I scored a 1340 on the SAT. I know that’s a pretty decent score, but I also know it just will not cut it for Vanderbilt, my top choice. This was my first time taking the SAT, and I didn’t study. Furthermore, I worked the night before lol. I think there is some room for improvement if I study. Also, on three of the four sections I didn’t get to 2-5 of the questions (I am terrible at timing). I’m planning on taking it again in September. Do you all think it is possible that I will be able to get an acceptable score for Vandy? I know the average incoming SAT is around a 1400 on the lowest side, but it would be great if anyone could tell me a range to aim for. Although my SAT is low for Vandy, everything else is acceptable. I have a 4.0 gpa unweighted and a 4.571 weighted while going to a college preparatory magnet school that’s ranked #1 in my state. Also, last time I checked, I was ranked #3 in my class of approximately 300. I’ve taken 6 AP class so far and will take 4 as a senior. I have taken AP Human Geo (4), AP World History (4), AP Lang (3), APUSH, AP Bio, and AP Physics 1. In addition, I’m in Beta Club, National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, french club, and Young Democrats. I was a student council rep for two years and a member of a selective leadership program for my city. I’ve also volunteered 80 hours at my local hospital, 20 hours with the Ronald McDonald House, and 20 hours with the 40 hours with the House of Heroes. I know Vandy is a reach for anyone, but would an improvement in my SAT make me competitive or is it even possible for me to improve my score 40+ points?
ooopsies, I meant 60+ points lol
It is totally possible, especially since part of your low score was involved with time management.
Keep taking practice tests online or from a book, and time yourself. It’s also a good idea to give yourself mini-tests of 5 or 10 problems with scaled-down time.
Smaller groups of problems with the same amount of time allotted for each problem as the actual SAT may really help you figure out your time management troubles. It’s a lot easier to keep track of the time that you have with a small set of problems, and the short time frame will likely make you feel a little on edge. That’s fine, even good- It gives you an opportunity to deal with test anxiety in a low-stakes situation.
Good luck! I hope you find a test method that works for you.
As you’ve said that Vandy is your top choice, and if money is not the issue, you should apply ED1 to boost your chance. The ED2 and RD will have too many applicants that have high quality scores with similar qualification as yours.
In deed @newkidnewtrix said best that managing your timing may be the best strategy to boost your SAT score to more than 60-100 point improvement.
You also may want to try ACT too. My D is in 2021 class. Her 2nd SAT try did not improve at all (only boosted superscore by 20), but due to better time management (so she did finish all her math and science questions instead of leaving some blank or guessing), she improve her ACT by 2 point (from 31 to 33), and that was almost 100 to 150 equivalent of point improvement of SAT. So I encourage you to also try the ACT, and submit the better one to Vandy.
Yes, if you put the time and effort in. I agree with taking the ACT as well. Some students score better in one than the other.
As compared to some of its peer schools, Vandy does tend to have a thing for high test scores. So you really should try to bump up your scores.
You should figure out if you are a better ACT taker than SAT taker ASAP. Some kids are better on ACT than SAT. All of mine were. Also, my kids’ experience was that ACT is more easily improved with prep work than SAT.
Unfortunately today was the last ACT test date before the fall. So you should take a full ACT under real test conditions as soon as you can to see if your baseline ACT looks better than your baseline SAT. Once you decide which test you are going with, use the summer to prep. You can prep on your own, but it may be worth hiring a tutor. Oftentimes, the real value to a tutor is that it forces you to do the prep work on schedule – same reason why people hire a personal trainer even though they can obviously just go to the gym alone.
Sign up for the SAT/ACT test date in late August/early September. If you go for the ACT, the plus is that your scores come back several weeks faster than SATs do. So you will get feedback faster than with SAT, and have a chance to take the test again in October (if necessary) and still be able to apply early as of November 1.
Kids typically do better on the test in Fall senior year than Spring junior year – brain is bigger/older, test prep helps, taking the test a second/third time helps, and you are not distracted with classes, prom, AP exams, final exams, etc.
If your folks are OK with full pay and Vandy remains your clear #1, definitely apply ED1. Vandy typically fills 40+% of it seats via ED. It makes a difference.
One of my sons studied like heck all summer before his senior year and got 200 more points in October on the SAT. On the ACT just middling. We live in a town where college test prep is not a focus so it was really up to them. The other son made essentially the same score the second time on the SAT. So let that be a lesson for you! ha. But second son gave the ACT a serious try. Time management is a huge part of the ACT. He got to the last page on math and had to hit only guesses and made a perfect score. Dumb luck. But also he had prepared and knew how to pace himself and how to study the answers in the Red Book. Do the Real ACTs in the red book. He was so busy as a senior. you poor kids. This means taking these dang tests in your room with a timer. ugh. Sometimes he was so tired he would just study the answers after doing a section. That can be helpful when the answers are explained well. Also they both took SAT subject exams. You need three to apply to some Ivies. You need to knock a couple of those back in May and June junior year right when everyone else is starting to relax and have fun. Or sign up for one per testing date in the fall through winter.
You may be able to test forward in college foreign language with good AP or SAT subject scores. Second son made a 3 on his AP lang… but his SAT subject language (Spanish) placed him out of 2 courses. Once you have done your best effort, quit thinking about testing. Move on!! only a number
I’m sure it’s possible to improve. Definitely focus on timing first. It is also necessary to improve if you want a good chance at getting into Vanderbilt. I think you should be aiming for a 1470ish on the SAT or a 33 on the ACT to have a decent shot. I’m sorry, but that’s just how tough it is at Vandy, at least with test scores. Those scores would make you average or slightly below average for admitted students, and since you don’t seem to have any hooks, to have a decent chance you must be at least around their average test score, even if you have a great gpa/class rank. Good luck, at least you have all summer to practice.