I just got back my SAT score as a junior, and I got a 1450 on it, which bummed me out as I was hoping for at least a 1540. My score is equivalent to a 2080 on the old SAT.
On every single SAT test I have taken, whether it be a subject test, the PSAT, or the normal one, I have gotten disappointingly unexpected low scores. It truly baffles me - I think I prepare fairly well, and I feel relatively confident after taking the test. I remember seeing my Math II Subject score and being in absolute shock because I did way worse than I thought (I’m retaking this by the way…). I’m just horribly disappointed in general.
Now I debating whether or not it would be worth it to try studying for ACT instead. I chose SAT over ACT because I was put off by the time constraints and the science questions in the ACT, but now I am considering it due to it having much more straightforward questions than the SAT. Perhaps it’s just my disillusionment but I am doubting whether I could really improve my SAT score to where I want it to be. I spent a lot the time and money preparing for it, and I don’t feel like the score I got reflects my GPA or academic ability. I’m hoping the ACT will be a different story for me.
My GPA is a 4.3 W (hoping to bring up to a 4.5 after junior year), and the schools I really want to get into include Cornell, John Hopkins, and U Mich. I know Cornell does not participate in score choice, so I’m not sure whether I would need to submit my SAT score if I wish to use my ACT score.
I have not done any ACT prep whatsoever. Do you think if I start studying for the ACT now, I would be able to be successful taking the test-in say March or even January? Or should I just continue my SAT prep and try to improve my SAT score?
SAT and ACT are much more similar than they used to be. My S got 1470 on the PSAT after doing some PSAT prep, and then got a 34 ACT with no specific ACT prep. Definitely try the ACT at least once. Some people just click more with one test over the other.
I personally do better on the ACT than the SAT, although I know people for whom the reverse is true. Take a practice test and use the College Board’s ACT-SAT concordance table to compare your scores.
SAT questions in general tend to be trickier than ACT questions, and the SAT, with its Math No Calculator section, is less vulnerable to calculator shortcuts. The Reading passages are harder than on the ACT, and the questions are less straightforward.
Even with these differences, though, prepping for one test should help significantly with the other.
The Web page below has a great list of ACT books in case you decide to make the switch. Get Mike Barrett’s book first along with the Third edition of the Real ACT Prep Guide. (Yes, that’s the out-of-print edition, which you’ll need in order to match the questions in the practice tests with Barrett’s answer explanations.)
I agreed with everyone that you should try a timed ACT test. google C R A C K ACT you can find some past tests. My DD is also a junior, she spent summer prep for SAT, I decided to let her try ACT as the test was in September, then asked her to do some practice tests. She got a 32 in the September test. She got her Oct SAT yesterday and told me she would stay with ACT…
@gelato0110 Your SAT prep is not working because you should be getting consistent scores between what you test on prep to what you get on the real test. When you practice the key is to take the test under strict time constraints. You also must not be interrupted just like at the real test. You don’t have to take the entire SAT in one prep sitting. Do the reading and English, under strict time constraints, check your answers, and figure out why you got every single answer wrong. You will see a pattern- work on what you don’t know. If it’s careless mistakes, slow down, Focus. Rinse and repeat. If you are doing poorly on math calculator and good on English, keep doing the math calculator ( strictly timed) until you figure out your weaknesses. Work on the weaknesses only! Don’t just keep taking practice tests over and over without understanding why you’re getting things wrong. This must be what you’re doing if you’re surprised by your score because your practice should correlate with your real test.
That said it’s not too late to take a practice a ACT and see how you do on that. Don’t take the real thing until you take a real practice one, under strict time constraints, of course. There are literally dozens of them available for the a ACT. The red book has 5 of them and it costs less than twenty bucks.
Yes - one advantage of prepping for the ACT is the abundance of quality practice material available. When I prepped for my first ACT, I took a few practice tests untimed to get used to the test and then took 10-15 timed tests. If you don’t have the time to take 20 practice tests, it’s a good idea to take tests under timed conditions only.
Stick as much as possible to official practice tests, as the tests written by test prep companies tend to have inaccuracies and answer key errors. Some unofficial tests are so bad that studying with them can actually be counterproductive.
If you’re targeting Ivies, your score should ideally be at the 99th percentile (1550+ or 34+). The ACT is offered in December, February, and April, and if you want to take it before studying for AP tests and Subject Tests, February may be the best choice.
With three months to prepare, I suggest ordering some high-quality prep books. Mike Barrett’s ACT Prep Black Book along with the out-of-print 3rd edition of the ACT Prep Guide are a good place to start. Erica Meltzer’s Reading guides are excellent, as well as Steve Warner’s Advanced Course (28 New SAT Math Lessons). I haven’t found a comparably good math book for the ACT, but if you go through Warner’s book and take 10-20 ACT practice tests, you should be able to identify your content gaps and work on them using Khan Academy. For grammar, the Web site No Red Ink is great and doesn’t cost anything.