A Perfect 1600: Study Habits of Top-Scoring Students

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The maximum score on the SAT is a 1600. Out of the two million students who take the test every year, only about 500 get the highest possible SAT score. This elusive perfect score catapults you to the top of high school academic achievement and can be a big boost to your college applications.

Most of the advice out there about how to get a perfect score come from people who didn’t get perfect scores. In this exclusive article, We’ll be breaking down exactly what it takes, and the ruthless techniques you should use to get a perfect score.

Do High-Quality Practice and Avoid Low-Quality Materials

The SAT is a weird test. It’s unlike tests that you’ve taken throughout school. It presents simple concepts in bizarre ways. This is essentially how the College Board makes the test hard— it takes concepts most students have seen before, twists them to be unfamiliar, and counts on students to screw up.

To excel at this test, you need the highest quality practice materials. Because the SAT has questions that are twisted in a particular way, you need to train in exactly the way they’re twisted so you learn the patterns.

Master the SAT Exam Syllabus

With the introduction of Digital SAT, the syllabus has changed. The SAT syllabus is extensive and includes many topics. 

  • For Mathematics you should be proficient in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and data analysis. 
  • For reading, practice comprehension and critical analysis. Writing, on the other hand, tests grammar and editing skills.

Master these through a systematic approach and take thorough prep to cover all these areas well. This is also a crucial step towards understanding as to how to score 1600 on SAT. 

Rework on Weak Areas after Attempting SAT Sample Papers

Carefully analyse how you fared in the tests. Focus on the questions or areas where you felt most challenged. Prepare a list of the recurring mistakes you’ve made and revise and re-review those topics. Whether it be a math formula, reading comprehension skill, or a grammar rule, reinforcement in these areas will cause overall scores to increase.

This is what you need to do:

  • On every practice test or question set that you take, mark EVERY question that you’re even 20% unsure about.
  • When you grade your test or quiz, review every single question that you marked, and every incorrect question. This way even if you guessed a question correctly, you’ll make sure to review it.
  • Keep a log of these mistakes, write down the gist of the question, why you missed it, and what you’ll do to avoid that mistake in the future. Have separate sections by section and sub-topic.

Eliminate All Distractions

You have so many distractions at your fingertips—streaming, social media, YouTube, games, and more.

All of these are super fun and super easy to consume for hours on end.

All of these will improve your SAT score by ZERO points.

If you’re studying and you glance at your phone every 3 minutes, you are NOT STUDYING. The brain is actually terrible at multitasking, and every time you lose attention, you take minutes to go back to full concentration.

Treat this seriously. One hour spent studying at full concentration is better than three hours at 50% concentration.

Improve Your Time Management

Poor time management is one of the main causes of low SAT scores. Students run out of time to answer all the questions or they end up rushing through a lot of questions after getting stuck on a few hard problems.

Does All of This Really Work?

This advice also works if you’re not aiming for a 1600. If you want to improve from a 1200 to a 1500, you can use these principles to power your learning.

Finally, keep in mind that you don’t need a 1600 to get into top colleges! A 1540+ will make you more than competitive for top schools like the Ivy League. If you get above a 1550, your time is better spent building up the rest of your application than eking out a few more points.