. I got a 780 on the math on the GREs (the comparable exam for graduate school, also out of 800) and I went around kicking myself for missing “that one problem.” On closer inspection, one thing I found was that I hadn’t really missed “that one problem,” I had missed a few. Some I missed just out of carelessness, just rushing to get it all done in time. On one, I still insist I answered it right, but given the wording of the question they got a different result and marked it wrong. (Of course, I’m not one to hold a grudge for a dozen years or anything.) I had that score despite the missed questions because those who administer the test do an analysis on the results and questions that are missed by too many people are deemed inappropriately difficult or otherwise unacceptable. So you might miss a couple and get an 800, but you might also miss fewer and get a 780. To ensure that you got an 800, you’d just have to know ever
If you’re trying to get an 800 for your own self-satisfaction go for it, but as many people have said in this thread, a lot of it will come down to luck. If you’re trying to get an 800, because mathematical skill is one of the areas that you want to highlight when you market yourself to schools, remember that SAT math is not a strong differentiator in this respect: you are far better served taking AP exams. Not only will the material be considerably more difficult, but they will they allow you to skip out on introductory-level courses at most schools. If you’re trying to get an 800 just to show off your math skills, don’t bother, since as nicwolff suggested above, SAT math isn’t really even that hard. Sure it’s long and tiresome and tricky, but the material it covers is pathetically easy when compared to actual university level mathematics (calculus, real analysis, number theory, differential equations, stochastic processes, etc.) Also remember that, as most people have suggested above
The last time I took the Math SAT, in 1969, I wanted to lower my score from my first test because I was getting a D+ in Calculus, so I did the entire test in my head, without doing any calculations on paper (this was before calculators existed; for all I know, you can use a calculator now when you take the SAT). So anyway, I managed to lower my score from something like 754 to 714. I’m not sure why I’m telling you this, except that it’s something that I remember all these years later. My older brother was the first person anyone at Exeter and Harvard had ever heard of to score 800s on the college boards (he is now 61 years old). It’s not something we talk about now, but maybe he’s still proud of that achievement. Maybe I should ask him if he wants that mentioned on his gravestone, should I outlive him.
It’s not worth it. At all. Trust me. I got a 1560 on the SAT Is and 800/800/720 on the SAT IIs. You’d think this was a ticket to happiness, self-satisfaction, and an excellent school, right? Nope. Out of the six or so schools to which I applied, I got into only my bottom 2 choices. (My GPA wasn’t amazing, but it wasn’t bad either.) After I went to the mildly selective school that was #2, I never used my SAT scores for anything ever again. Once or twice they came up in conversation, and they were never a source of pride on any level–it only made me feel intensely awkward, knowing that people were judging me, not always positively, for having a score like that. Why do you feel you need this for personal pride? First of all, standardized tests, especially tests like the SAT, are a meaningful measure neither of real intelligence nor of potential (e.g., see this article). Second, even if they were, the differ
