Crackd Dream Score Guide

Introduction

Improving your SAT score becomes straightforward once you know which study strategies are actually effective and assemble a study plan to guide you to your goal. This guide is intended to be the formula you can use to assemble such a plan; read through it to learn scientifically-proven study habits, how to effectively make score improvements, how to approach mock exams, and more. Remember that no progress is guaranteed without significant effort — raising a score by over 100 points can require dozens of hours of focused study — but with consistency and the proper approach, you can achieve your ideal SAT score.

This guide is split up into the following sections for your convenience:

Setting a Goal
Evidence-Based Study Strategies
Effective Study Habits
SAT-specific Strategies
Making a Study Plan

We highly recommend you read through all of these sections in case your personal research missed some nuance or detail covered here.

Setting a Goal

Before you begin studying it's imperative to set a score goal. If you're taking the exam and you wish to attend an ivy league university, your goal is likely going to be higher than that of someone hoping to attend a smaller private university or even just taking the exam to put on general applications or to prove subject proficiency to skip general education classes in college.

Important Context

Before you begin studying, it's important that we acknowledge a few key details relating to the study process:

No two students study the same or make the same progress. Everyone learns at different rates.
Because everyone learns at different rates, it's unreasonable to expect that you can increase from a 1200 score to a 1500 in only a month unless you know your learning ability (which can be improved with time).
Perfection becomes exponentially more difficult to reach. If increasing your score from 1500 to 1600 was as easy as improving from a 1100 to a 1200, or even to a 1300, a lot more people would be scoring 1500s. If your score is already above a 1400, it'll be much more difficult to achieve a +100 score increase than if your score was a 1200.
Following from the previous notes, it's hard for anyone other than yourself to gauge just how quickly your score will improve unless they know you and your study habits. But the general rule of thumb is that each +100 point score increase will take somewhere between 30-50 hours, unless your score is already above a 1400.

Evidence-Based Study Strategies

Optimizing memory retention and learning speed will make the SAT study process much more efficient, meaning more score gains achieved in fewer hours studied. The following methods are all proven by scientific studies or cognitive research to boost learning or retention of information.

Spaced Repetition

This is the practice of reviewing material at increasing intervals over time. Research has shown that spreading out study time and spacing it out across days instead of cramming in one long 10-hour study session will provide much better results, improving memory and learning much more effectively. This is because spacing things out means your brain partially forgets that information before you circle back and review it once more, strengthening that information mentally and helping you remember it better next time.

How do I use this in my study plan?
To take advantage of this method, separate out your review into topics: math, reading, writing (you can further separate out into subtopics, depending on your needs). Then, cycle through these topics/subtopics; if you review math intensively, take a hiatus for a couple days before circling back to math again, reviewing what you previously learned to ensure you've fully learned it before moving on to a new subtopic. You can circle back more than once if you're learning especially difficult concepts, too. Spacing out your review of the same topics more and more as you strengthen your skills in them will make it more difficult for your brain to recall that information as it learns it, further strengthening your memory.

Ex. 1: My recommendation for students studying vocab is as follows: select 5-10 words to learn each day, and then review those words in very short study sessions multiple times throughout the day (for instance, 10-minute sessions 3-4 times a day). These short intraday study intervals allows your brain sufficient time to forget the words it's relearning, strengthening your memory.
The next day, spend some time reviewing those previous 5-10 words, then focus on learning 5-10 new words. If you're still struggling a little with all or a couple of those original words, circle back to them a couple days after that to give your brain more time to further forget them and then review them again.

Ex. 2: Mary wants to boost her score in the geometry and trigonometry math subtopic. She chooses to review circles first, allocating an hour to study that topic. She's super confident with her ability to solve circle problems after that review. So the next day, she decides to skip her review of circles and save it for later, opting to focus on right triangles and trigonometry. She has a tough time with this topic and knows she'll need more review of it.
The next day she spends 10 minutes reviewing circles since she's acing those, but then locks in for right triangles and trig for the rest of her study session since she struggled so much on it before. Since she learns a lot more this time around, she decides to challenge herself; she won't review right triangles and trig for another two days, to give her brain time to 'forget' the topic so she can re-learn it and strengthen her knowledge on the topic later.

Active Recall

Active recall is another proven learning strategy. This simply means testing yourself under low stakes. This is essentially studying a certain topic for some time before closing your eyes and testing yourself; can you remember all of the main points/formulas you learned? Actively recalling the information you recently learned forces your brain to retrieve that information from your memory, essentially signaling to your brain that this information is more important and needs to be mentally shelved somewhere easily accessible.

