March, May and June test dates for Juniors are hugely popular in these parts. My D took her SAT in May, before AP testing (they’re prepped in class for months) and then took one of her SAT2’s last week. The kids can manage their time wisely.
@collegemom2000 Was your D’s score about what she expected based on PSATs?
My D improved 4 points on her ACT in two months after taking the first one completely cold (she didn’t know there was science on it). She did a little math prep (a couple of hours) and her other scores also went up by 2-4 points just based on increased familiarity with the test. (SAT score somehow went down in some areas with prep).
I have a S19 who is supposed to prep on his own for the SAT this summer. He had a 1360 10th grade PSAT and probably has a target of 1450 in mind. I keep seeing the PWN and Meltzer books recommended, but I can’t see my S reacting well to 1000 pages of SAT prep materials. I’m hoping Khan Academy will help, and I purchased him the thinnest prep books I could find on Amazon. Probably not the best criteria for choosing materials, but he didn’t flinch when I handed them to him. (I think they are Princeton Review “workout” books)
Our issue is there is zero time to take an actual prep class. This was the case during the school year and also the case over the summer. All of the classes I can find are every day for 3-4 hours during weeks she is not available. She has three summer jobs and a two week camp, plus a couple of family vacations. It was even more tight during the school year with so many honors courses and major EC and other school commitments. For kids who study on their own, do they just use Kahn? I cannot see her wanting to sit with a book. Is there anything online available?
My son also went from a 1280 going in cold to a 1400. Definitely worth taking again.
@eh1234 I hear you about the books. This is the digital age and I don’t see a lot of kids with their heads in textbooks these days, sadly. Most of the textbooks my kids get are online now. I heard Kahn was just tests and no actual prep material but I guess I need to look into that some more.
I do not understand why would anyone take a test without prep. They even give you free practice tests online. Both my Ds practiced over the summer after sophomore year. Their ACT practice scores went up 4-5 points from the first practice score to their plateau and final score in their single attempt. My D1’s SAT went up ~250 points (in 2400 scale) and my D2’s SAT went up ~140 points (in 1600 scale). Both took SAT twice in Junior though.
I don’t know a single person who prepped for their first SAT,<<<<<<
That must be local/cultural to your area/school. I would not know any academic, competitive kid not prep. It is a bad plan. But I think it looks like you have a lot of reasons for her not to be able to prep. You set the expectations.
@collegemom2000
My daughter found books more manageable than Khan academy as she could make notes, skip around etc. I guess it comes down to preference. She used the 8 college board tests that are free on line (she printed them out) and a separate math book (panda math). The tests she did in chunks (not the whole test at once) and not timed so she could spend some time thinking and organizing. She is extremely busy herself and she absolutely did not study more than 2-3 hours a week total. Mostly on weekends. She did some studying during winter break, some on February vacation. Nothing super intense or amazing. Actually, I wish she studied more but as you say no time.
@billcsho there are differing opinions on prep before the first SAT. I have always been told that the SAT measures what you have learned throughout your entire high school career. You cannot learn in 6 weeks what you should have learned in three years. All of the students I know have taken their first SAT cold just like they do with the PSAT, to determine which areas need to be focused on. Otherwise you are studying for everything which is a waste of time and energy which could and should be used for schoolwork. Just our approach, but I know others feel differently.
Sounds like your kids also took the SATs twice, which is pretty standard I guess.
Actually, that’s not what it shows at all if you read the details of the study, and not the headline spin. CB’s own research show that some students raiser their scores a LOT more.
But to the OP, probably not worth retaking if she is not going to prep for it. And that is true for the SAT or the ACT.
And, at the risk of being ‘rude’, I agree with the earlier poster: taking the SAT cold is probably a waste of a good morning sleeping in. Always best to take it when one is prepared and not until one is prepared.
If you just want a baseline score, better and less costly just to buy a book on amazon and take a test at home under timed conditions. Or, take the PSAT cold, but not the SAT.
I agree 100%. I’d rather go full bore prep, all sections, and be one and done. I don’t see the value in going in cold and taking it more than once, if you don’t have to.
@collegemom2000 The purpose of the test prep is not to learn the knowledge, but get familiar with the test format. Practice will bring you to a plateau score which is dstermined by the knowledge learned in high school. My D1 retook SAT simply because the first score was lower than her practice plateau score. If she did not do the practicd test thoroughly, she would not what score she should expect. D2 did not plan to retake but the second test was mandated by the state. It would be simply a mistake to rely on the state mandated SAT test as the score came out in May. Both ny D took ACT only once. There is no reason to use a real test as a practice. Yes, taking SAT twice is rather common, but one should treat each attempt as the last attempt.
Hmm, I think test prep can encompass more than just test format. For example, S’s prep allowed him to see that he had content weaknesses in a couple of specific areas, such as semi-colon usage and one or two specific math concepts. This is why I like prep books that have a concordance in the back identifying the skill areas tested in each question. That way, if you miss one, you can use the concordance to target the skill behind it.
Re: plateaus - S started with 670 ERBW and 540 Math on a Kaplan practice test administered under simulated testing conditions. He prepped on his own by doing practice tests and studying the questions he got wrong, and doing took him to a plateau of around 1400, a little over 700 in ERBW, a little under 700 in Math.
We only had about two or three weeks left at that point, so this is when I brought in the the Meltzer and PWN books. They’re what took him past the 1400 plateau.
“You cannot learn in 6 weeks what you should have learned in three years.”
–Tell that to the billion dollar test prep industry.
“All of the students I know have taken their first SAT cold just like they do with the PSAT, to determine which areas need to be focused on.”
–Those are some seriously misguided students. I can understand a few students taking the test cold. But all the students? Who’s advising these poor kids?
“Otherwise you are studying for everything which is a waste of time and energy which could and should be used for schoolwork.”
–100% agree. That’s why you can easily take a timed practice test with any test prep center for free. Or take one at home. Or just take the PSAT. Why take a real test that will be a permanent record?
“Sounds like your kids also took the SATs twice, which is pretty standard I guess.”
–Uhhh… yeah.
“The research shows 50 points is about the best you can realistically hope for due to test prep.”
That was not our experience.
D1 took some SAT preparation. The first thing that they did was sit the students down and give them a practice test under realistic circumstances. From that score, D1 improved by more than 100 points (probably more like 150) by the time that she took the test. She then took it a second time with a small improvement, but only 20 points or so.
The SAT preparation class was given at a local community center and was very reasonably priced. We then used a tutor for perhaps 3 hours or so, but the cost was a lot less than $250 per hour cited by someone above. I think that it was closer to $100 per hour. We went to a very small outfit – the entire company was two tutors plus one receptionist – they were obviously local to where we are but were very good and I would expect that similar small outfits exist in most parts of the US.
Given that OP’s daughter got 1270 with no preparation, I would think that with sufficient preparation a significant improvement is possible (certainly to 1300, maybe to 1400). However, this is going to require some preparation. I wouldn’t just walk in again with no preparation.
@collegemom2020, D21 took the official SAT in 8th grade: EBRW 580/ Math 680… Yes, she should improve with more high school, but targeted prep is going to get her the scores when they need to be. The 1260 shows me she has the potential.
Your D’s 1270 shows she has the potential.