My daughter just took her first SAT test in May and she scored a 1270. She didn’t prepare AT ALL. No prep class or online studying, just woke up, walked in and took it cold. She’s in range for some of the schools she wants from what I can tell, but not a slam dunk by any means. Realistically, how much can a student expect to improve on a retake? If she can get up another 50 points or so, is the improvement that significant to make a difference? Her current gpa is 3.68 unweighted, 4.27 weighted. She has taken mostly G/T, honors and AP classes, lot of ECs but all in music and theatre.
Just wondering if its worth the retake or makes more sense to take the ACT instead.
If she didn’t study at all, I would project a retake with studying could raise her score 50-100 points, maybe 150 if she puts a lot of work in. Trying the ACT is not a bad idea, but retaking the SAT isn’t a bad option either. I think you could go either way.
The research shows 50 points is about the best you can realistically hope for due to test prep. This assumes nothing was wrong when she took the test the first time: she didn’t stay up till 3am the night before texting her friends or take it when she was sick.
No she wasn’t sick but can’t guarantee she wasn’t up texting friends. After she came out of the test she remarked that she didn’t believe she could have done any better had she studied, but I imagine there are tips and suggestions that might have helped her if nothing else. Its a long, grueling test and she’d be studying over the summer for it, so really want to make sure it would be worth the effort to put her through it again.
Pretty much everyone who studies improves. How much will largely depend on how diligent and effective the studying is. A class can help some students (more so if they study between sessions!) stay on track. A tutor can help, particularly in identifying and addressing weaknesses (especially helpful with math). A motivated kid can do fine with a test prep book or online program on their own.
Your daughter’s reaction makes it sound like she might benefit from having someone helping her make the most of her study time as she sounds unconvinced of the benefit of putting time into it.
How much someone can improve depends on a lot of things. Both my kids improved by more than 100 points after studying a bit on their own. Some kids have the content for the test but they need to get a bit of experience and put the “things together”. I don’t know how to explain the “put things together” but that’s what my daughter said about the math. She knew pretty much everything the first time she got the test but she did not have them “well organized” in her head and she felt a bit overwhelmed. Next time she took the test she improved by more than 100 points. However, I know students that were not able to improve at all. Statistics are statistics but you don’t know where your child falls until she tries. I would not recommend taking the test without prepping though or if your child is not motivated. I would think that in general a score of about 1350 is safe.
I definitely think a student can improve more than 100 points.
Our S19 took a practice SAT at a Kaplan center and got all of the advanced math questions correct and missed 6 or 7 easier questions just because he either (a) didn’t read the question carefully and knew it was an easy question and rushed through or (b) it was a geometry question and he hasn’t had geometry since 8th grade. Once he reviewed for a couple of hours, he’s easily improved 100 points on practice math sections.
As for reading, he seemed to always miss the same type of question (the ones that are connected - you answer one question and then the second question asks WHY you chose the answer to the previous question). He’s worked hard on those as well and improved quite a bit. Up over 100 points as well. Didn’t need to study much for the writing and language section since he only missed two on the first practice test.
I think it’s important to be strategic in studying and practice what is missed in practice tests. This summer he will continue to study and take practice tests in hopes that it will relieve nerves and help him feel prepared in August for his first real SAT.
The question is not really about the test but why your kid would even take the first SAT without prep. If her personality means she isn’t going to work, period, then the discussion is more than just about the SAT but the future. Either the SAT or ACT IS worth resitting with actual work.
As a parent who tutored my own DD and then became a private tutor for others, I can say absolutely that tutoring and/or smart self-study can result in very significant gains. It’s not unusual for my students to improve by 200 points or more.
If your DD retakes the test without any additional prep, her scores are almost as likely to go down as to go up. However, most schools have Super Scoring (for the SAT) where they will look at the best math score and best verbal score, even if they were achieved at different dates with different versions of test. Therefore, if your DD retakes the test and manages to increase her math score, that better score will be considered even if her score happened to go down in verbal. For this reason alone, it’s worth retaking the SAT (in my opinion).
Even better, your DD should do some test prep. Although her initial scores are good, they are not commesurate with her strong grades; they are actually a drag on her grades. She could possibly improve enough where her SAT scores are on par with her grades or even supplement her grades.
