I Had the WORST SAT Score.

There. I said it.

Before I become a test prep tutor and before I started PenningPapers.com, I was in your shoes.

And, I was bad…

Really bad.

I was one of those Asian kids forced into those test prep centers where they tortured a million other Asian kids. (hyperbole, I know.)

Progress was slow.

SLOW

SOOOOOO SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW.

For reference, it took many months of grueling practice to go from a 1300 to a 1500 SAT score (2400 scale)

I wasted months and months of practice.

My parents wasted thousands of dollars on me. (they still bully me about it)

At that rate, it was impossible for me to get a perfect 2400 (1600 equivalent).

That is… until I truly started buckling down and working my butt off.

Then…

After 4 more months…

My score went up by…

*drumroll*

10 points.

After that, I did nothing but stay in my room and play Runescape 24/7.

Now, what was my problem?

Why couldn’t I improve?

Well, it’s simple.

I Was Not REALLY Learning!

This is the REAL reason why students can’t increase their SAT scores: they’re not TRULY learning from their previous tests.

More specifically, students would do ALL the steps correctly EXCEPT for the LEARNING part.

They take the test, learn the grammar rules, learn the math rules, take more practice tests, and then proceed to mentally gloss over mistakes they made.

Did they look over their mistakes?

Sure!

But, they’re not really STUDYING them.

This is superficial learning —or passive learning.

Here’s an example in action.

I used to grade SAT essays. The max score is 12. I had one other colleague grading the test; so, the total maximum was 24.

Students were scored on 3 dimensions: Reading, analysis, and writing. The max score is 4 per dimension. So, it would look like this.

3|2|4

3|4|4

3|4|2

So on and so forth.

I was the kind of teacher who liked to write many comments because… well, I just wanted to help out a lot.

Little did I know, students rarely looked at comments.

Scored high? No reason to look at comments anyway!

Scored low? Looking at those mistakes makes you feel dumb!

Even if they looked through it, it was from a self-judgmental lens. It was focused more on, “how could I be so stupid?!” rather than, “how could I remember to write with proper subject-verb agreement next time?”

This made students focus more on BEING WRONG rather than ACTUALLY STUDYING.

Well, it’s no wonder my score was only increasing slightly. How could I improve my score when I wasn’t even studying and learning?

Fortunately, there’s hope.

You can learn to study and learn how to learn.

If you do that, you will earn a 1600 SAT score.

I’ll repeat that.

By the end of this article…

You’ll Have EVERYTHING You NEED to Earn a 1600 SAT Score.

Okay, okay.

Before we get to our method, a little disclaimer.

You NEED to have realistic expectations and patience.

With this method we’re going to show you, you can earn a 1600 SAT score. But, it’s important to know your limitations and exceptions.

The SAT measures the g factor (general intelligence). Thus, it is somewhat correlated with IQ. There are many misconceptions and claims that the SATs are not measures of intelligence. But, studies say otherwise.

Although students with higher IQs can have an easier time earning a 1600 SAT score, regular students can train themselves to earn that.

Also, note that MOST SAT tutoring services cannot help students increase their SAT scores. And, even those that do only increase them slightly.

Got it? Great!

Now, let’s get to the real method for getting a 1600 SAT score .

The Method to Getting a 1600 SAT (As a Beginner)

So, we know that one of the biggest problems with getting stuck below a 1600 SAT score is learning how to actually study.

That means being unafraid of confronting our mistakes and truly learning from them.

But, isn’t there anything else other than confronting our fear of past mistakes?

Well, actually yes!

In fact, there are an infinite number of strategies that can help you increase your SAT score.

Some people struggle with Math. Others with the Reading Comprehension section. For some, simply can’t stay up throughout the entire test because it’s too long!

For the sake of brevity, this article is not going to cover everything. It’s just going to cover the ONE method you’ll need to get a 1600. It’s the method I’ve used to help countless others increase their SATs and inevitably earn perfect scores,

Great. Ready?

