SAT Q&A – Everything You Asked

1️⃣Why is SAT important if many colleges remain test-optional?

Yes, many universities remain test-optional after the pandemic

However:
🔵Most Ivy League schools have reinstated testing requirements
🔵Even at test-optional schools, strong scores can significantly strengthen your application
🔵For international students (especially those from public schools without AP, IB, or advanced coursework like mine) the SAT is often your only standardized academic benchmark
🔵It’s a way to prove academic readiness in a system admissions officers may not fully understand

I personally had to travel to a neighboring country to take the test. It wasn’t convenient. But it was worth it.


2️⃣When should I start my SAT prep?

As early as possible!

Very few students hit their target score on the first attempt — so give yourself room for retakes

I started in the spring of my junior year and took the: March, June, and August SAT 🥺

When I began, I already had C1-level English and strong math foundations, so my preparation time was shorter than average

For most students, I recommend:
🔵Starting the summer after sophomore year
🔵Studying consistently during junior year
🔵Taking your first official test by spring of junior year


3️⃣What is a "good" SAT score?

It depends entirely on your target universities.

General benchmark:
🔵Ivy League: 1500+
🔵Top 30–50 schools: 1450+
🔵Competitive state schools: varies (check their middle 50% range)

Always look at each university’s Common Data Set and aim for the upper half of their admitted range.


4️⃣How can I improve my SAT score fast?

There are no real shortcuts.

But math is usually easier to improve than reading.

For Math:
🔵Memorize core formulas
🔵Master Desmos (huge advantage on digital SAT)
🔵Practice a high volume of questions
🔵Analyze mistakes deeply

For Reading & Writing:

This section is harder to hack because it requires strong English comprehension

Many recommend reading books daily.
Personally, that didn’t work for me.

What worked:
🔵Memorizing high-frequency vocabulary
🔵Doing targeted practice questions
🔵Learning strategies from SAT prep books and YouTube
🔵Reviewing mistakes carefully


5️⃣How do I manage time during the SAT?

The SAT is notorious for time pressure.

My Reading strategy:
1. Start with vocabulary questions
2. Skip complex reading passages initially
3. Do Standard English Conventions first
4. Return to harder reading questions at the end

Goal: secure as many guaranteed points as possible first.

My Math strategy:

If I was stuck for more than 1 minute, I moved on.
Never let one question steal time from three easier ones.

If I could go from missed target scores to 1530, so can you! Keep showing up for yourself. You've got this! 😉

@krcrimson

Life Update (and I'm back!)

Hi everyone! I know I've been a bit quiet here – but for a good reason.

🌟The past few weeks have been intense:
🔵I was preparing for the National English Olympiad 😠
🔵And I'm really happy to share that I received a 2nd diploma (and yes... It was my 20th and final Olympiad)

🌟In between all of this, I also:
🔵celebrated my birthday 🥳
🔵and joined B&S Academy, so now I'm officially back to work and ready to share more with you

Thank you for your patience and for staying here even while I was gone – I really appreciate it!

And now I'm back with new content coming soon!

🌟Let me know in the comments if you'd like to learn more about:
🔵my full Olympiad journey
🔵how I prepared
🔵and what these competitions actually taught me!

@krcrimson

Recommendation Letters – How to Ask the Right Way

1️⃣Choose Strategically
Pick Teachers:
🔵you've worked closely with
🔵who have seen your progress and growth over time
🔵who can speak about you beyond grades

If you're still early in high school, be intentional:
🔵participate actively
🔵stay after class
🔵take initiative
🔵ask thoughtful questions
🔵volunteer for extra work
But don't build relationships for a letter. Build them because you genuinely engage – the letter will follow naturally

2️⃣Who do you need?
For most U.S. universities:
🔵2 teacher recommendations
🔵1 school counselor recommendation

Important: At least 1 teacher should ideally teach the subject related to your intended major

And very important: Choose teachers you've had for at least one full academic year

3️⃣Make it easy for them to write about you
Many teachers (especially outside the U.S.) are not familiar with how American recommendation letters work, so help them!

When you ask, bring:
🔵a resume
🔵a list of extracurriculars
🔵major goals
🔵3-5 qualities you hope they might highlight
🔵specific projects you did in the class

You can even provide a short guide explaining:
🔵that U.S. letters focus on character and growth
🔵that specific anecdotes and stories are better than generic praise

Remember: you're not "writing the letter for them," you're helping them navigate the process unfamiliar to them!

4️⃣How to Ask
Ask in person if possible
Be polite and direct: "Would you feel comfortable writing me a strong recommendation letter for my university applications?"

5️⃣Follow-up & Logistics
🔵Add them on Common App
🔵Give them clear deadlines (earlier than the real ones)
🔵Send reminders
🔵Thank them properly afterwards
Always be respectful even when the deadlines are looming!

Final Thought: Recommendation letters are about relationships!

A teacher who knows you deeply will always write a stronger letter than the most "impressive" teacher who barely remembers you 🙏

@krcrimson

🏆 My Olympiad Journey – 7 years, 20 Competitions, and Countless Lessons

I’ve been in the Olympiad movement for as long as I can remember. 😠

Most of the competitions I took part in were organized by the Ministry of Education, with a few additional ones online. But what matters more than the number is how sloppy my journey was!

🚬 How It All Started

My journey began in 4th grade.

I was preparing for a Math Olympiad…
but never actually took it — I had to leave for a sanatorium during the academic year.

In 5th grade, I didn’t limit myself, I was preparing for Olympiads in:
🔵Math
🔵English
🔵Russian

I also started attending a language school.

But then — COVID.
And all Olympiads were canceled. 😠

🚬 First Real Attempts

In 6th grade, I prepared for three Olympiads but was only allowed to take two.

