Thispakistanigir

Hey! Well, I had a question that I was hoping other CC'ers could help me with. I'm taking my SAT for the first time this October. I'm giving it my all this summer and studying around 2-3 hours daily. I really want to break that 2000 my first time, (my PSAT score was dissmal, 1820). I'm studying pretty hard, but I'm only using books, around 5 for different areas and the official book. I don't if I'm just being stupid by not taking a class. Any advice on whether I should sign up for that class?

thepakistanikid

Is this a joke an 1820 on your PSAT. It looks like youre not gonna get anywhere near 2000 no matter how hard you study. You might've had a chance if you took an SAT class, but right now it looks like youre screwed.

mowmow721

You could probably get to around a 2200 with enough studying from books. Don't worry about that jackass above, work hard and you'll benefit from it. Past 2100 though, just 1 or 2 mistakes will start costing you dearly. So I'd say 2100-2200 is a good threshold for a not-so-naturally intelligent but hard worker to get to.

Which is perfectly good for Ivies/Other Elite schools. By the way, the PSAT is the exact same difficulty as the SAT- You could safely score up to a 1900-2000 right NOW, with enough luck on your SAT. There's no reason why it can't be a 2200 soon enough.

Thispakistanigir

Just to clarify, I didn't study for my PSAT, as most CC'ers do. I didn't really know when it was and when I came to school on the day of the test I was pretty surprised.

mowmow721

Then go for a 2200. Seems completely achievable to me.

The first time I took the PSAT I got a 71 reading, 65 math, and a 63 writing. After some studying (I didn't study for writing), I am now sitting on a 800 reading, 780 math, and a 650 writing. I wish I studied for writing, it would have made a BIG difference.

Go for it, and don't let any "I can't do it" thoughts hold you back. This country is great, because if you work hard enough, you WILL get something from your hard work.

dshinka

After studying (and a year between tests) I increased my math alone by 90 points - from a 710 to 800. I went from a 630/570 V/W to a 660/600 V/W without studying for those sections. Never took a course and didn't even bother with a strategy book - just got a book with 12 full-length practice tests. Going up nearly 200 points will be difficult, but, like someone else pointed out, the SAT is somewhat based on luck since people, like myself, making an 800 will statistically not do it again (I think on my score report something like "85% of people with an 800 scored lower on a second testing").