<p>Hey guys,
I'm a sophomore. I got my PSAT scores back the other day and found out I got a 130.
How do I improve? I understand practice, practice, practice. But specifically, any extra help for my case?</p>
<p>Since your score is so low, doing 1 or 2 practice tests with a significant amount of review should raise your score dramatically.</p>
<p>Well, you’re a sophomore for one, so if you have not completed Algebra II and/or do not perform well, you’ll have to go through plenty of practice and lessons to refresh. CR/Writing requires good reading comprehension and grammar understanding, so if you are shaky on that, you’ll need to pick up a grammar review book, as well as poking around for CR test strategies. I suggest tutoring after your sophomore year. You’ll definitely see your PSAT scores raise dramatically from sophomore to junior year, even without practice.</p>
<p>…Don’t take the score too seriously either. You’re a sophomore. Plus, the majority of people on here are, like, freakishly smart or liars about their scores, so try not to compare yourself to their reports of 760s and 800s without studying. (While it does happen, it’s not that common.) However, if it is any consolation, I know a person who scored > 400 on an actual SAT test.</p>
<p>You may also perform better on the ACT!</p>
<p>I improved from a 175 to a 219 (which is SF in most states), and that’s a 44 point improvement. You can definitely raise that score to at least a 175 on the next PSAT if you study hard like I did.</p>
<p>Don’t quote me on this, but I’m pretty sure Algebra II isn’t on the PSAT.</p>
<p>^Not considering Calculus, the higher you go in math, the easier the SAT math becomes (Being in Calculus hasn’t helped me at all). So just by being in high school and learning the new material and faster ways to solve problems, your scores will increase.</p>
<p>I think I got a 160 on my Soph. PSAT, and a 2100 on my SAT. Just keep up your motivation and study concepts, do practice tests, read books, expand your vocab, do your best in school, and no matter what your scores should improve.</p>
<p>An0maly is right…the highest math on there is Geometry…however if you were in an Alg 1 class w/ a teacher like I had, you might not get to parabolas and hyperbolas ;)</p>
<p>Bingo. I was only one and a half months into Geometry when I took the PSATs as a sophomore for math and got a 68, but then I raised it 12 points in the next year, mainly because of actually understanding the math I hadn’t known in sophomore year. 
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<p>Don’t worry about it. There are dozens of resources online for studying for PSATs, and knowing geometry helps more than any other single factor, IMO. Even if you don’t get a great score, colleges won’t know that. It only matters for getting into the National Merit Scholarship program.</p>
<p>Maybe it’s my state curriculum for math, but I am pretty sure a lot of the SAT math problems were not covered until Algebra II. At any rate, I just meant that if you didn’t recognize a lot of the math problems, you probably haven’t reached the level in your education to have learned it. By Algebra II, you learn everything you need to know, for the most part.</p>