Disappointing SAT results
BuckeyeMomX3
4 replies1 postsRegistered User New Member
My daughter just received her SAT score from June 1st and scored a 1320. This is an improvement over her baseline score of 1200 from sophomore year, but nowhere near what we expected and hoped for going into Senior year. She took the PSAT with her school last October, as a junior and scored a 1310 with barely any Algebra II under her belt, although she has since completed the course with a high 'A.' We were expecting at least a 1400 on the SAT, possibly higher, and she needed this to be eligible for merit-based scholarships at her top-choice universities. There is also concern that she might not get accepted at all, at least to the one university she was leaning towards. I am dumfounded by her score. If a 1310 on the PSAT should translate into roughly a 1310 (or higher) on the SAT, in OCTOBER, before she has even completed Algebra II, how is it she can score only a 1320 eight months later? She also joined a ACT/SAT preparation club at school, so this wasn't due to lack of practice. I should add, she scored a 720 on the Reading/Writing portion. She only scored a 600 on the Math portion, which is what pulled her down. Her SAT Math score was also 30 points lower than her PSAT score. She is due to re-take the ACT Saturday (Her baseline score was a 30 in March). Should I just ignore her SAT scores and focus on the ACT?
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Replies to: Disappointing SAT results
"Should I just ignore her SAT scores and focus on the ACT?" Your daughter has 72 hours til Saturday. Of course she should use it wisely.
@harperdoodle, my D20 used Magoosh for prep for the SAT and ACT retake. For both of the tests the area she was specifically trying to improve was the writing and grammar (so the writing/grammar part of the reading SAT and the English part of the ACT). For both the SAT and ACT when she took it the first time, that was the area she needed most improvement in. She did not use Magoosh for math at all, nor for reading comprehension. While her scores unfortunately went down in both the SAT and ACT, her sub scores for what she used Magoosh for went up. Her ACT English went from 26 to 29, and the writing and language questions score listed on the student detail on SAT went from a 30 to 33. So in that sense I can vouch that the program was helpful. She only used it for about 2-3 weeks as I signed up a bit late and she was very busy in April and May prepping for AP exams, finals, and just other stuff that make junior year very busy.
I can vouch that the score guarantee or refund from Magoosh is true. I got my ACT payment refunded within a few days of sending screen shots of both of her scores.
My S20 got a 1090 in May on the SAT and so he is currently doing an in-person SAT prep course at school through Kaplan. But his first practice test last week was only a 1010 and then today he only got a 1030. So I'm not sure how much the class is helping (he's in it for 3 hours a day). He will be re-taking the SAT in August and we really wanted him to get to 1240 (required for WUE tuition at UN Reno), but at this point we'll be surprised if he beats his 1090 from May. The 1090 should be OK for the 3 Cal States he wants to apply to since they are less competitive and he has a good GPA (3.66 UW). He is worried he won't have any option but community college, which we have said is fine, but not what he wants.
He was near tears when he came home today and just felt very defeated and frustrated. I'm not sure what else to tell him aside from practicing online for the next 6 weeks. He has access to the Kaplan online system for another 90 days and then also the Khan online website through College Board. He is scoring better in the English than Math, and it's almost like he's forgotten a lot of his earlier Algebra. He was in Stats this past year which is not that helpful for the SAT.
Perhaps try practicing the timed-tests with fellow students in a classroom or in a study room in the library, and hold each other accountable (no bathroom breaks, no snacks, no music, no earbuds).
I am just a parent like all of you but I was able to coach my kids with basically just the books and online ACT prep and Khan (initially, for my eldest when he was trying to figure out which test works for him). My D prepped a lot. 4-5 hours a week for about a month last summer, then maybe 1 hour a month through the fall, and then 3 hours a week for 3 weeks over Christmas break. She went from a 27 pre-ACT to a 29 ACT in February to a 32 ACT in April (she went back to 3 hours a week for 2 weeks in March - only focusing on Math and Science which were her weaker scores and most teachable). Superscore 33. We used tons of released tests that are available online. Just the sections that needed work - she was naturally great at the grammar, so never touched that one except in a final full practice test.
My last strategy is my own and I've never read about it anywhere, but I believe it- take whichever test you've decided is the best one (SAT or ACT) in consecutive sittings. Feb/April/June or June/August/October. Don't skip. Why? The curve changes with every sitting and I've noticed that the usually follow a tough curve on one section with an easier curve on the same section in vice versa. I feel like the easy tests (with tough curves, probably like this June SAT) are much harder because if your kid makes a few stupid mistakes, they lose a ton of points. If they take it consecutively, they have a better chance of getting a different hard section from the previous time they took it, so could end up with a more favorable superscore.
Good luck!