Her best approach is not a “standard” SAT prep course. They usually have a fairly large number of students of a wide variety of competencies and they tend to lightly cover all topics A-Z. Gains from this type of course are usually much more modest. She’s better off with a good private tutor or a very small semi-private class, or, if she is very self-motivated, independent study with some great resources. In my opinion, the very best resources are (a) the Official College Board SAT Guide (for official practice tests), (b) PWN the SAT Math by Mike McClennathan, (c) New SAT Grammar Guide by Erica Meltzer and (d) The Critical Reader for the New SAT by Erica Meltzer. All are available at Amazon.com. Khan Academy (free, online), is very good (but sometimes excessively time consuming). There is a lot of information on CC regarding the best methods for SAT prep (search “Xiggi method”). I very strongly recommend that you or she research that approach if she is considering doing independent prep.
Finally, I don’t recommend having your daughter take the ACT. She did so well on the SAT without any studying that we can feel confident that she is compatible with the test. Schools are looking for SAT or ACT; there is no value in trying to do well on both. Time would be better spent trying to master one of them.
We have to wait a few weeks for D’s latest SAT results, but D felt much more confident about the math this round–even though she wasn’t feeling great that day–after just a couple months of a combo of small group classes and private tutoring for specific problem areas.
I’m very happy with our math tutor but if aI had read this post before finding her, I would have asked you to be my D’s tutor.
@SoccerMomGenie Right on! Our S19 is using the books you suggest this summer. They are super helpful and they each refer practice test questions right back to chapters that review that material. So, S19 will take a test. I will review it and suggest which sections of the books he needs to review. Then, he will do the practice sections in each of those books. After that, he will return to his practice test and see if he can get the problems correct that he originally got wrong. We will add Kahn if he needs more practice problems and then he will retake another practice test. Hoping to continue that circle of practice test, focused practice, re-take the incorrect test answers until he reaches his goal of 1500. I think he should be there in three tests or so.
It will be a lot of work. He’s up for it. Wants to knock the SAT out so he does not have to deal with it in winter and spring junior year. He has four AP tests and two SAT IIs to take in the spring so it’s best to study this summer.
The tutor I’d like to use costs $250 per hour. If he needs her at the end of the summer we will do a couple of sessions. We have told him, though, that if he can start scoring around a 1500 on practice tests before the Aug 26th test date, we will give him $250. He said he doesn’t need the money motivation but I figure it can’t hurt and will maybe help him focus when his friends are at the pool and he’s at the library. :))
@MACmiracle I hope your D is happy with her test results! Sounds like you found the right way for her to study! And I totally agree with @SoccerMomGenie about the ACT. S19 can’t even finish it even though he doesn’t get any wrong on the questions he does answer. He decided early on to bag it and focus on the SAT. I think the material seems a little harder on the SAT but, if you have a student who is a strong reader, it seems like it’s the better test.
My D1 raised her math score by 110 points by studying. D2 did the same with her Math II subject test on her 2nd attempt. My kids both did well on CR or lit related tests with minimal prep (huge readers, so they had really been prepping for most of their lives). But studying for the math sections made a big difference for them.
@Sybylla your comment was rather rude I have to say. I don’t know a single person who prepped for their first SAT, particularly May of junior year when there is zero time to dedicated to anything other than schoolwork and end of year activities. My daughter is a hard worker, and for that reason, was working her tail off to do well in school and all of the ECs she is doing so that she can be a well-rounded individual.
@collegemom2000, I just started reading Erica Metzler’s CR book (the old one, it was given to me). Wow is all I can say. This book is very high quality!!!
I bet your D can really raise her sore by a whole lot if she can put the time in with the high quality material @SoccerMomGenie recommends.
My S went from 1210 (Princeton Review practice test) to 1490 (real test, single sitting, first attempt) using the Meltzer and PWN books for prep and official / Blue Book tests for practice tests. I suspect he could break 1500 if he were to take it one more time.
What research? The local test prep companies here will nearly guarantee you 100-150 points. And from experience here locally, from my D’s peer group, I’d agree.
Most kids locally will take both. They’re offered on different test dates. And sometimes a kid will do better on one test versus another. Sometimes there’s no difference, but you won’t know until you try. For the record, my daughter just took the SAT, but she’s in the minority.