The method is Customized Pacing.

Customized Pacing is… well, exactly what it sounds like. It’s pacing your studying time based on your own personal needs.

To be more specific, some students study differently. Some students have a shorter attention span. Others have a longer one. Some can study very efficiently and very quickly. Others require a longer start-up time but become effective over a long period of time.

Your goal is to make a customized pacing method that MAXIMIZES both number of hours studied and the efficiency of said hours.

There are three primary patterns of studying. I’ve listed them below.

These study models are based on varying attention spans.

Every student has a different level of stamina when it comes to attention span. As a result, their productivity will look much different over a long period of time.

The level of work done for one student may be different from another. Their most productive times may be later in the hours, whereas another’s may be earlier in the work period.

If you find that you have a very short attention span but can work quickly and learn quickly, you fall under model 1.

If you need to take some time to work, but your productivity tends to soar quite a lot, you fall under model 2.

If you take quite a lot of time to get focused and productive, but your productivity levels skyrocket and can last a long time once it does, you fall under model 3.

It’s important to know that not everyone falls under one single category exactly. More often than not, students fall under a spectrum of categories such as a mix between 1 and 2 or 2 and 3.

So, what do you do once you know your study model?

Study Model 1: Rotations

If you fall under study model one, your mind is best described as the wind.

Think of the nature of wind.

It blows strong, powerfully and fast in one direction. However, in an instant, it can blow in a different direction.

This is the same way brains that fall under this category operate. Although they are excitable, efficient, and learn quickly, they easily grow bored doing one task.

Thus, to use the mind’s nature to your advantage, you should capitalize off your mind’s strength and fickleness.

So, the mind must adapt to this fickleness by doing 3 things.

1. Reducing mentally stimulating activities such as Netflix, video games, and cell phone use until the end of the night.
2. Increasing the number of tasks to work on.
3. Rotating between said tasks during times of mental boredom or fatigue.

So, here’s an example.

Let’s say you want to increase your SAT score. However, you also promised yourself you’d get better at digital art whilst promising yourself to clean the house.

In the first 25 minutes, you’ll work on the SAT Reading Comprehension section. Then, you’d jump to a 5-minute break by cleaning the house. You’ll do another 25 minutes of SAT Math, then 15 minutes working on improving your digital art.

By rotating between tasks every few minutes, you keep your mind on its toes without derailing yourself. You’ll have an easier time getting the tasks you want to be completed because you are always working on something new, thus capitalizing off the frequent spikes in productivity that characterize the model 1 mind when exposed to new tasks.

A great tool for minds like these is to use the Pomodro method too, which you can check out here.

Study Model 2: Taming Fire

Study model 2 is perhaps one of the strongest study models.

It characterizes how some minds are most efficient because they are both seldom prone to fickleness whilst being hyperproductive.

You can think of study model 2 as a fire.

The model 2 mind requires a little bit of startup time to get started.

However, once the sparks begin to set, the embers turn into a small fire. Then, if uncontrolled, the fire can turn into an inferno.

As an example, some people with model 2 minds may find that they struggle to get up and “just do it.” But, once they overcome that hurdle, they go above and beyond and end up working more than they expected.

Let’s say you want to study your SAT flashcards. Instead of studying for 25 minutes like the model 1 brain and then switching, you may have a harder time getting started with even pulling out the cards. But, once you do, you study more and more, and more, and more.

Next thing you know, you’ve done 1.5 hours of studying without stopping and your mind doesn’t realize it’s fatigued because it’s in a state of hyperfocus.

The best way to maximize study efficiency is to “tame the fire.”

You need to have control over the fire instead of letting its whims and wishes dictate what it wants.

If you let the fire rage on, you only reinforce that you can only do things when you feel like it rather than when you say so.

An example of this going out of control is when your parents or friends need your assistance in the middle of your focus. You may have trouble breaking your focus and going back to the task at hand. This is because the mind is attached to whatever it decides to attach itself to, rather than what you yourself want.

