Hi I’m at the end of 9th grade, and I’ll be going to 10th grade next year. I wanted help about how to start studying for the SAT/ACT early on and step by step so I don’t have to stress over it the day of the test. I took the PSAT this year and I got a terrible score on it (around 1000) I have not mastered high school math yet as I haven’t taken algebra II and trig yet. My grades are straight As (mostly A+) and I’m the president of a club. My ultimate goal is Johns Hopkins medical school. First I need to strengthen my skills though on writing and math. For those who have had similar situations, any tips will be useful! Thanks!
Deep breaths.
You’re 14 or 15 years old. You haven’t taken one of the big courses on the SAT.
My tip is to relax. There’s no “asap” about your situation. Do as well as you can in the hardest courses you can manage. And develop interests beyond the classroom.
That “terrible score” probably puts you in decent shape compared to you peer group-- check the percentiles.
But your “ultimate goal” should not be Johns Hopkins or any other school. If you want to be a doctor, then your ultimate goal should be to be the best doctor you can. And book knowledge, while certainly important, won’t accomplish that. A good doctor is a also a good people person. That’s something you can work on now, by broadening your interests and activities.
Speaking as an SAT tutor, I wouldn’t stress. SAT math is mainly Algebra 2. If you haven’t taken that yet, of course you wouldn’t do well. If you feel the need to start prepping, here is what I recommend.
- Study vocab.
- Make sure you are comfortable with the math you have learned. I recommend reviewing all the topics you have learned (esp. Algebra I), making sure that you have mastered them.
- You can learn the grammar rules tested on the writing section of the test.
- Read plenty. Your goal is to understand what you read, not to simply move your eyes from start to finish. Rereading some will be necessary for this. Read a variety of texts and read texts that challenge you.
Besides the advice above, you should look at the official SAT test prep on Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat The most useful feature are the eight official CB, full-length timed practice tests. The test numbers 5-8 are actual previous SAT exams. I recommend taking six practice tests before taking the SAT for real, saving the last two to prep for a retake.
@Django819
^As someone who tutors these tests, I very, very, very strongly DISAGREE with this above piece of advice. You should not take official practice tests this early. You have not yet acquired many of the skills you need to have for the SAT. Taking practice tests before knowing the material is pointless. Actually, it is worse than pointless: eventually, once you are actually preparing for the SAT, you will want to use the practice tests to prepare. If you have seen them before, they won’t make very good practice anymore and you won’t have very many good practice materials to make use of. Please, do yourself a favor and do not do the official practice tests this early. If you like, you can do some of the 3rd party tests (ones made by companies other than the college board). These are plentiful. They are not as good at representing the material on the actual SAT as official college board tests, which is why they are less crucial for practice later on. Later on, you will want to have the good tests to practice with.
@TheSATTeacher The time to take practice tests is before you take the SAT. There is no other time to take them. Re-read post #3 above and say what exactly you object to. There are many additional official QAS tests available, so there is no danger of “running out”. Taking practice exams is by far the best way for students to improve. They are not just a tool for tutors such as yourself.
To be clear, I don’t disagree with taking practice tests before taking the actual SAT. What I don’t recommend is taking them this early. The OP is still a FRESHMAN. Students should take the practice tests closer to when they actually take the SAT for the reasons I stated previously (that it is a waste to take practice tests before knowing all the material covered, that there are only so many practice tests out there and it is best not to waste them so they are still available closer to when the student takes the actual exam).
I also think there is still a danger of running out–there aren’t that many QAS tests available. In general, I think 4 is a good number of practice tests to take before the first testing session. In my experience, students take SAT prep more seriously after they get their first test results back and see they didn’t do as well as they hoped. There are roughly 12 official college board SAT practice tests out there. Most ambitious students take the test 2-3 times. This allows 4 practice tests for each testing.
(Also, nothing I said would indicate that I think SAT practice tests are the unique purview of SAT tutors. The advice I gave was completely general. When I say “speaking as an SAT tutor” what I am saying is that I am speaking both as someone who has real, first-hand, in-depth experience with what works for a wide-range of students and as someone who has devoted significant amounts of time to thinking about these things. I fully well understand that most students will not use tutoring as it is economically inaccessible to the vast majority of the population. For this reason, none of the advice I give on CC regarding the SAT is specific to tutoring unless explicitly presented as such.)
I hope this clarifies things.
@TheSATTeacher My son took the SAT in 7th grade, as part of Duke TIP. His first practice exam score was 1060, his final practice score three months later was 1310. I hope this clears things up. Your opinion is yours and my opinion is mine. I will continue to tell students who ask for advice on improving their SAT score on the value of taking full length, timed practice tests.
As for QAS tests, I believe there are at least eight or so publicly available. Since this is your area, I would assume you know the exact number.
Wouldn’t PSAT practice tests be more appropriate for 9th and 10th graders?
https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/360031/College_Board_2015_PSAT.pdf
It doesn’t clear things up. One case is highly anecdotal. Most people are not as precocious as your son–most 11th graders don not score that on the SAT, let alone most 7th graders. Your son is clearly an outlier, which makes his case even less applicable to most people. The OP says she/he hasn’t taken Algebra II yet. SAT math is mainly Algebra II. You can’t do well on SAT math without knowing Algebra II.
“I will continue to tell students who ask for advice on improving their SAT score on the value of taking full length, timed practice tests.”
I never denied the value of taking practice tests. I denied the value of taking them in this situation. Suggesting otherwise is not accurate to what I very clearly wrote.
So I’m wondering. There was something about someone’s son taking the SAT in 7th grade and getting 1060, better than mine when I took it in 9th grade. Should I have started that early for someone wanting to go to Johns Hopkins or??? I’ll say, to be perfectly honest, I’m not the best at mathematics. If I practice it for a long time though, I quickly get the hang of it and do great on tests and quizzes. Will it be too late by the time I finish algebra II next year to start practicing for the SAT since I don’t know much of the material at the moment? I can’t relax knowing I’m giving up time that can be used to work for my future. Getting a 1490-1580 is not easy, I’m sure you know. Where should I start then, and how should I carry it through?
You don’t have to wait till you finish algebra 2 to start practicing. Just know that you will score lower until you have completed algebra 2 topics. Take some practice tests from college board and also get some SAT prep books. While working on the practice tests, make a list of topics you don’t know and then you can self study or seek help from someone who can help you with those topics.