Hey all! I’m currently a Sophomore and would be taking the SAT soon (June or November) and, I would like to know if it is possible to achieve a score of at least 1500 on the SAT using only the CollegeBoard SAT books and Khan Academy. Currently, my financial situation is not able to spend much on those expensive SAT prep classes. However, I have many friends who said that taking these SAT Prep classes is the only way to get those high caliber scores. So my question is, are they right? I will also gladly take advice on anything about this matter. Thank you!
Of course it is possible and probably happens more often than not. My DD got over 1500 in both SAT attempts without doing any prep work.
I didn’t take the SAT but got a 34 on the ACT by using just the official book and Barron’s. So yeah, it’s possible without prep classes.
Certainly possible with thorough preparation, with or without paid tutors or expensive prep materials (your local public library may do)
Totally possible! Those classes can help but they’re not necessary if you’re willing to work hard. 
I used the College Board and Kaplan prep books. I’d recommend just exploring what will work best for you, and definitely take a lot of practice tests to check your progress. Good luck!!
Also, this may not be true for all schools, but my school has a few AP prep books in the office that students can use. Maybe your school has some SAT ones lying around?
My school has a few books, but I went through them already. Nevertheless, thanks for the advice!
@bryancarden902, after lurking for three years, I signed up just to answer you. I forgot to sign up my daughter for test prep (oops, bad mom!) and so a couple months before end of junior year I found an online course that I think was $400 but if you didn’t improve a certain number of points from PSAT or other official test after diligently doing their lessons, you get your money back. Think it was called Prep Scholar – and my daughter got a 1510 so never took another SAT!
Test preparation classes are only useful for those who:
A. Need test preparation. (Some people do well enough for their goals with minimal or no test preparation.)
B. Are not self-motivated or organized to do their own test preparation.
Did you try any of the practice tests from https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests ? If your score was not as high as you want, did you determine which types of questions you missed the most, so that you can focus your preparation on those types of questions?
^^^ I would add the group of students that do not have the bandwidth to plan out the most efficient preparation. I know plenty of self-motivated and organized students that need test prep but don’t have time to research the best test-taking techniques which are what generally come with test tutors.
So we paid for a tutor and it did help my son. I think he could have improved on his own knowing what I know now and may not get a tutor for my daughter. The tutor recommended taking practice tests under time limits at your house or library or wherever it is quiet. Identify what areas you have trouble on and work on those. You can definitely do it without a tutor.
Have you taken the PSAT? Do you have a baseline score? It would be much easier to give an answer if you have a starting point. If your PSAT score puts in a range to score 1000, then 1500 would require significant work. If you’re already in the range of 1400, you are already almost there.
If you haven’t taken the PSAT, start with a few practice tests, to get a sense of where you’re starting. I wouldn’t take the SAT this spring, but would wait - if you are planning to complete 4 years of HS, it is more commonly taken in Spring of junior year. The PSAT will give you a good sense of the design of the test, and timing. Practice tests will give you a better sense of the content.
My twins achieved a 1550+ just using books. They took it the August before their Junior year which I recommend if you have the requisite math background (finished Algebra 2…Precal is not necessary), thereby allowing you to focus on grades and EC’s your junior year. The books they used are:
College Board
Ivy Global
Kaplan
They timed themselves for each test, and after grading, went over each question they got wrong or guessed on. They did discuss with each other some questions and hashed out what the thought process was behind the right answer, so if you have someone like that, it might be helpful to get a grasp on the types of questions you are having difficulty with (e.g., a friend, your parents, a teacher).
Good luck.
@bryancarden902 If you are doing Khan Academy SAT prep, what are your scores on the timed practice tests? Doing the full-length timed practices are the most valuable feature of Khan Academy. Make sure to go over each wrong answer afterwards to understand why the wrong answer was wrong and why the right answer was right.
I am an SAT tutor. I also took the test without any paid prep back in the day and taught myself and eventually got a 1600–so yes, it is possible. To study on your own you need to be motivated and have a strong foundation to work with. Most of my students (many of whom are even quite bright and go to very highly regarded prep schools) lack a strong foundation. It doesn’t matter how motivated they are: they are simply not able to teach themselves certain things because they lack a good understanding of certain core ideas and concepts. That being said, if you have a good foundation (something that is probably hard for you to evaluate on your own), improving to over a 1500 is doable. Reading will probably be the hardest to teach yourself. For reading, just remember that every correct answer is supported by evidence and every incorrect answer is either unsupported or contradicted by evidence. Getting good at reading itself will still be hard–there are certain techniques I can go into if you like–but if you know this, you know the most important thing.
You also say that you are taking the SAT fairly soon, which is fine. However, the more you practice the better you will be able to do (think how much smarter you will be a year from now–or how much smarter you are now compared to a year ago). I wouldn’t anticipate that you will do your best the first time around. This isn’t necessarily a problem, you don’t need to lock-in your final score a year before early apps are due. I don’t want to dissuade you from testing in June or November, however: it will force you to start prepping, and if you don’t do as well as you hope, that will be good motivation to practice more.
If you can, try to get a copy of the SAT Prep Black Book. It doesn’t have practice tests, instead it has insights into how questions are structured and strategies you can use. It’s like having a tutor. Meant to be used alongside the official prep book.
Also, don’t cram. Prep consistently - like an athlete training for a big game.
My son scored a 34 on the ACT with no prep (one practice test) and a 1480 on the SAT with maybe an hour or two of math review on Khan Academy (he didn’t do any prep for EBRW or I’m sure he could have gotten another 20 points). He took both tests one time. He does, weirdly enough, like standardized multiple choice tests so I guess that helps.
He is not one of the “smart kids” in his school (the type who take the most rigorous classes, work hard, get straight As, etc.) so his scores were a pleasant surprise. He had friends with tutors and classes who didn’t do as well.
Absolutely. You might try to find funds to invest in a few practice books. Do time practice tests and really analyze your problem areas. Schedule like 3-4 hours a week for 8-10 weeks before your test. If you know you need math review, you might want to do further digging on that.
My kid got an ACT 34 with minimal prep and was consistently scoring 33-35 in practice tests.
Certainly possible–my son did nothing but Khan. You do have to be more disciplined about it than if you had an outside teacher. Make sure to take lots of practice tests with real life test conditions (i.e. quiet room, don’t take a lunch break in the middle, time limits, all that). And start early enough that you can take it once and have time to target any problem areas before you take it again.
Thank you all for your comments and advice, I will definitely implement it in my Self Studying routine.