I’m about to take my Junior PSAT, I scored a 1250 on my Sophomore one. Is it possible to raise mine on the ACTUAL test to a 1500 given that I’m starting many hours a week at Sylvan preparing for it? I want to go to MIT.
I went from 1250 (sophomore) to 1450 (junior) on the PSAT, then scored a 1490 on the SAT my first try. I did not prep for any of these because I was solely focused on the ACT. For me, it was just that I needed to take Algebra II in order to score well on the math section. (FWIW, I got a 35 on the ACT, far better than any of my PSAT/SAT results.)
Thanks, so with studying a lot I should be able to reach a 1500+?
It really depends on your score breakdown. For me, there was a concrete reason why I was scoring lower in math, which was that I hadn’t been exposed to the material. If your issue is that you struggle with skills you’ve already been exposed to, however, it’ll probably be a steeper slope to get to your goal score. IMO, improving math is easier if your problem is that you’re unfamiliar with some of the concepts being tested, especially depending upon what math you took as a sophomore. Struggling to comprehend passages or to apply math tools you’ve learned previously signals a deeper issue that improves much more gradually. I wouldn’t say “studying a lot” helps in all cases – and as you can see from my first comment, studying wasn’t even necessary given my own circumstances. It’s certainly possible, but I can’t say whether or not you “should be able” to do it without knowing more about why you scored 1250 as a sophomore.
Yes. It can be done. Our S19 got a 1360 on the PSAT sophomore year and just got a 1540 (800 math 740 EW) on the August SAT after studying on his own this summer. The most important thing is working with the eight College Board practice tests and really understanding your mistakes. He also used the PWN the Math book and the Erica Meltzer books for Writing and Reading. Pretty much finished all three of those books. Every other weekend, he took full timed practice tests. It was a ton of work but it paid off. He will be taking the PSAT next week as a junior.
You definitely have a chance! I got a 1270 on the PSAT, then 1260 on the SAT junior year. I’m a senior now and with on and off summer study, I got my score up to 1410. I’m aiming for 1500 on the November one now!
I would say study for an hour everyday, making sure that you cover new material as well as reinforcing previous ideas and you should be fine.
Definitely! I received a 1200 on the PSAT my sophomore year and a 1580 on the real SAT my junior year- hard work and studying will go a long way!