D20 took the Dec '18 SAT and scored 1270. That’s much lower than what she was scoring on the Barrons practice tests. On all 6 Barrons practice tests, she scored between 1560 and 1600. Her real SAT score is well below what she was scoring on her Barrons practice tests. We were told the Barrons tests are usually harder than the real SAT. She has taken a few other tests as well - Kaplan, Princeton review and KA - all scoring 1550-1600.
Anyone else experience this? Any tips on trying to figure out what happened here? Are there any resources that might help her understand where she needs to focus on?
The curve for the test was bad. DS practices on the actual SAT practice tests sanctioned by CB,. He was getting over 1400, and he got 1370 on the real test.
(SAT tutor here.) I’m not aware of any practice tests that come close to approximating the actual SAT, other than the 8 official practice tests available from the College Board. Why was your D using Barron’s and not the 8 available from the Official SAT Study Guide? If she hasn’t already done those tests, I would suggest she do them, treating them like gold. She should use hard copies of the tests, ideally from the Study Guide, and definitely not do them online (at Khan Academy), which does NOT approximate the circumstances of the actual test. [Khan Academy is great for study of concepts and practice questions, but NOT for taking practice tests.] She should do the tests one section at a time (or do one or two entire SATs in one go on a Saturday morning), treating them like the actual SAT as much as possible: use the bubble sheets and a No. 2 pencil, time herself strictly, etc. Then the key is to a “deep dive” analysis of each and every incorrect answer and keep track of them and study those topics so she is absolutely solid in them.
I haven’t used Barron’s (or any other practice test other than the office CB practice tests) for years. I know that it used to be true (for the old version of the SAT) that Barron’s was harder than the actual SAT while other commercial practice tests were easier than the SAT. While I don’t know if that’s still the case, the main point is that they are not representative of the real SAT and couldn’t be.
Also, there are other factors that go into how a student performs on the actual SAT. Anxiety may be an issue. Doing official practice tests under as near as authentic conditions as possible will help. She’ll be very familiar with timing and flow of the tests. Also, it is extremely important that students get plenty of sleep the night before the test and it’s very important that they have a healthy breakfast before the test. I recommend a medium-sized high protein low carb breakfast. I recommend that my students bring a snack to the SAT. It’s fine if the snack has significant carbs, because if you eat the snack half-way or two-thirds the way into the test there won’t be time for a sugar crash. I recommend a granola bar, a juice box, and/or a peppermint candy (good for a little wake-me-up energy boost).
In addition to the Official SAT Study Guide (solely for the practice tests contained therein), I strongly recommend PWN the SAT Math by Mike McClenathan and the SAT Grammar Guide 4th Edition by Erica Meltzer. Both books are brilliant, the best out there in my opinion, and they are both worth studying from cover to cover and/or using for topics where your D finds weaknesses.
I would also use the 8 official ones. They are available for free on College Board’s website and at Khan Academy. There are also copies of other official tests (from released QAS) on the internet.
Recent scoring scales have been harsher as the test has been easier lately. That said, 300+ pts is a pretty huge difference. It’s possible to order the SAS for December - it doesn’t tell a whole lot, but if she got a ton wrong toward the end of one or more sections, perhaps the bubbling on the answer sheet was off, one possible explanation.
I’m guessing since you don’t mention times, that these weren’t taken under test conditions, as mentioned above. That may well account for the difference.
@SoccerMomGenie not to hijack the thread - but do you recommend a private tutor or a Huntington type place? Looking now for D21 to prep over the summer but not sure what way to go.
@SoccerMomGenie , I agree. I’m also a private test prep tutor. The only tests available for prep are the real ones published by College Board, ACT, and Wiley, who publish the only official ACT study guide. I always insist that my students have an official study guide when I work with them.
Sometimes when students do these practice tests, they are more relaxed since they are not under that much pressure. That may be one reason behind the drastic difference in her scores. Also, it may be that she is peeking at the answers during the test? (I’m not saying she cheats, but it may be something to look into)
The other thing to consider is whether the ACT might be a better bet. I don’t know the new format of the SAT but the old one was best for students who are test savvy and who can avoid the trick traps used by the College Boards whereas the ACTs are very straight forward. Students who focus on learning material (and have mastered it) but aren’t as good at (or don’t like the process of) gaming tests tend to do better on the ACTs-much of the challenge of the ACTs, especially for strong students who have a good fund of knowledge, is simply time-getting through the questions quickly enough. I usually advise students to make the decision between the two tests early and to not go back and forth. But if the SATs are not working, perhaps it would be worth looking at the ACTs.
@NJWrestlingmom, no, I’m not in NJ, but I’m in the northeast. I have significant experience and success in tutoring students by phone, believe it or not. Even many local students choose to do phone sessions after they try them, because they work and they save on travel / logistics. Happy to help if you don’t find someone you like who is closer.Also willing to help if you just have questions or want more advice choosing a tutor. Send me a private message if you like.
Given the huge gap between real and practice, and considering the variety of prep materials used including Kahn, I’d look into the possibility of significant mis-bubbling on the real test. Another unpleasant consideration would be that she’s somehow misrepresenting her practice scores. A third might be that she took each subsection at several practice sessions rather than one continually timed test. The latter is much harder. Get her answers and take a look at what and where she tanked, then look over the practice scores. You will find your answer.
My son did his practice exams at home using the CB practice tests and strict timing even for the break. I looked up the protocols on the CB website to get the wording and timing, including when to do minutes remaining. No way could he fudge the test because I was the proctor. Also scored it using the SAT app so it took about 2 minutes total. KA would then upload his results since his CB account was linked to it. An incredible tool, if used in combination with real test conditions.