I got an embarrassing score of 1230 (MATH:400)(CRITICAL READING:410)(WRITING:420) on the SAT last December, which I did not study for AT ALL. My dream school’s (Baylor University) average admitted SAT scores were around the 1600’s. Unfortunately, I think it’s a bit unrealistic for me to raise my SAT score to a 1500+… though I have decided I’m going to retake the SAT in October and put dedication into studying throughout this summer for it.
Could you guys give me some resources on how to study properly for the SAT or out of the SAT Prep book. Please be completely honest, but do you think I could raise my SAT score from a 1230 to 1500-1600 in 4 months? If any of you have raised your score significantly, could you tell me how you prepared for it?
I’m no expert, but my husband is teaching a SAT prep class over the summer. He’s a high school math and computer science teacher at a local private school. He likes the SAT resources on Khan Academy, https://www.khanacademy.org/
He also likes the strategies from the SAT Prep Black Book (you will need the official Blue Book to go with it).
Good luck. If you don’t try, you won’t know, so good on you for trying!
what grade are you in? i think its very doable… especially raising it from a low score to a high score isnt hard. i raised my score from a 1550, without studying, to a 2130 with classes and practice (which I did moderate for about all of 10th grade) . I took my exam in the october of junior year, so I guess you can say that I spent about a year studying (although I wasnt studying very rigorously… just light studying + the sat classes my mom joined me in) If you can afford sat classes (even if its like 30 students/class), I would recommend taking them in your area cause for my it always helped having an adult teaching you face to face rather than just reading a 1000 page collegeboard blue book. also take a bunch of practice tests after the classes. The easiest area to improve is the writing section… they just test you on a few grammar rules and once you perfect those few grammar rules you’ll be good. Just google “sat grammar rules” and you;ll get a bunch of links like this http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■.com/the-18-sat-grammar-rules-you-must-know/ . then take short online practice tests like this (http://www.majortests.com/sat/identify-sentence-errors-test06) and if you get a lot wrong, just make sure you know WHY the correct answer is correct and after a week retake that quiz and repeat that until you get a satisfying score.
I’m not sure about your math skills, but the math isnt too complex… it just goes up to algebra i think and again… you can take classes or trying learning it from khan academy or any practice book.
I was horrible at critical reading so i cant give you any advise other than join an sat summer class (which I did for critical reading)…
Alright, I’ll make sure to ask my parents to put me in the classes. Thank you so much for your advice, oh and I just finished 11th grade so by October I’ll be a senior.
It’s possible to increase your score! I just finished sophomore year and I only took the SAT twice. I got an 1300 on my first time and I was extremely disappointed because I got an 1800 on my PSAT. My teachers kept telling me that, on average, students increase 100 points every time they re-take it.
I ended up retaking it a month-ish later and got a 1660. My essay also went from a 6 to a 10. I DIDN’T study or prepare at all! I honestly don’t know what happened- I think I was just more familiar with the way the test went and less nervous.
A 1660 is still pretty terrible so planning on getting a 2100 before they change the SAT in the Spring. I think the SAT Black Book is amazing because it’s different from every other prep book. It doesn’t force you to learn 2000 vocab words and dozens of formulas. It teaches you how to solve problems when you don’t know what a word means or how to solve math problems without using complex formulas. Also buy the Official SAT guide!
try getting some SAT review apps on your phone, and definitely read through the Official SAT Guide. the SAT is definitely teachable; i saw about a 300 point increase in my score this year (1980 in december, 2240 in may) just from familiarizing myself with the concepts in that guide. and if worst comes to worst, i think baylor accepts ACT scores in lieu of SAT scores, so you can try taking that test instead, maybe.
If live in Texas, then you could also get accepted in to Baylor by being in the top 10% or 8% of your school. Its like a Texas thing that you’re in that range of ranks in your school, you could get in to any college school with maybe the exception of Rice.
Also, I want to mention that classes won’t improve your score that much. It’s the work that you put into it that leads to the results. Rather than wasting money and getting bored at a class with 20-25 kids, working hard at home may result in better scores. Just remember to work hard and the results will follow. Good luck!
^ Private schools in texas don’t follow the top 8% rule, but you can get into some pretty good publics (UT, UH, TAMU) with just your rank, if you do live in texas.
in any case, SAT is not the end all be all to college admissions.
The best advice I can give you for the reading is READ, READ, READ!!! It doesn’t even have to be Shakespeare or Joyce, but just something that makes you think critically. You could even read nonfiction (if that’s your thing) since the new SAT will include nonfiction sources–but make sure you choose a book that requires critical thinking. As for the other subjects, sign up for a course and do a lot of practice tests (four official practice tests for the new SAT are available at http://sat.ivyglobal.com/new-sat-practice/). I would suggest taking all of the College Board practice tests if you have time.
When I 1st took a full SAT practice test back in January I scored 1364. After that I had 2 more full practice tests. The last full practice test I took in April I scored something like a 1550, and this was with about 24 hours of studying over a period of 3 months. And to be honest I wouldn’t even call it studying. It was more like learning the basics of SAT questions and wordings. I’m going to be studying really hard over the summer with an actual SAT Prep book! I am aiming for at least a 2000 and I believe its highly possible if you put the time into it.
My advice to you will be get used to the SAT by taking a bunch of practice tests. That way you will familiarize yourself more with the test format and the actual test will only feel like another practice test. No pressure O yea and be sure to read read read like 2015bl said.
O yea and be sure to read read read like 2015bl said.