How do I use this in my study plan?
This method is pretty easy to use. When reviewing information, such as math formulas or grammar rules, close your eyes after finishing a round of review and ask yourself what you just learned: recount all the math formulas, Desmos methods, or use cases of grammatical particles you reviewed. If you can't remember it all, that's ok; the mere act of trying to recall this information (on a regular basis especially, perhaps spread throughout the day or week) will strengthen your memory much quicker.

Ex. 1: Gerald is studying math formulas for geometry and trigonometry. He has them written out in a google doc so that he can review them all more effectively. Every few hours throughout the day he looks over the doc before covering his eyes and repeating each of the formulas under his breath. The next day he remembers most of the formulas, so he waits another day to review the formulas once more, taking advantage of the power of spaced repetition.

Interleaving

Interleaving is a research-backed learning strategy that involves mixing different topics or types of problems in one study session, instead of focusing on just one. This technique not only partially involves spaced repetition, it also helps your brain distinguish between concepts and learn to apply the right strategy to the right kinds of problems; this can be especially advantageous for math, since different Desmos methods can be confused.

How do I use this in my study plan?
Instead of doing 30 problems in the same math subtopic, try mixing 4–5 problems from different topics (e.g., geometry, algebra, statistics) in one session. Rotating through them 2–3 times will force your brain to constantly recall different strategies, sharpening your ability to identify and apply the right one on test day. Plus, the switch in information will make it easier to focus, as slogging through 20+ problems on the same topic is not only boring but will make your brain lazy and not actively strengthen your memory.

Ex. 1: Serena is studying for math. While she knows problem-solving and data analysis is her weakest subtopic, she also struggles on geometry and trigonometry. So instead of doing 15 problem-solving and data analysis questions in a row, she does 4 statistics, 4 geometry, 4 data analysis, and then 4 trigonometry problems, and then loops back. This method initially feels less efficient, but it keeps her brain alert, preventing her from zoning out, and strengthens the skills she needs to solve those problems.

Effective Study Habits

Study habits are just as important as actual learning techniques. For 99% of people, none of the information in this guide will help you if you only get 3 hours of sleep per night — you simply don't get enough sleep for your brain to rest and grow effectively.

Memory & Sleep

Studying hard is essential, but so is rest. If you've ever lifted weights you know that resting is more important than actually pumping iron. Learning is no different; your brain is practically a muscle, as it requires rest (sleep) after a difficult study session to effectively strengthen memories and process information learned during the day. And of course, a night of proper sleep improves your learning ability the day after, as well as your ability to think creatively.

How do I use this in my study plan?
Aim for 8–10 hours of sleep per night, and avoid sacrificing sleep in favor of cramming. Sleep will be especially important the night before the exam; I often recommend students to sleep early and then wake early before the exam so they're entirely awake by the time the exam rolls around.

Exercise & Cognition

Physical exercise has also been linked to improved memory and sharper thinking. Regular exercise can improve memory, sharpen thinking, and cause structural changes in the brain that lead to boosted learning. Exercise actually has particularly strong mental benefits for kids and teens, so now is the best time for you to hit the gym or visit the park; research indicates younger people experience the best memory improvements from regular exercise. Plus, exercise improves your mood, reduces stress and anxiety, and improves sleep, all of which are critical for not only exam day but the entire study process. Better sleep means more focused studying, easier sleep, and boosted memory.

How do I use this in my study plan?
Moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, is sufficient to take advantage of the benefits to your brain; aim for 150 minutes per week (so 30 minutes per day, five days/week). I highly recommend using exercise as an excuse to take a break from studying. The perfect way to rest after an intense study session is to go on a walk or light jog, allowing your brain to unwind and process everything you've learned.

