<p>I started taking some SAT classes and after a few classes my score seems to just sit there around 2100 and it’s starting to stress me out. My target score is around 2300. Did your score improve for you guys consistently or did it go up suddenly? And how realistic is my goal?</p>
<p>Time, mostly. My second ACT was 11 points higher than my first because three years had elapsed and I knew more.
I’ve never been anywhere near an SAT class, but I feel like they must cater to students who have average or below average scores. I don’t feel like they could do much for someone who already has a 2100.
Do you know why you’re missing the questions you do? Do you not know enough math? Are there grammar rules you haven’t studied? Do you not know the vocab words?</p>
<p>A 2100 is good enough for most colleges. I don’t feel like a 2300 is going to do a whole lot for you that a 2100 wouldn’t. If you’re applying to one of the nation’s most selective colleges, you will likely be rejected even if your score is perfect. Other stuff matters too. </p>
<p>Also: I have <em>always</em> scored higher on the real tests than I have ever scored on a practice test. My score on my first PSAT was around 30 points higher than the score I got in the only practice I took. I don’t know why.</p>
<p>March SAT: 1990 (690 CR, 620 M, 680 W)
October SAT: 2150 (690 CR, 660 M, 800 W)</p>
<p>September ACT: 29 (33 English, 27 Math, 29 Reading, 26 Science)
October ACT: 32 (34 English, 30 Math, 35 Reading, 28 Science)</p>
<p>I barely studied for any of the tests, but the first time I didn’t have extended time and didn’t finish a section. The second time I had extended time and was able to finish right before time was called, which helped me out. TBH I don’t understand why my ACT reading score jumped 6 points within a month but hey, I can’t complain.</p>
<p>The above poster is right, though. Once you break 2100, it becomes less and less important how high your SAT is.</p>
<p>I went from a 2170 in May (800 CR, 670 M, 700 W) to a 2230 in December (800 CR, 660 M, 770 W), and now have a 2240 superscore. I don’t know why my math score didn’t improve because I really studied a lot (but not as much as I could have).</p>
<p>I only took once, but I went from a PSAT in October of 201(74 M, 67 CR, 60 W) to an SAT in November of 2250 (800 M, 730 CR, 720 W).
The Blue Book was my friend. I worked a practice test every weekend. Although the highest I got on a practice test was like a 2200, so the 2250 was a pleasant surprise.
Also, the only reason that my writing wasn’t 750+ was because my essay wasn’t great. I think I only got two wrong on the writing MC.</p>
<p>My score went up consistently for a while: 1890 on my PSAT in 10th grade, 2050 on my PSAT in 11th, and then I took the real SAT like a month after my 11th grade PSAT and I got a 2200. I didn’t study at all for my 10th grade PSAT, did extremely minimal studying for my 11th grade PSAT, and then I stayed home the Friday before my 11th grade SAT with the huge SAT blue book and basically studied the entire thing. On the OTHER hand, I took the SAT for the final time this past October (my senior year), and I got a 2160. I’d told myself I’d study SO MUCH…and then I only studied for like an hour the night before and was super unprepared. Nevertheless, my reading score went up from a 700 to an 800 (and my main reason for retaking was to raise my reading score), so my superscore is now a 2300 and I’m relatively happy.</p>
<p>To make a long story short, your score should improve constantly with the right amount of studying & prep, but if you do nothing SAT-related for a year and then retake expecting your score to improve, it probably won’t. I think your goal is realistic, OP, but you need to figure out EXACTLY where your problem areas are and focus on those. I got like a 650 on math on my 11th grade PSAT and then when I took the SAT a month later my score went up to a 740 simply because I identified math as a problem area and focused my studying on it.</p>
<p>First SAT: 2050 (650M, 660CR, 740W)</p>
<p>Second SAT after studying for a couple of months: 2150 (680M, 710CR, 760W)</p>
<p>Is going through the blue book the only way to study for the SAT?</p>
<p>^The Blue Book isn’t the only way, but it’s the way I most highly recommend, because it has practice SATs that have actually been used before.
The key to take practice tests, and a lot of them. You could probably learn the actual content fairly quickly, since you should’ve learned the math already anyway. It’s all just practice.</p>
<p>Nailing test timing can raise your score by 100+ points in one section… When I rush it (there always is a feeling of time pressure regardless of pace), I find myself missing more than half the questions, compared to missing one at the on the mark pace. And my first test I omitted way too many questions due to time…</p>
<p>–>Nevermind as I can’t say my sudden score jump from one test to the next over timing is as accurate as yours because you’re already at that over 2100 mark.</p>
<p>My score improved from 1840 (January 2012) to 2240 (October 2012) from studying, practicing, and just naturally getting better at math and reading. I also basically realized that the math and writing sections are extremely predictable and can be mastered very easily. Reading is a bit trickier and I’m a pretty bad english student, so I’m convinced I just got lucky. I feel like if I took it again I’d have a shot at 2300+ but I’d never want to take that damn test again.</p>