So, you may want to study SAT Reading Comprehension but cannot do so due to being focused on a video game. Or, you may be unable to join back a video game because you’ve started studying for the SATs and can no longer stop the train.

Tame your fire by relinquishing your control.

That means letting your actions be dictated by outside forces rather than your own.

So, want to eat burgers today? Don’t. Instead, let your family decide.

Want to play a video game? Don’t. Roll a die a determine what your break activity is based on the number.

Doing a task unrelated to work but cannot get back to your work task? Get to the task using a timer and switch tasks once the timer rings.

By surrendering your power, you let yourself have power instead of your mind. That way, you can use your “fire” mind to be motivated in the right direction rather than in the opposite direction.

This is the best way for “fire minds” to earn a 1600 SAT score.

Study Model 3: Brace

Study model 3 is slow and steady.

Think of it like the Tortoise and the Hare. Which one will beat the race? Well, often times the Hare will win. However, the Tortoise has the power of endurance and time on its hand. It is capable of moving in one direction for a long period of time without losing focus.

The Hare on the other hand must take quick breaks. So, the Tortoise may beat the Hare through sheer endurance and time, just as it does with anything else such as studying for the SATs.

The biggest misconception about those who fall under the model 3 category is that they are “lazy” or lack motivation.

They often will see others who fall under categories 1 and 2, and wonder to themselves, “wow, why can’t I do a million things productively just like they do?”

And, the answer to that is that they’re simply not built for that kind of strategy.

Model 3 minds, as mentioned before, are like tortoises. They take quite a lot of time to boot up. But, once they start, they often will not stop and can be more productive than models 1 and 2. However, there’s a catch. They will struggle to shift between tasks.

So, if you’re studying for multiple sections of the SAT, you may find that distractions such as parents asking you to take out the trash or notifications from Twitter can break your precious state of flow.

The best path for those who fall under model 3 is to have a study chamber completely devoid of distractions and externalities. You want to set a specific time to brace yourself for a long study session.

So, studying for the SAT would be more of a ritualistic event than it is a brief or fickle moment throughout the day. You’ll dedicate for instance 3-6 PM to studying in your chamber with minimal to no distractions other than food, water, and incense if desired.

Following a more ritualistic format like this devoid of distractions and fickle intermittent activities would ensure that you use the best attributes of your model 3 mind.

The FASTEST Way to Get a 1600… Seriously

Now, this begs the question. Why is this ALL I need to get a 1600?

Well, technically this is the only thing you’ll need because, at the end of the day, enough meaningful studying will help you get a 1600 SAT score based on a numbers game.

500 hours of studying is inexorably going to significantly increase your SAT score. That much exposure to the same questions asking the same disciplines of Math and English will inevitably help you identify the correct answer with less reasoning and more exposure.

Does that mean it’s going to be easy?

Well, not really.

It took a monumental number of hours for me to boost my score.

I couldn’t really even do it without also understanding the way my mind worked. I am a mix of models 2 and 3. So… I guess that makes me a flaming turtle.

By studying the SAT based on the way your mind model works, and not ignoring the mistakes you make on practice tests like I did, you’ll have everything you need to earn a 1600 SAT score.

But, it’s a long journey.

I get that. That’s why it’s best not to endure the SAT journey alone.

If you want to maximize your chances of increasing your SAT score, I highly recommend getting customized coaching that suits your unique study model.

It doesn’t matter if your mind is like the wind.

It doesn’t matter if your mind is like an inferno.

Or, like a tortoise.

Or, a flaming tortoise.

I’ve been helping students maximize their SAT scores and earn over a 1500 for years now. And, if you’d like to join them, simply contact me for a FREE consultation. You’ll get a FREE consultation and FREE SAT coaching prior to actually doing the SAT coaching program. That way, you can truly see whether the program is the right fit for you, as a risk-free trial.