Consistent Study Schedule

Consistency is key to successful SAT preparation. Studying consistently and routinely each day is many times more effective than sporadic and/or infrequent study bursts. Use the following rules to ensure your study schedule is optimal:

Same Time, Same Place: Try your best to study at the same time each day. For example, study every weekday from 4–5 PM right after school. A routine such as this will build a subconscious habit in your brain, helping you get into “study mode” more quickly.
Use Shorter, Frequent Sessions: A 1-hour study session each day is tenfold better than a 5-hour marathon on Sunday. Shorter sessions not only make it easier to concentrate fully, but allow more spacing and thus more effective learning.
Plan Your Week: At the start of each week, plan what you’ll study each day. This is made easy with google calendar, as you can easily block out times throughout your week to study reading, math, review grammar rules, do full length practice exams, do speed drills, etc. Planning out your time this way will prevent you from procrastinating.
Set Milestones and Deadlines: If your test date is far away, intermediate goals are an excellent way to keep yourself motivated.
Adjust as Needed: Missing a day of study is not a big deal, especially if you've already been consistent for a while; just try to get back on track as soon as possible. If your schedule is getting too hard to follow (if you've taken up a new sport or extracurricular, for example) revise your schedule; remember, the best study plan is the one you can consistently stick to, not the one that crams the most practice in the shortest amount of time.

Sticking to a schedule will build momentum and quickly become habitual, leading to less cramming, better learning, and less difficulty being truly productive with your study. This will make it much easier and less mentally taxing to accumulate the large number of practice hours necessary for large 200–300+ point score gains. Consistent, gradual study beats procrastination and cramming every time.

How do I use this in my study plan?

Ex. 1: Jeremiah is studying for his exam 3 months away. He knows that he's got a long way to go; he wants to score a 1400 and is currently scoring around 1100 on practice exams. To stay motivated throughout that time and feel more accomplished, he sets goals to work toward every 2 weeks, and rewards himself upon completion of those goals. He struggles especially much with grammar and writing, so his first goal is to finish learning all of the necessary grammar topics for the exam. He also wants to try to take a practice exam every other weekend, so his second goal is to have completed at least 2 mock exams.

Ex. 2: Jennifer has a problem. Her schedule used to be free enough to study two hours a day for her SAT exam, but since she began playing lacrosse she's had a lot less time to study each day. She knows her time is running out to study, her exam is only a month away and she still needs to make a 100 point score gain. But she knows that trying to sacrifice sleep or her social life will cause her to burn out and perform even worse on the exam, so she ultimately decides to study only an hour a day on the exam, or half an hour if a full hour is not possible, with smaller sessions sprinkled in during lunches or before school. On weekends, she makes up for as much missed study time as reasonably possible by studying for 2–4 hours.
Eventually she takes her exam; while she does achieve her initial goal, she ends up satisfied with her score and her performance in school and extracurriculars did not suffer from cramming unreasonable amounts of study into a short period of time. Due to her maintained performance in school and her excellence in lacrosse, she ends up being accepted into her dream college, despite her exam score being below the school's average.

Optimizing Your Study Environment

Where and how you study can significantly affect your focus and efficiency.

Study in a Quiet, Comfortable Location: Work somewhere where you can concentrate, away from distractions and loud noises. Your desk in your room, a library, a quiet cafe, or anywhere where you won't be interrupted works. Ensure the location is comfortable enough, but not so comfortable that you'll be tempted to doze off, and ensure you have good enough lighting that you can stay focused.
Limit Distractions: Silence your phone, block social media, and limit any other distractions that could remove you from your zone while you're studying. Putting your phone in an entirely different room also works for many students, as it completely 'removes' the distraction from your mind and prevents you from glancing at it. You cannot multitask — your brain can only focus on one task at a time, so make sure it's the actually important one, not Tiktok or Instagram reels.
Have Materials Ready Beforehand: Ready your materials BEFORE you begin studying; prepare your laptop, water, a snack, etc. Also ensure all the websites and resources you need on your laptop are opened and ready for use, ensuring you don't waste time searching for things and losing focus.
Use Headphones or Earplugs if Needed: If silence is hard to find, use headphones or earplugs (even noise-cancelling ones if you have access). Refrain from listening to music, at least during mock exams and drills, to simulate a real testing environment; this will grab your attention.
Keep Your Study Area Organized: Keep your space (physical and digital) clean and free of clutter. A clean space will help you feel more in-control and less stressed, ultimately boosting your focus and saving you time if you need to find anything.
Incorporate Breaks: For longer study sessions, use techniques like Pomodoro (take breaks every now and then to retain focus). Stepping away temporarily can help you recharge; just be disciplined about your breaks.

Treat your study time as seriously as a real test: eliminate distractions, create a conducive environment, and be fully present in your work. Training under such conditions will not only simulate the actual exam, preparing you mentally for test day, but it'll help you get the most out of each hour of prep.

SAT-Specific Strategies

The following are powerful tricks and strategies I've picked up over my time studying for and tutoring for the exam.