I chose:
🔵Math
🔵English

I performed better in English — and that’s when I started shifting my focus.

In 7th grade, I discovered chemistry — and I was actually really good at it.
Many people expected me to compete in it. 🤯

But the dates overlapped, so I chose English again.

I placed well — but never first.
At that stage, Olympiads were mostly grammar-based, and honestly, that wasn’t my strongest side. I kept getting 3rd diplomas.

🚬 I Transferred to a Selective School with More Resources

Everything changed in 8th grade, when I entered a lyceum and fully committed.

That’s when I finally got my 1st diploma. 🥳

In 9th grade, I was allowed to compete in the 10th-grade Olympiad, which leads to the national stage.

Competing against older students wasn’t easy. 🤔

But I made it to the National Olympiad — and earned a Diploma with Honors.
For my first national-level competition, that meant a lot.

This Olympiad was different, it tested everything:
🔵grammar
🔵reading
🔵vocabulary
🔵listening
🔵speaking

I also participated in a university Olympiad (10–11 grade level) and got 1st diploma.

That summer, I worked every single day.

🚬 My Biggest Breakthrough

In 10th grade, I qualified again for Nationals.

And this time — I got 1st diploma. 😎

That result brought:
🔵Special Regional Executive Committee Award
🔵Recognition as a Presidential Scholar

🚬 Final Year

This year (senior year) was the hardest. 🎓

I had to balance:
🔵university applications
🔵Olympiad prep
🔵national exams
🔵maintaining valedictorian status
🔵and everything else in my life

But I still made it to Nationals.
And finished with a 2nd diploma — along with another Regional Executive Committee Award.

🚬 Looking back

Over 7 years:
🔵~30 Olympiads across subjects
🔵20 in English alone
🔵17 English Olympiads in the last 3 years
🔵2 Regional Executive Committee Awards
🔵Presidential Scholarship

But most importantly, I've learned so many lessons that go far beyond ant diploma or award, and I'll be sharing them in my next post! Stay tuned! ⌨️

@krcrimson

🏆 7 Years of Olympiads – The Lessons That Actually Matter

Today I want to share what my Olympiad journey actually taught me!

1️⃣ Tenacity Over Talent

My sophomore year — I got a Diploma with Honors at Nationals.
For most people, that sounds fine.
For me, it felt like failure. 😠

I couldn't even bring myself to celebrate with friends that night.

But that disappointment lit something in me.
The next summer I locked in — not just for the Olympiad, but for a bigger goal: getting into a top college. And for that, I needed to prove I was the best.

Here's the part I never told you though —
before winning Nationals in my junior year, I placed 4th at Regionals.
Only 2nd diploma. It bruised my confidence badly.

So I walked into Nationals with zero expectations.
I was genuinely prepared to lose. 🙂

And I think that's exactly why I won.

In sophomore year I wasn't prepared enough — but I expected to win.
The loss was devastating.
In junior year I was fully prepared — but expected nothing.
And look how it turned out.

🌟The lesson:
🔵Come prepared. Never expect to win.
🔵 Disappointment is data, not a verdict
🔵 Your biggest goal will always demand more than your last one

2️⃣ Rest Is Not a Reward. It's Non-Negotiable.

After winning Nationals in my junior year — my peak — I felt terrible. 🫣

Not happy. Not proud. Burnt out.

I couldn't even look at the English language anymore.
It felt exhausting just to think about it.
And it took a long, long time to bounce back.

That's when I understood: pushing to the limit without recovery doesn't make you stronger.

🌟Since then:
🔵 I exercise whenever I can — it clears your head like nothing else
🔵 7 hours of sleep minimum — non-negotiable
🔵 That extra midnight study hour? Not worth it. Your brain consolidates everything you learned during sleep — skip it, and you'll remember less than 50% the next day

📖 Read "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker.
It genuinely changed how I think about rest.

Burnout is not a badge of honor.

3️⃣ Wins and Losses Reveal People

After I won, people who used to look past me suddenly wanted to be close.
"Friends" got jealous. Said I didn't deserve it. Said they deserved it more.

And I also saw the opposite.

The ones who dragged me on random side quests when I needed it the most.
The ones who saw me stressed, sleep-deprived, and a little unhinged — and stayed anyways.

Those are your people. Hold onto them. 😇

But here's something I also learned —
friendship isn't just about receiving support. It's about noticing.

Notice when someone around you is struggling.
Sometimes all it takes is a pat on the shoulder, a hug, or a cup of tea.
And sometimes — the kindest thing you can do is give someone space to process their emotions alone.

Learn to read the room. Be the friend you needed. 🥰

One more thing — compete healthily.
Inside the exam room, yes — you're competitors.
The second you walk out, stop comparing results.
Their score is not your failure. Your score is not their defeat.

⭐️Final Thought

Olympiads gave me diplomas.
But they also gave me resilience, ability to cope with pressure, think clearly under stress, prioritize rest, and see the true intentions of people around me.

Whatever you're preparing for —
the lessons will outlast the results. Every time. And at the end of the day what matters is the kind of person you're becoming! 😉

@krcrimson

Hi guys! Life has been absolutely crazy lately because it's finals season 🎓, and I've also been traveling recently!

🌟But don't worry — I have some very exciting insider posts coming for you in June, and I can't wait to share everything! 🥳

⭐️For now though, since many are preparing to take SAT now, I want to share one of the grammar/punctuation files I compiled myself while preparing for the exam. 😠

⭐️It includes the most important punctuation with examples and exercises that frequently appear on the SAT!

🌟This file helped me organize all the rules in one place while revising, so I hope it'll come in handy for you too!

Find the file below 👇

@krcrimson