<p>I’m a junior in the honors math class in my school (pre-calculus). On my PSAT’s and practice SAT’s, I’ve been getting high 600’s on the CR and W sections, which I don’t feel I have the strongest foundation in, but mid 500’s on the math. This seems somewhat idiosyncratic to me, especially considering my academic strengths, but again, I haven’t taken the actual SAT’s yet. Is there a reason that my scores would look like this?</p>
<p>Is your high school in a low income area? Maybe your high school’s standards are different/lower than other high schools in the U.S?</p>
<p>I go to a Jewish private school, so the focus is generally on Hebrew studies, but unlike most other Jewish schools, my school does have a fairly academic program. Perhaps it’s the school’s standards, but I’m pretty certain it has to do with my own mathematical abilities, which confuses me because I have a 94 average in the class.</p>
<p>SAT math is mostly learned in middle school, so it should have nothing to do with your precalc program. The SAT math section contains questions that are based on aptitude and reasoning rather than the knowledge based ones you get in school. You can do well in precalculus and poorly on the SAT math section if you don’t have good reasoning skills. </p>
<p>I am a transfer student, and my engineer friend was thinking of transferring as well. We wrote a practice SAT test together and he scored like 650 on the math section; he’s in engineering!</p>
<p>You’re comparing yourself to others at your small, private school. It’s entirely possible that the math jocks at your school aren’t that great at math. </p>
<p>At most high schools, there’s a big difference between SAT Math and “regular” high school math. I’ve met calculus students earning solid "A"s in their classes who struggle to break 700 on the SAT.</p>
<p>To maximize your SAT Math score, I’d recommend practicing. Do lots of authentic College Board practice problems, particularly under time pressure. SAT test-writers tend to repeat certain patterns of questions. The more questions you see…the faster you’ll be able to work them the second time you see them. This approach will likely move you into the 600-700 range.</p>
<p>Either get a good tutor or work hard on your own. Dedicate the better part of a summer to SAT prep. Good luck!</p>
<p>Review your middle school math. You probably have forgotten most of the stuff.</p>
<p>I guess I’ve been focusing on the wrong things, but I intend to work hard and get my score up to a 750. I’m hoping that is even feasible, but math comes pretty easily to me, so it should be. Thank you everyone!</p>