Extreme words in reading passages (not writing ones, oftentimes extreme words are correct in word in context problems) are often red flags! Be careful for words like "never" or "always" — is the pattern the answer choice discussing always right or wrong, 100% of the time, every time? Oftentimes the passage doesn't actually make such a claim.
On paired passages (cross-text connections) try to find either the main idea of both passages or the claims of the scientists/researchers/authors in each; oftentimes the problem can be answered simply by finding these single-sentence main ideas.
Keep a mistake log! We review everything you need to know about mistake logs at the end of this guide.
Instead of completely and thoroughly reading passages, read through and focus on taking mental notes of all the most important points. Don't skim, but don’t deep read either. Strike a balance — actively take note of key points so you’re ready to answer questions.
You need to cut your losses on some questions. Set a mental timer when moving on to a question. If 20 seconds pass and you still have no idea how to solve it, move on.
Contrary to popular belief, inspecting the answer choices before reading the passage is not a great strategy long-term. Instead, after reading the passage and question, ask yourself what the answer should be before looking at the answer choices. Then match it.
Do NOT rely too heavily on Desmos. You’ll lose time typing things out that you could have solved faster mentally. Don’t touch Desmos for the first third of your prep — learn the math first.
If vocab or “words in context” problems trip you up, study vocabulary regularly. A lot of students already have the logic — it’s just the words themselves holding them back.
Read! Especially articles — science, sociology, economics, etc. The language style and variety will sharpen your comprehension and reading speed. Bonus: it's more similar to the actual test than long-form fiction.

Making a Study Plan

Based on your goal, we now need to make a study plan. The plan MUST match your time constraints; your goal score needs to be achievable within the time frame you have before your exam. Knowing your exam date is an absolute must if your test date is less than 3 months away; beyond that time, things can be a little more flexible, though it's still great to know exactly how long you have for planning purposes. Following are example plan outlines for 1-, 3-, and 6-month study periods. Compare your situation to these plans to develop a proper study schedule for your study scenario.

One-Month Study Plan Design

One month is a relatively short amount of time to prepare for the exam; assuming the standard score growth of +100 points per 40 hours (which is overly generous if your score is already high) you'll need to study, on average, 80 minutes per day to achieve this kind of growth. Be wary of picking an exam date this close to the start of your prep. Here's our recommended breakdown for a study plan like this:

Week 1: Take a diagnostic test and determine what areas you struggle with (using Bluebook). Spend the first 2 weeks targeting these weaknesses. Alternate between math and reading/writing. Prioritize the sections where you see the most growth potential.
Week 2: Easier topics (grammar, algebra) should now be strong. Focus this week on harder topics like advanced math or reading. Start taking 1–2 practice exams weekly. Don’t cram exams together — space them out, then review thoroughly a day or two later.
Week 3: If you've been improving and mastering your material, now’s the time to up your testing. If not, continue drilling topics. Consider timed drills (smaller sets under real test time limits).
Week 4: Begin doing speed drills — set even stricter time limits to train your speed and focus. Review hardest problems again. Work with a friend if possible to polish your thinking.
Final Days: Do not cram. Do light review only. No full mock exams. Focus on flashcards or a few selected practice questions. Prioritize sleep above all else.

This plan is intense and not recommended unless you’re desperate. Some students may pull off 200+ point gains, but that depends on your foundation and study ability. It's exhausting and there's little room for breaks. Every day counts.

Three-Month Study Plan Design

The three-month long study plan detailed below is a much more realistic long-term prep plan. Three months is certainly enough time to make even a 300-point score gain if you truly dedicate yourself to your study. It's essentially going to be the same as a 1-month plan, but stretched out over more time.

Month 1: Focus on foundations — grammar rules, algebra, geometry. Use Khan Academy — it’s ideal for fundamentals. Your goal by the end of this month: no question type feels “surprising” or unfamiliar.
Month 2: Start applying what you’ve learned. Shift from general review to specific skill drills. Start taking 1 practice exam per week. Analyze how much time you have left after each module. Are you getting faster?
Month 3: Weekly full-length practice exams. Take them seriously: quiet environment, correct timing. Review the next day. If you’re still struggling with specific question types, target them with drills.
If your score is already high (1450+), or you don’t see a pattern in your mistakes anymore, focus entirely on full-length practice and reviewing those tests.

Final Days: This is your rest window. Don’t burn out now. Sleep early. Pack everything the night before. Wake up early the day of your test and give yourself 1–2 hours to mentally wake up.

