SAT Advices

[kevinf]

i am a sophomore in high school; i am taking sat classes right now. but for some reason the Practice tests they give out at the class i have been doing pretty badly, especially the english part (writing and reading). i can't even get pass 2000. is there anything you guys did to get a good score, how should i improve

[Stuey]

Since the writing section is relatively new, a lot of people here may be unfamiliar with it.

How are you doing on the math and verbal test scores? If you're getting like 650 in each section, that's pretty good. You don't have to give exact numbers, but at least describe how you're doing "pretty badly". Is it your vocabulary? Analogies? Certain mathematics questions? Are you running out of time??

Since you're a sophomore, you have a loooon time before you need to be worried about the SATs but it's good that you're preparing early. Pick up a copy of Barron's SAT prep book. They have a 3500 word list which will be beneficial to you in your studies and not just for the SATS.

You'll probably improve your score over time. For example, between sophomore and junior year, my psat score went up 10 points. Between junior year and senior year when I didn't even really study much, my score went up 200 points. Your mindset has a lot to do with how well you do.

But yea... be specific with the problems you're having and you should get better tailored advice.

[flawedreality5]

The SAT's were terrible. I did awful on the analogy section or whatever it was called. Like "Frog is to lifeform, as piano is to _____". I hated that. I wanted to slaughter whoever invented that section. Although I heard they were dropping it or have already. My high school offered a SAT prep course at night. If your school or a school around offers one, you should look into it. It helped me some but not all that much. I thought the PSAT was easier than the SAT by a lot, but that's just me. I was just so frustrated by the SAT, I took it twice and gave up. If you're really into improving your score, I'd say get that book Stuey said.

[kevinf]

they don't have analogies anymore though, i am pretty much doing 400-500 in all the subjects

[Hi Ho]

I have to take the SAT's this Spring. I'm a senior in high school. I took the PSAT last year and, as far as I know, I did well on it. I don't really know how well I will do on the real thing. I'm good at english and science but math is, by far, my worst subject. I hate math with a passion.

[ZeratulsAvenger]

I took the SAT's twice, no prep for it though. Got a 1790 and 1920. If you want a more meager point gain then a second time is advised since it helped everyone I know. Not by 400 points or anything, but an acceptable 100-200.

What classes are you taking? If you are in Algebra A as opposed to Geometry then that could account for a lower score in Math. If you haven't covered in class essays yet then hopefully you will next year. Reading more is also bound to help to some extent, since if you can read through pieces faster while still comprehending then you won't have as many problems finishing the reading section of the test.

In my english class of my Junior year we focused a lot more on essay writing which can help a lot for the essay. Granted, writing was my lowest score, but if you can write a comprehensible essay with support then you should do well enough on that portion. I would recommend, if you don't write in class essays, to try sample essay questions while keeping yourself under the time limit. My friend had never done a timed essay prior to his SAT and ACT and the scores showed it. He only had time for two paragraphs.

The math portion can be helped by further reinforcement of concepts and principles. I did better on my SATs this year then I did last year(50 pt boost) after both knowing what to expect and Calculus forcing me to remember basics of math that I had been ignoring for a year or so.


To put some foundation for scores: A 2000 on the SAT is really quite good. Cornell, an Ivy-League University, has a middle range of 1920-2210(with an estimated value for the new section). A more moderate school, Puget Sound, has a range of 1760-2040. These are both excellent schools, Cornell obviously more prestigious. ACTs are 30 and 27, respectively. Something around 1700(or a 23 on the ACT) is the median for a public school like Montana State University-Bozeman. Working to a goal of 2000 if you plan on attenting a college in the range of Puget Sound(a moderate private school) or a state school(public) then you are misguided in my opinion. One of my friends is going to UAA for financial reasons so she decided not to bother taking the SATs a second time because what she had was more then suitable for acceptance, while if she were to apply to more selective schools then she might have to reconsider.

The test isn't everything though. Where I lack in GPA I attempted to make up in test scores(can have succeeded or failed depending on who you talk to), but my extracurriculars are nonexistant and that is a turnoff for many colleges. Focus on a balance.

Above all I would try and take the test twice. See your score and focus on what you need the most improvement on and you will do better the second time. I would also recommend the ACT. My friend(with the essay problems) recieved a 1500-1600 on the SAT but a 27 on the ACT. Percentage wise when based against others I am pretty sure the ACT worked better for him.

[Stuey]

Hi Ho, what science fields are you into (I'm asking because you have to tolerate mathematics a lot in some fields). Also, did you take the SATs yet or no? I'm not sure when the application deadlines are but it's probably pretty soon. (Good Luck)

A practice test is not really a true representation of how you'll do. It's intended more as a judge as to which types of questions you need to improve upon.

Still, I suggest you work with a book such as Barrons. I actually really recommend Barrons because it seems to be the most competant. If you want a friendlier book, check out Kaplan or Princeton Review. They also sell mini-books that cover the most common vocabulary words. Again though, Barron's book is good. It covers a LOT of information and is very concisely format. That means that you're not going to need most of the stuff in the book as the SATs cannot contain EVERY type of question, but this book will be good preparation. HOWEVER, even though the ETS claims that the SAT measures a person's natural abilities, preparation and test taking skills will improve your score drastically. With that in mind, the exam IS more of a test of one's ability to take the test, rather than a measure of their competancy. I know people with high scores who don't know that you're supposed to check a carton of milk for the sell-by date, and people with low scores with intelligence that admire and look up to.

[Hi Ho]

Hi Ho, what science fields are you into (I'm asking because you have to tolerate mathematics a lot in some fields). Also, did you take the SATs yet or no? I'm not sure when the application deadlines are but it's probably pretty soon. (Good Luck)

I'm not really "into" science. I like it though. I'm taking chemistry right now. There is a lot of math but so far it isn't anything too complicated.

I have not taken the SAT's yet. I will probably be doing it in the Spring. If not, it will be some other time.

I'm really more interested in the audio field. I would love to do live sound, recording, and such. I'm not sure what further education I need for that type of work.

I don't think I will be going to a regular college. I don't like the idea of having to jump through the hoops of required classes that don't intrest me in the least (mainly math). A technical school would probably be a better fit for me.