The plan to 1600
A top score needs two things: the second module of each section must be the harder one, and you must make almost no mistakes in it. This plan builds both. Adjust the weeks to the time you have.
| When | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Find your starting point | Take the diagnostic, then one full Bluebook practice test. Note every question you got wrong or guessed, by type. |
| Weeks 2-3 | Fix the rules first | Standard English Conventions questions follow fixed rules, so they are the quickest marks to secure. Learn the grammar rules and do every Boundaries and Form, Structure, and Sense question. In Math, work through your two weakest skills. |
| Weeks 4-5 | The reasoning types | Inferences, Command of Evidence and Cross-Text Connections decide the top scores. Do the hard questions on each question-type page and read every wrong-option explanation, even when you were right. |
| Week 6 | Pace | Take timed Reading and Writing modules and Math modules. Aim to finish with three to five minutes to spare for flagged questions. |
| Weeks 7-8 | Full tests and review | One Bluebook test a week, under real conditions. Spend as long reviewing as you spent testing: every mistake goes in your mistake log, with the rule or trap that caught you. |
Habits of students who score at the top
- They treat module 1 as the most important part of each section, because it decides the route.
- They can say why each wrong option is wrong, not just why the right one is right.
- They keep a mistake log and revisit it every week until the same mistake stops appearing.
- In Reading and Writing they predict an answer before reading the options.
- In Math they check every answer that took more than one step, often with Desmos.
Your own plan
The diagnostic gives you a starting plan. Once you are signed in, your mistake log shows this week's focus, worked out from the question types you get wrong most often.
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