1170 to 1540 | Story/AMA

On my very first practice test for the SAT (July 2017) I got an 1170. From then on, I started an on and off studying regiment throughout the summer but didn't take the August test (I went on vacation). This continued past the summer far into March, the date of my first test. In March 2018, I took my first SAT, and afterward, went online to see what people thought of the test and found r/SAT. I obsessed over every question and debated with a ton of people over the right answer (Care vs Appreciate fml) and joined the sub to help me find resources to prepare for the May 2018 SAT. I grinded my ass off and got a ton of resources from here, such as UWorld and 1600.io, and I doubled my efforts. When the day of the May 2018 test came, I was sorta nervous, but not too much, because the June test was supposed to be my last test (The same June test that had the infamous curve, but I lucked out because I met my goal score in May, above a 1500). I went in, sat with my friend, fucked around during break, and came out feeling anxious. However, when I saw my dad again, the first thing I said was "I think I might have gotten a 1500. As time went on, I began to panic a bit, as everybody does before scores come out, and even got the occasional nightmare I've heard of on this sub, when you dream you got your score and seeing an abysmal score (Though my score was a 1470 in the dream, I was very disappointed until I woke up lol).

Finally, the day the scores came out.

I woke up and went for a shower, after dressing, my parents told me to check my scores. Me, being nervous as I was, refused to check and told them I'll do it after school. On my way to school, I saw my friend walk over to me from the opposite direction (The same friend I fucked around with in breaks on the test date). He asked me what I got, and I told him I hadn't checked yet. He immediately dragged me to my first period class, study hall (In which there were only two computers, one of which was being used by another friend of mine). SAT friend told study hall friend what he was doing, and they made me log my credentials into the computer for College Board. There, my scores lay one click ahead. My friend made me get up and stand facing away from the screen. The time I had to wait was only around 5 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. All of my panic came again and I was scared out of my mind. Immediately after that came my two friends yelling at the top of my lungs. I immediately turned around and saw the score: 1540. After that, everything was a blur. I vaguely saw my friend recording the whole thing and my other friend still yelling and congratulating me, and by second period, the whole school knew. I got the highest score in the school, and it has yet to be beaten to this day.

The feeling of joy I got that day easily made up for all the months I grinded. At the end, it was all worth it, and all that hard work really paid off. There were people smarter than me in class who got lower scores than me, so I'll let you in on a little secret:

Everybody has the potential of getting the score they want.

Effort is everything when it comes to the SAT, because intelligence alone can only take you so far. The reason I shared my story with you all was to motivate all of you to do better, and because this sub helped me achieve my goal, I want to give back and help others on the journey. Good luck, and if you have the mindset I did when it came to the SATs, you can easily surpass me.

EDIT: I forgot to add this, but on this sub, I saw some dude talking about a method he used before the SAT to boost his score. He said that he didn't eat any carbs the week before the test and the morning of, he at a banana and some honey. I tried the same thing (but I sorta cheated by eating carbs on the Thursday and Friday before the test lol) and ate the banana and honey like he said. Dunno if this helped at all but I guess it's something if you're desperate lol.