This is the most balanced plan for most students. 200-point score gains are realistic. But even three months can fly by. Stick to your timeline and stay motivated.

Six-Month Study Plan Design

Six months of study time is a fantastic window to prepare. This amount of time can easily raise a sub-1000 score to a 1500+, with the right prep. However, a long timeline can also lead to procrastination if you’re not careful. The key to a 6+ month plan is to break it into phases, so you remain engaged and keep progressing.

Months 1–2: Learn all the foundations. Go deeper than you would in a 3-month plan. Use multiple resources: Khan Academy, videos, books. Start building your reading stamina by reading articles daily.
Begin vocab review from day 1 — vocab growth takes time. By the end of Month 2, you should have touched every exam topic at least once.
Months 3–4: Begin integrating timed drills and 1–2 mock exams per month. Use interleaving — mix question types. Review and refine any missed fundamentals. These months are where your score can take a big leap.
Months 5–6: This is your mastery phase. Take weekly full-length practice exams. Write detailed mistake logs. Track every error. Review all flashcards and notes. Focus on test day simulation.
Final Days: Rest and recharge. Sleep well. Pack your things. Don’t overthink — review light flashcards only.

The biggest threat in this plan isn’t effort — it’s laziness. Don’t say “I’ll get serious next month.” Start now. Be consistent. Reward yourself for sticking to your milestones.

Pre-Exam Notes

Before you take your exam be sure to read through the following checklist:

Gather all of the materials you need before the day before your exam. It'll be much less stressful on the morning of the exam to already have everything you need in order and ready to go. Be sure to have your school or government ID on hand if necessary.
Sleep early on the night before the exam, and wake early the morning of. Make sure you get at least 8 hours of sleep, and leave enough time to wake completely the morning of the exam. Try to get out of bed at least an hour before you have to check-in for the exam, to ensure your brain is totally awake by the time you start on it. You can even wake 2 hours early if you want to be safe, but note that that's the longest it'll take to totally clear your morning fog, so anything more is wasted sleep time.
Do NOT eat or drink anything abnormal on the morning of the exam. Do you normally drink coffee? If no, do NOT start now; if yes, drink your typical amount. Chugging an energy drink before the exam starts when you're not used to that amount of caffeine in the morning is a surefire way to be wide awake for reading module 1 and then crash completely by the time you hit math. And the last thing you want is for your stomach to react negatively to anything; ensure you eat something, unless you're used to fasting in the morning, but again, nothing abnormal.
On the morning of the exam it's likely you're feeling nervous. Try some breathing techniques to calm your nerves; I like box breathing and the 5-4-3-2-1 method.
- Box Breathing: Inhale 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds, exhale 4 seconds, hold empty 4 seconds. Repeat 4–5 times.
- 5-4-3-2-1: Think of 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. Doesn’t need to be deep — if all you taste is your mouth, that’s fine. The goal is to ground yourself.

Mistake Log Recommendations

Keeping a mistake log is an essential part of the exam prep process. A mistake log allows you to track your progress in certain areas of the exam, and recognize patterns in your mistakes that will allow you to direct your study to the topics that truly need it. Ensure you're effectively tracking your mistakes though; use the following checklist to make sure you're on track.

For every new missed problem you add to your mistake log, note:

✅ The subtopic that problem belongs to (e.g. words in context, equivalent expressions, etc)
✅ Where to actually find the problem; you're going to be revisiting it later, possibly more than once, so make sure you can easily find it again
✅ Your incorrect answer
✅ The correct answer
✅ An explanation of why the correct answer is correct with more than one reason, and 1–2 reasons why you missed it (maybe one of them being external).

You should strive to find more than one reason for why the correct answer is actually correct (unless the question is relatively straightforward or the passage is not very detailed). Most students write weak explanations — don’t settle for that.
Also include why you chose the wrong answer. Include external causes too — lack of sleep, low energy, rushing, misreading, etc. ✅ A difficulty rating. This isn’t the College Board’s "easy/medium/hard" — it’s your own judgment.
I recommend using star emojis: ⭐ = dumb mistake
⭐⭐⭐ = “tough, but I could’ve gotten it”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = “even with 5 extra minutes, I’d still bomb this”

Use these ratings to plan targeted review sessions later — review all ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ questions again right before your exam. Then ⭐⭐⭐. Then ⭐. That way, you're always attacking your biggest weaknesses first.

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