Tips if you have 5 or more weeks
I was able to get a 1570 on the September SAT, which I am more than happy with. Before, my superscore was a 1500 (770 Math, 730 Reading and Writing) and my highest score in one sitting was a 1480 (750 Math, 730 Reading and Writing). So pretty significant jump, which is why I think my experience might be valuable to many of you, especially those in the range that I was before the September sitting. I think this is pretty late for October, but if you are taking the October SAT I would say don't take it too hard the day before, just skim over the questions that give you a tough time.
Some tips:
-for Reading/Writing, I know its sounds cliche but don't look for the correct answer, instead look for the best one. As you guys probably know, there might be 2 or 3 of the choices that could very well satisfy the question, but it's your job to with proper discretion screen each answer choice to make sure it doesn't contain any information that disqualifies it. I guess a useful strategy for achieving this would be to try to come up with your own answer before looking at the answer choices, and then choosing the one that best matches it.
-something I tried keeping in my mind while studying was that Usually with tests like the SAT the problem isn't a lack of knowledge, but getting tripped up by the nature of the test. For example, you've probably noticed that in the RW modules the first 10 questions and the last 10 questions are relatively pretty easy - it's the ~7 in the middle that give you a hard time. I think being conscious of that, whatever it looks like, is a significant step forward. Point is, my study was focused mainly on improving my stamina and ability to deal with these tougher more complicated questions.
-my study schedule wasn't very rigid. It was my fourth attempt, so obviously I realized that I was missing something. I used a compiled pdf of the hard questions, for both Math and RW. I solved a few questions everyday, tried to get through them myself, and if I wasn't able to I asked AI. That was maybe the first 1 - 1.5 weeks. Then I started grinding practice tests, for which I used only Bluebook. I did them maybe every 3-4 days on average? For those of you with more time, maybe you could look into those sources that provide much more practice tests. I know it's crazy, but the highest score I got among all the tests was a 1540 (I think 770 on both). Lowk, I was having a tough time even crossing 1500 for the rest of the ones I took, so either Bluebook grades the practices very conservatively or I just locked in for the exam. Probably a bit of both. But yeah, I think doing as many practice exams is what helps you move past the range I was in, because like I said stamina is a very important factor at that stage. While I was doing the practice tests, I also compiled a pdf of the hard, inactive (because I didn't want to advantage myself for any practice test), Math questions form the question bank. I probably could've done the same for RW, but I didn't because 1) I really just wanted to go for the Math 800 and 2) I felt that after already doing the compiled pdf of hard RW questions, the only way I could amplify that was through practice tests. Of course, if your situations are different, you should definitely consider doing the same for RW. But this usually filters around 130 questions, and I did 12 questions daily, so in about 11 days I was done.
-memorizing each question type for Math wasn't really a goal, at least with 5 weeks of studying. Even if it was possible I don't know if it would have been worth it. I just tried singling out the mistakes I was making, whether conceptual or strategy-related, by practicing the problems and the tests. I think that slight honing of critical thinking paired with solid understanding of the concepts will serve you well. I say this because many Math problems can be simplified to a fairly easy concept, it's just that sometimes they will be ocvered by many layers of material. The right approach can deal with this just fine.
-a notebook definitely helps. Keep track of where you are making mistakes, because as I realized, there's probably a pattern throughout them that can likely be fixed moderately easily through the right steps.
-general test advice is applicable. Focus on one question at a time. Manage time, both during the test and before. Don't cram the day before (I mean I didn't really try doing that, but a good night's sleep is definitely very useful). If your life depended on your answer to a question, would it still be the same?
Good luck guys! I want to end by saying that it's important to back yourself - no one was born with a label on their forehead with score 400-1600.