I’m a sophomore in high school and I got a bad PSAT score of 860… Not everyone… But nearly everyone I know got over 1,000. How can I improve my score? The best way to do better on the real thing. Some of my friends have already been getting mail from colleges…
Make a study plan that fits you. What I mean is focus on the areas that you miss Qs.take SAT tests etc.
See if your school offers any classes on test taking. Some public high schools offer (noncredit) classes in taking the tests and it is often easier to stay motivated and moving forward if you are doing it as part of a class or with friends. If not, see if your local library or any other community organization offers such a class. it might meet on a few consecutive Saturday mornings for example. There may be a fee but it can usually be waived for students who can’t afford the fee. If that does not work for you, you can meet with one of your teachers (say English) and explain your desire to do well. You could set up a self study program and meet to update the teacher on your progress. That is another way to make sure you really keep going and don’t slack on it. Then you can purchase self study books (or on-line access) about the SAT or ACT.
Another thing to think about is whether you might do better on the ACTs compared to the SATs. The SATs are tricky. Students who like to game tests and who are competitive for the sake of doing better than others do best with the SATs. Those who don’t like gaming tests but instead tend to be interested in topics, to like things straight forward, and to retain what they study because of their interest, and who are motivated to do well but not necessarily because they want to beat out peers-tend to do better on the ACTs. The ACTs are more straight forward without tricks. Studying for the ACTs would be similar to the strategy used for the SATs (see above).
There are lots of on line resources like khanacademy that can diagnose trouble areas and help you drill where it’s most needed.
Do you tend to do poorly on standardized tests in general or just this one? Are you a good student otherwise? Some people have difficulty doing that kind of mental processing under time pressure. It doesn’t mean that you are not intelligent. You may just have to practice and study, like you would for any other test.
i agree with everyone. use online resources. take SAT classes in prep school. SAT prep school helped me the most. my score doubled and now I’m going to a great university!
The khan academy materials that connect through the PSAT portal on collegeboard can link your score and let you review areas of difficulty. See if you can go through the test question by question, and understand your errors. That’s a start. One of the challenges with the new SAT is that there are not robust review materials. You may also want to look into the ACT’s .
My kid did not have a great sophomore PSAT score, but improved for his junior year, in terms of percentile comparisons (the PSAT changed between his sophomore and junior years). He went over a lot of the old SAT tests in the summer before junior year, and the sophomore year of challenging courses also helped him to get a better score.
If standardized tests have historically been an issue for you, plan on a longer time frame to prep for the tests. If you can afford a private tutor who can point you in the right direction, it is worthwhile investment.
As others have said, your score will improve. Also, the PSAT is different from the actual SAT, so don’t worry too much about it. And as far as your friends getting emails: the colleges aren’t personally interested in them. They are automated emails, sent as a marketing technique. If I’m going to be frank, they’re pretty obnoxious.
Hi darling, I want to tell you a story. I tanked my first PSAT. I got a 1660, and I thought it was the end of the world. Suddenly, the next year it was an 1830, then the next year an 1880, then I took the real SAT and got a 1920. PSATs are merely indicators, and not necessarily great ones at that. Those college emails mean about as much as the clipper magazine your mom throws in the trash twice a week. Forget about them. The fact that you are showing concern and drive this early is excellent. Khan Academy is a heck of a resource, and buying a 20$ SAT study book off eBay could jack your score up 100 points. Bottom line: the PSAT isn’t the end all be all, and your score will go up as you learn more. Stay positive and stay motivated.
Hi. I would like to point out that after every year of High School, a student’s PSAT score is to increase 100 points simply by learning; the nature of school will support that point increase. However, this is solely without any studying, so you should attend a test prep program of your choice or buy a Collegeboard SAT book for practice.