Hi, I just took my first ever practice SAT on Khan Academy and scored a 1260 (610M, 650R; I didn’t take Alg2 yet which explains my math score) I’m going to be in 10th this year but would like to score 1450+ when I take the real test in Fall of 2017. Would you recommend that I take an SAT prep/tutoring program like PrepScholar next summer? Or should self studying with books be enough? Thank you!
Students’ scores typically go up a lot in both reading and math just from their work in 10th grade. Take a practice test from one of the prep books near the end of 10th grade, and you may find yourself close to your goal. Keep in mind that 11th grade work also usually makes both reading and math scores go up some more. That is why so many kids take the SAT or ACT in spring of junior year.
Instead of paying for a tutoring program, I recommend buying a couple of SAT prep books and working problems from them for short time periods over the next year and a half, paying close attention to the types of problems you miss. Take two or three practice tests in the weeks leading up to the exam.